David Schacht

I purchased a 2006 Cayman S with 5200 miles and will be installing some paint protection film.

Has anyone else been brave enough to give it a shot? Any tips?

The local installer is essentially 2x the cost of XPEL film for materials and Labor. Too much money for a daily driver.

scott40

Sent u a pm. I know an impeccable installer in the Dayton area who is very reasonable. Don't try it yourself- not worth it, IMO.

P.J.S.

complete pain in the a$$

ethel19

Totally agree!!

Seth Thomas

Talked with a guy about just this today. DIY because you don't do it that often will take about 7-10 hours for a front kit. Get a pro to do it and pay him will take 3-5 and $800-$2000 depending on the kit and options you choose.

How much is your time worth?

scott40

There is a definite skill in doing this well. I don't think a one timer would do as well as a pro no matter how long they took.

David Schacht

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I will attempt a few of the easier areas like the hood, a-pillers and leading edge of the roof. I think I will be able to fight through these enough to get them done well. It will also give me an idea as to how tough the front bumper might be before committing.

Scott, Thanks for the tip on an installer, he's my guy if I decide to get a pro.

chardonet

If you are installing film pieces that are not pre-cut, be careful not to get the cutting blade into the paint! Good luck with the install.

sws1

I predict you will end up buying a 2nd batch of materials, since you won't get it done right.

AudiOn19s

The Pre-cut kits are actually NOT that hard to install. I've done a few on my own personal cars in the past. Heat gun, patience and a clean work environment and you will be fine.

However, custom installs are the way to go and doing the custom installs is a bit of an art to really get them done correctly. The pre-cut kits leave exposed areas that will still get marked up which is really frustrating. Particularly the leading edge of the hood on Porsche's.

Marine Blue

I don't have the patience to put the protection film on my ipad, every time I tried I ended up with bubbles or dust sticking to the film. I can't imagine trying to apply a large film to the hood.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Tim Kay

David, don't listen to these guys. I applaud your desire, how hard can it be? Really!

Like anything, you may not hit it out of the ball park the first time and you'll get better the more you do it. The experieice will be worth the cost of material if it doesn't turn out. Take AudiOn19s advice and go for it.

For the less adventurous here, let us know how you do.

On another note, a well respected "high dollar" vendor did my car when it belonged to the previous owner. By the way it turned out it either take a "real" pro or anyone with care and patience can get it done right. The one that applied mine was neither, go figure. To top it off their warrantee did not tranfer ownership.

kaamacat

Seth. I originally had David (SpeedFilm) do my total front, but, recently had him replace the rear checkboards in-front of the rear wheels (wifey got me new ones for xMas) but, this time took the film up MUCH higher to the level of the wheel arch itself.... about eye-level with the door handle now. Huge difference from the original coverage area.

BobR

kaamacat

... So instead of the OEM clear with decals over.... new is decals on paint and film over now.

MonsterCoatings

As an installer for a very long time here my $0.02.

As long as you are very patient and work super clean some parts are doable by people with DIY desire and have installed vinyl decals or tint before.

Hood partial kit doable with patience. Full Hood Not recommended for DIY.
Partial Fenders take skill but are possible. Full Fender Not recommended for DIY.
Bumper Not recommended for DIY.
Lights doable.
A-Pillar No Problem
Front Roof edge Doable with some patience. Full Roof Not recommended for DIY.
Rear Wheel Impact area (Factory doable, Extended Not recommended for DIY.)
Wheel arcs, doable with a hair dryer helping.

I have wrapped hundreds of Porsches, dealer work and private, including many full vehicle wraps. It gets easier after the first hundred.

Have fun and if you get in over your head put pattern back on backing paper with solution and squeege back on and take it to a pro. You might save the piece.