Hi All,

Bought my first Mercedes, 2026 E350, loaded, graphite gray. Love it, no problems. 1100 miles. I really want to protect this car exterior. I plan on keeping it for years. I’m looking at getting the a top quality PPF, full body, for the exterior, and a ceramic coating on top of it. Done lots of research. XPEL comes out as one of the best. There is an authorized expel installer here in the Washington DC area, been around for years, certified, and tons of fantastic reviews for about 20 years. Haven’t read a bad one. BBB A+ rating. I’m comfortable with the installer, and their estimate was very reasonable for the DC area, competitive, so I don’t have a problem with them. I’m wondering from other owners if they’ve gotten quality long lasting PPF, especially on darker finishes like the graphic gray, and found it to be worth it? Pros and cons? Including top ceramic coating. Feedback? Thanks!

 

Worth it, as in return on your investment? Not a chance in my experience. I’ve sold black cars with a ton of rock chips at top dollar (including my E450 AT last month), and I’ve sold cars with PPF for the same as I’d have without it. And I’ve had cars without it that I am careful with that have not needed protection.

That said, I just did extensive PPF on my E53 because I personally don’t like to see rock chips on a black car.

 

PPF is absolutely worth it in my view, especially if you spend a lot of time on the highway or long distances. I’ve used XPEL on all my previous cars, and they offer multiple thickness options. That said, I’ve consistently noticed a bit of orange peel in the film, both on my own vehicles and some show cars that were wrapped with XPEL.
When I picked up my W214 in 24', I switched to Stek because I wanted a smoother, glossier finish, which is exactly what they’re known for. It’s not as thick as XPEL’s heavier film, but after finding the right installer and checking out my neighbor’s 911, which is what introduced me to Stek in the first place I was completely sold.

 

I have dark metallic blue, and had:
- front bumper
- entire hood
- mirrors
- a strip down the rear bumper / trunk

The bumper strip has been useful.
The front bumper was done super-clean. The bumper is a complex shape, and it looks like the film was hand cut / tucked - its impossible to tell (even up close) that there's a film on one surface, but not the other.

Your installer matters more than the material.

From what I've gathered, expect to remove the film in a few years. Also I chose not to do the entire car because the cost of re-painting the entire car was on par with two PPF jobs.

 

I did PPF on the E53, full front end, as well as ceramic coating. I will be driving year round and the extra protection is worth it 100%.

 

PPF definitely helps prevent stone chips in the nose when highway driving.

On a new car, you can DIY ceramic coatings yourself, and save $$$$$.

YouTube, a small $, and a couple of hours in a weekend will save you $$$$

 

Yep, I've done paint correction and DIY ceramic on multiple cars. For this one though, i was all for the PPF and lifetime guarantee on the ceramic. I don't ever have to worry about it again.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. I'm going for full-body PPF, EPEL Ultimate, with 4-yr ceramic coating. I've never owned a car this nice and exensive, so why not! If I can afford it, I will go for it.

 

That's exactly what I thought and fully intended to do. Then I did a lot of research on PPF and in the end decided against it. The main reason is not the cost but the fact that as it ages it will look worse and worse. It's a sacrificial layer and not a shield. It will get chips from road dabris and while light scratches and even some dings will auto heal, some won't. This results in a car with PPF that has visible imperfections over time. The PPF will eventually need to be replaced by pealing it off and then optionally doing it again. I decided that even with as nice and expensive this car is, it's not worth the expense for benefits. My choice. I was full on going to do it and then learned more about it and decided it's not worth it for me. Not trying to persuade you one way or another. My choice is mine. Just providing perspective from someone who was thinking the same as you.

 

L1Wolf, I hear you and those were my big concerns. This product XPEL, and the shop installing is rated as one of the best in the DC Area. Long warranty and lots of praises. But as you say, nothing lasts forever. This stuff is supposed to have a life up to 8 years with proper care, which I will do. The ceramic coating 4 years, with proper care. Most likely at the 5 year point I'd be trading for a new car. I know the PPF doesn't add value to the car, but I'll see how this goes. I admit going into this hesitantly, but I am lucky to afford it so we'll see. Can't hurt! If it easies washes and helps avoid swirl marks on the dark finish, and helps avoid minor chips, then I guess it's worth it. Ask me in a year how i feel about it....

