Paint Protection Film: What to Expect

This is an extremely popular question. We completely understand it. You want to protect your vehicle but you also want it to look as perfect as possible.
The honest answer is, NO. PPF is not a 100% flawless process. No matter who you choose, all installs will include some very minor, visible flaws in the process.

PPF installation is extremely difficult, time consuming, very intricate, and costly to install. Air bubbles, lift lines, water under the film, and lifting edges are the most common occurrences with every install. ?Lift lines are where a section has been laid then has to be lifted to remove an air bubble or speck of dirt. ?Water under the film will evaporate over several days (or weeks, depending on weather) once the film is exposed to heat and sunlight.

Pre-existing paint flaws such as rock chips, trash in the clear coat, scratches, swirls, and poorly aligned body panels are honestly much more noticeable and can even feel magnified after PPF is applied. Sometimes, something that looks like speck of dust or debris under the film, is actually nibs in the painted clear coat. Its doesn’t matter the manufacturer, every vehicle has some existing flaws, even from the factory. While PPF protects the vehicle, it also tends to magnify these existing flaws.

Remember: It’s paint protection, not paint perfection. The second important factor to consider before buying PPF is your expectations—for now and for the future. If you’re considering PPF, you’re in an elite group of committed, savvy car owners. But you might also be a part of a group of people with high expectations. I help my customers to manage that.

• No car’s paint is perfect. The paint on your car is not perfect—not even from the factory. Dealers are masters at hiding things with fillers and waxes that will wash off within a week.
• Don’t expect perfection. Quality installers do their best—even losing sleep worrying about making each job perfect. But installers aren’t perfect, and no install is perfect.
• Sometimes family and friends, who can’t afford to apply PPF to their vehicles, will even point out imperfections. We see posts all of the time from people inventing silly reasons why they don’t need PPF.

Keep the purpose of PPF in mind: What’s important to remember is that your car will look good, without rock chips and benefiting from the self-healing PPF, even though you have to drive it every day and subject it to harsh weather and road conditions. PPF is an investment in peace of mind.