PPF wrap or not?

[glocke12]

would you recommend doing a ceramic coating?

I just had mine ceramic coated and recommend it. I was torn on getting PPF at least for the front, I had it on my 2011 TE 4runner and only had about 1/2 of the hood covered and it looked kind of dumb. It was noticeable basically.

For my 6th gen TRD ORP, I was really just getting tired of leaving my vehicle at places and having to get a rental, that adds up financially and I hate rentals. I had a budget to consider also so ended up going for ceramic coating only which looks awesome, but I really wish I would have had the funds to get the entire front PPF wrapped. That just wasn't an option though and at the end of the day ceramic coating was more important to me.

If I get rock chips or scratches and they end up bothering me enough I will just find a shop that is able to take care of them. Or not. The reality is these things aren't works of art, they have a limited lifespan and in 8-10 years for those of us that use them as daily drivers for long commutes they will be either on their way to a junkyard or replaced. Especially those of us that live on the east coast.

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[zgreen]

right. It’s about how overkill you’d want to go. Not even pff wrap protects from rocks that are large enough to dent

Very true! However, it has already saved my ass plenty. What would have been a $800 paint job to fix scratches, just went away in the sun and same with a bunch of rock chips and it's not even winter up here yet...

 

[DHermit]

Does the 4Runner Plat come with a ceramic coating from the factory or do I need to bring it to a detailer and have that done?

 

[Ahmad310]

Does the 4Runner Plat come with a ceramic coating from the factory or do I need to bring it to a detailer and have that done?

Does not come from factory with a ceramic coating. Many dealers upsell a coating package but its not the same ceramic as a true auto detailer will do.

 

[Undefeatable]

I have been debating on doing the front end PPF on mine. I had the front done on my last car, but that car was also 2 inches off the ground, so I knew it would be peppered with any and all debris.
When I went to trade it in for my current 4Runner, the dealer couldn't care less that it had PPF and their trade offer didn't increase after I told them.

Granted, I didn't PPF to increase resale value, more so just save myself from stressing every time I heard rocks hitting my car, but interesting either way.

I have gotten quotes between $1900 - $2500 to do my whole front end (located in Southern California), so I am debating on whether I want to drop that money on PPF.

I am lot less stressed about keeping the 4Runner free of imperfections than I was my last car, but I might change my mind.

 

[papadop88]

I have been debating on doing the front end PPF on mine. I had the front done on my last car, but that car was also 2 inches off the ground, so I knew it would be peppered with any and all debris.
When I went to trade it in for my current 4Runner, the dealer couldn't care less that it had PPF and their trade offer didn't increase after I told them.

Granted, I didn't PPF to increase resale value, more so just save myself from stressing every time I heard rocks hitting my car, but interesting either way.

I have gotten quotes between $1900 - $2500 to do my whole front end (located in Southern California), so I am debating on whether I want to drop that money on PPF.

I am lot less stressed about keeping the 4Runner free of imperfections than I was my last car, but I might change my mind.

That quote is high for just the front end. At that cost, put that money aside and just repaint or paint correct the bumper down the road. In Socal as a daily driver, the only thing you really need to worry about are our bumpers and front end of our hoods. Just not worth it for $2500. Remember, PPF does have a shelf life. Sometimes its only a year depending on how bad you treat vehicles. Any shop that says their wrap is lifetime, etc is lying to you. The way they can guarantee edges don't start to peel after years is because they use an adhesive enhancer at the edges? What does that mean? If you ever need to remove it for any reason, your clear coat/paint is coming up with it.

And yes, dealers don't care whether you have it or not. Doesn't add value. Just protection. Everyone just needs to weigh the cost benefit anaylsis for their personal use. There's no right or wrong answer.

 

[Undefeatable]

That quote is high for just the front end. At that cost, put that money aside and just repaint or paint correct the bumper down the road. In Socal as a daily driver, the only thing you really need to worry about are our bumpers and front end of our hoods. Just not worth it for $2500. Remember, PPF does have a shelf life. Sometimes its only a year depending on how bad you treat vehicles. Any shop that says their wrap is lifetime, etc is lying to you. The way they can guarantee edges don't start to peel after years is because they use an adhesive enhancer at the edges? What does that mean? If you ever need to remove it for any reason, your clear coat/paint is coming up with it.

