Ppf/clear bra

Off topic but for paint NERDS like us, yakking away on a forum about paint....

If one has ever seen how panels are -squeeged- out, especially a larger piece like a hood, it`s not for the Autopian eyes to see.
 
Slip solution/PPF and they -squeege away-

It`s hard on the eyes when you see a full hood, maybe 3 guys or more....squeeging away *hard* on the film so it get`s every contour, etc as it sets....
Ha, it`s like when one is washing/drying your own panels, you are very mindful on how much or how less pressure is on the hood.
 
Bull6791 said:
Cayman. I did not know you work for a shop and you actually install ppf yourself
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I don`t personally install PPF, more in a product support/product testing role. I see the guys do it frequently and it truly is an art...definately not a skill ya pick up in a week or month.

I had them do our cars before I went to work with them. Don`t know if I would have the patience to ever be a PPF guy; work an entire hood, tuck, trim, heat stretch (but not too much!)...find dust particle under film, remove and start again!

I`d go insane!

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981 Cayman S said:
I don`t personally install PPF, more in a product support/product testing role. I see the guys do it frequently and it truly is an art...definately not a skill ya pick up in a week or month.

I had them do our cars before I went to work with them. Don`t know if I would have the patience to ever be a PPF guy; work an entire hood, tuck, trim, heat stretch (but not too much!)...find dust particle under film, remove and start again!

I`d go insane!
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For me success is more about finding what I don’t want to do than what I am good at and want to do. :)
 
Bull6791 said:
I would like to see some pictures of good and bad pictures of ppf. Thanks
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Pics of good PPF install are untemarkable as ya cant really see anything!

Bad PPF install, just Google `bad PPF install` and you`ll find a ton of pics, videos and horror stories.

Podcast: PPF discussion about 18 minutes in.
CORVETTE TODAY #110-Paint Protection Film and Ceramic Coating Explained By Master Detailer, Todd Cooperider

Corvette PPF Install gone wrong: Paint protection film install gone wrong - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion



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Let`s be clear about installation and installers:
There are a lot of vehicle sign painting places that now do vehicle custom-printed plastic wraps for advertising. Not sure they can do clear Protective Plastic Films, but you could ask.
Also do not know if some PPF manufacturers are offering pre-cut kits for certain vehicles.
That leads to the question for the original-poster of this topic, Bull6791:
What vehicle do you have that needs this PPF wrap installed on?

I wish Rasky1 would get in on this conversation, as he is one Autopian detailer who also does PPF installation, but I think he custom fits-and-cuts PPF for each vehicle he wraps from large sheets.

This is a good topic discussion, what specific PPF are available and what they are like.

I also see some of you detailing Autopians are running into the same "problem" I see on a more frequent basis now: how to remove old, yellowing, peeling PPFs. I will not remove old PPF, since I do not begin to have the knowledge, tools or products, or expertise to do so. I would like to know more and maybe that is something that need to be its own new topic discussion
 
Yes, Lonnie. ALOT of *vinyl wrap* places that have cropped up are going PPF

A decade+ back..........traditional tint shops were also into PPF. Seems pretty common to see tint shop+ PPF these days.

IMO, PPF should either only be done @ a detailing shop. PPF is done in house or I know of a select handful of PPF Subs that work out of these shops ....

Just short of alligatored PPF.....removing it should be like tints (with steam). The cavet I would say IMO is do it if you know the paint history......aka, if you lift it and paint comes off a customers car, whole nuth`a project right there.
 
Lonnie,

The ppf shop I frequent and send clients to, has access to pre-cut ppf kits for people that want them... He says he ships a lot of them all the time...

He also has a few plotters, and he can input the vehicle information, where the ppf is going, and the program will take his ppf and pre-cut the pieces for his installers..

I never have a problem removing ppf from vehicles, including my own.... As I have said before, I just use my heat gun, carefully, get a part of the ppf warmed up, pull the edge up, keep warming it as you pull it and it comes off rather easily...

Much more easily than the next step, that is to remove All the glue that remains on the paint... :) This step just takes a lot of time and patience...

Yes, you have to be really careful about removing ppf on suspected old paint, or paint that was part of a repair... And yes, it is possible to lift up old, weak, paint, if you are not extremely careful, and are not really Watching that ppf edge as you slowly, carefully lift it straight up (to get it started), and back, as you are doing it...

Would have to assume that the better you -carefully- heat the ppf, and get it just heated enough to release more easily, you will not have as many issues with lifting paint off with it... Again, I cannot stress enough, about being really careful and -Watching- what you are doing..

