How Much Does Paint Protection Film Cost in Melbourne?

The PPF price ladder, headlights to full body

Liquid R publishes four coverage levels for clear film, each quoted as a fixed price before the car is booked in. Headlight film starts at $180, the wear and tear pack at $380, a full front at $1980, and full body clear film tops the range at $5980.

• Headlight film, from $180. A precut layer over polycarbonate lenses that yellow under UV and pit on gravel roads. Fitted in under an hour while you wait.
• Wear and tear pack, from $380. Door cups, door edges and the boot ledge. Those are the spots every car scratches regardless of how it is driven, and they are the first thing a trade-in inspector looks at.
• Full front, from $1980. Bonnet, front bumper, guards and mirrors in self-healing film. About two days in the workshop.
• Full body, to $5980. Every painted panel, so doors, sills and the rear bumper get what the nose gets. Allow about a week.
• Build your own pack, quoted per car. Bonnet only, bumper only, or A pillars and roof edge for highway commuters.

What moves the number on your quote

Panel count sets the base price. Shape does the rest of the work: a deep front bumper full of sensors, vents and tow hook covers eats far more film and far more labour than a flat bonnet, which is why two cars on the same coverage level can quote hundreds apart.

Paint condition is the variable owners forget. Film magnifies whatever sits under it, so swirled or previously resprayed paint gets assessed first and usually machine polished, from $850, before anything goes on. A new car driven straight from the dealership to the workshop skips that step entirely. It is the easiest way to keep a PPF quote down.

Size pushes in the obvious direction. A hatchback front costs less to cover than a ute or SUV front, where the bonnet is broad, tall and meets highway spray square on instead of deflecting it.

Why most Melbourne owners stop at the front

The full front at $1980 is the level most daily drivers pick, because freeway gravel hits the front third of the car almost exclusively. Bonnet, bumper, guards and mirrors cover the strike zone, and the car goes back on the road in two days.

Sitting a few lengths behind traffic at 100 km/h is the exact recipe for a chipped bonnet edge and a pitted bumper. Owners running the eastern freeways into the city every weekday see the payback fastest, which is part of why our Mitcham workshop fits more front ends than anything else. Adding the wear and tear pack to a front end is the common upgrade, since the two packs protect completely different damage for less than the cost of one repainted bumper.

When full body film earns the extra money

Full body clear film at $5980 makes sense on a new delivery, on paint you cannot easily rebuy, and on anything you plan to keep past the warranty period. A supercar that lives on country roads, a Tesla with soft factory paint, a colour that was a factory option costing thousands: these are the cars where wrapping the doors and rear quarters pays for itself.

If the goal is a different colour rather than invisible protection, that is a separate product. A full colour change in Spectra Colour PPF starts at $6980 and protects the factory paint while it changes the look, which is why it sits above clear film on price.

Where the rest of the invoice goes

Film is rarely the only line. A ceramic coating applied over the film in the same booking costs $650, and most cars leave the workshop that way because the coating keeps the film easier to wash for years. On bare paint, ceramic coating starts at $980 including single stage correction. Wheel ceramic runs $60 per wheel.

Window tinting is quoted separately: 3M Color Stable from $495, Ceramic IR from $595, Crystalline from $750. For a brand new car the bundle beats the line items. Our new car protection packages run $1090 to $4090, and the top pack already includes PPF on the bonnet, front bumper and fenders alongside coating and tint.

How to read a PPF quote in Australia

Any price quoted to consumers here has to be a single total figure that includes GST. The ACCC’s price display guidance is explicit that a part price cannot be advertised unless the total is shown at least as prominently. A quote that arrives with GST to be added at pickup tells you something about the business before the film tells you anything about itself.

Two more things belong in writing. The first is the film warranty and who honours it. STEK‘s DYNO series films carry a ten year warranty against delamination, yellowing, bubbling and cracking, extendable to twelve years with the manufacturer’s own ceramic top coat, per STEK’s published warranty terms as they stand in 2026. That cover comes from the film maker. The second is the installation itself, which is the installer’s responsibility and should be backed separately.

The cheap quote that costs more later

Film fails at the adhesive long before the urethane gives up. Bargain film goes amber at the panel edges within a few years, and by then removal is a slow heat job rather than a simple peel. The saving at booking disappears the moment the car needs stripping and refilming.

The other false economy is skipping prep to hit a number. Film locks in whatever the paint looked like on the day, including the swirls from a bad wash and the tape line from a cheap respray. Paying for correction once is cheaper than paying to remove film, correct paint, then refilm.

Questions owners ask

How much is PPF for a full car in Melbourne?

Full body clear film covering every painted panel tops out at $5980 at our Mitcham workshop, with about a week in the bay. Larger vehicles and complex bodywork are quoted individually.

Is front end PPF enough, or do I need the whole car?

For a daily driver, a full front from $1980 covers where nearly all stone damage lands. Owners who park in tight car parks or load a boot daily usually add the wear and tear pack from $380 rather than jumping to full body.

Does PPF cost more on a Tesla or another EV?

It is priced by panel like any other car. EVs come up more often because factory paint on many of them is soft, and because glass roofs are their own problem: Crystal Shield EV glass film starts at $350 and cuts cabin heat without touching the headliner.

Do I still need a ceramic coating if I have PPF?

Not strictly. Good film beads water on its own. The coating adds chemical resistance against bird droppings and sap and keeps the film releasing dirt with less scrubbing, which is why it is $650 when added at fitting time.

Can I protect the car one panel at a time?

Yes. Build your own pack is quoted per car, and common picks are bonnet only, bumper only, or A pillars and roof edge for high kilometre commuters. Call 1800 985 880 for a price on the spot.

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