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      11-19-2020, 12:31 PM   #1
codex57
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Protecting paint on drive home

For those of you who plan on PPFing your car (or are just anal), how do you protect your car on the drive home from the dealership?

I've got a 250 mile drive from the dealership back. I'd like to limit the number of rock chips on the car before the PPF even gets installed.

I know there's Track Tape, but there's a million brands and each one has pictures of it damaging paint in a minority of situations. So, I'm pretty leary of track tape.

What about the thick plastic sheeting used when painting, and securing it with painter's tape? I know you can't get it super tight so I wonder if any flapping due to freeway speed winds would cause more scratching than it's worth?

Any success stories? Suggestions? Criticisms?
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      11-19-2020, 01:37 PM   #2
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I honor your intentions but don't you think it's a little exaggerated. Drive carefully and good. Are you intending to wrap the entire car? I don’t think that you will have stone chips you will notice. Not after 250 miles. If so polishing will do the necessary.
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      11-19-2020, 01:47 PM   #3
robby818
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The wrong material can end up doing more harm than good. There is a YouTube video of some guy who used hockey tape to tape the hood. Well, getting that stuff off was worse than if he had just left it alone. I believe you can buy 1 or 2 foot rolls of paint protection film similar to what the pros use, just cut it with scissors and apply it temporarily until you get home.
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      11-19-2020, 03:02 PM   #4
codex57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Havy View Post
I honor your intentions but don't you think it's a little exaggerated. Drive carefully and good. Are you intending to wrap the entire car? I don’t think that you will have stone chips you will notice. Not after 250 miles. If so polishing will do the necessary.
Just the entire front section. My luck with rock chips isn't... good. Plus, I have 2-3 different ways of getting home, but they're frequented by large lorries and/or lots of rocky areas. I've been hit by rocks from cars in other lanes. There's just no way I'm going to be able to stay far enough away from other vehicles for that long of a drive. It's the equivalent of driving from Brussels to Frankfurt.
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      11-19-2020, 03:21 PM   #5
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Oh you know the distance from Brussels to Frankfurt. How come? Back to your question. We have trucks who delivers the cars and they are protected with thicker wrap / transportation wrap. Maybe ask you dealer if he has some for you. The wrap is easy to remove.
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      11-19-2020, 05:15 PM   #6
codex57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Havy View Post
Oh you know the distance from Brussels to Frankfurt. How come? Back to your question. We have trucks who delivers the cars and they are protected with thicker wrap / transportation wrap. Maybe ask you dealer if he has some for you. The wrap is easy to remove.
Google Maps. Brussels is on my list of places to visit, but hasn't happened yet. I just took the miles I need to go and just picked random cities that looked about the right distance until Google Maps told me I was close. Turns out Frankfurt is just about the exact distance.

They wrap the car from the factory, and then the dealer removes that factory wrap when the car arrives on the truck. They don't carry extra wrap. Plus, the factory wrap is only on the hood and roof basically. I'm looking more at the front bumper area.
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      11-19-2020, 05:53 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by codex57 View Post
how do you protect your car on the drive home from the dealership?
leave the factory film on and drive straight to detailer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by robby818 View Post
There is a YouTube video of some guy who used hockey tape to tape the hood.
the old school vag method was painter's tape or layers of.
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      11-21-2020, 07:10 AM   #8
floridaman100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Havy View Post
I honor your intentions but don't you think it's a little exaggerated. Drive carefully and good. Are you intending to wrap the entire car? I don’t think that you will have stone chips you will notice. Not after 250 miles. If so polishing will do the necessary.
FYI-You cannot polish out rock chips.
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      11-26-2020, 05:13 PM   #9
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Track tape may be your best option.

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/TrackArm...8348280&sr=8-5
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      11-26-2020, 07:39 PM   #10
tellch00
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first off tell the dealer not to "prep" the car. your detailer will be doing more paint correcting from their work than the rock chips.

you can also tell the dealer to leave whatever wrap that's on the car when they receive it. i know you're concerned about the bumper but may help some.

can you do your trip at an off hour time? maybe a time when there's less traffic?
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      11-27-2020, 03:15 AM   #11
codex57
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The wrap that comes with the car doesn't cover the bumper.

I'm debating track tape vs painters tape. I've seen reviews were track tape removed paint so I'm a little worried.
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      11-27-2020, 05:47 AM   #12
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Just ask the dealer to leave the delivery covers on and drive sedately home. Easy.
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      11-27-2020, 06:17 AM   #13
denaliman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by codex57 View Post
The wrap that comes with the car doesn't cover the bumper.

I'm debating track tape vs painters tape. I've seen reviews were track tape removed paint so I'm a little worried.
Expel also makes a temporary film.
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      11-28-2020, 06:41 PM   #14
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I would use painters tape. It's temporary so who cares how it looks. I had a 800 mile trip back home after PCD and got 2 small chips on the front bumper.
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      11-28-2020, 06:51 PM   #15
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carefull with painter tape, it does removes thin layer uv protection like on the headlights. i think on a brand new car it should be ok, but again this could create more problem i think,
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      11-28-2020, 07:38 PM   #16
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I just drove under 40 mph and internal roads only and drove it straight from dealer to PPF shop and parked it overnight there since I took delivery of my car in the evening.
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      11-28-2020, 07:41 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by philooo View Post
carefull with painter tape, it does removes thin layer uv protection like on the headlights. i think on a brand new car it should be ok, but again this could create more problem i think,
this UV layer, I wonder will it be damaged or removed when a detailer is claying/buffing the car to prep for CC?
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