What drives the price of a paint protection film job?

Coverage: how much of the car

The biggest choice is how much of the car gets film. A partial front covers the bumper and the front of the hood and fenders. A full front covers those panels whole, with the headlights and mirrors. Full body covers every painted panel.

More coverage means more film and more hours in the bay. Where the chips land, and when partial is enough.

The shape of the car

Two cars with the same coverage can take very different amounts of work. Deep bumper vents, sharp creases, sensors, badges and tight compound curves all take longer to fit and finish.

Edges matter too. Wrapping film around a panel edge, so the edge disappears, is slower than stopping short of it. A larger truck or SUV simply has more surface to cover.

What the paint needs first

Film seals in whatever is underneath it. So the paint is washed and decontaminated before anything goes on, and corrected where it has swirls or marks the owner does not want kept.

A car that arrives with chips may need them repaired first, and that can be work for a body shop rather than the film installer. A new car usually needs the least.

Old film coming off

If the car already wears film, it has to come off before new film goes on. Old film can come away cleanly or in small pieces, and it can leave adhesive behind that takes time to remove without harming the paint.

A shop usually wants to see old film before it quotes for removal, because nobody can tell from a photo how it will behave.

The film itself

The finish you choose changes the job. A clear gloss film such as Defender protects the paint you have. A satin film such as Umbra (a working name) or a colour film such as Spectrum changes how the car looks, and a change of finish goes on every painted panel, or the car ends up in two.

Much of any quote is the shop’s time on the car, so everything above that adds hours moves the number as much as the roll does.

Why ARK publishes no price

ARK is a film brand, not an installation brand. The installing shop sees the car, decides how the job is done, and quotes it. A number published here would be a guess about a car we have not seen.

What you can do is compare quotes properly. A useful quote spells out the following. What to ask an installer before you book.

• –The coverage, panel by panel.
• –Any preparation or paint correction, and what it includes.
• –Removal of old film, if there is any.
• –The film by name and finish.
• –Both warranties: the film brand’s and the shop’s own workmanship.