❔ QUESTION Am I an idiot if I skip PPF?

[luciddaydream]

I have a Nimbus Emira.
I've driven it 400 miles.

I now want to add exhaust and other fun stuff.

But I just don't really want to PPF it.
It costs a lot of money, and I want to break this car in instead of dropping it off at a place and waiting for them to dick around with it for a week.


And if a few rocks hit it now and then.. does it really matter?

I mean its not a dark car (rock chips show up much more on dark cars) and I am not putting 100k miles on it...


Do you ever feel we're overconcerned about PPFing?

Or am I an idiot?

 

[B r I a n]

I am not, I had a car that had PPF issues, swore I would never use again. It was painful and stressful to remove. I plan to put a ceramic coating on myself, not sure which one yet.

 

[Aero]

I"m PPFing mine but nothing wrong with not doing it. If you're fine with it not being as pristine when you got it don't worry about the PPF. Just drive and dont worry about it if thats your thing.

 

[LuckysDad]

Nimbus will hide most small chips

 

[DaaS]

You are not crazy. I may PPF high impact areas only.

 

[Superman]

Not PPFing, have had issues in the past with PPF, planning on keeping my car for MANY years, and the thought of peeling edges, dirty edges, potential for shrinkage, then the faff of having to remove and refit various bits at some point, just isn't appealing. But if you want to do it, go for it, I am sure there are many other people who have never had issues and who see the value. Just trying to give a different viewpoint from the usual "you must PPF".

 

[DaaS]

I am not, I had a car that had PPF issues, swore I would never use again. It was painful and stressful to remove. I plan to put a ceramic coating on myself, not sure which one yet.

Look into Adams Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating. I plan to coat it myself after decontaminating the paint first. Side note: Still waiting for the car!

I actually have both the 60ml concentrated version and the spray coating. Haven’t used either yet. Don’t get into the 5/7/9 year hype. After watching tons of videos created by Adams, I am actually a better candidate for the 1 year spray coating. Main reason is if you decide to polish on top of your 5, 7 or 9 year coating, you’re going to mostly kill it, plus they require regular maintenance to stay their best.

 

[robrmon]

With my OCD, I could not cope without doing at least the front end, lower sides etc.

 

[John777]

I'm not rich, so not spending $5k to $10k for ppf. Ill ceramic coat it myself and get the best. If i do get the odd stone chip.. then I will touch it up and water sand etc myself. Worst case scenario take it to a professional to fix if needed. I've never had more than a chip or two happen in past cars. Rather save the money for some mods. Like valvetronic $5k to $10k exhaust, window tint, CAI, Tune, CAT Delete, SuperCharger Cover painted yellow or red etc

 

[Nova]

I'm likely skipping PPF as well... just DIY ceramic and I'll be done with it.

 

[themeatbaron]

I'm not rich, so not spending $5k to $10k for ppf. Ill ceramic coat it myself and get the best. If i do get the odd stone chip.. then I will touch it up and water sand etc myself. Worst case scenario take it to a professional to fix if needed. I've never had more than a chip or two happen in past cars. Rather save the money for some mods. Like valvetronic $5k to $10k exhaust, window tint, CAI, Tune, CAT Delete, SuperCharger Cover painted yellow or red etc

I will have PIskey's do it for me, he does a great job and has done my previous cars.

 

[Maurice R]

I have a Nimbus Emira.
I've driven it 400 miles.

I now want to add exhaust and other fun stuff.

But I just don't really want to PPF it.
It costs a lot of money, and I want to break this car in instead of dropping it off at a place and waiting for them to dick around with it for a week.


And if a few rocks hit it now and then.. does it really matter?

I mean its not a dark car (rock chips show up much more on dark cars) and I am not putting 100k miles on it...


Do you ever feel we're overconcerned about PPFing?

Or am I an idiot?

It’s really a personal decision on PPF
3 of my cars have it.
But my 2015 white Porsche does not and it does have some minor chips on hood. But does not bother me
So imo you are not an idiot

 

[luciddaydream]

My guy said that the next buyers can really low-ball you on price if there are marks from going without PPF.
He seems honest, but, he was also selling me on PPF.

