Most people asking what paint protection film costs have already been given a number by someone else and want to know whether it was fair. So here is ours up front, before any of the explaining. Paint protection film in College Station runs $1,600 for the critical impact areas, $1,800 for the full front, and $6,000 for the full vehicle. Those are the installed prices.
The film we install is CovrGard. We test everything before we put it on customer cars, and CovrGard earned its place: it self-heals light scratches with heat, it is engineered not to yellow in the Texas sun, and it carries a 10-year manufacturer warranty. Our whole film team is trained and certified by CovrGard, and it comes in gloss, satin, matte, colored and carbon fiber.
Yes, the price includes installation
This is the single most common question we get on film, and the answer is that there is no separate labor line. The number you are quoted is the number you pay for the car finished and inspected. Film is not a product you buy and then pay someone to fit, because the fitting is most of the value. Two shops can hang the identical film and produce two completely different cars.
What you are actually paying for is pattern work, edge wrapping, how the film sits around emblems and sensors and washer jets, and whether the seams end up somewhere you will see them every time you walk up to the car. That is craft, and it is the reason the same coverage level is not the same price everywhere.
The three coverage levels, and who each one is for
Critical impact areas, $1,600
This covers the parts of the car that take almost all the damage on a normal week of driving: the leading edge of the hood, the front of the fenders, the mirrors, and the high strike zones. It is the sensible entry point for a daily driver on Texas Avenue or a truck that runs Highway 6 every morning.
Full front, $1,800
The entire hood, the full fenders, the front bumper and the mirrors, wrapped rather than cut short at the panel edge. This is the one we recommend most often, because the two hundred dollar step up from critical impact buys you the whole hood instead of the front of it, and a partial hood line is the thing owners notice and regret.
Full vehicle, $6,000
Every painted panel. This is for cars that are going to be kept, shown, or eventually sold on condition, and for anything where a single respray would cost a meaningful fraction of the film. It is also the right answer on cars with wide rear arches, because the rear quarters on those pick up everything the front tires throw.
What moves the price inside a coverage level
Two cars at the same coverage level are not always the same job. The things that actually change the number:
- Size and panel count. A long hood on a full size truck is more film and more time than a hatchback.
- Body complexity. Deep curves, sharp creases, spoilers, vents and aggressive bumper geometry all take longer to pattern and wrap.
- Sensors, cameras and badges. Anything the film has to be worked around adds time.
- Paint condition on arrival. Film goes over what is already there, so anything that needs correcting has to be corrected first.
That last one is worth its own sentence. Film is optically clear, so it does not hide swirls, it magnifies them. If a car needs paint correction before the film goes on, that is quoted separately and it is quoted honestly, including telling you when the car does not need it.
If the car is new, look at the packages instead
On a new delivery it is usually cheaper to do film and coating together than to do them as two visits, because the prep only happens once. Our new vehicle packages run $3,000, $3,800 and $9,500, and the difference between them is how much film goes on alongside the coating.
Every ceramic coating we install covers paint, glass and trim, not paint only, and it goes over the film as well, so the whole car cleans as one surface.
Why the cheapest quote is usually the expensive one
Film that lifts at the edges, silvers at the seams, or yellows after two Texas summers has to come off, and coming off is not free. You pay for the removal, then you pay for the adhesive cleanup, then you pay again for the film you should have had. A quote that is several hundred dollars under everyone else is telling you something about either the film or the hours going into it.
Ask any shop three things: what happens at the edges, what the warranty actually covers, and whether you can see a car they finished. A shop that does good work will want to show you.
Film or coating, if you are choosing one
They solve different problems. Film is physical protection and it is prevention rather than repair, which means it goes on before the damage and takes the hit the paint would have taken. A coating is chemical: it handles bug acid, bird droppings, water spotting, road film and UV, and it makes the car far easier to wash. Nothing chemical stops a rock.
If the car sees highway miles, film on the front is the money. If it lives in town and the complaint is water spots and how hard it is to keep clean, the coating is the money. We wrote the long version here: PPF vs. Ceramic Coating.
Common questions about film pricing
Does the quoted price include installation?
Yes. There is no separate labor charge. The number covers the film, the pattern work, the install and the final inspection.
How long does the film last?
Quality film on a car that is washed properly holds up for years rather than seasons, and CovrGard carries a 10-year manufacturer warranty. Sun exposure is the variable that matters most here, which is why a garaged car and a car that parks outside all day are not the same conversation.
Can it be removed later without damaging the paint?
Yes, when it is quality film removed by someone who has done it before. Film is designed to come off the paint it was protecting. Cheap film that has baked on for years is where removal gets difficult, which is another reason the bargain quote is not a bargain.
Will it yellow?
CovrGard does not. Yellowing is a symptom of low grade material, and it is one of the clearest signals of what was actually installed on a car.
Can I put film on a car that already has a coating?
It is better the other way around. Film first, then coating over the top of the film and the paint together, so the whole car sheds water the same way and the film keeps its clarity longer.
Get a number for your car
Pricing is per vehicle because the cars are not the same. Call 979-888-4479 or bring it by and we will walk it with you and tell you what it actually needs. The paint protection film page lays out the coverage levels in more detail.