And yes, dealers don't care whether you have it or not. Doesn't add value. Just protection. Everyone just needs to weigh the cost benefit anaylsis for their personal use. There's no right or wrong answer.

I think I might price out coverage similar to what you did, more of a front bumper area vs entire front end.

My last car, the hood was waist high, so it would constantly get hit with rocks on the freeways. With the 4Runner (and a 1.5" front end leveling kit) the hood is like chest high, so probably a lot less likely to get hit with as much stuff on there *knock on wood*.

 

[BillyG4Runner6G]

If you decide to get your 4Runner wrapped in PPF make sure they are a qualified and reputable shop. I had used a shop that does both ceramic coating and PPF and they are the exclusive installer for a a local Porsche Dealership so I figured they must do amazing work and I was not very satisfied with the final results.
Make sure they are up to the task and ask lots of questions. Ask them remove your fender flares of you have a TRD PRO. They wrapped all 4 of mine without removing them and it's very obvious that they cut corners. I was not satisfied with how the hood and spoiler on my TRD PRO turned out to say the least. They said the sharp edges and anlges presented a problem but not to worry becase the bubbles would eventually go away.
Afer two weeks I had them remove the film from my hood scoop because I could not stand looking at in any longer. It was the only thing I could see whitle driving and it was embarrasing to look at. They applied ceramic coat to the scoop to make up for the horrible job.
I had them wrap the entire front bumper, hood, headlights, front fenders and fender flares and side mirrors. I knew the rear fender flares were going to take a beating so I had them wrapped too.
I waited about a month and then I applied Adam's Polishes UV Graphene Ceramic Coating and glass coating myself after watching a couple of YouTube videos. I was completely satisfied with the end results. I am not a believer that this stuff will last for 7 years. I can totally see my self re-apply a second coat in a couple of years. I helped a budy ceramic coat his black 2025 PRO and this appication went much smoother that I knew what I was doing. I recommend getting a friend to help you. Having some one apply the coating and the other to remove it made a huge difference in the final results especially with the correct overhead and side lighting with occasional flashlight. I used Chemical Guys Speed Wipe afer washing a drying to get the paint surface spot free and lint free. IMO, ceramic coating a new car will always yield better results since there is less preperation of the paint surface.





https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...tection-film-ppf-good-or-bad.4583/#post-66733

 

[glocke12]

If you decide to get your 4Runner wrapped in PPF make sure they are a qualified and reputable shop. I had used a shop that does both ceramic coating and PPF and they are the exclusive installer for a a local Porsche Dealership so I figured they must do amazing work and I was not very satisfied with the final results.
Make sure they are up to the task and ask lots of questions. Ask them remove your fender flares of you have a TRD PRO. They wrapped all 4 of mine without removing them and it's very obvious that they cut corners. I was not satisfied with how the hood and spoiler on my TRD PRO turned out to say the least. They said the sharp edges and anlges presented a problem but not to worry becase the bubbles would eventually go away.
Afer two weeks I had them remove the film from my hood scoop because I could not stand looking at in any longer. It was the only thing I could see whitle driving and it was embarrasing to look at. They applied ceramic coat to the scoop to make up for the horrible job.
I had them wrap the entire front bumper, hood, headlights, front fenders and fender flares and side mirrors. I knew the rear fender flares were going to take a beating so I had them wrapped too.
I waited about a month and then I applied Adam's Polishes UV Graphene Ceramic Coating and glass coating myself after watching a couple of YouTube videos. I was completely satisfied with the end results. I am not a believer that this stuff will last for 7 years. I can totally see my self re-apply a second coat in a couple of years. I helped a budy ceramic coat his black 2025 PRO and this appication went much smoother that I knew what I was doing. I recommend getting a friend to help you. Having some one apply the coating and the other to remove it made a huge difference in the final results especially with the correct overhead and side lighting with occasional flashlight. I used Chemical Guys Speed Wipe afer washing a drying to get the paint surface spot free and lint free. IMO, ceramic coating a new car will always yield better results since there is less preperation of the paint surface.





https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/thr...tection-film-ppf-good-or-bad.4583/#post-66733

Listen to this guy.

