Protective film coating

Hi Jerry,

I am new to the forum but not new to 3m protective film. I just ordered a level 3 met/silver C/sunroof today and called to get a price from a local shop that installs the 3m protective film. My quote was $650.00. yikes! That is for the bumper, hood, fenders. Headlights are $80.00 additional. Its not cheap, however, I have this installed on my 2010 Toyota Tacoma and also my wifes Honda Accord. It works excellent and does not fade or look different from the rest of the paint. When installed professionally you will actually have to look for it to see it. I have no paint chips on the Tacoma (30K) or the Accord(170k). A little expensive up front, but you can drive and not worry about freeway blast. It is very tuff material and work great in my experience. It is highly recommended that you apply the 3m paint protection before you have any paint dings for obvious reasons. I have owned Toyota products for a long time and believe in them. But in the last 10 years or so the paint seems a little on the thin side. So I opted to have the 3m installed on my Tacoma. I figure $650 now or a repaint hood and bumper at $1200 later.

You can call a local Porche, Lexus or Mercedes dealer. They have requests for 3m paint protection all the time. They can tell you were you can have it done professionally. I am planning to have it done to our C as we plan on keeping it. Also, the installer can cover any part of the car you want. Its all according to your budget.
Best of luck, hope this helps.
Dave

 

I had it on my 2006. The 1st trip the 2010 took was across state to get "shrink wrapped". Get as much of the car covered as you can & can afford. Don't forget the cups behind the door handles.

The film can be applied until the paint is damaged. It will prevent scuffs & scratches. Rocks may tear the plastic but not chip the paint. It also makes cleaning up bugs, parts of bugs & bird poop much easier. Do you want acidic guts stuck on plastic or your paint?

The film is UV neutral so no fading or discoloration. No extra care is needed beyond wiping wax over the edges.

 

Totally agree.

 

I recieved another quote today from an installer of the clear paint protection that I have used on two vehicles I now own.
For the front bumper, hood, fenders, mirros, my cost is $500.00. for the kit and installation. They can also cover the headlights with this material. I had my Tacoma lights covered and you cannot tell unless you really look close.
It may seem expensive, but the cost of repainting can also be costly. Over the years the newer cars seem to have thinner paint and chip at a glance.

I have had the 3m clear paint protection on the front of my 2010 Tacoma which now has 30k on it. No paint chips. I will be having the Prius done next week if all goes according to plan. My wife also has it on her Honda Accord no paint dings or chips. I have had excellent results with this installer and the product he uses.
Paint Protection Film - XPEL Technologies Corp.

I hope this helps anyone that might be considering having it done. For what its worth...

 

FYI: I had the Toyota protective film installed as a factory option on my PiP. Got the PiP in late April. Now the PiP has over 5000 miles, and the protective film across the front is protecting the front well from dings etc. while being almost unnoticeable. IMHO it's worth it if installed professionally. Good luck!