Nobody publishes PPF prices, which is exactly why everyone searching for them ends up frustrated. So here is ours, plainly, along with what the rest of the Canadian market charges and what actually moves a number.
Our starting prices
- Paint protection film, from $1,795. That starting price covers the front clip - bumper, hood, fenders and mirrors. Available in clear or matte.
- Headlight and taillight film, from $199 for two lights. Clear, smoke or tinted.
Those are starting prices rather than a fixed menu, and it is worth being honest about why. A compact sedan with a simple bumper and a small hood is a fundamentally different job from a full-size SUV with a bumper full of radar and camera housings. Publishing one flat number for both would mean overcharging the sedan.
What the rest of the market charges
For context, published Canadian pricing in 2026 tends to land in these ranges:
| Coverage | Typical Canadian range |
|---|---|
| Small areas and single panels | $100 - $400 |
| Partial front (bumper, part hood, mirrors) | $400 - $2,500 |
| Full front (bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors) | $1,200 - $3,500 |
| Rockers and lower body | $500 - $2,000 |
| Extended / track package | $2,500 - $4,500 |
| Full vehicle | $4,500 - $8,500 and up |
Those are wide bands because they cover everything from a Civic to a Cayenne, and from machine-cut budget film to hand-trimmed premium work. Our starting price sits in the lower half of the full-front range, which is where an independent shop that does its own installs generally ends up.
The six things that move your quote
1. Vehicle size and body shape
More panel area means more film and more hours. A full-size SUV or pickup can use half again the material of a compact sedan for the same nominal coverage.
2. Bumper complexity
This is the one people underestimate. A flat hood is straightforward. A modern bumper with deep intakes, sharp creases, a splitter lip and eight sensor cut-outs has to be relieved, stretched and trimmed around every one of those features. Two cars of the same size can differ by hours here.
3. Wrapped edges versus cut edges
A cut edge terminates the film a couple of millimetres inside the panel edge. It is clean, quick, and visible if you go looking for it. A wrapped edge tucks the film around behind the panel so there is no line at all - and it protects the edge itself, which is where film most often starts lifting years later. Wrapping means removing lights, mirrors or trim to get behind them, and that labour is real.
If you are comparing two quotes and one is meaningfully cheaper, ask this question first. It is usually the answer.
4. Paint condition and correction
Film goes over the paint exactly as it is and locks it in. Chips, swirls and scratches that are there when the film goes on will be there under it for years. Correcting first is separate work, and on a used car it is often the right call. On a car delivered new last week, usually it is not.
5. Existing paintwork
Original factory paint is straightforward. A resprayed panel needs to be fully cured before film goes on, and older repaints do not always release the film cleanly on removal. If a panel has been redone, say so when you get quoted.
6. Clear or matte
Matte film generally costs a little more and it changes the look of the panel - gloss paint under matte film reads as satin. That is a styling decision, not a defect, but it needs to be a decision rather than a surprise.
Why the cheapest quote is often the expensive one
Three things commonly separate a low quote from a normal one, and none of them are visible in the number itself:
- Machine-cut templates. Most shops plot film from template files and lay it on. It is fast, and it leaves a small gap at the edge of every panel because the template is drawn slightly inside the real panel line. We hand-trim instead, which is slower and is the reason our edges sit where they should.
- Cut edges everywhere. No disassembly, no wrapping, more visible lines, and edges that are more likely to lift in a few years.
- No prep included. A quote that assumes the car arrives perfect is a quote that grows on the day.
None of that makes a cheap quote wrong - it makes it a different job. It is only a problem when you compare it to a more complete one as though they were the same thing.
Where the money goes furthest
If you are working to a budget, this is the order we would spend in for a car that commutes on Island highways:
- Headlight and taillight film, $199. Against the cost of replacing one pitted LED assembly, nothing else on this list comes close on value.
- Full front, from $1,795. Covers the pattern damage actually follows here, with no line across the hood.
- Rockers and behind the front wheels, if you drive gravel or logging roads.
- Everything else - only if you are keeping the car pristine for resale or it has a matte factory finish that cannot be polished.
And if the car is new, the film is worth doing before the first winter rather than after it. Film locks in whatever is already on the paint.
About SHC Auto
We have been protecting OEM paint in Victoria since 1991, and we do the installs ourselves rather than subcontracting them. SHC Autographx and Tires is at 474 Bay Street - paint protection film, vinyl wrap, window tint, ceramic coating, plus tires, aftermarket wheels, suspension and parts.
We are an independent shop, not a chain, which means we will tell you when partial coverage is enough for how you actually drive rather than quoting a full car by reflex.
SHC Autographx and Tires
474 Bay Street, Victoria, BC
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Getting a real number
An accurate PPF quote takes about ten minutes with the car in front of us - year, make, model, a look at the bumper's sensor layout, and a check of the paint's current condition. Bring it by, or call and tell us what you drive and how much coverage you are thinking about, and we will give you a range over the phone before you commit to anything.
If you are comparing us against another quote, bring that too. We will tell you honestly what the difference is buying you.