So I just picked up my new 2020 Rdx and it had only been on the lot 2 days. I want to wrap the front end like I did on my last one but was told maybe I should wait as the paint may not be fully cured? To me this is the perfect time to do it since the car has barely been driven but I guess if you put it on too soon, the paint may come up when it is pulled off.

thoughts?

 

It has been painted and fully cured.... The car had a long life way before you got it....

Meaning; you can wrap it if you wish...

The advice to wait only applies to freshly painted vehicles...ie; still wet from the paint booth. Your vehicle wasn't just painted, it most likely sat for a period of time before you got your hands on it

 

The paint has gone through multiple curing stages at the factory. Keep in mind that cars are often sealed and waxed before sale which is also not permitted unless paint is cured. Not to mention factory applied graphics -- looking at you Dodge and Ford.

 

Do it ASAP. modern paint is soft, don't get a rock chip that could be prevented with clear mask. As others have noted your paint is fully cured once it leaves the factory

 

RDX is not a collectable or fancy sports car, it does not need PPF IMHO.
with that being said, you might want to research some information on what can happen to paint when PPF is removed 10 years later. Also, with the money spent on PPF, you can just repaint front end 6 years later if you get lots of rocks.

 

+1, pristine paint won't increase resale value that much to justify the cost, unless you DIY. But it's your own money.

Personally I would only do PPF on cars above M/AMG/RS/P grade. Or use PPF as the new paint on an old car that I really love. Or change to an unique color.

 

Agree with you, it will leave marks when you have to removed after a few years of hot and cold weather, that’s why I don’t do on mind, just my opinion...

 

That really depends.

I've had PPF on all on my cars for the last 20 years and have yet to have to remove it unless it was damaged (and then it was replaced). The PPF has saved the paint on my hood from bouncing paint cans on the highway. While you can get the hood repainted, that will reduce the value of your car and PPF covers far more than your hood.

I usually do 1/2 of the hood, bumper fenders (in line with the PPF on the hood), door handle pulls, rear bumper and the mirror caps. I also do the headlights and the headlights on my 2002 RX300 still look like new, while most on the road are cloudy.

If you don't care about how your car looks in a couple of years, then don't get PPF, but PPF and a ceramic coating will keep your car new for as long as you own it.

 

Depends how long you keep a car too, I keep mine for long time, 10 or more years, at that point it does not matter too much. Its a personal decision. There is a video of one guy removing PPF after 8 or so
years, it fused with paint and he needed repainting. Sure, it could be a bad PPF job, but still its scary....

 

Agree with other PPF ain't worth it.

Expensive, looks dull, paint fades unevenly with it on and a major bitch to remove.

Repainting the panel cost the same price.

 

I actually decided against it this time around. Gonna have the windows tinted and they are going to apply some sort of paint sealer that lasts supposedly 9-12 months with proper maintenance of course.

 

What you all think about PPF on door edges? Are they noticeable? Is it tacky?

 

I've done this on the bottom edge of car doors (my Mazda). If you've ever scraped a car door on a high sidewalk, you'll understand why. I don't worry about the door edges since I'm usually careful when opening doors. Whether or not it's tacky is your call.

 

I think I found the answer to my door edge question on this youtube video. He makes a great point about mildew creeping into the PPF door edge.

 

I think most people prefer having their vehicles without rock chips. You can get partial xpel PPF for around $800. Repainting your front end will cost 2k-3k. And for what? To start the whole rock chip process again? Be smart and spend the money on PPF and save your bumper, hood, fenders and headlights and have your vehicle looking new for years!!!!

 

lol. If your paint is fading on your cars then PPF isn't for you.

 

and what happens when PPF gets a lot of rock chips and starts looking bad, you need to replace it. Repainting front end for 2-3k seems expensive.

It depends if RDX is a toy car for you. I bought it for daily drive, its not my garage queen car.

 

I've been using 3M, SunTek, or Xpel PPF since 2006 on all my Acuras ( 06 TSX, 08 RDX, 11 MDX, 18 RLX, and 19 MDX). PPF provides:
- UV protection against headlight hazing,
- allows the paint underneath to age at the same rate as the unprotected painted surfaces,
- no extra cleaning or waxing required other than no high pressure water on edges of film
- newer PPF can come with ceramic coating and/or self-healing film for road rash and scratches

I ended up adding PPF ,ceramic coating, and PPF to front windshield for my 19 MDX and 18 RLX. Self healing PPF is a great way to protect your front end from road rash, rock strikes, summer heat baked on bug guts, UV headlight haze, and occasional bumper scrape.

