Tesla’s PPF landing page.When Tesla announced last week it would offer in-house paint protection film (PPF) installations, it left some in the industry with more questions than answers. Where is this option offered? How much are they charging? And most of all—which film is being used?
While two of three of those can be answered easily via the company’s website (the wraps range from $4,000-$8,000 and are only offered in West Covina and Carlsbad, Calif., for now), the matter of which manufacturer’s film they are using remained a mystery—even to industry insiders PPFMag spoke with—until now.
According to an installer at Tesla’s Collision Center in Oceanside, Calif., where the wraps are being installed, Tesla is using AERO film manufactured by Entrotech via a partnership with PPG. Both are coatings companies that specialize in paints and other technologies.
AERO Films
Entrotech has been making AERO films since at least 2014, according to a company release on its website. The partnership with PPG is new this year, announced in March, and the Tesla deal is the first of its kind as far as we know.
This film available for tint shops—it’s OEM only.
But how does it compare to what’s in your shop?
“It’s a very good material and comparable with what’s out there,” says the Tesla wrap installer who’s been installing PPF for more than nine years.
Tesla is offering a one-year or 12,500 mile warranty on the installation. Information on AERO’s factory warranty was not immediately available.
The Tesla Collision Center is currently telling customers a turnaround time of seven days per installation but reports that they are completing them sooner and anticipates that lead time to shrink as time goes on.
For now, there’s only one job posting for “automotive film installer” listed on Tesla’s site—promising between $17-36 an hour plus bonus/benefits in Santa Clara, Calif.
