Make Your Vehicle’s Glossy Paint Shine

How much does paint protection film cost? What goes into pricing clear bra ppf?

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A white background with a few lines on it
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A red car is covered in plastic wrap in a garage.

The Cost of Paint Protection Film

With many factors going into pricing out the cost of paint protection film you can see that shopping around between installers can be very confusing. We understand this and are here to help you through the process of finding the right installer. This article is here for people who are both new and already educated on the process of buying and shopping for clear bra paint protection film. We will begin by outlining the factors that go into pricing and how we adjust our costs according to your specific needs.

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What is the condition of the vehicle?

Same with ceramic coatings, every single install of paint protection begins with paint correction and careful preparation of the surface. You do not want any contamination, dust or dirt on the surface of the car. This is key before installing something that is mostly permanent like clear bra.


It is a common mistake to believe that a brand new vehicle shipped directly from the dealership is in perfect condition. We all think that it should be that way. I agree, in a perfect world, it would be. But that is not the case with most new cars being delivered. In conclusion, most vehicles will require some degree of paint correction and significant preparation before installing clear bra. This could range from minimal prep $0 to $500 to $800. All depending on the condition of the vehicle.


If you want to learn more about the paint correction process, take a look at our article here.

A person is applying a protective film to the front of a blue car.

How much coverage do you want?How much coverage do you want?

This is an important part of pricing out your total cost for paint protection film. How many panels do you want covered? Do you want all of the edges hand trimmed and tucked in? Do you want a seamless and custom installation? Or are you simply looking to protect the most vulnerable high impact regions like the front nose, the hood, the lower rocker panels?


Determining how long you plan on keeping the car will help you decide the above questions and help you find out what type of owner you are. So if you’re a neurotic type owner you may be more interested in going with a custom installation covering most major impact regions. This can be much more labor intense than doing a more simplified install using patterns.


And don’t be worried about patterns, modern software these days offer extremely precise patterns. Designs that are years ahead of even 1-3 years ago and because of this you can even achieve clean and tucked edges with pattern cuts now. So you can sleep comfortably knowing your car is protected properly.

How difficult is the vehicle to wrap?

Another thing to consider is how difficult your car is to wrap. This could make a huge difference in the price of your paint protection film install. A simple flat hood with no vents is much easier to install than a curved hood with multiple close vents. Take for example a Tesla Model 3 hood versus a Dodge Hellcat Redeye Hood as shown above. Those complex curves will take much longer to install with a lot more trimming and time involved.


Along with the difficulty like curves and odd shapes is the way the installation is performed. Some cars need to be custom trimmed to get full coverage and reaching these areas can be very difficult and require us to bring in certified technicians to remove panels for us to get access. This will also be a factor in pricing your specific project. For instance you don’t want any random person taking apart your car. We only use properly trained techs to do any removals and installations.

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A close up of the side of a black tesla model 3.

Do you want other protection services?

When factoring in the cost of paint protection film alongside ceramic coatings and paint correction. Timing and preparation comes into play. Combining all three processes will save you money in the long run as they all have some processes in common. Although we do prefer to repeat the washing and cleaning in between paint protection film and paint correction. All of these factors will come into play when choosing what package or combination of packages suit your needs and budget.

We offer packages to fit all budgets and Paint Protection needs

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Partial Nose Paint Protection

  • 1/4 hood
  • 1/4 front fenders
  • Front bumper
  • 10 year warranty
Starting at $1250
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Partial Nose Paint Protection

  • Hood
  • Front fenders
  • Front bumper
  • Mirrors
  • 10 year warranty
Starting at $2200
A light blue tesla model 3 is parked in a garage.

Full Car Paint Protection

  • Small Car (Miata, Z4, Smart Car) $5000
  • Standard Car (Model 3/Y, 911, BMW M3) $6000
  • Mid Size and Up (BMW X5, Model X, E63) $7000
  • Fully custom installations available, please call to discuss your options
  • 10 year warranty

Satin (Matte) or High Gloss Finish?

Are you looking to change the finish of your vehicle when adding paint protection? Do you want to go with a unique finish like a Satin or Matte clear bra. If you’re interested in going with the stealth look, this may play a factor in the timeline and pricing of your project. Stealth finishes are extremely common in the Tesla community. Learn more about our unique satin and matte paint protection films here.

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A green bmw m4 is parked in a garage.

Continue learning about the costs of paint protection film

With many brands having long standing reputations such as SunTek, Xpel, 3m Scotchguard Pro, and our personal favorite STEK DynoSHIELD. The options are endless. We recommend you look into these brands and see if their products suit your unique individual needs. There are newer brands popping up on the scene with reputable products that offer fantastic quality and offer unique twists on paint protection film such as STEK’s color shifting DynoPrism film. For more information, specifically tailored to your needs, please Contact Us.

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