Does PPF really self-heal scratches, and how does it actually work?
Posted by Acrobatic_Clue_4652@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 34 comments
I looked up on google and oh my goodness people are on either extremely pro or absolutely against. Can someone here explain it to me like I am 10?
Never_mind_honey@reddit
It helps, but it is not full proof either , especially if you don’t do full body. I think I would do it if I owned a $160000 Porche, but spending $5000 to protect my $40000 Mx-5 for a few years would be a ridiculous waste of money.
MaxPanhammer@reddit
I don't look at it as "protecting" so much as "keeping it looking more like new".
That said, I've never bitten the bullet (I also have a "$40000 mx-5", and no chance it would be 5k for that car), but I'm always tempted
Intelligent_Set_2729@reddit
I did front half and lower rocker panels on my Miata and I find it worth it.
SnooLemons9175@reddit
PPF can be good in that it protects a cars paint work being damaged by small knocks and scuffs, think stone chips and key/handbag scuffs. It doesn't self repair. It is essentially a clear vinyl wrap (I'll probably get grief because its not exactly the same thing).
I would think that most of the hate for it, comes from the same grounds as hate for vinyl wraps. It has a lifetime, and has to be cared for properly. If cared for incorrectly or left on past its lifespan, it is a pain to remove, and can leave damage to the underlying paintwork that it's supposed to protect. Also PPF can change the appearance of certain paint finishes, which would also make it undesirable.
JayVig@reddit
there's a significant amount of wrong information in here.
calmdrive@reddit
Oh yikes, what’s the lifespan on average?
bradland@reddit
When we get a new car, we do a front PPF (bumper, fenders, hood, back to the firewall). The product we get is called Xpel, and it has a lifespan of 7-10 years. If properly maintained, you can easily get +10 years out of it. The cost is around $2,000 here in South Florida, so that's between $200 and $285 per year, depending on how long you leave it on.
Every car I've owned without PPF ends up with chips all over the front. Knock on wood, we've never had an impact that went through the PPF. At worst, we have a little divot/wrinkle spot.
To me, it's more or less a choice between paint correction every few years, or PPF once at the start of a car's life. We happen to have a really good PPF shop in town, but not a lot of good detailers who do paint correction. This means that if we don't do PPF, I have to go out of town to have paint correction done. So PPF makes more sense for us.
People like to double-down on whatever choice they make. Reality is that the choice is dependent on a lot of factors that don't have anything to do with whether or not PPF is good/bad. It's all situational. If I had a good local detail guy who did paint correction, I'd probably skip the film and just do that every 3 years or so.
calmdrive@reddit
I appreciate this. I bought my first brand new car ever and our very good tinting guy also does ppf so I went for it, was $2000. He said pearl white is extra hard to touch up so I was sold. Entire front end, top of back bumper, and inside handles. It just seemed like the smart thing to do! I’d be so sad about a chip.
Arkard1@reddit
I think I've heard 3-5 years. Though I had a 2018 accord that I ppf the front and yard in end of last year. The ppf still looked great. But it was kept in a garage when not in use so that probably helped quite a bit.
desparish@reddit
Highly variable. On a garage queen it lasts much longer.
On a daily driver that's parked in the Texas sun and weather? Not worth it as the constant cost of replacing it every few years exceeds the cost of paint correction/new paint unless you have a very expensive paint job.
calmdrive@reddit
Oh wow that’s not long, it was so expensive. I guess I should’ve asked 😬
OkCartographer175@reddit
There is PPF that self-heals. Google it. I'll wait.
SnooLemons9175@reddit
Ok, I should have elaborated. PPF self heals small nicks and scratches in its surface. But anything that causes a tear or even a hole, would not self repair.
MEINSHNAKE@reddit
Exactly, if you punch a hole there will be a hole, it’s rubbery so a scratch will kind of close itself up.
thehomeyskater@reddit
OK waiting
midri@reddit
Also when ppf takes a good hit, your stuck with a ugly black mark (the adhesive picks up dirt) until you replace it which is a lot more expensive than paint touchup generally.
JayVig@reddit
it self heals scratches in itself up to a certain thickness or depth
EnlargedChonk@reddit
So the PPF is a plastic layer, and in the sun/heat it softens up and makes very light scratches disappear. It's not gonna heal from a scuff or anything like that but if you wash it and get swirls the swirls will almost always go away. The plastic is softer than clearcoat so it's more likely to get those light scratches in it, but because they "heal" it's not a problem.
