Got a few questions on paint protection film - I'm wanting to get it done after my car gets back from the body shop with a new front bumper and hood and wanted to know:

1. Does one need to wait a few weeks/months for the paint to outgas before putting on PPF?

2. Is it advisable to polish/seal/wax the area to be covered with PPF or should it just be polished and IPA wipedown and that's it? I would guess that the surface should be as clean as possible for best adhesion but I know squat about PPF so I thought I'd ask someone who does know a thing or two.

3. Any film brands that are recommended? I hear 3M being thrown around a lot. Any other recommendations I should ask about?

Can't wait for the car to get out of the shop! The courtesy car (a Yaris) is already driving me nuts!

 

3M for film, and paint needs to be completely cured before PPF application (Usually between 2 to 4 weeks after paint).
Paint surface should be buffed and waxed before application, as bodyshops usually do shitty jobs color sanding/compounding the paint.

 

Make sure you go to a reputable PPF installer, I've seen shitty, nasty looking PPF installs.

 

Go with 3M. Every car in our family has it and it's been superb. Stay away from VentureShield, though as I heard some horror stories about that from a fellow AZine member.

 

Just a good paint cleaning will suffice, and that may or may not include an abrasive polish. As for waxing, dont bother. Its likely to get an IPA wipedown anyway, surface needs to be "sterile"....before applying the vinyl.

 

Surface Preparation

Ensure that there are no paint surface imperfections before installation, the paint should be free of any silicone, wax or polymer sealant to ensure the adhesive will bond correctly. It is important to remember that paint protection film application is not considered to be a do-it-yourself project. For best results, professional application is recommended.

 

I recently had Avery Dennison's Nanofusion PPF installed. I did a week's worth of research including contacting 6 installers. The collective opinion was that the Nanofusion is the best product out there even though there is little data on how the product performs over time. There is no "orange-peel" effect and it's higher in gloss finish. I felt the difference between XPEL, VentureShield, 3M and Nanofusion and there is a huge discernible difference. The Nanofusion felt more pliable where as all the rest had a plastic feel.

The paint does need to be completely cured prior to installation.

Waxing/polishing the areas is okay because any installer is going to use alcohol to sterilize the surface.

I'm hoping to get pictures up this weekend of my car with the Nanofusion.

I wouldn't choose anything other than the Nanofusion. As a side note it's comes with a limited LIFETIME warranty as long as the product is installed by a certified installer. Warranty includes replacement of damaged piece and labor cost to reinstall!

 

+1 on the nano fusion. I just had it installed on the GT-R. I had the 3M on my white M3 and it started to yellow a bit after 2 years and 13k. Car was kept spotless in the garage.

 

hmm, OK, thanks for the tips everyone.

So there seems to be a mixed bag of reviews on the film itself. I've read in a few sites that the 3M has a bit of an orange peel effect to it as well, so not sure how much I'll like that.

I can't seem to find (at least not via Google) any installers in the Vancouver area that use the Avery product so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to get that. It seems Venture Tape is a name that comes up a lot as being better than 3M (no orange peel), however it seems at least one member has had a bad experience with it too.

I'll definitely have to do some more research on the films itself.

Depending on how the paint comes back from the body shop, I may give it a light polish with the PC before the film goes on.

Since 80% of my driving is highway driving, I'm sure that I'll get my fair share of rock chips and sand blasted paint in no time!