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FL5 Paint Thickness

crash___

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hello! i'm at 4k miles now with my type r and i have 0 regrets or complaints about the car so far, except paint. i'm new to hondas so i don't really know about the quality of them, but i've heard more cons than pros regarding it (especially with the 8th gen civics LOL). i've only owned lexus' up to this point and have never used ppf. maybe because the quality of lexus paint has spoiled me, but i am incredibly surprised on how quickly the paint chips on the honda. my ISF has around 160k miles currently and i swear i've probably collected around a quarter of the amount it has on my type r. i recently got my car ceramic sealed and counted the rock chips, and i have around 8 on the front bumper and two on my wing (which is quite impressive). not to mention, i am quite a relaxed driver as well. if the paint quality is a lot better than the fk8, then i wonder how badly fk8s got chipped because my car is chipping rapidly. yes, i probably should have gotten ppf, but with ppf, rock chips pierce through the film all the time, hence why i'd rather spend that money on a set of wheels haha. but now, i'm starting to regret not getting it. i do wonder what the front is gonna look like at 10k miles. currently using the saying "it's just a car" as a coping mechanism aha. anyone else without ppf having the same experience or do i just have bad luck?
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DeVo

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Had my Fk8 for 4 years with no protection. Literally, only you will ever notice the chips. It's a Honda. It cost 6K + to fully wrap the car. If 5+ years down the line my bumper somehow looks horrendous, a respray will be cheaper. Enjoy your car and don't let forum culture make you think it's a Lambo.
 

Bonito

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Everything I've read regarding PPF, it just seems like it is smarter to do ceramic and then repaint down the road unless you have extra money to burn on the wrap.
 

AWR1997

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hello! i'm at 4k miles now with my type r and i have 0 regrets or complaints about the car so far, except paint. i'm new to hondas so i don't really know about the quality of them, but i've heard more cons than pros regarding it (especially with the 8th gen civics LOL). i've only owned lexus' up to this point and have never used ppf. maybe because the quality of lexus paint has spoiled me, but i am incredibly surprised on how quickly the paint chips on the honda. my ISF has around 160k miles currently and i swear i've probably collected around a quarter of the amount it has on my type r. i recently got my car ceramic sealed and counted the rock chips, and i have around 8 on the front bumper and two on my wing (which is quite impressive). not to mention, i am quite a relaxed driver as well. if the paint quality is a lot better than the fk8, then i wonder how badly fk8s got chipped because my car is chipping rapidly. yes, i probably should have gotten ppf, but with ppf, rock chips pierce through the film all the time, hence why i'd rather spend that money on a set of wheels haha. but now, i'm starting to regret not getting it. i do wonder what the front is gonna look like at 10k miles. currently using the saying "it's just a car" as a coping mechanism aha. anyone else without ppf having the same experience or do i just have bad luck?
No rock chips yet, but time will tell. I had front end PPF installed at about 750 miles. I am currently up to 2,138. My other car, ‘09 Si Sedan, is absolutely peppered with rock chips. Let’s see if this obscenely expensive “protection” ends up being worth while.
 

AspecR

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Everything I've read regarding PPF, it just seems like it is smarter to do ceramic and then repaint down the road unless you have extra money to burn on the wrap.
This is the route Im going, paint correction and ceramic coat with a refresh every 5 years. No PPF for me
 


Tickle

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Ceramic I plan to do that. PPF, I'm not sure. I'm also leaning toward doing the ceramic myself.

I do believe in PPF. However, I don't know if I want to deal with it 5-6 years down the road.
 

mbaapk

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Ceramic I plan to do that. PPF, I'm not sure. I'm also leaning toward doing the ceramic myself.

I do believe in PPF. However, I don't know if I want to deal with it 5-6 years down the road.
If you are on the fence, a good ppf will last over 10 years and all it takes is the shop to steam it off when its ready.
 

ScumbagRob

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PPF also protects you from other damage to the vehicle. One time I was pulling into my garage and not paying attention, and scraped my bumper coming in - the PPF really saved me from deep scratches. I was really surprised at how well it held up, since it sounded really bad from inside the car :rofl:

Also that thread where the other dude got keyed, I'm sure the damage would have been far less if he had PPF.

It's still up to each person to decide whether or not it's worth it for them, but I just wanted to point out that it's not only about rock chips.
 

vthor85

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I just got my FL5 ceramic coated and boy what a difference it makes. Totally worth it.
 


