I;m sort of like you....not going to throw much $$$ at it

I use spray-on ceramic stuff... Turtle has been discussed here
The higher end is available now... bit more $$

Search on here,,, you'll see it

 

A bra or full hood PPF coverage is the only item that actually offers some protection from road debris. I would at least recommend covering the front. I had a 2018 S with 39,000 miles and the whole front had chips all over the front bumper from 4 years of driving “normal” roads. If you trade cars in often you might not care as much about this.

Ceramic coatings can still scratch, be chipped by a rock, etc… I personally only use a ceramic spray by turtle wax and have the front end and full hood ppf’d.

 

IMO the emphasis on PPF is because the cars are exclusively city warriors, which is to say the expected off-road chips, dents, scrates, etc. are not expected. On the contrary, factory new perfection is what is desired, forever.

 

It's an SUV that you will be driving around not a Ferrari California or Turbo Cabriolet. If nobody keys it your doing fine!

 

It will go away in a few years as it happened with many other things on the car world, I will never spend any money covering the whole car with Xpel, it's an SUV and a repainted hood will not change it's value at all.
If I get a limited edition 911, any collectable model I'll consider it to preserve it's history but on a daily driver IMHO is just a waste of money.

 

A money effective protection would be mud flaps. They keep the rock/sand damage to a minimum.

 

my logic to this is -- spend close to between 80k to 130k on a car/suv/etc, you can afford the 3-5k to PPF and ceramic coat it. depending on shop that's a whole body PPF or front and rear + ceramic coat.

My 2nd car is a 2013 FRS
My 3rd car is a 2021 Q5

Both get the same treatment -- to me, the meaning of the car is more to me than what the car's value is. if you care, do it because you love it.
I know that I would not buy a car (any vendor/model) if it has not been taken care of from the perspective of paint and body care.

 

I just finished a trip of more than 3,000 miles on the road. A lot of it was interstate. My ride is now coming up four years old this September. The front is near perfect as the day I bought it. Can't say the same thing about the windshield. It's getting beaten up. Passing through cities with racing dump trucks. They hit a bump and here comes the flying stones and debris. Eighteen wheelers driving on the left side of interstate drafting every piece of garbage in behind them. They don't care about anyone's Porsche. If I had not a quality PPF on the front of my ride it would really torn up by now.

If you're not planning on keeping it for any length of time, safe your money. If you are a car nut, protect it. But anyone looking for a well-kept used vehicle will be mimicking hellenole's words. It shows the previous owner cared about the body and probably about all other aspects of their ride.

 

My problem with PPF is they almost always end up looking absolutely thrashed in 2 years. They start to yellow and peel. So sure, you don't have rock chips, but it looks bad anyway? Not sure the allure unless it's a car you intend to keep forever.

 

You may be thinking of PPF from like 15 years ago. This just is the case anymore with modern PPF. I used to be hesitant about for the same reason but it's no longer an issue.

 

If you are not bothered by road rash, chips, etc. Don't spend the $.
Many people don't really care about the appearance of their cars & take them to quick car washes rather than spend hours hand washing, cleaning wheels waxing or sealing, etc.

I'm guessing Porsche owners & other high end car owners either DIY or pay detailers more often than owners of much less expensive cars.
But, I have no data.
FWIW, I have Suntek (top of the line) PPF on both my Porsches & it is warranted against yellowing & peeling, etc, for 10 years. My almost 7 yr. old Macan looks great. Same with my 3 ½ yr, old 911.

So, the 2 yrs. & then yellowing & peeling is no longer an issue with Suntek & I think XPEL.
Check the warranty on the respective best films. If you do this, chose a reputable installer, do not just shop for price.

 

We’ve gone around this subject ad nauseum but it’s understandable. People want to protect their cars beauty. Depending on where you live and drive makes a huge difference in whether one finds it necessary to cover their car in plastic. Also how you drive makes a big difference. Some folks drive on roads that have much debris and they don’t keep adequate following distances. I don’t find it to be necessary where I live and I make a conscious effort to keep my distance. Plus, I like to see the beauty of my car. I paid a lot for it and I don’t want to hamper the shine or depth of that. And then there’s the subject of seams and how they look over time. You can get installers who will take the car apart and wrap the panels so they’re not visible but that’s a super pricey venture. It’s a personal choice and some folks get some piece of mind from it. That’s cool. Now ceramic coatings, sealants, waxes….definitely no right or wrong answer there as long as you use them. Just protecting from elements, bird droppings, etc. The more hydrophobic they are the easier it is keep the car clean. Some enhance gloss and depth more than others. Ultimately everyone wants their car to look great and can use whatever they want. Cheers.

 

Here is how perfect my Jet Black Metallic hood looks with PPF.

 

As for my earlier comment -
I should add, my annual miles are very low and typically not winter months.

Car is inside all other times.
Very little risk of road damage or sun damage.

