How many of you are putting protective wraps on your Mach E's?

[Polar]

I did a full color change wrap - not as thick or durable as PPF, still some added protection; but I’m loving my custom color.

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[Mawby]

I did the “partial” front with Xpel, which was the full front bumper, part of the hood, part of the fenders and the mirrors. Paid $1000 to have it done.

Since there is no grill, there is an awful lot of front painted surface area begging to get scratched up by road debris. That was why I did the partial. Didn’t wanna pay over 5 grand to do the whole thing.

I did the full front (hood, bumper, fenders, mirror's and they threw in the b/c-pillars (driver/passenger and rear) - expel ppl -- $2K

 

[Mockstang]

I was contemplating PPF or ceramic and ended up doing PPF after the 2nd chip in the hood in the first month. It seems the front bumper isn’t as prone to chip as I’ve seen none.

I did the full hood and partial front fenders and am happy I did.

 

[yngwenli]

No plans to wrap for me.

Even though I normally park further, the spouse will park wherever anyways and dings/scratches just comes with anything exposed outside.

Not worth my $$, don't care enough to be concerned with scratches/dings and plan to keep the car till it dies anyways so a few scratches here and there isn't going to change much in the long term.

If it was a collectible car that was never driven, I'd probably take a different stance though.

 

[Scooby24]

Over the years I've had quite a number of comprehensive claims for dents, bike accidents, ladder issues, road debris, etc....not once would PPF have saved me and in fact would have cost me a whole lot more money to have repaired when also factoring in cost of PPF.

As a detailer I've had to remove PPF that was barely 5 years old and was dry and discolored. Removing it was an absolute nightmare. Came off in pieces, left old dry glue all over the paint. Took hours just to remove a clear bra.

 

[Skelton]

I'm thinking of getting XPel PPF placed on my car, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I can get a partial or full protective wrap.

I expect it's going to vary a lot on your experience with existing vehicles. The driving that I do, where I do it, results in a fair amount of little chips and scratches from "debris". It's always a debate for me on how much those spots bother me versus the cost, but the plan is to get a partial front wrap on the MME.

 

[Avelli]

I did ceramic coat on my BMW when I first got it. The time savings alone to not have to wash/wax it every time it looked dusty was immense.

I'll be doing the MachE too when it arrives.

 

[ChasingCoral]

BTW, if you search for thread titles including ppf you will see all the information already posted on this topic.

 

[markboris]

I think it depends on where you live. In my area in Northern CA, I get very few rock chips or debris flying up onto the car. Usually after about 4-5 years of owning a car, I will have several chips but nothing that bad. I normally only keep a car about that long and I have a paint touch up guy I use just before selling a car he will touch up the chips and they are completely gone. Usually costs about $300-400 total. That is cheaper than having the car wrapped in the front end and I prefer having the car glass coated anyway.

I sold my Premium to a friend in Arizona and in the short three months he has had the car, has already gotten quite a few chips not only on the paint but the windshield as well. If I lived there I might consider getting the front end wrapped.

 

[VegStang]

Who is your paint chip guy?

Since I plan on keeping cars 8+ years I do the full front PPF, partial fenders, door edges, mirrors, charge door, and under the HOV stickers- and crazy enough we don't drive it on the freeway until we get it done. Long meandering drives for the first month or so.

Sadly not much can be done to avoid windshield chips, here in NorCal I already have a few with less than 10k miles.

I normally only keep a car about that long and I have a paint touch up guy I use just before selling a car he will touch up the chips and they are completely gone. Usually costs about $300-400 total.

 

[markboris]

Who is your paint chip guy?

Since I plan on keeping cars 8+ years I do the full front PPF, partial fenders, door edges, mirrors, charge door, and under the HOV stickers- and crazy enough we don't drive it on the freeway until we get it done. Long meandering drives for the first month or so.

Sadly not much can be done to avoid windshield chips, here in NorCal I already have a few with less than 10k miles.

Hey Leo, here is his info: Patrick Carr (Automotive Touchup Co.) ‭415-806-3214‬. It is just him and he will ask you to take some close up photos of the scratches/chips from a couple of different angles. He will also ask for your paint color code. He will give you a quote without seeing the car based on your photos and how many he has to fix. When he comes out the price may be adjusted but usually not by much or even at all. He comes to your house/work only and he likes to work alone as in you are not allowed to watch him (funny, I know). He is not always the easiest to get in touch with and you have to be on his time schedule, not yours. It takes him quite some time as he is very meticulous but when he is done, you would never know you had any scratches/chips.

Before I sold my Focus RS after 4 years, 30K miles, it has a small gouge in the rear bumper cover from me dropping a tool out of the back of the car, a couple of small side scratches and several hood and front bumper chips. When he was done the car was perfect and I mean perfect. The person that bought the car thought it never left the garage. I have had him do several other cars and trucks and all perfect jobs.

 

[highland58]

Full front XPEL PPF, DIY ceramic over the entire car, including glass, and over top the PPF. PPF is rugged and thick, but not as shiny or water repelling as ceramic. Ceramic is thin and does not protect much against chips, but water rolls right off and it shines the best. Ceramic over the glass works better than rain-x or aquapel, and lasts far longer. I used Avalon King Armour Shield IX ceramic, easy to apply and lasts up to a couple of years or more when garaged. There is a touch up SIO2 spray they sell to put on periodically to bring it back to near perfect. The key with DIY is the prep, the car needs to be absolutely clean and smooth before putting it on. With a new car, the prep is minimal - some Iron-X, a quick go over with clay bar, then isopropyl alcocol (washes in between the steps). The ceramic only takes 2-3 hours or so once the prep is done.

