I just had PPF installed on my full front clip (hood, bumper, fenders, headlights and side mirrors). I also had them wrap my chrome trim and door handles in a matte charcoal vinyl color. Also had them tint the windows all around including the windshield.
I just got the car back 2 days ago and I know the air bubbles are supposed to go away - but my question is - how 'perfect' should I expect the installation of these items to be? I am VERY meticulous so I will notice pretty much any imperfection - which is why I had the PPF installed in the first place because a rock chip would drive me nuts! However - there are several air bubbles under the PPF and there are a few spots on both the PPF and the vinyl where it looks like some dust or dirt got underneath.
In my opinion since I paid $2500 for the PPF, Vinyl and Tint there should be ZERO imperfections - but I don't know if I'm being crazy or not. Before I go back to the installer asking him to fix the issues I thought I would ask you all for your opinion first. See photos below - is this 'normal' or should I absolutely go back to the installer and ask him to fix these issues?
This is definitely NOT the way it should look. I am a fanatic about these kinds of things looking perfect, when I had my PPF done, I examined it carefully for a long time and didn't see a single bubble, not a single one.
Also..... Did they do any paint correction? It does not look like it to me, from the pics its hard to see if the issue is in the paint or trapped between the paint and the PPF.
If it were me, I would ask hem to do it over again and by that I mean:
1- Remove PPF from any body panel that has any signs of correctable paint flaws such as DA marks, dust or bubbles
2- Do paint correction paint correction (and after paint correction but before PPF you should inspect)
3- Reapply the PPF
When complete, you should not see any correctable paint flaws, dust or bubbles.
You're not crazy. Ours was about the same quality, we had to take the car back to have some of it redone. The installer said he had some issue with the soap he uses during install. Not sure if that is really the case, but it was better the second time around.
Thanks for the quick replies everybody! Glad to hear I'm not a psycho.
How about the tint job? I know it's hard to get every single air bubble out - especially on big parts like the windshield - but what is an 'acceptable' level of air or dust particles in a tint job? Is it fair to expect zero bubbles?
How about the tint job? I know it's hard to get every single air bubble out - especially on big parts like the windshield - but what is an 'acceptable' level of air or dust particles in a tint job? Is it fair to expect zero bubbles?
That's going to be near impossible, in my experience. Small bubbles, fields of small bubbles on a large piece, "halo" around the text on the glass, stretch marks are all somewhat normal in limited quantities (and kind of hard to see, unless you're looking into bright light). Large bubbles aren't good. Hairs trapped under the film - yes, that's what those are, at the bottom of the windshield, so eeew - are unacceptable.
air bubbles in window tint (if any) should all disappear within a couple days (less than a week). Dust and lint, like your first tint photo is totally unacceptable from a professional.
Shops don't perform their work in a particulate controlled clean room so they will typically warn the customer that dust can get caught underneath the film during install. The service report from my shop had a discretion at the bottom about this. However, with that said, this PPF install still looks pretty unacceptable to me.
No way I'd live with that. my DIY PPF installations look better than that and I'm no professional. Air bubbles do not go away. Liquid bubbles will evaporate, air bubbles will stay forever and require a syringe with a fine needle to suck the air out. Sucking the bubble out should only be used as a last resort because the bubble will show up as a ring in the film when removed.
AFA the trapped hair goes - Yuck, That never should have gone undetected.
to get the air bubbles you, you can take a needle and pop them then push the film against the car and they may disappear, but really that was the job of the installer.
A few small bubbles are normal and should go away, but that is a ton. Definitely take it back. I had almost zero when I installed PPF myself on mirrors, hood, partial fenders, door sills, etc.
That is amateur hour at best. How long have they been doing that work? I cant imagine any self respecting shop, letting that leave with a straight face. I hope they are capable of doing better.
Make sure to check carefully for cut paint...
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