 

Definitely recommend PPF on the front end on hood, fenders, lights, Bumper and A pillar - it will keep your car looking new as day 1 but definitely ask around and visit shops to find the best installer

I had it done on my previous M3 and had a chunk of ice fall down on my car from 3 stories up and cause multiple deep dents on my hood, the PPF saved the paint and just PDR got it back to perfection - ever since, I have done ppf on the front end on all new cars delivered except for the Civic lol

Also, its so much easier cleaning the car and wiping it without fear of swirling your paint as Xpel, Suntek and other PPF makers have self healing tech

 

Ya dont get it from the dealer, they did a half ass job on my sisters C43 and it was so pricey through them too, they must have made a very big cut

Check out local shops and if they are a competent shop, they will show you their work of customers at the back. A good installer will tuck everything nicely with as much coverage as possible with clean corners and none or minimal knife marks. (I wasn't able to see any on mine but say my friends Gt4 had some at another shop - thank god i didn't take my car to his guy and waited an extra week for a slot open at my guy)

Price difference is huge as this PPF thing is like art and depends on the installers expertise

 

My last four cars had bras. They protect what is underneath and take the punishment themselves. So instead of looking at dinged-up paint, you look at dinged-up bra. And that's what you sell/trade in, unless you take it off, which hardly anyone does. So I didn't get a bra on my Macan, and I ski a lot, so one year in yeah there are some chips. It ain't a museum piece. Its a little weird, where does it end? It's similar to floor mats: we protect the carpet with mats, and we never use the carpet without them! Car goes to the junkyard with perfect carpet under the mats, and perfect paint under the bra. Save the money for something else?

 

We have PPF on the front end of two cars, one of them, our GTS, has Expel, and still looks perfectly clear after over 3 and 1/2 years of mixed city/highway usage for 40k. The other, a 3M product, that is now over 7 years old and 90k, is still relatively clear, but has definitely done it's sacrificial job and is in need of removal. If I factor in the cost of ownership per year, it's relatively cheap protection.

 

Re seams, There is a big difference between seams & edges!

In 2015, when I was considering PPF ½ hood vs. full hood, seeing a lot car with ½ hood PPF, from the side, convinced me to get full hood. Since the huge Macan clamsell hood wraps around the sides, that PPF edge is VERY visible.

I was able to go back & speak with the PPF installers & they demonstrated, using small pieces on a car door, the difference between seams & edges. Unless I looked very closely, I was not able to notice the seams. But the edges were very easy to notice.

I had an issue with wax collecting at the edge of the hood PPF But, when I switched to using a sealant (Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax) there was no such issue. (Yes, you can wax or seal the PPF using the same technique as if you had no PPF on the paint)

See:

Do PPFs really protect against rock chips?

I’ve been considering installing a PPF; XPEL, ClearGuard, ClearShield &/or maybe Opti-Coat. I’ve read several threads on them here & other forums. What I have NOT seen is any evidence, videos that any of them can stop rock damage. I have seen the video where the PPF self heals after...

www.macanforum.com

Best 3 videos I had found & posted a few years ago:

 

If you are concerned about paint chips, scratches and other issues arrises from road debris and you should be, PPF is the way to go. I would recommend from the mirrors forward at a minimum and if you pick the cheapest film, you will get what you pay for.

Ceramic coatings will not protect you from the same issues.

My experience over the last three cars I've had (M3, Panamera, Macan GTS) is it makes a huge difference. All three were driven about the same miles over four years that I had each. They were driven in south Florida, not up north where there is sand and all kinds of stones. I did not protect the M3 and the difference between that car and the other two is extraordinary. On the GTS I did the mirrors forward and the rear bumper. Pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

If you live anywhere with snow, sand, salt, lousy roads, etc., it's a no brainer.

XPEL Ultimate Fusion is what I used. Get professional installer with references and do not let them use precut patterns. Another key is for a quality install, the film has to be wrapped under the edges and not just trimmed at the edge line

 

XPEL Ultimate Fusion going on front facing surfaces, 4 doors, and rear bumper. Rear doors and body panel in front of rear wheels get sand blasted on gravelled/sanded roads.

Ceramic coat being applied today and back on the road Tuesday.

I love seeing it this clean and shiny. Unfortunately it won’t ever be this perfect again. That first scratch or chip hurts the most.

 

I have no quarrel with folks who decide to do it.

I didn't.

I owned the Macan 3 years. Parked outside periodically . . sometimes for up to a week. When I traded it the paint could have passed for showroom new. There was one small nick in the front bumper, smaller than a pinhead.

I would have recovered $0.00 of my investment.

The current iterations of PPF are high quality and work well.

The current state of the art for automotive paints and finishes is light years of where it was, even 10 years ago.

It, like side blades, is a personal preference.

 

I’m checking into getting this done on a 2017 GTS simply because there’s been minimal rock chip damage. Any opinions on this product? The car is garaged but driven 12 mos mostly highway And will get hammered. My last DD had 206k on it.

Car Protection Solutions - Quality PPF Film and Window Films | Kavaca

Professional PPF Film Installation Services including Automotive Protection Film, Tinted Window Films and the Best Protection Solutions.

www.kavaca.pro

 

I never heard of Kavaca. I have Suntek Ultra on my cars.
I searched & found this:

What is the Best Paint Protection Film? - Aegis Paint Shield

Paint Protection Film is the best solution to protect your car paint. But what brand of Paint Protection Films is the best? Learn more on or blog

aegispaintshield.com

 

I have only the bra on the front of my hood. That’s a lifesaver when you drive in the winter and gets all sorts of debris thrown in your car from salty roads and snow. My windshield (second) looks it went to a war. I would definitely add to at least the front of the car.

 

I'm a skier and my cars get sandblasted. I didn't go for the plastic this time; I did for my four previous cars and all it did was get trashed like the paint would have. I had trashed plastic instead of trashed paint. And, around $800 less in my pocket. Did I get more at trade-in time because of it? I don't know; guessing no.

 

Which plastic was being trashed? The PPF or things like the side blades? Did you do the mudflaps? You can fix up the side blades with Kiwi black shoe dye. Mudflaps are reasonably priced on eBay, not Amazon.