Paint Protection Film

[ianerrid]

Is anyone using a full or partial paint protection film on their car? I am thinking of having the full body of mine done as their seemed to be some talk of the CF sideblades being vulnerable etc.

Mine in Ibis White and I also heard that White is maybe not a good colour for the film as it shows more?

If anyone has had it done in the UK I'd be particularly interested.

Interested in any experience and thanks in advance.

[R8 England]

We have a thread on this:-

Paint Protection Film

I recommend it. Prevented a lot of damage, and has now been on the car for 17 months or so.

[randombloke]

I'd recommend it too, but I'd go for full rather than partial to avoid the line part way up the bonnet and to provide more protection from "bouncers".

[R8 England]

In the end, I had the full bonnet, bumper, wings.

Doors/sideblades were part way up and full coverage of the sidesills - particulary good to protect against scuffing from shoes.

[mngolfer]

I have a friend that has had his 3M Scotchcal Protective film on for 21 years. It has NOT yellowed or faded. I retired from 3M, so I may be prejudice. Data shows 3M film does not fade. In God we trust...everyone else provide data.

I have it on my hood, front bumper, mirrors and leading edges of the sideblades. It works great.

[desperado]

Mine is white and yes, you can see the edge of the film. Mostly because wax, clay bar, dirt, etc. gets caught along the edge. A good detailer can make it almost disappear.

I think the film is a must-have and I wouldn't be without it. When I do it again I will cover the entire hood. Not just because of the line - I have a rock chip above where the film stops.

Because the primer is white, small rock chips are particularly noticable on dark cars, even more so than on the light ones.

It is worth noting that it can be very difficult to remove fine scratches from the surface of the film - they can't be polished out like faint scratches in paint can. Bird strikes, etc can leave permanent marks. So, even though you have the film on, you still need to take some care with the surface.