3M Paint Guard Protection Pro
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Instructor
Joined: Feb 2019
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From: Connecticut
3M Paint Guard Protection Pro
This spring I plan to get a local car detailed to install 3M Paint Guard Protection Pro. It includes a partial hood, front bumper, headlights and mirror. Total cost is $799 before tax. 3M has a 10 year warranty on it if done by a certified installer. I could find the same install kit online for $231 and do it myself.
Is it worth it?
Is it worth it?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
NO...not worth doing it yourself. It is FAR harder than you may think. I have all of my cars wrapped (I use Xpel and I think it's a better product than 3M) and pay to have it done. I highly recommend paint protection film as it keep the front of the vehicle looking factory new and will increase the value of the car at trade or personal sale. It gets very expensive if you DIY it and screw it up. Just my 2 cents.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 244
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From: Connecticut
NO...not worth doing it yourself. It is FAR harder than you may think. I have all of my cars wrapped (I use Xpel and I think it's a better product than 3M) and pay to have it done. I highly recommend paint protection film as it keep the front of the vehicle looking factory new and will increase the value of the car at trade or personal sale. It gets very expensive if you DIY it and screw it up. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the suggestions. I will ask if they carry XPEL. I heard about it and people who had it rave it more than 3M and Llumar.
I am a handy person and can tackle most auto work but this is not one of them. The only thing close to this installation is an Invisibleshield screen protection I did on my iPhone.😆
My Accord get a lot of paint chips. The paint touch up looks horrible. This is why I want to pre-empt when the car is new before it’s too late. I will probably opt for the full hood and fender for $1699.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 333
From: Minnesota
In my oppinion I got mine done in XPEL on the bumper, part of the hood, edge of fenders and mirrors done for like $700. Now looking back I honestly would probably only cover anything that’s metal. It’s really not a big deal if you get chips in the plastic bumper, what you want to stop is chips where rust could start. You can buy A new bumper and have it professionally painted for about $700-800 and the amount of wear you will probably get is not worth covering it. If it were me I would do the hood, fenders and mirrors, and skip the bumper.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
It’s really not a big deal if you get chips in the plastic bumper, what you want to stop is chips where rust could start. You can buy A new bumper and have it professionally painted for about $700-800 and the amount of wear you will probably get is not worth covering it. If it were me I would do the hood, fenders and mirrors, and skip the bumper.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 333
From: Minnesota
Totally disagree...the bumper can be easily protected and does not add much to the cost of the installation. Bumpers is where you will get the most road-rash. Why buy a new bumper when you can protect it well for less than half the cost? I had my FULL HOOD, front bumper, side mirror caps, door handle cups and a section of each front quarter panel done in Xpel for $800. I know the guy as he does all of my cars so he saved me over $200 but you can get it done professionally for a very reasonable cost.
Last edited by Dereileak; Feb 3, 2019 at 08:51 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
I called around to three shops that are certified and highly recommended and they ranged from $1000-$1200 for what I had done. I agree that it varies by location but that still sounds extremely high.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 333
From: Minnesota
for those prices it is worth it 100%, all the time I hear rocks bouncing off the hood or windshield especially when behind semis, the front of the hood is where I’m most concerned my last car got eaten up there and started rusting
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
Don't forget that most all new cars have aluminum hoods so rust shouldn't be an issue but the chips and road rash on the hood will look like crap regardless. I do FULL hoods now since I had issues with damage occurring above the bikini line on prior vehicles and it wasn't that much more to do the full hood in the scheme of things.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 333
From: Minnesota
I do wish I had the full hood, I can tell when I have things hit the windshield and I’m sure the hood is getting hit also. Honestly the hood would not be difficult to do yourself, bumper is another story 😁
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
If it helps, I just traded in my Audi for a new 2019 Ram Limited 4X4. I went to get four estimates on the value of my car. 2 out of 4 dealers gave me an extra $800 because I had the film and the front of the car and hood was like it came off the factory floor. Is this normal? I have all of my cars wrapped and "most" of the time, it has increased its value but not each and every time.
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Instructor
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 244
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From: Connecticut
If it helps, I just traded in my Audi for a new 2019 Ram Limited 4X4. I went to get four estimates on the value of my car. 2 out of 4 dealers gave me an extra $800 because I had the film and the front of the car and hood was like it came off the factory floor. Is this normal? I have all of my cars wrapped and "most" of the time, it has increased its value but not each and every time.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 99
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Hey Toni,
I ended up purchasing the 3M kit from a reputable seller on eBay. I am waiting for the weather to warm up here at NYC. If I am successful, I will post pictures
. The challenge will be stretching the material as I install the film. Nevertheless, having a clear bra is essential for any car.
I ended up purchasing the 3M kit from a reputable seller on eBay. I am waiting for the weather to warm up here at NYC. If I am successful, I will post pictures
. The challenge will be stretching the material as I install the film. Nevertheless, having a clear bra is essential for any car.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 768
Likes: 171
From: Saint Augustine, FL
@Duna...good luck my friend. People go to school to learn how to do this stuff and it takes several months to even get "good" at it. I haven't found anyone yet that been successful at installing it as a DIY. Maybe you'll be the first;-)
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 244
Likes: 82
From: Connecticut
Hey Toni,
I ended up purchasing the 3M kit from a reputable seller on eBay. I am waiting for the weather to warm up here at NYC. If I am successful, I will post pictures. The challenge will be stretching the material as I install the film. Nevertheless, having a clear bra is essential for any car.
I ended up purchasing the 3M kit from a reputable seller on eBay. I am waiting for the weather to warm up here at NYC. If I am successful, I will post pictures
. The challenge will be stretching the material as I install the film. Nevertheless, having a clear bra is essential for any car.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 435
Likes: 156
From: Mesa, AZ
I posted this somewhere else too, probably in the wrong spot. I just had mine done yesterday in Mesa and am very happy with it. They have done tinting and paint protection on all of my cars since they have made it accessible.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 88
Likes: 44
From: Raleigh, NC
I had my entire front, including lights, bumper, full hood and front fenders, mirrors, door edges, rear bumper (main area where it is most likely to get scuffed) and door handle wells done professionally for about $1700 with the 3M PPF Pro film. The place I used is crazy good and did amazing work. I would never attempt this myself. I have since applied Opti Coat protectant to help maintain the gloss of it being new.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 99
Likes: 41
I finally got the 3M Pro ppf installed. This DIY is crazy hard...especially the bumper area. The bumper took me like 4 hours to install LOL. I wasted a lot of time holding down the film while it dried even with a heat gun. The under belly of the bumper was especially hard but I got it installed. There are few bubbles here and there and I hope they will all disappear once the weather gets warmer. As for the hood, I ended up purchasing a large sheet to cover the entire hood; waiting agin for better weather to install that one.
Nevertheless, I spend about $480 for all the 3M film; I am happy about that
.
Nevertheless, I spend about $480 for all the 3M film; I am happy about that
.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 294
Likes: 31
I'm glad it worked out for you. I was thinking to DIY PPF due to price difference but then finally got it done professionally and can't happier. I saved $$ by doing ceramic coating myself which turned out really well
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