 

I had my whole front end covered in it the day I bought my RDX. They did the full hood, front bumper, headlights, fog lights, the black painted trim and the A logo radar sensor. New generation ppf doesn’t age like it use to. I like the peace of mind of having it.

 

The hood and from bumper take the most damage. I got a bumper wrap and a front hood wrap. Also the fronts of the mirrors, and a small piece on the fender, pretty much the part of the car that gets hit with all the debris. My Mazda before this got big enough chips in the hood that it started to rust, but I think the hood is maybe aluminum in this car

 

I usually put around +30,000 miles between my vehicles per year traveling in the southwest. Posted Interstate speeds of 75-80 mph in the sandy southwest can cause some serious road rash on the bumper, side mirrors, and pit windshields. Add in baked on bug guts at +115 degrees for days in AZ and NV can push vehicle paint to the limit. The only vehicles without a crack or chip in the windshield in NM are new ones still on the lot. Impossible to find a vehicles that are +4 years old without some level of UV headlight haze. PPF and Ceramic coating are my solutions to reduce damage from the elements and maintain the factory pristine shine for up to 10 years with minimal effort.

On my 19 Fathom Blue Pearl MDX Sport Hybrid (all weather mats, window tint, painted calipers, chrome delete and black Berlina rims):
- paint correction
- Suntek PPF on entire front hood, both front fenders, front bumper, side mirrors, LEDs, lower rear bumper area, and up the pillars on either side of windshield
- CQuartz Finest Ceramic coating on PPF, paint, glass, rims, and Ceramic Pro in the interior
- ExoShield PPF on front windshield

On my 18 Brilliant Red Metallic RLX Sport Hybrid (all weather mats, window tint, painted calipers, chrome delete, de-badge, black Petrol P4B rims):
- paint correction
- Xpel PPF on entire vehicle including HIDs
- Ceramic Pro coating on entire car on top of PPF, glass, rims, and interior
- ExoShield PPF on front windshield

 

To me, like another poster mentioned, it is my daily driver. When I trade it in is 3-4 years, I really don't care, nor does the dealer, if there is normal wear and tear on the front end. (and I live and drive in AZ). This is expected on a 4 year old car, and I doubt the cost of the protection, when new will be returned in resale value down the road. Just my opinion.

 

And, I can tell you from personal experience, both on the buying and selling side, dealers don't assign a value to having PPF. Ie, you won't get a higher trade-in cost cuz the car has PPF. And I've also purchased vehicles with PPF already installed that were not marked up (although they should have) due to an expensive full vehicle PPF film.

 

For me, it not about the cost and future trade-in value when I decided on using PPF and ceramic coating. I usually keep my cars +10 years with +150,000 miles on them. My cars would look like an UV sun faded, road rash, and paint chipped mess if I didn't protect them when purchased. I also like to drive around in a pristine looking car for +10 years and it only takes the occasional hand wash to keep it looking that way.

My son had a front end fender-bender in his 06 TSX a few years back and USAA insurance added in the value of the PPF and replaced it (front bumper, 18" up hood, front fender, fogs, and HIDs). The PPF I have on my MDX and RLX is registered and would be replaced in an accident with my insurance company

 

If I had a 100k garage queen car, it would be in PPF, driven in summer on sunny days only, and would stay away from highway. Thats my wishful thinking, for many reasons I will not do that unless I win the lottery 😀

 

I didn't do PPF since I don't drive my car a lot but I did spring for the top of the line ceramic coating. I'm an enthusiast that wants his cars looking awesome as long as possible and as often as possible but I've got a kid now and have other pursuits so I don't have the time that I used to have to take care of my car. A ceramic coating, like a PFF, makes taking care of a car so much easier. I don't care about trade-in value, I get value from my car looking great (and oy, my ceramic coating makes the thing bloody pop) and from it being super easy to maintain.

If I were someone who put a lot of mileage on my car, especially on the highway, then something like a PPF would be worth it