After months of search, finally got one!

[okbb]

Full front ppf or full car? Would full car be overkill?

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[SP R KiD]

If you're going to do PPF I personally think only a front is necessary.

If money is absolutely not a problem for you, full is nice. But if you are teetering, I'd just do front.

Congrats by the way! Enjoy the car.

 

[Milosdad]

Congrats! I picked mine up a few weeks ago. Did full PPF minus rear bumper and hatch lid.

 

[Cueyo]

I'm getting full front sides and that little area above on the tailgate, would do full ppf, but I might wait to see how the front ppf does.

The paint on the FL5 is a bajillion times better than my FL2 was, so I'm already impressed

 

[elcid79]

Unpopular opinion: I don't believe in PPF. This is a production car, drive it. Have fun. Will it get rock chips, yup. Does it matter, nope. You are spending a lot of money to invest in the next persons purchase. There is no return on investment on ppf, and most people expect rock chips and such on a used car. Spend the money on some nice tint, or a fun performance mod. Or if you have to do something cosmetic, get the carbon spoiler. Theres a lot of fun things you can do for the cost of PPF.

 

[Cueyo]

Unpopular opinion: I don't believe in PPF. This is a production car, drive it. Have fun. Will it get rock chips, yup. Does it matter, nope. You are spending a lot of money to invest in the next persons purchase. There is no return on investment on ppf, and most people expect rock chips and such on a used car. Spend the money on some nice tint, or a fun performance mod. Or if you have to do something cosmetic, get the carbon spoiler. Theres a lot of fun things you can do for the cost of PPF.

Firmly disagree. Not everyone buys a car (especially the type r) to sell it down the road. Wanting to protect your cars paint it's a perfectly normal thing to do. My last car that I traded in for a type R was a civic sport, and I would obsess over each and every scratch that car has, always wished I would've just gotten ppf when I first bought it.

Conversely, the paint on my FL5 has been significantly better than the FL2, and maybe that's why I haven't noticed any degradation yet. The FL2 had chips in the paint on first day of driving, and I drove that car to hell and back (40k miles in the 1.5 years I owned it). I plan to drive the FL5 for much much longer, so I'll spend a little more to maintain it this time.

 

[zumbooruk]

Unpopular opinion: I don't believe in PPF. This is a production car, drive it. Have fun. Will it get rock chips, yup. Does it matter, nope. You are spending a lot of money to invest in the next persons purchase. There is no return on investment on ppf, and most people expect rock chips and such on a used car. Spend the money on some nice tint, or a fun performance mod. Or if you have to do something cosmetic, get the carbon spoiler. Theres a lot of fun things you can do for the cost of PPF.

Agree, when I first got my '07 FA5 Si, I washed it weekly, after the first few chips and scratches, I stopped. the clear coat started peeling about a month after the TSB expired...

But I figured that by not washing it weekly, I saved about $20/week, or $1000 per year, I also did not fix a body damage for which the other guy's insurance paid $3000 for (thanks to a dashcam, which I now consider a must have).

it looks like crap, but it was well maintained, Pennzoil Ultra and Fram XG. Honda MTF and coolant.

the only issues I had with the FA5 were tires that did not last more than 12-15k miles (Pilot Sport AS), but that might have to do with how I drive it and the 1-2 shift issue at high RPM

for the FL5 I got https://www.turtlewax.com/products/hybrid-solutions-ceramic-wax-spray-coating-16-fl-oz, but I still did not wash it and apply the spray yet...

 

[elcid79]

Firmly disagree. Not everyone buys a car (especially the type r) to sell it down the road.

If you are long term keeping the vehicle PPF can also become a liability. The adhesives and the vinyl break down over time. Average life expectancy is 5-10 years. When it fails it can seriously damage your existing paint.
For me, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. Obviously spend your money where you like. If you find value in it, and can rationalize the purchase go for it. Personally I can’t justify it.

 

[SP R KiD]

Unpopular opinion: I don't believe in PPF. This is a production car, drive it. Have fun. Will it get rock chips, yup. Does it matter, nope. You are spending a lot of money to invest in the next persons purchase. There is no return on investment on ppf, and most people expect rock chips and such on a used car. Spend the money on some nice tint, or a fun performance mod. Or if you have to do something cosmetic, get the carbon spoiler. Theres a lot of fun things you can do for the cost of PPF.

I think it's fair to feel this way.

Personally, for me, I hate how to beat up cars get on the front end. Realistically, rock chips and scratches are not a problem and 99% of people would never notice them on your car, if you even care. For me, I like that my car is in good paint condition because I know...that's it. With that being said, the money spent on PPF is certainly not an investment and should not be treated as such. It's peace of mind and with the right care and caution you can maintain a happy mindset. At the end of the money and you care about these things, it is what it is. I don't even take my care through any car washes that touch the car. Touchless washes and hand washes with the proper materials.

