My opinions, having put almost 70K miles on my car and doing much of my own maintenance:
First and foremost: It’s a car! Drive it! And if you do, you will get more rock chips. It just goes with the territory. So get used to it and keep your inner perfectionist in check. Otherwise, you’ll be scared to drive it, and that’s no fun.
So it has a few minor blemishes now. It will get more. Make peace with that eventuality. I know, $300K is more than you’ve ever spent on a car before and for that price, you think it should be perfect. That’s sort of how I felt when I spent “only” $200K on mine years ago, but I got used to having rock chips and dinks and you will too. When I display my car, and I put one of those car show signs in my windshield, I proudly note its current mileage and the statement “I’m not saving it for the next guy!” Most people are so wowed by seeing a Ford GT that they never notice the small stuff. And they’re even more impressed that I drive it that much. And let people sit in the drivers seat—especially kids! So put PPF on the door sills to protect them too.
Yes, you can touch up the chips before PPF. Lots of info here and on car care sites of how to fill chips with touch up paint and then wet-sand down to flush with the original paint and then polish. It just takes time and attention to detail. Or you can pay a detailer to do it for you. If you will put PPF over those areas, no need to finish the touch spots with touch up clear coat. However, even with the PPF, Some rocks will penetrate the film. Live with it.
Swirl scratches: if you’re putting PPF over that part, they will be invisible, so don’t spend time trying to polish them out.
Front bumper cover: it’s plastic, not metal. Touch up the chips, it won’t corrode.
Be sure to put the windshield protective film on it too.
Frunk lid: some get that spider web cracking, and some don’t. Mine doesn’t have it. Yes, the lid is fiberglass, not metal, so it won’t cause any corrosion. Up to you if you want to spend several thousand $ to repaint it, but figure out what caused the spider webbing in the first place—is the hinge properly attached and tight? Is the lift strut binding? If it were me, I wouldn’t repaint it, just touch up the obvious chips, put on the PPF and go. I’ll bet the PPF makes it 90% invisible.
Chips in door: yes, that’s metal, so touch it up to protect the metal before applying PPF. .
Questions: What color and options? Asking price?
