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      06-10-2025, 12:07 PM   #1
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This Vs PPF?

I've read a few that say PPF isn't worth the cost. It can range anywhere between 2k to 8k give or take and there's no real ROI when you try to sell. So take a look at this vid. Would it make more sense to pay a pro to do a correction for road rash and other MINOR blemishes vs PPF?

https://youtube.com/shorts/JWhgtu4Ou...7JTfCIyzVgAe7Y
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      06-10-2025, 12:16 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
I've read a few that say PPF isn't worth the cost. It can range anywhere between 2k to 8k give or take and there's no real ROI when you try to sell.
What are you even saying?

No ROI upon sale? What lazy rich people are you talking to? Hot-water removal revealing flawless paint underneath and they can't get a ROI on it? That's not a PPF problem, it's a seller problem.

Choosing PPF depends on your area, driving habits, and several other factors, but if you don't get a ROI then you're just lazy, or rich, or just don't care.
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      06-10-2025, 01:18 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
I've read a few that say PPF isn't worth the cost. It can range anywhere between 2k to 8k give or take and
That's about right for the cost, or ~$500/panel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
there's no real ROI when you try to sell.
True 'dat.
On top, PPF has a finite lifespan, and you may have to re-apply a few times as it accumulates damage that starts to bother you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
So take a look at this vid. Would it make more sense to pay a pro to do a correction for road rash and other MINOR blemishes vs PPF?
Financially - absolutely!
Just drive the car, and touch-up a few scratches or rock hits as you accumulate them. This is a no-brainer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NSXR View Post
What are you even saying?No ROI upon sale? What lazy rich people are you talking to? Hot-water removal revealing flawless paint underneath and they can't get a ROI on it? That's not a PPF problem, it's a seller problem.
No, it's a reality.
Selling the car with PPF adds $0.00 value to the car.
No-one pays extra for old and banged up PPF on a used car. If anything, folks may subtract the cost of removing old PPF from the value of the car.

Also, PPF hides some small paint imperfections, making it harder to evaluate the condition of the true state of the paint if there is film on top of it!

a
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      06-10-2025, 02:50 PM   #4
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I've never heard of PPF not adding some sort of value to a car. If there's two cars for sale and one is banged up busted up and has scratches, the other has film which is a consumable product to protect the paint (most film these days is warrantied 10 years to begin with) I will always choose the car with PPF.

That alone is a tell tale about the owner and type of car im getting before I even see it or meet them. Someone willing to spend a few grand and properly protect their investment vs someone who has the "fuck it, i'm gonna sell it and it's gonna lose value anyways" mindset.. ask yourself who you'd rather buy a car from.

Just my $0.02. Bit bias as I do detailing and offer PPF services, and my M2 has near full body. Full Front on a M2 will probably cost $2-3k. People spend that alone on a cheap set of wheels and some tires or an exhaust. It's all about what you as an owner prioritize and see value in.
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      06-10-2025, 04:44 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvasiveF87 View Post
I've never heard of PPF not adding some sort of value to a car. If there's two cars for sale and one is banged up busted up and has scratches, the other has film which is a consumable product to protect the paint (most film these days is warrantied 10 years to begin with) I will always choose the car with PPF.

That alone is a tell tale about the owner and type of car im getting before I even see it or meet them. Someone willing to spend a few grand and properly protect their investment vs someone who has the "fuck it, i'm gonna sell it and it's gonna lose value anyways" mindset.. ask yourself who you'd rather buy a car from.

Just my $0.02. Bit bias as I do detailing and offer PPF services, and my M2 has near full body. Full Front on a M2 will probably cost $2-3k. People spend that alone on a cheap set of wheels and some tires or an exhaust. It's all about what you as an owner prioritize and see value in.
I do agree it adds some value if you are selling privately, but a dealer trade-in won't care.
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      06-10-2025, 05:50 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvasiveF87 View Post
Just my $0.02. Bit bias as I do detailing and offer PPF services
... you don't say...

