Painting vs Wrapping Cybertruck

[PungoteagueDave]

"My PPF wrap cost $5k, is a beautiful metallic deep red that looks like paint. In five years if I don’t like it, I can change to something else. "

You're making part of my point. You'll have to fork out another 5K or even more now because of inflation in 5 more years. How many times are you gonna keep doing that.
And i've seen cars with clear PPF on the front, you can tell it's old because it starts yellowing, looks like crap.

As I said, that’s true ONLY with crap vinyl. Use a proper PPF and it lasts essentially forever. And $5k every five years isn’t much compared to a $15k paint job - But I have 15-year old PPF that is as good as new. I would NEVER again own a painted car without clear PPF protection anyway, so you have to pay for repaint, THEN another $5k for clear PPF protection. Look at the links I provided above.

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[Effonefiddy Lightning]

The red PPF shown above is by PURE - the color is “Metalic Redhood”

https://www.pureprotectionfilm.com/colored-ppf-film

Ten-year warranty details here:

https://www.pureprotectionfilm.com/warranty

My guy in Delray Beach mostly does Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Rolls, Bentleys, slums when doing my relatively “cheap” cars. Devin Simmons at Exotic Solutions.

https://exoticsolutionsllc.com/paint-protection-film/

You sound like a true salesman. A 10 year warranty on something does not mean it will last that long. That's the false implication.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

As I said, that’s true ONLY with crap vinyl. Use a proper PPF and it lasts essentially forever. And $5k every five years isn’t much compared to a $15k paint job - But I have 15-year old PPF that is as good as new. I would NEVER again own a painted car without clear PPF protection anyway, so you have to pay for repaint, THEN another $5k for clear PPF protection. Look at the links I provided above.

Forever? B.S.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Perfect original condition. I don't think so.

My wife’s 2013 Porsche is literally flawless. Not one nick, no fading, no evidence it even has PPF on it. Fact. And it’s BECAUSE of the PPF that it looks showroom.

 

[bentoncalder]

As I said, that’s true ONLY with crap vinyl. Use a proper PPF and it lasts essentially forever. And $5k every five years isn’t much compared to a $15k paint job - But I have 15-year old PPF that is as good as new. I would NEVER again own a painted car without clear PPF protection anyway, so you have to pay for repaint, THEN another $5k for clear PPF protection. Look at the links I provided above.

You’re making great points and providing great information. Thank you for contributing to this thread. Unfortunately this other guy is pretty set in his ways and doesn’t seem to want to change his opinion even with new information.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Forever? B.S.

Certainly as long as paint, or longer because it is self-healing. Do you have any actual experience with good PPF? Or just anecdotes from bad vinyl wraps you’ve seen on the street? PPF is NOT vinyl - it is multiple plys and has UV protection, PROTECTS paint jobs. The problem with opinions not based on fact is they are based on nothing and are usually wrong.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

You sound like a true salesman. A 10 year warranty on something does not mean it will last that long. That's the false implication.

But it DOES mean that if it doesn’t last ten years, you get a new wrap. So you make a distinction without a difference. Read the warranty terms linked above. As I pointed out, I currently own two vehicles with PPF protection that is older than ten years, and they are still 100% perfect. Okay, not the 2010 farm truck because it is a farm truck - but the PPF is still fine, just not all the worker dings on the tailgate and bed.

 

[HaulingAss]

As to stainless attributes, I get it for the CT look - I almost had my wrap done in a stainless look - because it is maintenance-free, unlike actual stainless.

Oh, please, anyone who has had a wrapped vehicle can tell you it is not maintenance-free. That's some pie-in-the-sky BS right there! Even the manufacturer of the various PPF wraps admit it's not maintenance-free right in their warranty materials.

If you want to learn the truth about maintaining CT stainless look at the out-of-spec detailing videos on how to do it. They point out one other option that you have - adding ceramic coating directly to the stainless - still requires some serious maintenance (way more than a painted vehicle). This is the best video out there on how to maintain and detail a CT:

That's funny, because IMO, that's the absolute worst video for maintaining your Cybertruck! They use a chemical and labor-heavy regime that is like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill with much effort, only to see it roll back down and have to do it all over again!

No wonder you think the bare stainless steel is difficult to care for! Don't listen to people like that!

Yes, plenty of fanbois on here chortle about how its just a truck, don’t worry about how it looks. But some of us take pride and want to keep it showroom-new. That’s near impossible with the CT’s finish, unless you have a good detailer and don’t mind handprints, etc. in between cleanings. That’s why, for many of us, a PPF wrap solved the issue.

