[Val Walkinshaw]

Professional quote $600.
Diy with film and tools $150

I've always had clear gloss PPF on my front clip but have not protected the black matte vinyl hood wrap. After watching a handful of YouTube videos I decided to buy a bulk roll of matte PPF and wrap the hood myself.

It took me probably 2 hours total. Had a friend help cut and position the 6ft x 6ft film. I used a generous amount of slip solution (baby soap and water) in a large volume spray container both on the hood and adhesive side of the film. Visually I divided the hood into four sections. I would remove the backing paper off of one section at a time, spray more slip solution, lay the film down, squeegee out air and water, inspect and then move on to the next quarter. A few imperfections found their way into the film here and there but I caught them before moving on to the next section so all I had to do was lift, reapply slip and squeegee.

I left a half inch lip all the way around the edge of the hood and when I was done I folded that edge over and tacked it down on the underside of the hood. I then went around and trimmed the excess leaving a quarter inch. Using a heat gun to help the film secure around the edge was extremely helpful. I also recommend wearing a glove because it helps you to form the film to the edge radius easier.

While I don't recommend putting ppf on the front bumper as a novice I do recommend wrapping the hood. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5 I would say this was a 2. For comparison I would say the difficulty rating of wrapping the front bumper is a 10. Ask me how I know. Lol.

I purchased the matte ppf in a 6 ft by 15 ft bulk roll off of eBay. The reason I purchased such a big role is because my roof is also black matte and at some point I may protect that as well. The glove and squeegees were purchased off of Amazon.

Final note.
There will be small pockets (dime size or less) of water you may miss. There may also be hazyness or squeegee marks. It will look terrible and you will freak out wondering if you should take it all off and start over. Relax. These will go away. PPF is porous and 99% will dissipate in time. Leave the car out to bake on a nice sunny day and by nightfall you'll struggle to find what you were freaking out about. Any bubbles or pockets that develop or persist can be gently pierced with a diabetic needle. Use a squeegee to push out the water or air. Done!

[50MileSmile]

I did the same thing on my ‘18 1LE when it was new. So all the black surfaces on the car would match, we also satin PPF’d the front splitter, rockers, mirrors and rear spoiler - looked great!

You’re right about the front bumper cover - it’s not a DIY job.

[CalgaryZL1]

Nice job, I recommend doing headlights also if not done, mine are done with the clear

[Christian1LE]

Nice job, I'll probably have to re-wrap my hood soon, my car has taken too many hits on the track from rubber and it's starting to look worn.

I'll give it a shot doing it myself, doesn't look horrible to do. Is there a specific how-to video you recommend?

[2SS Capt]

NICE WORK!!!

[Val Walkinshaw]

Originally Posted by 50MileSmile

I did the same thing on my ‘18 1LE when it was new. So all the black surfaces on the car would match, we also satin PPF’d the front splitter, rockers, mirrors and rear spoiler - looked great!
You’re right about the front bumper cover - it’s not a DIY job.

I also did the side skirts and splitter. That was a pain in the ass.

Originally Posted by CalgaryZL1

Nice job, I recommend doing headlights also if not done, mine are done with the clear

I did do the headlights a couple years ago. Really protects the housing nicely.

Originally Posted by Christian1LE

Nice job, I'll probably have to re-wrap my hood soon, my car has taken too many hits on the track from rubber and it's starting to look worn.

I'll give it a shot doing it myself, doesn't look horrible to do. Is there a specific how-to video you recommend?

I found a lot of these videos to be helpful. I also watched the videos on 1.5 speed or two. Helps make the talking a little less painless. I also do track. Which was the main motivator for doing this. You're right it's absolutely hell on the paint and wrap.

https://www.youtube.com/@DriveProtected

[DaveC113]

I installed a lot of PPF on my car, the front end was a PITA, took me 8 hours. I could probably do it in 4 or 5 now, but not a good car to do as your first PPF job. I did bikes before it, the small pieces make that easy.

I tried to re-vinyl my hood but the vinyl tore, it was a bit too cold I guess. That sucked. Going with matte PPF instead, no vinyl. Car is nightfall grey (dark grey metallic), I think the matte finish on the hood will make for a nice contrast and it'll protect the hood better. Also installing more functional hood louvers in place of the OEM ones. Going to get it done tomorrow!