The main purpose of PPF is to protect from those light scratches and rock chips. For rock chips it acts kinda like a screen protector on a phone, it spreads the force of the impact resulting in lower pressures (think of it like poking a tack through cardboard vs poking your finger through cardboard) and also absorbs some impact itself which dramatically lowers the risk of chipping the paint.
It's biggest downsides are end of life and appearance. It will not look as shiny/deep as waxed paint or even ceramic coat. And while most of them are good for 10+ years (and if you get it from a good company will be warrantied for those 10 years) they are a royal pain to remove when they do inevitably wear out. Main advantages are that they last longer and protect better than other methods like ceramic coat for similar cost.
Cheap PPF installs can damage your paint and may not last as long, if you are looking at PPF it's worth getting name brand installed by a reputable shop.
Naught2day@reddit
I have full PPF on one of my cars and it has been on there for seven years. Pretty sure I am changing it next year. I know it has a 10 year warranty(xpel) and it still looks great but the the car spends most of it's time sitting in the garage. Also, as of a couple years ago you can get color PPF and color shifting PPF, my son has it on one of his cars.
burner4thestuff@reddit
It self heals from light scratches and swirls that can happen from car washes, etc.
I only put it on my front bumper, hood, and headlights on my vehicles as it theoretically protects from highway debris.
If you can’t stand seeing little chips all over your lower lip and front of your hood after a year or two.. then consider it. That’s why I do it.
twelfthfantasy@reddit
PPF does not "self heal", whatever that means, but it is very hard-wearing. It's basically an extra-durable clear coat made of urethane plastic. It definitely makes your car's original paint last longer. It also looks awful once it does, eventually, start to degrade, and is harder to paint over. It's got pros and cons, YMMV, etc.
JaySee55@reddit
You're wrong on every point. If you have an event that significantly damages the PPF, you'll more than likely need body work. You're not repainting anything protected by PPF.
OkCartographer175@reddit
There is PPF that self-heals. Google it. I'll wait.
simola-@reddit
I have never heard of anyone painting over PPF. Sure it might be a pain to remove and has a chance of damaging the paint underneath once it’s severely degraded but that’s easy to mitigate, don’t let it go bad and replace when needed.
shittyhawaiitips@reddit
No one is painting over ppf stop using AI for your responses
twelfthfantasy@reddit
Tell that to the guy that bought my dad's 23 year old car with the chipping and bubbling PPF and wanted to restore it.
For the record, I despise generative AI outside of scientific uses. I am too old and have spent too long learning how to think to turn all my processing over to some chunk of code that uses more water than Las Vegas and had no way of verifying information.
OperationAsshat@reddit
Nobody with a brain is painting over PPF. You remove PPF before doing anything with paint.
With you saying chipped and bubbling PPF, it makes it seem like you think they are talking about clear coat and don't know what PPF is.
twelfthfantasy@reddit
Okay, fine, the removal process makes repainting it harder. Whatever. PPF can absolutely chip and bubble.
OperationAsshat@reddit
It does bubble, but damage comes more in the form of scuffs and tears in the film. It might chip if it has been neglected for years and hardened enough to do so, but I doubt it.
Either way, you seemed to think someone was going to paint over it which is just not how anyone handles PPF. I wouldn't get mad at someone calling your response AI when you say something so uninformed.
twelfthfantasy@reddit
Man, I don't have the energy to get mad at people on the Internet. I simplified something the wrong way and ended up saying something different than I meant, but assuming it's AI is still lazy thinking. People have been wrong about shit for millennia before ChatGPT was invented.
shittyhawaiitips@reddit
if i say i'm sorry for accusing you of using AI will you feel better?
i'm sorry for suggesting you went to chatgpt to form a response to this question. my bad homie, we good?
OperationAsshat@reddit
I mean yes, but it also sounds exactly like something an AI would write because the way you put it made no sense. So many people are diving head first into the AI slop life so it isn't a terrible assumption these days.
twelfthfantasy@reddit
Basically, not everything you disagree with is AI, and thinking that way is lazy af.
shittyhawaiitips@reddit
and yet no one is painting over ppf.
"harder to paint over" doesn't make sense as no one is actually painting over it.
and it's not harder to paint over at all. if you are painting a car without removing the ppf you're also probably not washing it or doing any other prep so it's not adding another minute since you didn't do it in the first place.