Everyone wants to keep their new car looking immaculate, but that’s easier said than done. Any number of things can nick, ding, or scratch your shiny paint job and there is seemingly nothing you can do to stop it. Even if it’s small enough that no one will notice, you still know it’s there and it won’t fix itself. At least that was the case without Paint Protection Film (PPF).
Paint Protection Film
PPF is a thin layer of polyurethane film that serves as a skin to protect your vehicle’s paint. While this is great, the key feature is its ability to self heal. Of course it’s nice to avoid damage to your paint but if you can still see scratches on the PPF your car won’t look its best. The outermost layer of the PPF is made of an elastomeric polymer which retains its shape when stretched, thereby allowing minor scratches to heal. Furthermore, PPF protects against corrosion from acid rain, bug splatter and other substances.
A common misconception is that PPF is a clear vinyl wrap. While they share certain similarities, wraps are generally heavier and do not offer a truly transparent option like PPF. Wraps also don’t self heal, meaning scratches will remain visible. This isn’t to say vinyl wraps are bad, they just serve a different purpose. One notable difference is where to install them. Generally, a wrap would cover every painted surface on the vehicle to fully change the vehicle’s color. The perfectly transparent nature of PPF means the owner can choose to only install it in high risk areas, typically the leading edges of the vehicle, which are most at risk for rock chips when driving on the highway. Being able to choose how much of your car is protected is a good option as it cuts back on cost while still offering great protection.
Ceramic Coating
If you only use PPF on the front end of the car, isn’t the rest of the paint at risk? With nothing else in place, yes, but one of the best protection options is to supplement the front end PPF with a nano ceramic coating on the rest of the paint. When applied to the surface of the paint, the nano ceramic coating seals the microscopic unevenness in the surface of the paint job, thereby making it extremely repellent to water and dirt. Moreover, it helps prevent damage from scratches, chemicals, and UV light. When combined, PPFs and nano ceramic coatings offer arguably the best full car protection ensuring your car continues to look its best for years to come.
If you’re interested, contact our friends at Glaswerks DMV to get a quote for a PPF or ceramic coating on your plug-in, or any other vehicle!