 

[Bjbjustin]

There's a much cheaper solution to this ... don't be lazy and walk a few extra steps. Park at the back of the lot where no one else wants to park ... problem solved.

In 20 years driving I've removed maybe 2 dents (PDR) at $50 ea and scratches are easily buffed out. I don't see the value in films/coats. That self inflicted curb-rash that you can't blame on anyone but yourself will cost you more than any dent or scratch. Also, these films don't protect against dents.

But for those who wish to spend money on it go right ahead!

I take it you've never been to a Costco in CA...or most parking lots in CA for that matter. They are FULL, from open to close. The option for parking 'far away' at the closest Costco: 1st - leave the Costco, go PAST the gas station for the Costco (difficult because the line of cars waiting to fill gas extends out of the station, around the corner, and into the street...good luck getting a cart past that line)...and through that parking lot (which used to be a Babys R Us, not a small lot- also full) ...you've now with the back loading dock for the grocery store and can't park there...so onto the next parking lot, which is full because the grocery store has an undersized footprint...into the next parking lot, which is Chili's, not always full if you're outside of lunch/dinner hours. Eh, best guess...a 10 minute walk, without having to wait for cross traffic. Now you could probably park on the street on the other side of the major road, but I'm not sure if the carts would lock up or not. Oh yeah, and don't be an asshole - make sure to take the cart all the way back to the front.

But help me out here - what the fuck do you do with parking garages? Full from open to close? Just walk your way...into downtown from an outlying suburb? Hospitals, theme parks, the beach, commercial office properties - all in the same boat - full parking.

This isn't Texas with big box stores and miles of blacktop with oversized parking spaces.....OP is in CA, and with respect to most metropolitan parking lots in CA - shit show...you're not getting away with 'because I put 10k steps in today and you didn't, thus its your fault your car gets beat up' in CA. Every major metropolitan city in CA (and most other states) has this problem no matter where you park, - "far away" is a place that doesn't exist. And oddly enough if there is an isolated space, let me know how many times you come out somebody else is parked next to your solitary spot, I'll bet it's not a McClaren.

'But its exercise' only works for people who don't get enough. if I'm on my deathbed looking back 'I know I made Boston and NY, but perhaps...just maybe...if only I had parked on the far side of the parking lot, I could have squeezed out a couple more years....' I'll make sure to update this post.

 

[DevSecOps]

I take it you've never been to a Costco in CA...or most parking lots in CA for that matter. They are FULL, from open to close. The option for parking 'far away' at the closest Costco: 1st - leave the Costco, go PAST the gas station for the Costco (difficult because the line of cars waiting to fill gas extends out of the station, around the corner, and into the street...good luck getting a cart past that line)...and through that parking lot (which used to be a Babys R Us, not a small lot- also full) ...you've now with the back loading dock for the grocery store and can't park there...so onto the next parking lot, which is full because the grocery store has an undersized footprint...into the next parking lot, which is Chili's, not always full if you're outside of lunch/dinner hours. Eh, best guess...a 10 minute walk, without having to wait for cross traffic. Now you could probably park on the street on the other side of the major road, but I'm not sure if the carts would lock up or not. Oh yeah, and don't be an asshole - make sure to take the cart all the way back to the front.

But help me out here - what the fuck do you do with parking garages? Full from open to close? Just walk your way...into downtown from an outlying suburb? Hospitals, theme parks, the beach, commercial office properties - all in the same boat - full parking.

This isn't Texas with big box stores and miles of blacktop with oversized parking spaces.....OP is in CA, and with respect to most metropolitan parking lots in CA - shit show...you're not getting away with 'because I put 10k steps in today and you didn't, thus its your fault your car gets beat up' in CA. Every major metropolitan city in CA (and most other states) has this problem no matter where you park, - "far away" is a place that doesn't exist. And oddly enough if there is an isolated space, let me know how many times you come out somebody else is parked next to your solitary spot, I'll bet it's not a McClaren.

'But its exercise' only works for people who don't get enough. if I'm on my deathbed looking back 'I know I made Boston and NY, but perhaps...just maybe...if only I had parked on the far side of the parking lot, I could have squeezed out a couple more years....' I'll make sure to update this post.

I live in California, in a Metro city, born and raised. I spend on average 100 nights a year in hotels for work, drive 30k a year in this state alone. I'll agree that at a theme park you don't have a choice, but what are you worried about a door dent? Film won't save you there buddy.

It's a cost analysis. How much is repairing a dent or chip vs films? In my life I've spent a total of $100 repairing dents and that comes no where near to PPF for all 15 cars I've owned. I've never done paint repair.

Some of us think financially, others just worry.

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

I plan to put PPF from STEK on my bumper, hood, headlights, front fenders, mirrors, lower rocker panels, A and B pillars, front top portion of my roof and at the top part of the back bumper. I will also be putting ceramic coating on too. This will be a first from me but this will be the most expensive car I purchased and I want to protect my investment. We keep cars 10 plus years and I want it looking good over that duration. Too much road debris flying up off the road in SF Bay Area. If the cost were not prohibitive, I would have done the whole car in PPF. $7K was just a bit much.

Now that I have my production date, I plan to get an appointment to see the work that the PPF installer does and get a real quote. Once I have an approximate delivery date, I can schedule the work a week or two out from that date. Do not want too many miles on the car without the PPF on the front end

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