Rad Ray

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Just my opinion & experience - I had an early 3M PPF installed on my S2000. It wasn’t applied expertly the first time and required a “re-do” at the installer’s expense. That was in 2008 and it’s still on the car. Over all those years, it has held up well, but is yellowing and has two deep gouges from road debris. It is also more noticeable and needs removing, but a more competent installer said it would be “tricky” because it’s been on so long, and show a difference in sun fading between the PPF and uncovered areas. The car is Formula Red. For my FL5, I’m going to pass on the PPF as it’s way too expensive vs. a possible re-spray. I will, however and if I can locate a vendor, apply the headlight covers, which are basically a thicker PPF-type of clear protection. Bottom line: if you get a PPF make certain it’s a highly skilled installer who guarantees the work up front, and have a plan for how to repair it because a nasty PPF will make you as displeased as a nasty paint job.
 

mbaapk

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Just my opinion & experience - I had an early 3M PPF installed on my S2000. It wasn’t applied expertly the first time and required a “re-do” at the installer’s expense. That was in 2008 and it’s still on the car. Over all those years, it has held up well, but is yellowing and has two deep gouges from road debris. It is also more noticeable and needs removing, but a more competent installer said it would be “tricky” because it’s been on so long, and show a difference in sun fading between the PPF and uncovered areas. The car is Formula Red. For my FL5, I’m going to pass on the PPF as it’s way too expensive vs. a possible re-spray. I will, however and if I can locate a vendor, apply the headlight covers, which are basically a thicker PPF-type of clear protection. Bottom line: if you get a PPF make certain it’s a highly skilled installer who guarantees the work up front, and have a plan for how to repair it because a nasty PPF will make you as displeased as a nasty paint job.
It definitely should be professionally installed- that is a given and should be full car to avoid paint wear differences. Then, ceramic coating is the icing on the cake. Always good to be able to say “original paint”.
 

Bobbymcbobby

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Talking about ppf and paint chipping, the installer for my shop said that the cars paint on one of the panel lines was flaking- in the picture you can see the streak coming off throughout the whole panel line right where the ppf ends. He says it happens when they “move” the ppf around when installing but who knows, I’m just angry. They apparently put some touch up paint on it
11th Gen Honda Civic FL5 Paint Thickness 9DE5BF67-E630-4E43-87DB-AB99BC8FAA2D
 

Rhorn

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Imo it doesn't matter if you get PPF or not. Either way, the car will be a headache and will cost you significant money, thats the cold honest truth when it comes taking care of your car.

If you choose to do partial PPF then you run the risk of discoloration from uneven wear on the paint which becomes a problem of itself. If you do a full PPF you shouldn't have that same issue but regardless you still have to deal with PPF removal which is a problem with itself. Also PPF, is not cheap at all because it will be about $6k for a full coating. If you get a partial or a full coating both have the potential to create new problems and even then you still might get damage which will put you back to square one.

If you choose not to get PPF you might get rock chips over time. Set a certain time limit like 5 years and take it to a body shop and figure out what they can do. Without PPF you can still apply wax which is essentially the same thing as PPF. With PPF its just that its permanent and is alot thicker, so offers better protection. Some clear coat protection is better than nothing but like I said even with PPF its not 100% guaranteed to protect against chips.

In my eyes, you aren't going to win choosing any option. You care about your care and want to keep it nice so that means you are in the market for auto detailing/repair. They got us all by the balls. The reality is you either pay now, or pay later, and you aren't going to be saving money choosing any option. Paying now gives you the false sense of security, paying later means you roll the dice and accept that if something goes wrong then you will just deal with it. You are just trading one problem for another. Only time will tell if you saved money and if it was really worth it.

Taking good care of cars honestly is a huge pain and is exhausting because they become a money pit. Even keeping a car in storage is not a simple task. Sounds cheesy but cars are just like a person in the sense that they age, they are needy and your body look the same that it was 5-10 years ago. Its a lose lose situation, the best option is to just make a decision and stick with it because your bank account will get a dent from doing either. More money more problems. You bought a premium care and that comes with premium care.

I won't be doing PPF because I was very anxious with my GT350 as it was my first car that I really cared about, and I spent so much money on babying it that I honestly don't care anymore. At the end of the day its just a car, and whatever is wrong can be fixed. Nobody will care or even notice about those small imperfections but you.
 
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dminus

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No rock chips yet, but time will tell. I had front end PPF installed at about 750 miles. I am currently up to 2,138. My other car, ‘09 Si Sedan, is absolutely peppered with rock chips. Let’s see if this obscenely expensive “protection” ends up being worth while.
you wrote this in January. It's June now, any updates? was it worth while getting the expensive "protection" .... thanks in advance! :)
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