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvasiveF87 View Post
I've never heard of PPF not adding some sort of value to a car.
Zero data, opinions full of biases.
Very rare on the internet, thanks for helping fill a shortage!

Quote:
Originally Posted by EvasiveF87 View Post
That alone is a tell tale about the owner [...] Someone willing to spend a few grand and properly protect their investment
Car is NEVER an investment. It's a depreciating asset.
Name:  selling something.jpg
Views: 290
Size:  17.9 KB

Good luck either way,
a
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      06-10-2025, 06:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afadeev View Post
Car is NEVER an investment. It's a depreciating asset.
Attachment 3753469

Good luck either way,
a
Ahh yes, another smartass forum warrior LOL

I’m going to assume when you buy a new $1,300 phone you don’t waste the money on a screen protector and a phone case.

I mean, the case and glass can both be replaced and it’s a depreciating asset.

PPF is quite literally the same concept but for your car. Internet is full of opinions so we can agree to disagree

Last edited by EvasiveF87; 06-10-2025 at 06:07 PM..
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      06-10-2025, 06:53 PM   #8
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My own car is PPF-ed for the past 8 yrs so I know the value of PPF. Recently I went car viewing with a friend and we saw an Alfa QV with really janky PPF - if was all yellowed and cracked. Probably cheap film. I told my friend not to get the car mainly cos I didn't know what was the condition of the paint under the PPF. So yeah, PPF is not guarantee of better value. It all comes down to how good the car looks at time of sale, PPF or no.
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      06-10-2025, 07:54 PM   #9
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My point of posting this thread is to compare the cost of what PPF is nowadays vs the cost to do a minor paint correction after say 25k to 35k miles. There really is no ROI in that you'll never get your money back adding PPF. I think most who know will appreciate having it than not, but they aren't going to pay thousands extra for it. The comparison of peeling the ppf off to reveal perfect paint doesn't jive here because I'm comparing PPF vs a redo of the road damage from what PPF would otherwise protect the car from. Both coming out equal.
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      06-10-2025, 08:09 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
My point of posting this thread is to compare the cost of what PPF is nowadays vs the cost to do a minor paint correction after say 25k to 35k miles. There really is no ROI in that you'll never get your money back adding PPF. I think most who know will appreciate having it than not, but they aren't going to pay thousands extra for it. The comparison of peeling the ppf off to reveal perfect paint doesn't jive here because I'm comparing PPF vs a redo of the road damage from what PPF would otherwise protect the car from. Both coming out equal.
Depends what your level of meh-ness is during those 25-35k miles. Personally, I don't want to look at a stone chipped front end for half my ownership. Keep in mind that you may only have to replace say the front bumper PPF, not necessarily everything if it were to get stone blasted. Also, are you keeping the car long term? If so, and don't care about painting it every however many years, don't get ppf.
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      06-10-2025, 08:23 PM   #11
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LOL

It’s the daily tard thread.

We need a PPF subforum.
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      06-10-2025, 08:42 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BroDoze View Post
LOL

It’s the daily tard thread.

We need a PPF subforum.
And you chose to post in it...
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      06-10-2025, 09:45 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afadeev View Post
No, it's a reality.
Selling the car with PPF adds $0.00 value to the car.
No-one pays extra for old and banged up PPF on a used car. If anything, folks may subtract the cost of removing old PPF from the value of the car.

Also, PPF hides some small paint imperfections, making it harder to evaluate the condition of the true state of the paint if there is film on top of it!

a
No, it's not a reality for everyone.
No one said sell the car with the PPF. Did you even read what I wrote? If you did you need your eyes checked .

The value of PPF is in removing it before the sale (which you can do yourself with hot water and some time), revealing the perfect paint underneath. And compared to a car without PPF, the difference will be obvious, which will carry a higher price tag, thus the ROI.