 

Here's one of the primary reasons I got PPF on the whole front of the car. Think about how much aggregate, salt, and other nastiness that pelted the front of the car at highway speed to build up like that.

 

That is quite a bit of abuse on the surface. How long have you had PPF and how is it holding up? If I had to deal with that harsh of a winter I might consider PPF but my cat stays in a garage and it rarely snows in TN. When it does, I typically do not drive. I'll get salt brine on the car occasionally but it's gets washed off right away. I would imagine PPF would show some age after repeated abuse like that. The good thing about it is you can peel it off and the paint underneath should be as good as it was the day it was applied. I like the concept and love how it looks. Just not sure it's what I want. I have several dings on the front now anyway. I keep telling myself it's just a car. It's going to dings and scratches. I like to keep my cars in pristine condition inside and out. But it's just a car, just a car, just a car... Some days are better than others at convincing myself of that. 🥴🤪😥

 

I'm sure it will look fantastic. Interested in your impressions over time. Best of luck to you.

 

Not long so far, just picked up the car last month, so it's new. I had it wrapped and coated before delivery. we'll see how it goes. Like you said at least the paint under it will be ok under it if the ppf gets beat. Mine lives in a garage too, but if i have to get somewhere in the winter, it's coming out.

 

Never had it, don't plan on ever buying it. Dings and chips are just part of car ownership. The ROI is very low unless your mental state is so hinged on your car being spotless that it's almost certainly not worth it.

 

Right on, you do you. I wasn't looking for your approval.

 

That guy gade a bitter response. Of course it’s about my mental state. And the car’s appearance. I maintain my own personal appearance, my yard is beautifully maintained, and I’m lucky enough to be able to afford a Mercedes. So sure I will spend a few extra thousand on a nearly $100,000 investment to help protect the finish. If it wasn’t about our mental state, we’d all be driving a Kia or Subaru. Thanks all for your support and info!

 

Apologies for not pegging the sarcasm meter with my reply to your liking. Anyone who thinks their $100k car is an investment surely is free to make other solid "investment" decisions like buying cellophane for a few thousand.

I mean you do you, you asked for opinions in an open forum and you got them. If you want to get only the ones that agree with you, look for a different bubble, this ain't it. I still think and will continue to think it's a waste of money and is a solution looking for a problem.

But I drive in the south, no salt, no gravel to provide winter traction so I may think differently if I lived in the snowy regions.

Again apologies for not appeasing your confirmation bias seeking quest with my approval, it's worth about as much as you paid for it.

 

And you most certainly didn't get it.

 

Sir, you keep talking about investment. No car is an investment. They lose 40% value right when you drive it off the lot. Sarcasm, inferences of I want to make money off this car, or I have some mental instability due to an obsession to keep a speck of dirt or paint chip off it is not appropriate. Yes, I wanted input, but your input was nasty. Anybody reading this thread knows it. Again, you go drive a Subaru or Kia. Feel free to attack me all you want, I am not responding to anything else you say, it’s not productive. I’m sure everyone else agrees.

 

Bro you literally wrote "I will spend a few extra thousand on a nearly $100,000 investment to help protect the finish.”

From this statement I inferred that you're dumb enough to think your car is an investment and the protective film is some kind of special "few thousand dollar elixir" to protect said investment. My input was honest. Any kind of paint protection is overpriced BS and a few others pointed out with actual data points that it is indeed the case, meaning absolutely zero residual value of the film or its effectiveness at time of trade-in. I did not go that far as I never purchased it knowing full well it's wasted money but appreciated their insight. And if there is zero intrinsic value then it has to be emotional value which can only materialize in the owner's eyes.

Some even pointed out that a damaged PPF can be a detriment and additional cost to remove or even maintain. Again, I don't have it, the closest I've seen is on my father's S class that came with it when he purchased it used and it has a fat door ding that went through the PPF.

You certainly sound like a delicate flower: "it's not what you said, it's how you said it". Lol. Give me a break. We're all adults here, you must be a hoot to be around. Based on your post and comments you sound very young and immature. Time to put on your big boy pants before you drive your $100k E350 (doubt it's $100k, but I digress) around feeling like a million bucks. Literally nobody cares about what you drive but you.

