PPF warranty claims are different from tint or coating claims because most PPF brands have manufacturer warranties (10 years typical) plus your shop's install warranty. Here's how to handle the dual-warranty world.
Common PPF failure modes
- Yellowing / discoloration — covered by manufacturer warranty for most premium PPF
- Edge lifting — usually install warranty (workmanship), not manufacturer
- Bubbling / delamination — split: small areas are install; widespread is manufacturer
- Cracking — manufacturer if early life; usage damage if older
- Loss of self-healing properties — manufacturer warranty
- Adhesive failure — manufacturer warranty (with proper install proof)
Step 1 — Customer reports the issue
There are two ways a claim gets started in SalesThumb:
- You file it on their behalf: open the warranty record (Warranties → find the vehicle/customer) and click File Claim. This is a single notes field — write down what the customer told you (date noticed, description, contributing factors) and confirm; it moves the warranty's status to Claimed.
- The customer files it themselves: every warranty has a public certificate page (the link/QR you gave them at install). It has a "File a warranty claim" form right on it — name, contact info, an issue-type dropdown (Bubbling, Peeling, Discoloration, Scratch, Delamination, Other), and a description field. There's no photo-upload on that form today, so if you want photos, ask the customer to text or email them separately.
Either way, ask for photos yourself if the customer hasn't sent any — multiple angles, daylight — before you move to assessment.
Step 2 — Initial assessment
Within 24 hours, you (or your designated warranty handler) should:
- Review the photos
- Pull the original install record (date, tech, film batch, photos)
- Determine if this is install warranty (your responsibility) or manufacturer warranty (XPEL/SunTek/STEK)
Most cases fall into one of three buckets:
- Install-side: edge lifting in a high-stress area, single bubble at install (rare beyond 30 days), peeling at recent install corners. Your fix.
- Manufacturer-side: yellowing across multiple panels, widespread failure, premature loss of self-healing. File with manufacturer.
- Out of warranty: collision damage, neglect, age-related (past warranty term). Customer pays.
Step 3 — Bring the vehicle in
Schedule the customer to bring the vehicle in for in-person inspection. This step matters — photos can mislead.
Workflow: - Photo the failure again under shop lighting - Photo the entire vehicle for context - Have customer sign off on what was found - Determine remediation plan
Step 4a — Install-warranty work
If it's clearly your install:
- Schedule the re-do at no charge
- Use the same film batch if possible (consistency)
- Document the re-install heavily — photos, signature, new warranty registration
- Track in margin reports as "Install warranty redo" — eats into your job-level margin
Don't argue with the customer. Even if borderline, eat it. The lifetime value of a happy customer >> the cost of one redo.
Step 4b — Manufacturer claim
For XPEL Ultimate Plus, SunTek Reaction, STEK Dynoshield — file via the manufacturer's portal.
### XPEL - DAP portal → Warranty Claims → New Claim - Provide install date, vehicle VIN, photos, original install records (XPEL tracks these via your DAP account already) - XPEL responds within 5-10 business days - If approved: XPEL sends you replacement film at no cost OR reimburses your re-install labor at a published rate
### SunTek - SunTek Pro Portal → Warranties → File Claim - Similar workflow - SunTek tends to be slower (10-15 day response) but generally honors valid claims
### STEK - Contact your STEK distributor; STEK doesn't have a self-serve portal - Distributor liaisons the claim
Step 5 — Customer communication during the claim
Manufacturer claims can take 2-4 weeks total. Customer needs updates.
SMS template: - Day 1: "We've filed your warranty claim with {manufacturer}. Expected response in {N} business days. We'll keep you posted." - Day 7: "Update: claim is still under review. We're on it." - Day approved: "Great news — {manufacturer} approved the claim. Let's schedule the re-install for [next available slot]."
If the manufacturer denies the claim, you have a choice:
- Eat the cost yourself (best for customer relationship, worst for your margin)
- Tell the customer + offer a discount on a paid repair
- Escalate the denial (sometimes manufacturers reverse on appeal with better photo evidence)
Most healthy shops default to eating manufacturer denials if the customer relationship is good. The cost is real but predictable.
Documentation everywhere
Throughout the process, document in SalesThumb:
- Customer SMS exchanges (auto-captured if conducted in-app)
- Claim submission to manufacturer (PDF + screenshot of submission)
- Response from manufacturer (PDF)
- Re-install records
- Final customer satisfaction confirmation
This file matters if:
- The customer disputes the resolution
- The manufacturer audits your claim rate
- The customer leaves a negative review claiming you didn't honor warranty
Track claim metrics
Two places to work from:
- Reports → Warranty Claims (top-level Reports, not under Settings) gives you a plain list — customer, vehicle, issue date, claim date, reason — for every claim. There's no CSV export or built-in rate calculation on this report today; SalesThumb doesn't compute claim rate, approval rate, or resolution time for you in-app.
- Warranties → Claims is the shop-side triage queue for claims customers filed through their public certificate page — it tracks each one through Submitted → In Review → Approved/Denied → Resolved.
As a rule of thumb from the industry: claim rate (claims per 100 installs, trailing 12 months) above 4% usually points at an install-quality or film-selection issue; manufacturer-approval rates above 70% are typical for shops with clean install documentation; and resolution times median 14-21 days, with anything over 30 suggesting you're not following up enough. Until an in-app rollup exists, tally these by hand from the claim list, or ask us for a data pull if you need it regularly.