With all of that being said, I would defend anyone on any side of the argument. But one thing that is 100% true is that PPF cannot be argued as an investment or something that would increase the value of the car, it just won't. But for people with a lot of money, this isn't a big deal. That's why I went with a front PPF only, it's not 6000+ and the front is where 99% of the problems are anyway.

 

[SP R KiD]

If you are long term keeping the vehicle PPF can also become a liability. The adhesives and the vinyl break down over time. Average life expectancy is 5-10 years. When it fails it can seriously damage your existing paint.
For me, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. Obviously spend your money where you like. If you find value in it, and can rationalize the purchase go for it. Personally I can’t justify it.

As for this part....I think this is only true when utilizing poor quality materials and poor installs. If you have a proper installer using good products, this should not be a problem. YMMV but in most cases do the smart thing by picking a good installer and good material (do your research) and you won't have to worry about this. This is a fear inducing argument point to discourage PPF and I think it's a little overexaggerated. Just my 2 cents.

 

[RODSCIVIC]

If you're going to do PPF I personally think only a front is necessary.

If money is absolutely not a problem for you, full is nice. But if you are teetering, I'd just do front.

Congrats by the way! Enjoy the car.

I agree with this. Front only. PPF is great when nothing hits it but once you get a nick you have to stare at this. The body of the car tends to get less chips and can easily be touched up. The front is a pain.

Congrats on the FL5!

 

[Cueyo]

If you are long term keeping the vehicle PPF can also become a liability. The adhesives and the vinyl break down over time. Average life expectancy is 5-10 years. When it fails it can seriously damage your existing paint.
For me, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. Obviously spend your money where you like. If you find value in it, and can rationalize the purchase go for it. Personally I can’t justify it.

10 years is long time to keep an adhesive on something that you intend to protect from damage. At that point people deserve the paint damage lol.

In either case, the same can be said about ceramic coats that're like $1500-$2000. To each their own.

 

[elcid79]

No

As for this part....I think this is only true when utilizing poor quality materials and poor installs. If you have a proper installer using good products, this should not be a problem. YMMV but in most cases do the smart thing by picking a good installer and good material (do your research) and you won't have to worry about this. This is a fear inducing argument point to discourage PPF and I think it's a little overexaggerated. Just my 2 cents.

My response is not over exaggerated or fear driven. Read the manufacturer’s information and the installers. I agree that you absolutely get what you pay for. The installer is every bit, if not more important than the material. 3m advertises a 10 year lifespan on the film. While not insignificant this isn’t a forever investment. It will need to be replaced at some point. And if you do not replace it it can, and I have seen, it ruin people’s paint. There isn’t a right or wrong answer for ppf. But you do need to acknowledge it’s short comings and potential issues when calculating its value. Just as you need to consider its positive implications.

pros- does a terrific job of protecting from rock chips door dings etc.

Cons. Expensive. Has to be replaced every 5-10 years. Can’t buff / polish that part of the car. If you don’t do a full wrap it can lead to uneven wear that is visible. Etc.

As I’ve said neither choice is right. Put your money where you want. Just be cognizant of the potential pros and cons.

 

[elcid79]

10 years is long time to keep an adhesive on something that you intend to protect from damage. At that point people deserve the paint damage lol.

In either case, the same can be said about ceramic coats that're like $1500-$2000. To each there own.

Absolutely. Just like ppf there are pros and cons to ceramic coating. It’s right for some people. Wrong for others. Go into those purchases knowing what you are getting and giving.

 

[SP R KiD]

No


My response is not over exaggerated or fear driven. Read the manufacturer’s information and the installers. I agree that you absolutely get what you pay for. The installer is every bit, if not more important than the material. 3m advertises a 10 year lifespan on the film. While not insignificant this isn’t a forever investment. It will need to be replaced at some point. And if you do not replace it it can, and I have seen, it ruin people’s paint. There isn’t a right or wrong answer for ppf. But you do need to acknowledge it’s short comings and potential issues when calculating its value. Just as you need to consider its positive implications.

pros- does a terrific job of protecting from rock chips door dings etc.

Cons. Expensive. Has to be replaced every 5-10 years. Can’t buff / polish that part of the car. If you don’t do a full wrap it can lead to uneven wear that is visible. Etc.

As I’ve said neither choice is right. Put your money where you want. Just be cognizant of the potential pros and cons.

Certainly agree. Just for the record, I'm not attempting to accuse you specifically of fear inducing, however all I'm saying is anytime I ever see anyone say PPF is a bad idea, this is the point they usually default to, which is fair. I just don't think in a large data set, that many cars that do get PPFed, and removed after 5-10 years, end up resulting in damaged paint. That's all. Hence why I think it's an overexaggerated argumentative point. You almost shouldn't even have to worry about this so long as you choose good materials/installers. If you don't and pick someone to uninstall your PPF like a jerk after having a bad install, then that's on you. A datapoint I would consider an outlier.

Anyway, nothing but respect for your opinion.

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