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Hood protection? what kind of protection are you using

15K views 45 replies 15 participants last post by  garoto 
#1 ·
the other day i was cleaning my crv and noticed a nice chip on the tippy tip of my 2017 crv. any recommendations on bra or clear protection.
 
#5 ·
I have had paint-protection film on two cars for seven years. No peeling, fading or cracking. The quote I received for the CR-V was $750. I purchased a Coverking nose mask from CarID, but the one they sent me was for a 2015-2016 model. Coverking swore it was the right item, in spite of the photos I sent.
 
#8 ·
I had xpel on a 00 4Runner and sold the car in 2014. The xpel was cracked into many pieces and wanted to remove it prior to selling the car. Used a blow drier and plastic razors to remove it. Took several days. It was visible that the clear coat had worn differently under the xpel. After that I had sworn the stuff off.
 
#12 ·
Not all PPF films are equal. There were some terrible films on the market 10 years ago, some would yellow, crack, or stain from bugs or bird droppings. I've always used the 3M brand which never had those issues, X-PEL is also very good. If you had PPF in the past and had problems, it was most likely one of those brands that aren't even around anymore. 3M and X-PEL continue to improve their films. I started using PPF on my cars 15 years ago when PPF was just starting to get popular, there was much to be learned by the film companies, today the films come with lifetime warranties against peeling, yellowing, cracking and staining. Those issues are a thing of the past.

garoto, what brand was the film in the picture on your Element? I bet it's one of the brands that are no longer on the market. I've removed PPF from my S2000 on various occasions, it's never caused an issue with the clear coat. If anything, the clear coat is new looking without any micro-abrasion, when compared to the rest of the hood where there was no PPF.
 
#19 ·
The element wasn't my car. It's a car that I always see parked but don't know who the owner is.

I have never installed PPF because I hate counter productive stuff. However, I understand that people's experiences will vary. Weather, garage, car washes and waxes, rain and a bunch of other things will have an impact on the longevity of the film.

On my 06 Si I have a PPF (unknown brand) only on my Genuine Honda Red "H" badge on the front grille. I installed it myself with curves and all. It was a perfect install and I've had it for 7 years and it's not yellowed at all and when I touch it with my nail I can tell it's still "rubbery" and not hardened. I expect that upon removal it will be easy. But if it's hard to remove I don't have to worry about clear coat getting damaged.

I guess my biggest issue is fear of damaging the beautiful paintwork on the car. Once damaged no amount of quality repainting will ever restore it.

I WANT to protect my hood and bumper pretty badly, but I don't know what to do it with. So whenever I take long road trips I've been using painters tape. It's a pain and hideous, but I'm hoping Honda or someone release a nosemask.
 
#13 ·
I had the 3M product on a Tundra that I once owned and the stuff looked the same 7 years later when I traded it in. Not fade or discoloration at all. It actually saved my hood from a monster rock. It was gouged and I had to have a pdr guy remove the ding and have the product reapplied to the hood. Paint underneath still was perfect with the product removed. Had it on the front edge of my hood, fenders, headlights, and back side of mirrors.
 
#14 ·
I think it's absolutely ridiculous to charge that kind of money to apply a film to a hood (and mirrors, etc.). Of course that statement is an oversimplification of the whole thing, but c'mon, really? I want some kind of protection but I refuse to pay that kind of money for something like this. Guess I'll just keep a good supply of paint touch up pens and other detailing products on hand.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Yep, PPF is a waste of money if you don't take pride in vehicle ownership, care about vehicle protection, your paint, or getting rock chips. Why waste money on PPF when you could get the same protection for $5 with blue painters tape.... ;) Your money, your choice........

Just kidding about PPF being a waste of money - I've had PPF on the Z06 in the background for over a dozen years and would not have had it installed on the CR-V if I thought it would damage the paint or not protect it from scratches and rock chips. On the CR-V, I have XPEL PPF on the front portion of the hood, fenders, grill, bumper, "A" pillars, and roof cap between windshield and sunroof.



Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Minivan
 
#23 ·
Yep, PPF is a waste of money if you don't take pride in vehicle ownership, care about vehicle protection, your paint, or getting rock chips. Why waste money on PPF when you could get the same protection for $5 .... ;) Your money, your choice........

View attachment 84618
I take pride in vehicle ownership and care about protection. For that reason, I am not installing PPF, I don't think I will at least. I hear a lot of horror stories upon removal. The worst thing is to protect your car that will cause more damage than not protecting it.

My ideal would be a factory nosemask for long trips, but Honda decided not to offer it on this car. Terrible move.
 
#24 ·
I watched the 3M product get removed from my hood on a previous vehicle and replaced and the paint underneath looked identical to that that wasn't covered. Took them about 2 hours to remove and replace it. If I hold onto my CR-V long enough I will have the hood repainted and the 3M product applied. It is worth every penny IMO.
 
#26 ·
I'm starting to come around to the idea that maybe removal wouldn't be an issue if the material is taken care of and kept moist once in a while. Waxing it and what not.

What brand would be best, XPEL or 3M? It's like a never ending debate. I hear XPEL Ultimate doesn't yellow and offers a 10 year warranty. 3M offers a 5 year warranty and I'm told 3M is more prone to yellowing.
 
#29 ·
3M has 3 levels of PPF. Ventureshield is the lowest model. Scotchgard is the middle level with a 5 year warranty. Scotchgard Pro is the top level with a 7 year warranty that is advertised to be more stain resistant.
You could do what S2K_Dude posted, where he has a complete replacement warranty with his installer where he intends to replace the film within 5 years if it has excessive wear and tear.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I had a high quality OEM vinyl bra on my Saab 900 Turbo and found that no matter how well it was anchored it would still vibrate at speed. The vibration was not detectable to the eye, but the clear coat paint under the bra was "sanding" away over time, especially at the contact points on the edges. I ended up not using the bra at all. That was in 1983 and maybe the contact surface materials have changed since then to mitigate the sandpaper effect. on several vehicles since then I have had hood deflectors. One thing I have noticed with the hood deflectors is that the curved rear edge changes the air flow over the car and saves the windshield from getting small stone chips and getting pitted from small dust/sand particles. I know this because if you have a deflector you have to re-aim the windshield washer nozzles lower because at speed the air current carries the fluid over the car.
 
#36 ·
As for cutting the film on the car, one installer showed me their fancy X-acto knife that he can set the depth of the cut. All they need to do is score the top surface of the film to make the cut. It's very easy to not cut through the film and damage the car. As FreshlySqueezed stated, these days the installers are pre-cutting the film prior to installing on the car. They have their own patterns or they can buy patterns from the film companies. The shop I used has their own X-Y cutter and they do their own or modify existing patterns.
 
#43 · (Edited)
Take your pick, precut film for the bumper with slight gaps just on the edges (the edges are really low risk) or find a skilled installer who can cut by hand to cover the bumper completely (make sure they are skilled with the proper blades). Last option, if you can't trust others to do it, do it yourself or forget about the whole proposition and use touch up paint on the rock chips. :)
 
#45 ·
Garoto, I totally get it, I won't let the dealer wash my cars for fear they will make swirl marks. And I enjoy washing and sealing the paint myself. I just wanted to share info on ppf for anyone who was interested.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
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