How effective is to wrap the entire pre-owned FF?

But as I understand it, the film doesn't necessarily preclude having to repaint once the film is retired.

The film holds the surface in place but a strong strike will still break the paint. It doesn't become visible until the film is removed then the broken paint pulls away with the film. At least this is what I've heard from folks that have replaced the film.

I'm about to do this on one of mine as the film has yellowed quite noticeably. And I'm expecting to have to repaint before applying new film...

SV

 

For a garage queen this mentality works. The hood and bumper on my FF had to be painted after 3 months and 8000 km. Hundreds of rock chips from winter driving.

My 488 is at the painter now at least 200 chips on it. 3300 km in 3 weeks Hood, bumper 2 fenders, both doors, rocker panels and the roof all being re painted....

The doors and rocker panels looked like they were sandblasted down low. The roof had 6 huge chips. The hood and bumper looked equal to having been peppered with a shotgun.

After the paint dries the 488 will be 100% covered like my other cars. I'd rather that over the complete destruction that was administered over 3 weeks!

I was also able to get the FF hood done in one piece by special ordering the material in advance

 

I completely agree. All my cars have full clear bra and it has completely saved the paint. Maybe I have 10% less shine, but after a year of driving my cars still look great. For me the positives far outweigh the negatives.

 

Keith:

It depends on how old the film is. If the film is old and the person taking the film off doesn't take the necessary precautions, then you could peel paint. If you have an objective strike the vehicle with enough force to break the paint underneath, then it probably has left a dent. The safest way top remove film is through the use of steam which softens the adhesive prior to removal.

BTW - I am in no way an expert on this, but based on my experience, you should not have to repaint the vehicle prior to putting new film on. Matter of fact, if the vehicle was repainted previously and film was applied over fresh paint, then you definitely could have paint come up with the film removal.

 

I drive my FF a lot in the desert southwest where strong winds blow stones of all sizes at high velocities. I did a complete XPEL wrap when I took delivery and have never looked back. Now 3 years later the film has taken a couple of hits but I know the paint is fine. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

 

Ok. It would be good to hear from folks that required a rewrap to see how prevalent this is. I'd love not having to repaint to get rid of the fading wrap.

My friend's experience indicated the paint was cracked but not dented under the wrap, but the wrap was several years ago so it could be an early generation issue...

SV

 

About 6 months ago I had film removed from my 2002 360 (13 year old film) and had it re-applied. The paint did not peel off. We used steam on it before removing and you pull the film horizontally to remove, not upwards. Paint looked brand new underneath. I threw on a coat of wax and re-applied Xpel Ultimate.

 

I chuckled at the Lambo people comment- but in fairness- I know several Lambo people and they are not jerks at all and they don't jerk park either. Great term btw!

Any car can get keyed. I seriously hope I don't get keyed now but I've never been keyed in any car including my Ferraris. I think you'll be fine.

 

Wrap isn't a miracle. It will stop chips and wear from grit and tiny stones, but a decent sized pebble at speed is going to dent / crack the paint. Thats just physics.

Wrap does prevent a certain amount of 'road rash' for sure, but it can also quickly start to look worn if you drive a lot.

I'm generally more of a fan of having the car paint really shine (they don't look quite as good wrapped in cling film) and dealing with repainting, if you get unlucky.

The exception to that for me will be things like lower leading edges at the front (especially if they're carbon) as those take the most punishment, and are the least visible, and for bare carbon especially it's not like you can just respray it...

 

Many thanks for your responses, and sorry for the delay in getting back to you; I picked up my FF on Wednesday as planned, and within an hour we (three people plus the not-exactly-small dog!) were on our way to the Italian Riviera for a 1,000-mile long weekend. I confirmed that the FF is the perfect car for exactly that purpose. The car is now covered in bug splatter but hopefully didn't sustain any stone chips — I have to wash it before I can check.

Thanks for the info! Yes, €7k every three years just isn't worth it. The Ferrari dealer has quoted something like $3,500 for just the front bumper/fender, low side parts and mirrors. Still crazy pricing.

Many thanks, Marcel!

Thanks, all good points. The $7k approximation of €7k takes into account refund of German tax, another benefit of buying over the border.

I'll be using my FF as an almost daily drive, which both supports and counters the argument for wrapping the car. At the moment, though, I'm kind of leaning towards... not making a decision.