I'm in two minds about having any type of protective film applied to my 991S. So I wonder which of these options applies to you:

 

I put it on the front bumper, mirrors, rear fender fronts and lights. I'm not in favor of doing half the hood or fenders because of the line.

ChuckJ

 

I think you should do it, not because I'm trying to sell you something but it really does protect the cars paint against stone chips, bugs, and other paint damaging items that destroy your paint job on a daily basis. So keep your 991S looking as good as new.

Strong and impact resistant, yet pliable enough to adhere to any surface. With simple peel and stick installation, these 17 mil thick kits protect your hood, fenders, mirrors, and bumper areas. Included is a 5 year warranty against fading or yellowing.Quite possibly the best investment you can make toward protecting the finish of your vehicle. For more information on our fill line of Lamin-X Click Here

 

Agree with ChuckJ 100%. I had the same thing done plus the side view mirrors. I plan on keeping this car for some time so it gives me lots of piece of mind to know its protected. I love factory paint and don't want to repaint the bumpers because of road debris. Never looked back on that decision just like the PSE option

 

Agree with everyone here. I put Xpel Ultimate film on the entire hood, entire front fenders, front bumper, head and fog lights, A-Pillar w/ front roof strip (in front of Sun Roof), and rocker panels including front of rear fenders (Removed the OEM rear fender film and applied a much larger piece for more protection). I've done my last 3 cars and wouldn't own/drive a car (especially a high-end car) without it.

 

If you dont do it.....after 10k miles and rock chips across the front of your car...this will be you.

 

I always kinda looked at it as "covering your furniture in plastic"...
But since I started using it I've never looked back!

That stuff is truly amazing especially on the front and if you put side skirts and/or wheel spacers... plus if it's done right no one will ever know it's on there.

Yep it's must have in my book.

 

You definitely should. And it's become much cheaper these days since many shops have gotten into it. I've seen front bumper/full hood/front fenders/mirrors for less than $800 whereas it used to be above $1500. Should research the shops as some are junk and do a poor job. But the top shops have come down a lot because of the cheaper shops and a lot of people seem to not mind crappy quality knowing they'll pull it off and replace in a few years. I've had my cars done by folks who've worked at Premier for much less than what Premier charges with the same high end quality.

 

I'm probably the only one that votes no, but every car I have seen with it after a year or so just looks worse compared to some properly repaired rock chips. Maybe it's because I really don't get many rock chips and have learned to repair them so that you could not find them even looking close up,....it's not very hard if you learn how.
I'm real **** about this, and have thought about film on each new car. If I lived in an area where the threat of chips is large, then it might push me over the edge to get film, but for now I won't be getting it on my GR 991 when it arrives.

There is a less than one year old white turbo on my dealers lot with the front end done with it,....it all looks a bit yellow compared to the rest of the body and there are several places where dirt has gotten under the film in a tight corner or joint,....it just looks horrible IMO. You can spot these areas way easier than any rock chip. They have a 6 mo old silver 991 with it, and while you can't really see a color difference, you can always see the lines and seams, and yes it has started to collect dirt under the film in a few corners. I can spot it from 10 feet away.

Now I know application methods and film types do matter, but I've seen many types of film and supposedly "master" installs on $300k Ferraris that still end up with the same symptoms over time. One of my friends has a red F430 where a rock hit the top of his hood, slightly dinged the hood and put a pin ***** in the film,....hardly noticeable until water got under the film, stayed there and put a large dark "bullseye" mark in the paint about a tennis ball in size. Now the film has to come off and the hood repainted. He will not be putting film back on.

Never once have a seen ANY film job that hasn't done something to my dislike, change color, gather dirt under it, lift, etc. I still can't bring myself to do it. I'd rather have the car patina at the same rate all over, and expertly touch it up when necessary. I'd urge you to go look at some Porsches on the used lot that have had it done,...look very closely around the edges, corners and seams, look for the color variations. If none of it bothers you, and you think it will be a benefit, go for it.

