What PPF costs here

Why PPF prices vary so much

Ask three shops on Maui what paint protection film costs and you can get three answers that are thousands of dollars apart. That spread is not random. It comes from five variables, and once you know them you can read any quote, ours included, and see what you are paying for.

We publish starting prices rather than a single number because “full front” on a compact sedan and “full front” on a Cybertruck or a Ferrari are different jobs. The table on this page gives the floor for each coverage. The rest of this guide explains what moves a quote up from there.

The five things that set the price

1. Coverage area

How much of the car gets film is the biggest single driver. Partial front covers part of the hood, the bumper and the mirrors. Full front covers the complete hood, both front fenders, the bumper, the mirrors and the A-pillars, with headlights as an option.

Full front plus rockers adds the lower door sills and door edges, which take spray from all four tires. Full body covers every painted panel and removes the line where film meets bare paint. Custom zones, such as door cups, rear bumper load area or A-pillars on their own, can be added to any of these.

2. Vehicle size and body shape

A full-size truck has more surface than a sedan, but shape matters just as much. A flat truck hood is quick to fit. A sculpted sports-car hood with compound curves, deep vents and tight panel gaps takes more stretching, more relief cuts and more time. Two cars with the same square footage can quote differently for that reason alone.

3. Film line

Entry-level films are thinner and carry shorter warranties. Offshore installs ProLayers clear, matte and black PPF as its primary film. The film warranty for the line you choose is reviewed with you in writing before we cut.

4. Paint preparation

Film preserves what is underneath it. If the car arrives with swirl marks, light scratches or contamination, those are fixed first or they are sealed in for the life of the film. A new car typically needs a thorough wash and decontamination. A used car, or a new one that was machine-polished badly at the dealership, usually needs a one-step paint correction from $299, sometimes a two-step from $599.

5. Edge treatment

Wrapped edges, where the film is tucked around the panel edge, take longer than cut edges but last longer and are nearly invisible. At Offshore wrapped edges are the install standard wherever the panel allows, not a line item on the quote.

What the floor prices buy

Partial front from $1,495.98 is leading-edge protection. It stops the worst chips on the bumper and the front of the hood, and it leaves a visible film line partway up the hood.

Full front from $2,249 is the right coverage for most daily drivers. It covers the panels that take almost all highway chip damage. The full front vs full body comparison walks through what it leaves uncovered.

Full front plus rockers from $2,995.89 is the right starting point for trucks, lifted vehicles and anyone who drives gravel, cinder or red-dirt roads. A truck’s own front tires throw debris straight at the rockers and lower doors.

Full body from $6,499.89 makes sense when a single repainted panel would cost more than the film, which is true of most exotics and collector cars. Those are quoted individually, because the complexity and the stakes are different enough that a starting price would mislead.

Why the cheapest quote usually costs more

The usual way a cheap install goes wrong: it costs less, and within a year the film lifts at the edges, yellows in the Maui sun, or shows dust and hair trapped underneath. Removing failed film is labor. The paint then needs inspecting and often correcting again. Then new film goes on. You have paid for the job twice. The better question is which install will still look right in year seven.

The Maui case for PPF

The roads here make the argument. Mokulele and Kuihelani Highways across the central valley and Honoapiilani Highway to West Maui mean long stretches at highway speed, construction traffic, and gravel and cinder on the shoulders. Upcountry roads add loose gravel, and red dirt and trade-wind dust grind at the paint on unpaved and construction roads. And salt air near the coast, with Maui’s strong sun and UV all year, ages unprotected clear coat faster than cloudier places do. For a car you plan to keep more than three years, full front PPF usually pays for itself in avoided paint repair and resale condition.

How to get an accurate number

Send the year, make, model and trim (body shape changes by trim on many cars), a few photos of the paint in daylight showing any chips or swirls, the panels that worry you most, and how the car is driven: daily highway miles, weekends only, track days or stored. With that, the quote covers your actual car and scope instead of a generic package.