You may not be familiar with paint protection film (PPF), but it’s been around for decades and is exactly what the term says: a film that protects your paint from damage.
What if you could end your car’s aging process? Actually freeze its current condition and stop it from getting any older? That may sound impossible, but if you practice a combination of dutiful maintenance and purposeful cosmetic protection you’ll be astonished at not only how long your car lasts, but at how signs of its aging process vanish. The mechanical steps to maximizing a car’s lifespan are worthy of their own story, but for this story lets focus on a car’s appearance, and the single most important material in creating an automotive fountain of youth: paint protection film (PPF).
You may not be familiar with the term paint protection film, which also goes by the acronym PPF. It’s been around for decades and the technology behind it has rapidly evolved in recent years. PPF is exactly what the term sounds like – a film that protects your paint from damage. This damage can range from the constant flow of small rocks and debris your car is subjected to every time it’s on the road, to the potential long-term sun damage it endures every time it leaves the garage.Paint Protection Film (PPF): Often on Exotics
This kind of protection is often sought after by owners of high-end sports and exotic cars, who consider PPF an investment in their car’s long-term value. I produced a story focused on paint protection film for exotic cars back in 2019. By installing PPF, exotic cars owners can enjoy driving their six-figure investments without worrying about the signs of age that afflict any car not restricted to the garage or trailed to car shows for static display duty. But this story will focus on the benefits of PPF for mainstream, daily-driven vehicles.
If you’ve ever bought a new car you’ve likely noticed paint chips and scratches that start accumulating within days of driving it off the dealer lot. And if you’ve purchased a used car there’s no avoiding the network of scars scattered across various body panels, with a particularly dense network of them on forward-facing surfaces like the grill, hood, and exterior mirrors.
Paint protection film can prevent this type of damage, and its benefits go beyond avoiding chips and scratches.
