Paint protection film
How to document a PPF install
Two arguments show up later: paint that was already chipped, and an edge they notice weeks after delivery. The panels in the package, those panels before film, and the edges at handoff, on one link. That is the record a paint protection film tool is for. Coverage math stays with the roll.
Brand, lot, and linear feet can stay in the PPF software you already run. The link is what the owner opens, not a cut optimizer.
Clearlane PPF
In progressPartial front · X5
https://opeo.io/fszZ1NF/
Timeline
Intake
Completed
Install
In progress
Edges and delivery
Hood chip
Hood edge
Bumper, after
What the customer opens. Example, not a live job.
Your public link
Draft on your phone
SMS or WhatsApp opens with this filled in. The shop sends it. Opeo does not.
A timeline that stays familiar
Shops that stop retelling the job keep one timeline, usually named PPF. The customer sees the same kind of page every visit. The example above is Partial front · X5 at Clearlane PPF.
1. Intake
The note that prevents a scope argument names the package: partial front, full front, track, or full body, and the panels in it. The photos are of the paint, not of the film still on the roll: chips and scratches close enough to see, plus one wider shot per panel so each close-up has a place.
2. Install
A one-day install is a single step. A second day gets one progress photo, not a second intake. If the film is on order, a delayed status with the reason beats silence.
3. Edges and delivery
Delivery carries a plain care note (how long before a wash, what a pressure washer does to an edge) and the photos you would want in a dispute: edges on the hood and bumper, and the same panels as intake now that the film is down. That note lives on the link. It is not the film maker’s warranty portal.
A text that still makes sense later
These are the two texts worth sending: one when the car stays, one when it is ready. Both name the shop and the same link. The message goes out from the shop’s phone. Opeo does not send it and does not keep the chat.
At intake
Hi, this is Clearlane PPF. Your PPF job is here, including the paint photos from drop-off: https://opeo.io/fszZ1NF/
When the car is ready
Hi! This is Clearlane PPF. Your job is completed and ready for pickup. Check details: https://opeo.io/fszZ1NF/
Enough photos, not a gallery
The frames that matter are the ones you would want open on their phone during the argument. Matching the angle before and after beats another angle of the same panel.
| Stage | What to shoot | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Paint before film | Close-up of each chip or scratch. One wider shot of every panel in the package. | Close-ups as needed, plus 1 per panel |
| Edges at delivery | Hood leading edge, bumper edges, mirror caps if wrapped | 4–6 |
| Panels after | The same panels as intake | 1 per panel |
A partial front is about eight panels before, eight after, and four edges, plus the chips. That sits around twenty photos, which fits Starter (30). On a 15-photo job, the chips and the edges stay, and before-and-after shrinks to the hood and bumper. A full body, shot twice, wants Pro (60) or Scale (150). The app will not remind you which corner you missed. You already know those corners.
Plan limits are per job, not per step. Pricing lists 15 on Free, 30 on Starter, 60 on Pro, and 150 on Scale. A short video uses one of those slots too.
Common questions
Can I track XPEL or another brand’s roll in Opeo?
You can type the brand and product in the step note. Opeo does not decrement a roll or store lot numbers as inventory.
What if they also want tint the same day?
Tint on its own job and its own link keeps the glass photos from sitting in the paint record. One timeline for both is harder to explain later.
Who sends the message?
You do, from your phone. Opeo only fills the draft and opens SMS or WhatsApp.
The same habit, on a real job
The short version for someone comparing tools is on the Paint protection film overview. The first car can go on a free job link.
Open a job for the next car