Perma Plate protection

[font=Comic Sans MS:d30d38340f]Welcome to PriusChat, BonesRN! There are LOTS of threads on here regarding paint protection film and wax/polish for your new baby. Also consider mudflaps to protect your fenders from grunge, maybe side molding for dings, and a rear bumper protector so you don't tear it up sliding stuff out of the hatch.

I got 3M clear paint protector film (Invisible Bra is a trade name) and use Zaino polish. 303 Protectant on the black exterior plastic and tires, and interior plastic. The 3M film also covers the headlights and fog lights to protect from cracked lenses.[/font:d30d38340f]

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:2ed2e9561c]I have never installed film like this, so I didn't think it was a good idea to learn on my Silver Cloud. I went to 503 Motoring in Beaverton, OR, a professional installer that works for most of the BMW and Cadillac dealers in the area. The installer said he likes working for Cooper and Prius owners since we love our cars so much. A woman with a Cooper had driven up from Eugene, about 110 miles, the day I had my car done, to have her front masked.

I had the 3M film applied to the bumper, wrapping around to the wheel wells. It also goes on the lower part, below the black plastic grill, and extends up to the headlights, just about an inch from the upper tip of the lights. The hood is covered all the way across, from about the same point on the headlights down to the bottom edge, except for the Toyota emblem.

I also had the fronts of the mirrors, the pillers, and about a foot wide strip above the windshield covered, at the suggestion of the installer, since the aerodynamics of the Prius tend to attract whacks in those areas. The rear edges of all doors are also wrapped, with about 1/4 inch on both inside and outside.

I had a thicker film put on the headlights and fog lamps to protect the lenses. He also used the thicker film to cover the upper side of the rear bumper, from edge to edge, all the way across.

It really is almost invisible, unless you are looking for the line on the hood. Price for all this: $850.[/font:2ed2e9561c]

 

DO NOT purchase the Perma-Plate Paint and fabric treatment that they will push hard to sell you for around $650.00 to $700.00. The fabric treatment is simply Scotch Guard! You can buy a spray can from a fabric shop for $6 and do it yourself.
The paint treatment is nothing more than a WAX that is applied from a bottle, by hand with an application pad. At my local dealer, Freeman Toyota's sales people will tell you that it is an industrial coating that bonds to the paint and is applied with special equipment in their detail department, but this couldn't be further than the truth! It IS applied in the detail department, but that is where the truth ends.
You can actually purchase a bottle of the EXACT SAME Perma-Plate material for $23 from the shelves of Freeman Toyota's Parts department. It is called "Perma-Plate Renewer", but it is THE SAME Perma-Plate material you pay $700 for when the sales department tells you you need to protect your paint from oxidation and airborn pollutants (acid rain). It is THE SAME bottle that the employees in the detailing department use when they apply Perma-Plate to a vehicle.
The company who produces Perma Plate (Siskin Enterprises, Inc) market their products specifically for car dealerships. The name "Perma-Plate Renewer" implies that the material is different, and is a renewer for the Perma-Plate treatment, but IT IS THE SAME STUFF! It is labeled this way so that Freeman Toyota and other car dealerships can make lots of money waxing cars! Do not waste your money!

You can buy stone protection appliques - essentially just adhesive backed, big clear vinyl stickers. The dealership sells these and applies them for a premium. You can buy them yourself from the parts department and apply yourself, but better to hire a reputable detail shop to do it. It will cost much less than at the dealership.