What Is a PPF Car Wrap? A Car Owner's Guide

Keeps Your Car Looking New and Shiny

Want to keep your car looking as good as new?

Car wraps provide a permanent protective coat over your vehicle's paint. They prevent your car's paint from fading, giving it a polished, glossy appearance. This helps you keep your car looking new and shiny for a lot longer.

Prevents Damage

As a car owner, there are a lot of things out of your control that can damage the exterior of your vehicle. Bird droppings, UV rays, tree sap, rocks, and bug splatters can destroy your car paint over time. Installing paint protection film can protect your vehicle from this type of wear and tear.

Some types of PPF car wraps have self-healing properties. This means if something scratches your film, it will completely disappear once you apply heat to the area.

Retains Resale Value

When you decide to sell your car, you want to make some good money from the sale. But scratches and dents can make you lose hundreds of dollars in resale value.

Using car protection films can help you retain the resale value of your vehicle. They will keep your car in pristine condition, making it easier to sell it at a good price.

Makes Car Maintenance Easier

Cleaning the exterior of your car can be stressful. You have to worry about cleaners causing discoloration. But this isn't the case if you have paint protection films.

PPF acts as a barrier for your vehicle's exterior, protecting damage from harsh cleaners. What's more, car wraps are low-maintenance.

Step 1: Prep the Car

The car wrap installer will clean the vehicle to get rid of dust or any grime. Removing debris is vital to the appearance of a paint protection film as well as its performance capabilities. If your car already has scratches, you may need a new paint job first.

Step 2: Cut the PPF

After prepping surfaces, the installers will cut the PPF to the true size for your car in preparation for installation.

Step 3: Installation

Before installing the film, they will use apply an activator or a fitting solution. Once done, the installers will fit the adhesive side of the film to your car. For a smooth application, they will use a squeegee to remove any creases or bubbles underneath the film.

Step 4: Dry and Heat the PPF

Once the PPF is properly, the installers will use an industrial heat gun to activate the adhesive and make the film stick to the car's surface. This can also cause the car film to shrink, creating a clean, tight fit on your car.

Your Car's Condition

Check your car's exterior for any imperfections. If there are any car scratches, swirl marks, dents, or defects, you may need to clean them up before installing PPF. This can impact the duration of prep and the overall installation costs.

How Much PPF Coverage You Want

The amount of car wrap coverage varies depending on your preferences. You can choose to cover the entire car surface with PPF or install it only in the most vulnerable areas like the rear wheel arch, front bumper, or hood.

Your Car's Design

PPF car wraps are a 2D piece of material, so it needs to be manipulated to go around your car's curves and contours. If your car has a distinctive design, it will take more skill and time to install the protection film. This may impact the price of your PPF job.

Your Budget

Before applying a car wrap, evaluate your current budget and the long-term cost savings a paint protection film provides. While the upfront costs of an entire PPF coverage may be higher, you can have peace of mind knowing that you won't have to incur paint damage repair costs for a long time.