PPF but truck still too new? What about OEM 3M?

Never done PPF. Our trucks are used hard year-round well into six figure mileage. But for my incoming Bronze Oxide it's a consideration. To say I'm clueless about clear bras and PPF is fair. Today got a few quotes from reputable installers in town. The shop that does most of the exotics and $$$ cars wants $3000 pre-tax, yowza.

Looking at OEM options there's not much for the 2024 TRD Sport: https://autoparts.toyota.com/produc...OMA&model_year=2024&model_year_code=2024:7542

Here's my quote from shop that's done all our car tint. Waiting on reply what areas are covered for his $1850. I made sure to say it's the redesigned 2024 Sport...

"As for the PPF it runs $1850.00 for parts and labor and that is an all-day thing. We take a deposit for it and then order the kit for the Toyota. We are running about two weeks out right now."

Any talking points I should cover when getting bids? Leaning toward front only, not entire truck.

 

Be advised ppf has to come off after a couple years and you have to re apply

 

I did it myself on my 3rd gen and will do it again when I get my new Taco. It's not hard. Plenty of YouTube vids.

$25 3M Clear Paint Surface Protection Bulk Film Roll 6-by-84"es

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VFYCZE/?coliid=I2F9O04TYFCJN4&colid=3DIEP78B3UWPM

 

All brands? I have llumar and it has a seven year warranty. No warnings from my installer to replace. Tell me more.

 

Called my installer who did my '18 in prep to getting upcoming 4G. He warned me that prices have significantly changed upwards. Yeah, with everything else. Seems like there was a definitive point in history. Might as well mark it as BC/AD. Good luck shopping around.

If you are to take it offroad, I would get the bottom half covered as well. If not, get mudflaps.

 

No off Roading. Have the WeatherTech mudflaps stock notification email. Installer says their $1850 gets me…
“We cover the front bumper, partial hood and side fenders. You can pick between 18 or 24 inch. for the hood. This comes with 5 year warranty. This price is film and labor. We do not cut on the cars so we order pre-cut kits made specifically for your Toyota.”

 

No it doesnt. Especially the newer films.

 

He's wrong. That was the old 90's 3M stuff.

 

I did my 2022 full front, replaced the factory pieces behind rockers and flaps with STEK, that with ceramic coating and paint correction (high end like your guy, does porsches and ferarris) in CQuartz Ultra was $2400 total, also had him ceramic coat the gauge cluster, lol. Not sure how pricing has gone since then but we did my wife's RXh the same in 2023 and was $2200. My 19 I did full front and all along the rockers like the whole cab where the paint is thicker along with ceramic pro and think it was about $2200. In my opinion it's worth it. I skipped and only ceramic coated my 2020 and the front end was riddled with chips from highway driving and winters. I dont think you really need to wrap the whole truck just the high impact areas and coat the rest. And the new PPF's are amazing and offer hydrophobic properties, self healing, no yellowing, etc. never had a problem. The junk Toyota puts on (behind the rear of cab and bed) that definitely yellows and did on my 2020 and prior trucks.

 

Most films only last 5-7 ish years depending on how it's cared for and the operating environment.

Once it starts to become beat up its time to remove it. Keeping it on forever will destroy your paint when you go to take it off.

Of course you want to check with whoever applied yours to see what the proper care and lifespan is. Ppf is not permanent

 

You definitely want to check directly with your installer because many brands use a totally different material and adhesive

 

Trucks look just fine with a few nicks and scratches.

 

If you're going to drive a truck into the ground (figuratively speaking), then avoiding a few stone chips on the front isn't going to make any difference at the end of the day in terms of resale value.

And if you go with cheap PPF, it will look like ass after a couple of years, simply due to blemishes.

 

And why is that? My 2016 has had it forever and it's fine.

 

i still have the oem PPF on my 2014 4runner, it still looks like the day i picked up the vehicle. has not even yellow'd, but then again i park it in the garage when i get home.

 

Does the pre cut kit for your 24 include enough material for wrapped edges? I suspect not, but maybe the kits have changed in the time since I had my 16 Ram done. I just had my 24 Ram done at a shop that custom cuts the film and wraps the edges. Full front, mirrors, A-pillars, first 24 inches of the roof, and door sills so the dogs don’t scratch them to hell. The 24 looks so much cleaner than the 16. The only PPF line you see is the where it ends on the roof.

 

So you went from a couple years to 5-7, lol. And yes obviously how its cared for but willing to bet anyone who sinks thousands into PPF will be taking care of their vehicle appropriately. Most films these days are 8-10 years warrantied, 2 years in on mine and looks as good as day it was applied and held up better hydrophobically than my coating. As most only keep vehicles 6-7 years, its not a bad investment if you care about how your vehicle looks over time.

 

I used XPEL PPF in 2018 and it's still holding strong, saved me from many pin striping on the sides especially and in the front bumper I have many rock chips which have perforated the film but the paint underneath is still good. XPEL also makes a ceramic coating that bonds to their PPF if you're looking for extra protection. It was very costly but after 6 years truck is still looking new after countless trail abuse it all seems worth it now, plus it will help with resale when I do eventually upgrade. I also don't run mudguards in order to clear 35" tires so the PPF underneath really helps with rocks being flung up towards the body. I think if you ceramic coat the PPF it will last longer and I have a spray bottle that I refresh the front end with once every year.

 

Be very picky about your installer. Read the reviews and ideally see some of their work on other cars. Using a razor blade to trim some areas is pretty much inevitable but a good installer will be able to cut it without cutting the paint. I learned my lesson the hard way and had PPF installed on the entire front end of my old Tacoma and when I got home I saw deep cuts where the ppf had to be trimmed. You should NOT be paying so much money to have somebody do the opposite of what their service provides.

If you want to get really insane, take a piece of PPF and put it on your arm and ask the installer to cut a line into it without cutting your arm.

 

Didn’t do mine 15 years ago and still don’t give a shit. The gauge cluster lens is a brilliant idea, though.