 

[seriously]

Not an idiot. If you are price conscious, but want some kind of coating, I would look into ceramic coating. It won't protect against rock chips, but does make cleaning the car way easier. The product itself is not expensive, you are paying for labor. So you can do it yourself for beans. I used Gtechniq and it took 2 people 10 hours to do right.

 

[Citizen]

One year owner nimbus and didn’t put ppf on it, only coating and very happy with my choice

 

[John777]

I will have PIskey's do it for me, he does a great job and has done my previous cars.

ceramic? or ppf?
What's the cost?
I've seen him wash my neighbors cars with his mobile service.

 

[themeatbaron]

ceramic? or ppf?
What's the cost?
I've seen him was my neighbors cars with his mobile service.

I’ve only had ceramic done. It’s been a few years since he did my wife’s car. I can’t remember off hand on the cost, but I believe it was reasonable.

 

[ESPREE]

To each their own, but I used to be an auto detailer and like to bring my cars to shows. So I may be pickier than some. Personally I’d do at least the nose and lower sides (since it’s a low car and something beautiful). Ceramic coatings make it shinier and help with dirt/chemicals, but won’t do anything for chips. But it’s your car, so enjoy it in whatever way seems best to you.

PS: I wish Lotus would offer PPF as a factory option so that it can be done before any contaminates get on there. Plus it's awful to wait so long for a car and then have to hand it over to a shop for wrapping. Torture!

 

[netsinah]

Many people ppf thier new vehicles (myself included) however a fair number of people don't. People selling it will extoll its virtues however:

-you have to be careful who does the ppf work. It's definitely an "art" which takes skill to do it properly. If your ppf is curling up on the edges or has bubbles in it, you may regret spending the dough and sometimes taking it back for warranty work, isn't useful if whoever put it on, does the same poor quality repair job
-if a rock is big enough...or has a sharp enough edge(s), it can puncture the ppf and sometimes damage the paint below the ppf layer. So don't think a layer of ppf makes your vehicle "bullet-proof" against rock chips
-you can purchase thicker ppf which resists rock chips even more, however I'm told by my detailer that it's more difficult to work with since it doesn't (for example) wrap or curl over edges easily, which is why they don't recommend it
-in my experience, ppf will resist most rock chips however they may still leave a mark on the ppf, which is noticeable
-ppf sellers will tell you that the latest ppf material is "self-healing" meaning that when there's a mark/puncture in the ppf, it will "disappear" when heated in the sun, with the ppf material "melting/bonding" and closing off any opening/gouge. However in spite of that, I still see quite a few marks from rocks on the ppf of my vehicles, after several years
-many sellers will tell you that the ppf can be easily removed (ie. using a hair blower to heat then peel it off) when you decide to sell your vehicle, leaving it looking "like new" below. So in that fashion, you get rid of any unsightly "pock-marks" on the ppf itself. However, some say the ppf may inhibit fading from the sun, so removing it, will give your vehicle a "motley look" with different shades of colors on ppf'd versus non-ppf'd areas. I've always sold my vehicles with the ppf still on them, so I've never tried to remove the ppf. But some (like B r I a n above) say removing it is a pain in the **s. I've heard it can be a challenge, especially after it's been on a vehicle for several years
-some insist there's no need to ppf since it's cheaper to simply hire a skilled body shop, to repaint and blend in the paint color, for any areas that have rock chips

All that said, I'm OCD with my nicer vehicles and like to ppf them to do what I can up-front, to prevent rock chips, followed by ceramic coating to improve appearance and make them easier to wash. Where I live/drive, there is a fair amount of rocks or "traction grit" left on the roads, making it more likely I'll get road debris thrown up on my car, moreso in the spring and fall seasons and if there's a lack of rain to wash it all away. You decide how to spend your money and what makes you happy. There is no right/wrong answer for what to do; it's personal preference.

 

[Jimblob]

I PPF’d my last car and decided against doing it on the Emira.

I had it ceramic coated instead esp as the black pack roof paint is super soft.

Now over 5,000 miles in and I’ve no regrets in not getting it done.