Paint Protection Film Yes or No

Not sure what your dealer is selling but you can get lot of different types of protection films. I like 3m films. They are mostly added on very expensive cars to keep them looking new. Check out local shops before you say yes to the dealer. I have seen them done for 300 dollars for front end. Will keep your car from getting chips in the paint. Pull the film off right before you want to sell or let the new owner decide what he wants to do

 

ben, your best bang for the buck is to go to an aftermarket clear bra specialist and get 3M VentureShield, or equivalent.

Some tint places do clear bra, but not all do. If they don't, chances are they can recommend someone who does. Here locally, some of the best clear bra guys are mobile do it out of a truck.

Don't get jerked around and ripped off by all the dealer options. Almost everything is cheaper to buy afterwards, even the floor mats, the cargo net, the appliques, door moldings, door sills, mud guards, etc.

Check out the extended warranty from this site and don't pay more. They will try to get to you with scare tactics when you talk to the finance guy. You talk to him even if you pay cash.

http://priuschat.com/forums/sponsor...rius-extended-warranty-service-contracts.html

Don't buy the dealer installed 3rd party options. Don't get a pin stripe painted on.

You can buy almost every accessory off of Ebay for less. No joke.

There's nothing the dealer won't try to sell you if you act clueless and like you can be pushed around.

 

Its a clear bra type thing. I was going to do the 3m stuff to the hood, bumper and mirror covers but never got around to it. Really regretting putting it off now because after 21k miles of driving, I've got a decent amount of rock chips =(

 

The dealer installed paint protection option have limited coverage (small hood and mirrors - no bumper, A-pillars, roof, no wrapping, lights plus you can not tailor the coverage to your needs and budget. You can get a more protection from an local installer, better kits, more coverage for less $$.
Hope this helps.

 

...buuut, at the dealer, you can finance the paint protect and 3M clear bra.
Both of which I do all the time.

What's 500$ when in 5yrs time the car won't have a zillion dents, chips, and rust (though tiny) spots.

Resell value. My 3M clear bra is warrantied 4yr and the paint protect 8yr.

Depends on the color you get. If white, then YES!!!

 

Save your money. Only fanatics buy them.

 

:high5: Yep! Call me fanatic. My first new car I skimped on paint protect, 3M clear bra, and the 3M tissue protect on the inside. After 4 yrs of driving it was horrid.

The next one, with all of the above, after 5 yrs, looked like it was driven buy a 75 yr old grandmother, just to get groceries, less than 3,000 miles per year and stored in a garage.

My point being, if it's financed, you might want to resell it to upgrade, that extra 10$ per month (if that) is worth it. Or call me crazy. :der:

I say nuts to those that spend upwards of 2 grand on rims ! Requiring more expensive 17" wheels!

 

I'm a FANATIC just like you "markderail"!

In the past I have personally installed 3M paint protector kits on a White BMW Z4 & a White Nissan Murano. The protection they provided was GREAT! My wife drives on roads requiring a windshield replacement a year.

It is a bit costly to have it installed & hard to install it yourself correctly. My wife just gave me her blessing to install the 3M kit again on our 2 day old 2011 Prius. I have mastered the install process... Off to Internet shopping I go...

JohnB

 

I noticed two small areas already done on ours, assumably applied at the factory, around the rear door: a roughly triangular piece on the trailing lower corner of door, and on the opposing door well edge a strip going a short distance along the outer edge.

 

I would have to say YES to clear bra. Keeps the front of the car looking clean.

 

Call me fanatic too. It's my first use of one and do not regret it at all. I did aftermmarket with a small retailer that did a great job, and paying with cash got me a slightly better deal. He installed the 3m version with the best warrenty. now thinking of doing it on my other nice car.

 

Agreed. $250 for the kit on eBay plus someone that knows what they are doing to install it (i.e. another $250 at least). What kind of roads do you people drive on that a little touch up paint won't cure? I'm CDO also (that's OCD alphabetically correct) but wonder what the paint will look like when this condom is taken off? It will definitely be a different shade than the rest of the hood.

 

No doubt clear bras usually benifit the users car, but I know two people who's cars got a minor scrape in a parking lot that tore the clear bra. Then they needed some minor body work plus a new clear bra. Both elected to not use a clear bra after getting their cars repaired because they increased the cost of anything more than minor rock ships.

 

Unfortunately when I bought my '11 4, the dealer had already applied some sort of paint protection package for $875. I complained like mad and tried getting them to knock it out of the price, but they wouldnt budge. At the time it was the only Prius in my area and my wife and I wanted to get out of our previous car. We negotiated everything else within reason and paid the $875 to get the deal done. Oh well....we love the car none the less!

 

A big YES on clear paint protection film from me, a first-time user. It's taken lots of dings that would have damaged the paint. I may have to replace the film in a couple of years, but it's much cheaper than having the front repainted!

 

they end of turning yellow over time just FYI. Even the "high quality" ones.

 

Not until at least 4 or 5 years. By that time the "rest" of the car has aged, dents, scratches, etc.

But if you don't get it, the front will over-age.

Look at most 5+ yr GM or Chrysler's, where is the rust?

 

The 1st trip the 2010 took was across the state to get "shrinkwrapped". I had VentureShield film installed on the 2006 & 2010. Get all the standard pieces & the cups behind the door handles. The film saved a scuff/scrape to the 2006's front bumper & the right mirror cover on the 2010 along with a bunch of potential chips. Whether or not it is worth it to you depends on the conditions you drive through.

 

Me to Jim, I've driven on the interstate for 1 1/2 years and never regretted the VentureShield. Its 2 years old now and the front end still looks brand new. Hell, don't get it put on if you don't want to spend the money, just repaint after a couple of years. I get tired of hearing this yellow Bullsh*t. If your car is going to stay in the sun 24/7 and you dont take care of the bra, its going to look like hell period. If you have a garage or carport and keep the bra clean with a good synthetic wax, its going to last a very long time.