I think this board is full of rich people that don't want to do the work themselves and simply trade their cars in. If that's the kind of person you are, then I agree, don't spend the money on PPF.


Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyM3 View Post
There really is no ROI in that you'll never get your money back adding PPF.
This is simply not true! A car that had PPF would be in better condition in those areas than a car that didn't have it, and therefore you can charge more for it because of the better condition. Or are you one of these guys that just leaves it as-is and trades? Then as I stated above, no need to PPF. But not everyone is like you, and there are plenty of people that get a ROI from PPF.
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      06-10-2025, 09:58 PM   #14
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This is exactly right. My 2020 M340i had the front clip and I paid $1500 for it.

When I sold my car the paint was pristine. Sunset Metallic Orange and gold flakes like crazy.

Dealer said they were happy I went with the PPF.

My Escalade is front clip

G80 Full PPF on all panels, trim, rockers, headlights.

I love having a clean car and PPF makes detailing so easy. For guys like me PPF and Ceramic is what the doctor called for.
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      06-10-2025, 10:34 PM   #15
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I just sold a car with zero PPF after owning it since 2019. I got a quote over the phone stating exceptional condition. Once inspected, CarMax 100% agreed. All I have ever done is touch up and paint correct as needed. Nothing super niche or special. Matter of fact they came and asked how I kept the paint so pristine? That car has been through Virginia, Texas, Germany, Autobahn and construction sites galore. I never babied it... Just took care of it once every 6 months.

PPF is for the emotional value if you ask me. If you have an emotional buyer then they will eat it up too
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      06-10-2025, 10:41 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NSXR View Post
No, it's not a reality for everyone.
No one said sell the car with the PPF. Did you even read what I wrote? If you did you need your eyes checked .

The value of PPF is in removing it before the sale (which you can do yourself with hot water and some time), revealing the perfect paint underneath. And compared to a car without PPF, the difference will be obvious, which will carry a higher price tag, thus the ROI.

I think this board is full of rich people that don't want to do the work themselves and simply trade their cars in. If that's the kind of person you are, then I agree, don't spend the money on PPF.




This is simply not true! A car that had PPF would be in better condition in those areas than a car that didn't have it, and therefore you can charge more for it because of the better condition. Or are you one of these guys that just leaves it as-is and trades? Then as I stated above, no need to PPF. But not everyone is like you, and there are plenty of people that get a ROI from PPF.
I think the truth is that fixing chips and caring for paint is a lost DIY art. Not many people so things themselves. PPF is for the buyer that requires a standard they can't keep themselves. Nothing wrong with that except...

Americans aren't great negotiators. I think that's the real issue here.
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      06-11-2025, 08:06 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I800C0LLECT View Post
I just sold a car with zero PPF after owning it since 2019. I got a quote over the phone stating exceptional condition. Once inspected, CarMax 100% agreed. All I have ever done is touch up and paint correct as needed. Nothing super niche or special. Matter of fact they came and asked how I kept the paint so pristine? That car has been through Virginia, Texas, Germany, Autobahn and construction sites galore. I never babied it... Just took care of it once every 6 months.

PPF is for the emotional value if you ask me. If you have an emotional buyer then they will eat it up too
To PPF or not comes down to many factors. The specific car (some cars have softer or more fade-prone paint), the color (some colors show chips and issues much more) how you drive the car (interstate vs in-town), how low the car is, how you care for the paint, etc. The scenarios are limitless.

I agree that PPF does carry an emotional value, but it can absolutely have real value depending on your particular scenario. It's not a catch-all for sure, but for people that keep their cars actually pristine (something CarMax wouldn't know anything about because all they are concerned with is average condition for the miles), that have soft paint, that drive mostly interstate, that chose a black car, and who plan to sell their car themselves, it can mean a hell of a difference in price.

Quote:
Originally Posted by I800C0LLECT View Post
I think the truth is that fixing chips and caring for paint is a lost DIY art. Not many people so things themselves. PPF is for the buyer that requires a standard they can't keep themselves. Nothing wrong with that except...

