Jump to content

What to do when PPF install is bad and manufacturer won't respond?

Priorprep
 Share

Recommended Posts

Priorprep

Priorprep

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi everyone,

 

I was looking for a PPF forum that had this product installed already as I figured someone may have had a similar issue. Having a horrible experience with a PPF install that went wrong for someone I know, the whole car is peeling, knife mark, film doesn't meet the edge of panels and isn't uniform some is tucked some isn't. Installer said they would fix it then would respond intermittently about when to bring the car back. After the knife mark and the poor quality of the install you would see why someone would be hesitant. I tried contacting the manufacturer which directed us back to the installer end of last year. Then a bad game of phone tag when both parties were away for the holidays with the installer saying to come in when his PPF installer is present to look it over even though I sent over a dozen photos up close of the issues. Finally they got it seen last month by the original installer when they had their installer present which agreed the film install was bad and needed to be replaced. They said they would call back in about two weeks almost four weeks ago and never did until this week. They only responded after sending a email to the manufacturer stating they want a different STEK authorized installer to fix/ replace the film and ceramic coating or a refund which then they would pay to have the film stripped and go with a different brand which stands behind its product like 3M assuming the knife mark is not below the film into the clear coat or paint.

 

The original installer agreed the install was bad and that they fired the person they had doing their PPF when it was originally installed last year. On top of the PPF CarPro CQuartz coating was paid for. What do you guys suggest? These photos are a few months old when I first started trying to get the manufacturer aware of the issue so peeling is worse now. On their other vehicles done by either the manufacturer or dealer with 3M PPF the films edges can't be clearly seen and they are much tighter around the edges of the front bumper etc also they never peeled or needed to be touched up. All of their cars are cleaned by the same people and the 3M film hasn't had a issue over several years. Some chrome trim I found also wasn't covered and it was supposed to be a full PPF install. 

 

For a point of comparison I asked Suntek and Xpel to review the images if their installers had installed this if it was up to their standards and they both agreed it was not and if it was their product they would have been involved including sending someone to inspect the work. STEK would not comment and directed me back to the installer. Though I did speak with a salesperson which agreed with me about when film would peel which is when its overstretched or a issue possibly with prep. From what i can find there should be a slip then tack solution at least for 3M. 

 

What would you do in this situation and what do you think went wrong with the install to cause it all to peel when no pressure washer was used?

 

542915735_Cutmark.jpg.d7416faceb8f27577758e2ae7c6ecb14.jpg

Small amount of peeling film doesn't go to the edge of the body part.jpg

Large peeling.jpg

Doesn't meet panel edge and not uniform.jpg

Edited by Priorprep
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TomTint

TomTint

Posted
Posted

That is horrible instillation quality. ..I have said here before...for the life of me I can't see why anyone would put PPf on their car. There is simply no ROI on it ...ever. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jonathan9573

jonathan9573

Posted
Posted

I would have to say you probably won’t have any luck getting the manufacture to pay for any of that.  They are there for defects in the film and any failure with the actual product.  End result they might discontinue selling product to that installer but those issues are all installation errors. The puckering you see is because there was to much material in that area and the installer tried to make it lay down.  Also the cut marks are from an inexperienced installer, plain and simple.  
 

You stated that there was ceramic coating put on the car?  Was that under on on top of the ppf?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
XPEL Jeff

XPEL Jeff

Posted
Posted (edited)

Being that those are installation issues, if you don’t get cooperation from the original installer quickly, you’ll likely end up taking them to small claims court if the manufacturer can’t convince them to act quickly.  
 

Call the shop and manufacturer one more time.  I bet they get it taken care of. 

Edited by XPEL Jeff
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Priorprep

Priorprep

Posted
  • Author
Posted
11 hours ago, jonathan9573 said:

I would have to say you probably won’t have any luck getting the manufacture to pay for any of that.  They are there for defects in the film and any failure with the actual product.  End result they might discontinue selling product to that installer but those issues are all installation errors. The puckering you see is because there was to much material in that area and the installer tried to make it lay down.  Also the cut marks are from an inexperienced installer, plain and simple.  
 

You stated that there was ceramic coating put on the car?  Was that under on on top of the ppf?

 

Yes the ceramic coating was applied over the PPF. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Priorprep

Priorprep

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
13 hours ago, XPEL Jeff said:

Being that those are installation issues, if you don’t get cooperation from the original installer quickly, you’ll likely end up taking them to small claims court if the manufacturer can’t convince them to act quickly.  
 

Call the shop and manufacturer one more time.  I bet they get it taken care of. 

 

The shop said they will redo it but the shop allowed the car to go out like this with the cut mark etc when they installed the Ceramic coating and was unresponsive after. The value is too high for small claims court unfortunately in NY. The manufacturer STEK I've been sending emails to daily with no response aside from after the second email asking to schedule a call but took several days and called finally made contact. 

