Why PPF Installation Matters as Much as the Film

It starts before any film is applied

Whatever is on the paint when the film goes down is sealed under it — permanently. That is why preparation is most of the job: a proper wash, decontamination and paint inspection, and correction where needed, before a single piece of film is laid. Skip it and you lock contamination or swirls under the film forever.

Removed, not cut around

This is where automotive qualifications earn their place. Most installers cut the film around badges, cameras and trims to save time — which leaves exposed edges that collect dirt and lift. Because I'm a qualified panel beater and Tesla-trained, we remove those parts, install the film underneath, wrap every edge and refit everything — so there are no exposed edges and it looks like factory paint.

Cameras and sensors

Your Tesla drives on its cameras. Fitting PPF means working directly around the camera and sensor systems, and if a camera is removed and not recalibrated to factory OEM standards it affects Autopilot and your safety systems. We recalibrate as part of the job, and with my Tesla accreditation we have access to genuine Tesla parts, so anything that needs replacing is replaced correctly — not bodged.

Time, and one specialist per car

A proper install cannot be rushed. We allow about 2.5 days for a full front and 4–5 days for a full vehicle, with a single Tesla-trained specialist on your car from start to finish. If someone quotes a three-day turnaround on a full car, that means multiple installers and mismatched standards on the one vehicle. We treat each car like a work of art — one set of hands, one standard.

Reassembly, inspection and aftercare

Everything is refitted to factory OEM specification, the camera systems are checked, and the car is inspected under proper lighting. It does not end there: about two weeks later we carry out your complimentary health check — your first wash by hand, a full inspection of every edge and seam now the film has cured, and any small adjustments. We consider that the final step of the installation.

Michael Loverso

Founder, Lucky Five Motorsport · Award-winning panel beater & mechanic · Tesla-trained & accredited · EV & hybrid qualified

Michael Loverso is the founder of Lucky Five Motorsport and the technical authority behind L5 Technical. He is an award-winning, fully qualified panel beater and a fully qualified mechanic, Tesla-trained and accredited, and EV and hybrid qualified, with 25 years in the auto industry. Michael completed his Tesla training and accreditation through his role operating RP Panels, a Tesla Approved Repairer. As a Tesla-trained and accredited repair specialist, he diagnoses, repairs and finds solutions for Teslas — sometimes where others can't — and his work spans mechanical repair, panel and paint, protection and customisation. That means he sees both how damage is prevented and what happens once it has occurred.