Americans aren't great negotiators. I think that's the real issue here.
Yes, and no. No matter how well you touch up your paint it'll never look like it was covered in PPF. But it may not have to. That's the thing, it all depends on your particular scenario. I've been using PPF since it was called Clear Bra, and I've always gotten some return on my investment, and in more than one case got my entire purchase price back.

Having said that, I do live in an area that is hard on cars with regards to chips from road debris, bugs, etc, and I also used to sell cars, so all of my cars are sold outright, not traded.

Not all Americans are bad negotiators, I assure you.

I also think that everyone is forgetting that, like carbon ceramic brakes, or 6-pot front calipers, or magnesium wheels, etc, PPF has come to mean high-end in many buyers minds, and if you've spent $60K+ on a car and didn't care to protect the paint for $3K, it sends a message to potential buyers that you might not have cared for the car the way you should have.
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      06-11-2025, 08:29 AM   #18
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Wanting a car to keep "new status" is customer based. Better paint will always carry value but there's more than one way to get there. You can fill paint chips and make it look brand new but it's time consuming. That said, I've never had a few paint chips change the value of my sale price either. I was just offered $56K for my m340 with paint chips. Exactly what I paid brand new (military discount)

Cars are also easy to repaint for the same amount later. This all goes back to requirements of the customer and negotiatons. It's akin to collectors and their feelings on patina.
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      06-12-2025, 11:02 AM   #19
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I have PPF on my last 3 cars. It makes cleaning so much easier since I can just wipe off whatever is on top and not have to worry about swirls and scratches. I sold a 4-year-old car with PPF, and I didn't receive any extra money, but the paint was perfect for the 4 years I had it.

Having said that, ppf is not worth the money or the risk of a terrible install. I DIY my last 3 cars and it's not really that hard once you get a hang of it. FYI the whole front end kit is $500 and you can ppf the whole car for under $2000. At this price, it is worth it.
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      Yesterday, 10:47 AM   #20
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I can promise you that I'm charging more, and paying more, for used cars that have pristine, original paint. If someone shares that they resprayed the bumper, hood, or fender, I want a deal on that car.

And if the front end is pocked with rock chips, it's doubtful that I'm buying that vehicle, even if a respray will fix it.

But I'm anal. Many are not.

I've sold plenty of cars with 200,000+ miles with the paint still in really good shape with PPF, and many can't believe the high number of miles on my cars.

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      Yesterday, 11:23 AM   #21
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I feel like there's a PPF thread every other day. Whether or not to invest in it is subjective. Some people don't care, some do, its whatever YOU want to do in the end.

That said, our Hellcat in beautiful TorRed paint with full front PPF and ceramic coating sold private party for A LOT more than what the local dealers were quoting. If you're the type to trade in your car, don't bother with PPF. If you're a private party seller, the person buying your car might find value in it over dealers. YMMV.
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      Yesterday, 12:18 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I800C0LLECT View Post
Wanting a car to keep "new status" is customer based. Better paint will always carry value but there's more than one way to get there. You can fill paint chips and make it look brand new but it's time consuming.

Cars are also easy to repaint for the same amount later.
I mean, what are you even saying?

First, even professionals can't fill paint chips and make it look brand new, especially if there are a lot of them. If there aren't very many, it still won't look brand new when corrected, but it's par for the course that some chips be present, so in that case you shouldn't have bought PPF.

Second, not all cars are easy to repaint and match, even new ones with no fading at all. If the car is straight black or white (rare) then you can have some decent success, but have you checked the prices of doing that lately? These and many other forums are rife with threads about having some small scuff and not getting the paint matched well, then having it redone and still not being happy with it. And certain put me in the group that doesn't buy cars that have had paintwork.

I hate to disagree with you, but it sounds like you're giving advice based on your personal experience vs the general public's, and certainly over-simplifying damage, chip repair, and repainting.
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