Edited by Priorprep
Correction Jeff was right.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Priorprep

Priorprep

Posted
  • Author
Posted
18 hours ago, TomTint said:

That is horrible instillation quality. ..I have said here before...for the life of me I can't see why anyone would put PPf on their car. There is simply no ROI on it ...ever. 

PPF if done properly like on the other cars that were done by the dealer/ factory can make maintenance a lot easier especially when you pay extra for out of range paint etc. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jonathan9573

jonathan9573

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Priorprep said:

PPF if done properly like on the other cars that were done by the dealer/ factory can make maintenance a lot easier especially when you pay extra for out of range paint etc. 

I have paint protection on all my cars and would never go without it.  Keeps the car in top shape.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  •   Sponsored by
    tintwiz

    auto-precut.com

    signwarehouse

    martinmetalwork.com

    tinttek

    filmvinyldesigns

    ride wrap

    Conco

    Lexen

  • Activity Stream

    1. 7

      Removable rigid window tint sheets - WTF?

      I created an account just to respond here. I'm not a "tinter" or whatever yall may call yourselves but I came across this product and thought that it looked pretty cool and something I could do myself. I ordered from Lazeway and spent like $150 for two packages. The product is from China although they claim all this America stuff on the website. All i received was two simple rolls of tint, nothing special. I was totally scammed and now I'm looking all over the internet for anyone talking about this product to let them know. Dont buy from them.
      Mario L in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    2. 7

      Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield

      Since there is no limit of darkness on the top strip, I have wanted to tint it. But I would go very dark, to help with sun glare in the evening.
      mikenot in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    3. 7

      Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield

      Yeah that’s a very fair point to a degree I’m probably overthinking it. I don’t see really significant glare reduction until you get into much darker tint. Like you I think visibility for me is more important living in the country. I’ll probably see what the specs list the differences between 70% and 80% and then double check with the tinter as to what they recommend. Likely will end up with 70% with a strip along the top. Air80 seems to be much more popular, not sure if it’s due to performance or the difference in cost being so much more for the stratos. thank you
      joshiemcduck in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    4. 0

      Process

      Hey guys - so I work for a vinyl graphics company that is adding window tinting to their repertoire and I had a question about your guys' ideal process. I have my plotter set up and my window tinting software ready to go, but I am completely ignorant about the way that tint installers prefer that things be cut. Currently, I will plot/weed the tint and cut the backing away as much as I dare before handing it over to the installer. I was thinking that the installer would prefer the tint to be cut to shape which I believe I can achieve with the perf cut on my plotter. Is that the typical process or should I not be worried so much about it being cut to exact shape?
      DonMeads in Plotters and Cutting Systems
    5. 7

      Air80 vs Stratos70 Windshield

      Im in TX, plenty of of what you mentioned. While I do sit higher in an SUV, glare reduction is not improved much at all with what I have. My 80% is almost clear, not dark at all. With all tint, it adds a bit of reflectivity from the outside, which I notice makes it slightly harder to see from the outside looking in, in the form of a glare not darkness. At the end of the day, it's not permanent, it's only money!
      mikenot in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    6. 0

      PPF installer for hire in SoCAL

      Hello. My name is Adrian i have good experience with paint protection film and i just moved to California, Irvine, i'm open to travel one hour away for the right job. You can contact me at 5717330693
      adrianpaun in Classifieds • Employment • Marketplace
    7. 11

      Boat window tinting tips

      or "bust out another thousand"
      TintDude in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    8. 11

      Boat window tinting tips

      Best tip would be, “Sorry, no boats”.
      pbalentine in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    9. 11

      Boat window tinting tips

      The answer is to not heat that area too much so that you leave some slack in the film for when you get it to the inside. Also cut your pattern a little large so that you can trim a thread off the edges after shrinking to not have a furled edge. After you do a few of those you'll figure out how much to leave/trim to not have any light gaps. Also I'll leave a hardcard wrapped in a microfiber in the bottom overnight to collect water and keep pressure on the film while it dries. Sometimes you can take the top rail off the glass if the jackwagon boat builder didn't put too much pressure on the glass package when it was installed. If you pull the rail off of a tight package it's a pita to get back on, looking like it could crack the whole time. Congrats on getting it done. I've seen plenty that couldn't, which is why I price them like I do.
      Dano in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    10. 11

      Boat window tinting tips

      Thx everyone for the tips the install went fine, however i did run into a new problem on the main curve of the glass from thr outside the tint would lay flat on the big curve but when applying it seemed like there was too much tension and it would not stay down i ended up heating it up and flattening down but some of that area got overheated and warped a little, if you know how to tackle this problem please help me thank you!
      Lauty in Window Tinting - General Discussion
×
×
  • Create New...