[rasetsu]

I've never had it personally but my folks had maybe a 18 or 19 panamera with it installed from the dealer and it looked atrocious... But perhaps that was an application issue.

I also slightly hesitate because I'd lose the ability to be a le to polish, particularly in the instance of any water spotting.

All this being said I've got a g550 in order and I'm almost certainly going to install it on that, as it will see a lot of highway miles and I intend to own it forever.

Dealerships mostly use pre-cut kits with tons of gaps that let debris in and lift the edges and also fail to cover the surfaces entirely. Most of the time, dealer installed PPF is not worth the money. Water also generally doesn't spot on high quality PPF like it does on paint. It has pretty good hydrophobic properties. Many add ceramic coating on top of PPF to increase that. It's pretty much maintenance free. And if it does require any wipe down with moderate pressure, any micro scratches put into it will self heal once it's been exposed to sun for a bit.

For your G550, talk to local car owners and look at installation examples done by reputable professional shops.

 

[togatown]

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.

 

[iconoclast]

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:

 

[MichaelE]

Waiting on my base model with CWM and feeling intimidated about all the owners who spend money on special painting protection coverings, finishings and bras (?). I have owned a discovery and a range rover and just don't quite understand why all this fuss over an SUV unless most will never take it off road to go fly fishing or whatever. Curious if there are many like me on the forum.

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

 

[KM20Turbo]

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.

 

[CourtneyNYC]

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.

 

[Plantar5]

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

 

[iconoclast]

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

 

[santastico]

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.

 

[Scooter in Seattle]

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.

 

[wwahl]

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.

 

[iconoclast]

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.

It is much less expensive to replace damaged PPF than to repair/repaint rock chips on the paint.

Or
You can simply remove the damaged PPF b4 selling or trade in, leaving perfect paint.

 

[fastfreddy]

Hi - has anyone used this product and specifically OVER their Xpel PPF?
If so can this juts be bought and applied or one needs to use an installer? Cost?

Thanks

 

[SeattlePanda]

I did Xpel Fusion ceramic over the PPF. It’s awesome. Full job with tint and PPF was just shy of $4k. The ceramic was $1200, if I recall. The car and wheels are so easy to clean because of it. Can’t recommend it enough.

 

[fastfreddy]

Holy Crap she's pretty - I can never get anything to work for those darn polished rims I have - they get brake dust filthy after one drive or 2 - it bites the big apple really.
Do you still get lots of brake dust after the rims were applied with fusion? How long has it been since it was applied?

 

[oqjnLu@>@W]

Hi - has anyone used this product and specifically OVER their Xpel PPF?
If so can this juts be bought and applied or one needs to use an installer? Cost?

Thanks

Check posts #24 and #25 above - and next time SEARCH the forum for keywords, ex. fusion, xpel, etc.

 

[SeattlePanda]

Holy Crap she's pretty - I can never get anything to work for those darn polished rims I have - they get brake dust filthy after one drive or 2 - it bites the big apple really.
Do you still get lots of brake dust after the rims were applied with fusion? How long has it been since it was applied?

I don't get any brake dust, whatsoever. I have put on about 2k miles since it was coated. This is a GTS, which has the PSCB braking system. Is yours a new GTS that has the same brakes? They aren't supposed to leave much dust, if any. And for cleaning the wheels, I literally just spray them with water and they come out sparkling.

 

[fastfreddy]

I don't get any brake dust, whatsoever. I have put on about 2k miles since it was coated. This is a GTS, which has the PSCB braking system. Is yours a new GTS that has the same brakes? They aren't supposed to leave much dust, if any. And for cleaning the wheels, I literally just spray them with water and they come out sparkling.

Macan S
No I don't have PSCB!

 

[SeattlePanda]

Macan S
No I don't have PSCB!

Ahh yea. There is a big difference in brake dust between the stoppers of an S and GTS. That's why when people ask "Should I get an S or GTS" and only worry about 0-60 times.....there are many differences. I still think a ceramic coating will make a significant difference for you though. It's a pretty small investment that will save you a lot of time and headache and sure makes the colors pop.

 

[AVM]

No doubt, I am an outlier here, but I have come to enjoy the appearance of brake dust-coated black wheels on my ///M and P cars. To ME, gives the wheels a 'full and mean' appearance. Might be better words to describe what I like, but those are the ones that come to mind as I type.

As things would have it, my GTS does have the PSCB and accumulates brake dust very slowly, if it is even brake dust at all? Might just be dirt? I have only washed my GTS once since taking ownership and did not clean the wheels.

AVM