Dan F
 
Stokdgs or anyone....with a blind test....can you tell the difference between certain films laid onto paint. Or same brand/make but their -base gloss film- vs -same film with the ceramic coating on the film already-...
The last time I looked, Stek IMO has less OP than Xpel
 
mobiledynamics said:
Stokdgs or anyone....with a blind test....can you tell the difference between certain films laid onto paint. Or same brand/make but their -base gloss film- vs -same film with the ceramic coating on the film already-...
The last time I looked, Stek IMO has less OP than Xpel
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Even with an `Autopian eye` I`m hard pressed to tell the difference between the STEK on the Corvette and the XPEL on the Cayman. I *think* that I might be able to distinguish the STEK due to a very slight `linear pattern` from about 3" away but from 2` away, they both look great.

I think a lot of it is perception based on people hearing anecdotal accounts of "X brand is glossier than Y but Y has more orange peel" but who knows. I went into PPF both times with no pre-conceived notions of this brand or that...I really didn`t look into brands much at all.

I had one `pro` insist he could tell the difference between Ceramic Pro Kavaca (sp?) and any other brand on a white car at 100 yards...yeah, right. Not surpisingly he was a Ceramic Pro guy. Given the amount of orange peel present on some factory paint, it`s kinda a wash in many cases I`d guess.

As for the gloss of non coated PPF and coated, again...relatively insignificant. I see a lot of `naked PPF` cars at work and then see them coated (I even get to coat one every now and again) and just like pre-coat and post-coat paint, the coating adds a bit towards the look but not 50% better or even close to that.

Obviously PPF will have a bit of an effect...you`re putting an 8mil or 10mil film on the car, it`s gonna have some effect on appearance but 99 outta 100 people won`t notice from a foot away. I`ve stared down the sides of both of our PPF`d cars side by side in the garage A LOT and both are equally pleasing to my (albeit old) eyes.

Like anything, if you look hard enough you can find differences between 2 different `anythings` (either real or perceived) so take my opinion with a grain of salt and YMMV. For myself, I wouldn`t care what brand was used if a quality installer did the application; it`s THEIR job to insure asthetic satisfaction so let them worry about it! That`s part of what you`re paying them for.

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mobiledynamics said:
Stokdgs or anyone....with a blind test....can you tell the difference between certain films laid onto paint. Or same brand/make but their -base gloss film- vs -same film with the ceramic coating on the film already-...
The last time I looked, Stek IMO has less OP than Xpel
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Amigo !
On a blind test ( You don`t know what brand it is), It is pretty much impossible to be able to say - "That`s 3M, that is Xpel" with any confidence... Perhaps the best PPF installers who have been doing it for decades, will be able to tell the difference???

The only thing I can say about the newest 3M I just had installed a few months ago on my new 2022 Shadow Black, Ford Ranger Lariat, is that this film looks really great !

The line is so "thin" that it is hard to pick it up.. It seems to be very, very, clear, and moving my eyes from the line across the hood and back to the painted area, I cannot see any difference.. Perhaps it being Black helps that??

On another vehicle I own, a 2007 Acura TL Type-S, 6-speed manual, in a copper bronze color, it is hard to "see" the line of it on the hood very well, and most people looking at the car never even notice it has PPF on it until I tell them and point it out..

Applying anything on it, it being plastic, and kind of able to absorb it, of course improves the gloss, which perhaps makes it look "clearer", but you have to remember, that it being plastic, it will sooner than you know, will not hold onto your product, and it will just go away...

I have never seen any verifiable studies that can actually measure product -on- ppf and then measure the lack of it, and set some kind of baseline, etc.., on how ppf reacts to, etc., product applied to it, and then, when it starts to go away..

I spend the money on it for my vehicles because I want them all to be paint chip free forever... And they all are ! :) I see not a huge amount of difference between the beautiful, clear, swirl free, coated, paintwork, and the ppf, and do not care if there is a difference anyway... :)
Dan F.
 
Question: when you go to a shop to have ppf done why do most places already have pre made packages already made up with price. Is it possible to get a custom installation where I tell them what areas i want done and they do it instead of these packages. Thanks.
 
Bull6791 said:
Question: when you go to a shop to have ppf done why do most places already have pre made packages already made up with price. Is it possible to get a custom installation where I tell them what areas i want done and they do it instead of these packages. Thanks.
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Depends on the shop I`d imagine. Some have defined packages like full front end, high impact areas only, full wrap and i cant imagine any reputable installer not being willing to add/subtract areas based upon customer desires.

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Bull6791 said:
Why do shops have these packages. Are they cheaper.
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Not cheaper really...materials are materials regardless of packaging/grouping. Just popular choices that satisfy the majority of folks without overcomplicating it. Not everyone wants to be involved at an `Autopian` level, picking and choosing specific, individual areas to be covered.

Also it`s a relatively good chance that based upon previous experience, the installer has a pretty good understanding of which particular areas of a given vehicle have shown to be especially vulnerable, areas that might not occur to a client who was left to a `pick n choose, a la carte` PPF selection process.

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