Huh? There is no strategy that doesn't involve repetitive labor to keep it showroom new, unless you bought it to just look at it and never drive it anywhere dirty! As for taking care of it so it can easily be brought back to showroom new (or better), it involves simply washing it occasionally with a brush and a regular bucket of soap and water. Fingerprints between cleanings can be easily removed with Sprayway Glass Cleaner and a microfiber polishing rag. Tarnish from winter road salts can be removed with Citrasurf 77. Once a year or so (depending upon how picky you are, you can polish it back to new with fine abrasives. Actually, it will look better than new because Tesla just uses a quick robotic polishing during manufacture and it's not always consistent from panel to panel. It also might not be your preferred level of fineness.

The reason it can always be brought back to at least as good as showroom new with a simple polish is because the metal is thick and homogenous all the way through. You just expose a new layer of metal, microns under the old layer.

Putting a coating on metal that doesn't need a coating is a losing game, the path to the same hell that Sisyphus lives every day. Because all coatings fail and need to be removed and re-applied. It's labor intensive.

My PPF wrap cost $5k, is a beautiful metallic deep red that looks like paint. In five years if I don’t like it, I can change to something else. The key is finding a good wrap shop that you trust. My guy has done about 15 of my vehicles, including a couple motorcycles, and had some issues with the CT, specifically getting the heavier PPF material to stay wrapped over acute metal edges, eventually solved it after a couple take-backs.

A wrap shop that I trust? LOL! It's the plastic film that I don't want to deal with. It serves no purpose other than covering up the beautiful metal. Don't get me wrong, if your personal preference is for a different color or sheen than you can achieve by polishing the stainless, that's your choice. But don't repeat a bunch of BS that it makes it maintenance-free or that the bare metal is difficult to maintain.

Sure, if you go down the chemical rabbit hole you will waste a bunch of money on chemicals and a bunch of time on labor trying to maintain it. But that's just silly when dealing with a surface that is naturally resistant to stains and scratches (if you avoid stripping the chromium out of the surface layers with harsh chemicals). The real secret is to let the passivation layer do it's job. Out of Spec doesn't seem to understand this, so they keep stripping it off. It's almost like they want you to fail.

 

[HaulingAss]

Certainly as long as paint, or longer because it is self-healing.

If "at least as long as paint" is your yardstick, that's not so good. Because painted vehicles that get used in the real world are no longer "showroom new" (your standard, not mine) after 3-4 years of use. Paint is so much softer and damage prone than the ultra-hard stainless steel there is no comparison! You can send a bare Cybertruck to hell and back 20 times and easily polish it up to look better than showroom new.

I'm leveraging the unique strengths of the super hard stainless by NOT having to mess with wraps and soft, damage-prone paint. Who has the time for that? Doesn't anyone actually use their Cybertruck as a truck?

Best of all? The stainless steel still cleans up BETTER than showroom new! Don't go down the chemical rabbit hole being pushed by Out-of-Spec Detailing. They don't have a clue how to maintain a Cybertruck without it consuming an inordinate amount of time, effort and money.

 

[HaulingAss]

But it DOES mean that if it doesn’t last ten years, you get a new wrap.

No it doesn't! I would shred that wrap in 1-3 years, and you are mighty gullible if you think I would get a free wrap job! I've never treated my trucks like a garage queen sports car, that's not what it's for. And that's why Tesla makes their trucks tough. That's not Ford's marketing, it's the truth!

 

[ABILISK]

I feel so bad for this particular CT. It has a demented owner considering painting it. The poor thing… Wish I could help it out.

 

[petercyber]

I feel so bad for this particular CT. It has a demented owner considering painting it. The poor thing… Wish I could help it out.

I feel so bad for this particular CT. It has a demented owner considering painting it. The poor thing… Wish I could help it out.

How?

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

But it DOES mean that if it doesn’t last ten years, you get a new wrap. So you make a distinction without a difference. Read the warranty terms linked above. As I pointed out, I currently own two vehicles with PPF protection that is older than ten years, and they are still 100% perfect. Okay, not the 2010 farm truck because it is a farm truck - but the PPF is still fine, just not all the worker dings on the tailgate and bed.

100% from the day you got it. OK bud.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

I feel so bad for this particular CT. It has a demented owner considering painting it. The poor thing… Wish I could help it out.

No it doesn't! I would shred that wrap in 1-3 years, and you are mighty gullible if you think I would get a free wrap job! I've never treated my trucks like a garage queen sports car, that's not what it's for. And that's why Tesla makes their trucks tough. That's not Ford's marketing, it's the truth!

I think PungoteagueDave has massive stocks in the PPF industry.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

My wife’s 2013 Porsche is literally flawless. Not one nick, no fading, no evidence it even has PPF on it. Fact. And it’s BECAUSE of the PPF that it looks showroom.

Wait till you see how hard it is to get that crap off in 10 years.

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