Whatever you choose, hope it meets your expectations.

 

I installed Xpel on my Plat Silver. Can hardly tell the difference. No orange peel effect as with 3M.
Full hood, fenders, bumper, lights, and A-Pillar. ~1500.

Would never recommend partial hood as the line look horrible.

Definitely worth the investment based on the stone chips alone...

 

Nice to get another perspective.
OK now you have to tell us how you fix rock chips properly 'cause in 2 decades I've not been able to find solution other than repaint...

One thing I absolutely agree with (stated above) is that the installer makes all the difference!
It sounds like your friend was unlucky with either the quality of the film or install... if both are up to par there should be no possibility for water to penetrated below the film even with a tear, nick or pin hole.
Also a good installer would have been able to fix that pin hole...
Same type of thing happenend on one of my rides and the guy used a heat-gun and (I'm not kidding) the back a spoon to kinda massage the pin hole closed... buffet it and you couldn't tell it was ever there (OK if ya came within 4"... you could).

But on the other hand when I had an issue with one of my side skirts and the film had to be removed to deal with the issue... whole sections of paint peeled of with it!
But that was because I didn't wait long enough to cure the paint before install and a less than stellar surface prep before paint.

 

I somewhat agree on the Porsche side of this.....I believe Porsche installs a sub par film on their cars (not sure if the vehicles you saw had factory or aftermarket).....every single Porsche I've ever seen, especially the rock guards in front of rear tire, the film looks terrible after a short while....even my 991 started having the problems you mentioned on the rock guards after 1,000 miles....However, the Xpel that was installed on the rest of the car remained looking great.

So in my experience, with a few different cars and films, is that it depends...

 

Yes. Do it.

 

Yeah, I may have to start a new thread on the repairing of rock chips,... get your toothpicks, dentist tools and airbrushes ready! The last two cars I traded into my Porsche dealer went right from me driving them in, to the used car space. Both times the used car manager wanted to know who my detailer was.

I guess if I had a large problem with rock chips to begin with film would be a no-brainer. I may collect 4 or 5 over a year, with some other little rub or bug marks, but with proper touch-up, polish and detail just never felt the need to resort to film. But, I could understand if you seem to collect 20 or 30 a year, film would be of benefit. I have seen many "peppered" cars and yes it is disturbing,...still if it's only a few a year, not worth resorting to film IMO.

For my friends F430, you really couldn't see any hole at all in the film, and all it took was one or two times washing it for the water to seep in a bit and there was no turning back. He just didn't think about it until it was too late. I'm sure it could have been repaired, but this was a case where film made a very minor blemish into a big one.

Maybe the latest and greatest films and install techniques have evaded my search for what would change my mind, but for now every film job I have seen I can pick out and apart in seconds. Maybe I'm just a bit too picky on the subject.

 

I was at a Porsche Dealer in Seattle, WA a couple of months ago, and the Sales People referred to the factory rear fender protection film as "Yellows," because they turn yellow very quickly. I had this removed on my 991 and had a larger piece installed for more surface protection as part of my overall install.

Also, Xpel Ultimate is warrantied for 10 Years against Yellowing, Cracking, Pealing, Staining, Dust and Moisture Penetration, etc. . . . . Installation Included.

For those that don't know, it has a self-healing ability that is amazing (light scratches, not gouges). Here is a a link to webpage with a few video demonstrations of the healing ability: http://xpel.com/products/xpel_ultima...ction_film.asp

IMO the Installer is the most important, long-term success factor. My installer even asked me, if for some reason you get dust/dirt in an edge, please come back to have it fixed/replaced, right away, because he doesn't want that to be a reflection of his work. 3 Cars over the past 4 years and I haven't needed to go back once.

I traded in my last vehicle (3 Year Old X5M) without a single Rock Chip. They gave me the highest KBB value based on "Excellent" condition, which I don't think happens very often, granted I take Maticulous Care of my vehicles.