What Is The Build Log?

You hand over keys to a $60,000 vehicle. The shop rolls it into a bay you can’t see. For the next 6 hours — or 3 days — you have no idea what’s happening to it. No idea who’s working on it. No idea whether the film went on clean, whether the prep was done right, whether they even started.

You get a text when it’s ready. You show up. You look at the finished car under fluorescent lights. You hope it’s right.

That’s the industry standard. And it’s not good enough.

The Build Log is PLM’s real-time photo update service. Every install — window tint, paint protection film, ceramic coating, vinyl wrap — comes with photos texted to your phone at every stage of the build. No extra cost. No opt-in. It just happens.

You’ll see the car at drop-off, before we touch it. You’ll see it during prep and decontamination. You’ll see film being cut on the plotter. You’ll see it going on panel by panel. You’ll see the final walk-around before you come pick it up.

You’ll see the transformation happen. Not read about it. Not trust that it happened. See it.

Window tint (same-day, ~2 hours): 3–5 photos. Drop-off, film cut on the plotter, mid-install, final walk-around.

Ceramic coating (1–2 days): 8–12 photos over the build. Decon wash, iron removal, clay bar, paint correction (if approved), panel-by-panel coating application, cure cycle, final inspection.

Paint protection film (2–7 days): 15–30 photos. Full prep sequence, plotter cuts for each panel, hood install, fenders, bumper, mirrors, headlights — every panel documented with its own progress shot. Full-body and color-change installs get the most coverage.

Vinyl wraps (3–7 days): 20–40 photos. Wash, prep, panel measurements, plotter cuts, panel-by-panel install, edge-wrap detail shots, final walk-around from every angle.

Three reasons.

1. Trust. If you can see what’s happening to your car in real time, you don’t have to trust us blindly. You know. That’s the standard we want to be held to.

2. Accountability. A shop that documents every step of the work is a shop that has to do every step of the work correctly. There’s no cutting corners when the customer is watching.

3. It’s your car. You paid for the service. You’re entitled to see it happen. Anything less is treating you like you don’t deserve to know.

Every other shop in San Antonio treats the install bay like a black box. We treat it like a live broadcast.

They forward them to their partner. They post them on Instagram. They send them to the friend who’s been asking whether PPF is worth it. They save the full-body install sequence as a scrapbook of their car’s transformation.

The photos are yours. Do whatever you want with them. Tag @BuiltbyPLM and we’ll repost the ones you love.

Do I have to ask for it? No. It’s included with every install. It starts the moment we take your keys.

Does it cost extra? No.

What if I want more photos of a specific detail? Text us and we’ll grab it. We’re standing over the car.

What if I want fewer notifications? Tell us at drop-off. We’ll batch them into one end-of-day summary instead.

Do you share them with other people? Only if you tag us or give us explicit permission. Otherwise the photos are yours and yours only.