Equally nobody cares what I drive, whether it's a Subaru or a Kia (I dunno why you singled out those two brands as if your base E350 somewhat gives you superiority over them).

I drive a hail damaged E350 wagon with 250k miles that I bought new 12+ years ago literally fully loaded, rear seat DVD entertainment and all. I can't recall nor do I care to recall the last time the thing has been washed. But I personally changed the oil every 10k miles, I replaced all my filters, I fixed a leaking air shock twice, swapped a cam shaft sensor by myself and did my own brake bleed, pad and rotor swaps on this thing. Because those things matter. The thing had a rock chip on its driver side door for 11 years. I still remember where and when I got it, it was painful. But when the hail rolled over it last summer and caused $3500 damage on a $10k car I said f it, and just pocketed the money. That good old hooptie has been to more out of state hockey tournaments, ski trips and equestrian events (yes I'm the stereotypical E-Wagon owner whose kids ride horses and play travel hockey) and gave my family more memories than yours will ever give to you. Yours will be traded for an other vanilla E350 that fits your monthly payments and can swallow the negative equity.

But you do you.... I'll be over here waiting on my special order E53 wagon arriving next month that is truly a $116k car (not the most expensive car I bought or own by a large margin) and hopefully will give my family a lot of memories, door dings and the undoubted broken mirror or bumper scratch that my wife will put on it like she does with all of our cars (I love her dearly with all her mistakes just like I love my cars with their blemishes)

Disclaimer: if my post sounds nasty or over the top then good! Mission accomplished. Ridiculously stupid posts require ridiculously stupid responses. It may be one of the few bad ones out of literal hundreds of informational posts I have shared over a decade+ membership on this forum and I give about zero Fs about your feelings. Remember: feedback is a gift. What you do with it is up to you.

 

Dude, get over it. It’s obvious that you impress yourself. We get that.

i thought part of the ‘Texan way’ was individuality and doing what you feel is best, everyone else be damned. But here you are insisting that you are right and anyone who disagrees is wrong.

You have a set of priorities which leads you to think in a certain way. Others have different priorities, leading them to make different choices. Why do you work so hard to prove someone else wrong when you don’t know (or maybe know but don’t accept) their priorities? It’s tedious and non-productive. Please move on to a thread where you can contribute rather than condescend.

 

I pointed out several times that my use case and justification can and likely is different than others. I also said they can do whatever their heart desires. But doing what your heart desires does not make it a good financial decision. And that remains a fact whether you like the look of it or not. As I often say, everyone is entitled to their opinions but they're not entitled to their own facts.

This fella also tried to claim he never said his car or PPF was an investment, which was obviously a lie. And that is what got my goat going. Well that and the touchy feely attitude from some young bloke feeling like they made it because they can afford to finance an E350. Taking them down a peg or two will come handy later in life. Humble pie is very tasty.

 

Please don’t judge all Texans by one condescending know-it-all…

 

Buying any expensive vehicle, regardless of PPF, is not a good “financial decision”. The dollar amount, if not the actual percentage, of depreciation with time is greater than that for less expensive cars. Adding expensive options tends to increase the dollars lost to depreciation. But we choose to buy these cars anyway for a wide variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are fairly common and some are uniquely personal. But I don’t know anyone who buys a Mercedes for personal use and expects to make a financial profit. The only profit that I’ve experienced from buying Mercedes automobiles was this Autumn when someone totaled my car as I was sitting at a red light. I believe that I would have suffered serious injury in some other cars that are less expensive to purchase and have a lower depreciation cost.

I don’t know if you know anything about the OP, but you do seem to make a lot of assumptions. You state that this person feels “like they made it because they can afford to finance an E350” and that “Taking them down a peg or two will come handy later in life.” But do you know anything about this person’s life, history, or obstacles that have been overcome to feel comfortable in purchasing a relatively expensive automobile? Life is not fair and some people have more opportunities readily available to them while others have more obstacles (physical, financial, social, etc.) to overcome or have different priorities. I don’t think that you would appreciate strangers making assumptions about your abilities, entitlements, sacrifices, priorities, hardships or pathways in life.