While my bad experience was with a ceramic coating guy, the take home message is the same. Be careful who you leave your vehicle with.

My initial estimates for ceramic coating were around $1250.00, and in an area I really didn't want to travel to.

I found a guy near my work who does detailing and ceramic coatings on all kinds of higher end vehicles and only charged $750.00 so went with him.

The thing is my initial impression of the guy wasn't that great though. He just smiled too much and was " too fast of a talker "...Those are traits that in my guy I associate with snake oil salesman but I ignored those signals my gut was telling me due to the price, proximity to my work, and his instagram showing his work on Porsches, vettes, etc...etc....

I dropped my 6th gen off to him on Monday, and left some Toyota 8X0 with him ( HB touch up paint ) so he could address a chip on the hood. He was supposed to touch it up and do some wet sanding to make it blend and be less noticeable.

I picked up the vehicle Tuesday and at first glance everything looked solid. Mirror like finish all over and the metal was smooth and slick to the touch than I noticed the paint touch up area...He just drop filled it, no sanding and it looked like ass. It even had cavities in it where bubbles formed and than popped. I didn't say anything because I was a little annoyed but told myself this guy works on high end stuff, maybe thats the best possible outcome. When I got I looked at it again and it looked so bad I just lifted it off with my fingernail and ended up reapplying some paint with a toothpick (not filling the chip completely) and it looks a heck of a lot better now.

Than I noticed the scratch just to the right of the bumper. It would really only be noticeable to me and no one else, but its there and wasn't there before and in between the time I picked up the vehicle and went home there is no way I could have done it. I actually went back to the guys shop the next day and asked him about it and he literally gave me some bullshit line about it being overspray. Had he admitted it could have happened there and said he would take care of it I'd have been good with that but the fact that he literally just made something up like that was ridiculous and I will never trust that guy with my vehicle again. I don't know what I will do now though when it comes time to do the 6 month refresh.

There were other areas that were kind of fubar also, just some places where theres some kind of hazy glaze or something, and its obvious that in other sections his " attention to detail "skills were lacking, such as around the TRD Offroad badge, there was some residual wax left there from the initial waxing job that I did, not a big deal overall, but its one of those things I noticed that leaves me wondering if he didn't bother too remove that what else didn't he do.

So now I am left with a scratch I need to deal with, and a questionable ceramic coating job. Once spring rolls back around I am thinking I will probably just take it to some other place and have it done over again.

Typing all that out I am realizing I am still pretty pissed about this. While I don't expect these things to stay nice forever, I put a lot of effort into minimizing my chances of something like that happening, even to the extant of being choosey about who I let into this vehicle ( thats based on a past experiences of giving rides to people who just dont g.a.f.

 

[DHermit]

So Ceramic coating should cost like $500-$1000? My normal detail guy who comes to our office lot to do detailed quoted me $125. I thought that was low, then saw the quote above. Are there different types of ceramic coating and my guy is just doing some bullshit spray or something and not doing the it the "right way"?

 

[Mad Ghost]

If you can afford it, I think PPF is worth it. I had a 2020 Highlander and I wrapped the front and it looked a brand new the day I traded it in my Trd off-road has 11,000 miles on it with no PPF and has three rock chips on the front already

 

[glocke12]

So Ceramic coating should cost like $500-$1000? My normal detail guy who comes to our office lot to do detailed quoted me $125. I thought that was low, then saw the quote above. Are there different types of ceramic coating and my guy is just doing some bullshit spray or something and not doing the it the "right way"?

$125.00 isn't right and if its a mobile detailer he isn't doing the process correctly.

Around here it costs $500-$1200 for a proper ceramic coat. The place that does it will want to keep your car overnight. They wash/decon/paint correct the exterior, apply the ceramic coating, and let it cure overnight inside.

I'm actually still puzzled by the price difference in my area..I compared 3 year protection coatings from 2-3 different companies and the price range I saw went from $700-$1200. I went with the guy that did it for $700.00 and while overall he did an acceptable job, I think one of the shops that charged more would have done a better job on vehicle prep.

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