Fitting paint protection film, LHS (Photo credit: exfordy)
Anyone who has ever bought a new or lightly used car understands the drive to protect it from being damaged by the elements, insect hits, other drivers and a whole host of other things which can ruin that new car look. However, until recently the options available to your average Joe were few; you could either put your car in storage in a garage for most of the year or throw a dust cover over it when not in use. Obviously neither of these are attractive options for anyone who owns only one car and, what’s more, the true driving enthusiast wants to get out there on the road.
To provide a better solution to this problem which would allow car owners to use their cars yet be afforded the same protection they would have if they put their car in storage a number of companies like 3M pioneered the use of paint protection films. In effect, paint protection film or clear bras put the protection of a garage on your car in the form of 15mil thick, optically clear film. It’s sort of like the old Buddhist adage which says if you can’t cover the earth in leather to protect your feet from being scratched and cut by rocks and thorns the next best thing you can do is to cover the soles of your feet in leather (think: sandals). And, since we all know that we can’t do anything about the infinite variety of things which will surely damage your car’s exterior (whether teenagers with keys, acid rain, UV light, sand-flies, etc… ) it’s clear that installing paint protection film is the way to go.
Template for paint protection film, RHS (Photo credit: exfordy)
Now that we’ve made a convincing case for paint protective film we need simply look at the options. In essence, there are two types of film that can be purchased for auto protection:
1.) Pre-cut paint protection for your specific year, make and model of car
2.) Sheets of protection film which you hand-cut to your vehicle
Pre-cut paint protection film seems at first to be the easiest option and with several companies now offering these kits for purchase online it makes getting them t your door-step that much easier. However, the buyer should beware that although these kits are pre-cut for the vehicle of your choice it can be hard at times to understand and apply a kit which was designed and tested by a professional. At times, it can appear as if the kit is too short or as if it has odd cuts or slits n it that don’t appear to line up with anything on your vehicle’s exterior. However, 99% of the time this is simply a result of the fact that even pre-cut kits need to be heated and manipulated in order to correctly fit on your vehicle.
As daunting as it may sound, sheets of auto protection film are a popular alternative to the pre-cut kits and, in fact, have been around much longer. Still, the task of manipulating and cutting large sheets of thick, protective film is one that should not be attempted alone or without sufficient practice and learning. Thankfully there are a number of resources online such as YouTube and how-to sites which will help you to understand how to install this film and can give you a big boost.
As we have seen, paint protection film is a great way to preserve the look and value of your car while still being able to enjoy using it. Unless you’re incredibly rich or simply a crazy collector, if you want to keep your car looking mint choosing paint protection is the way to go. Good luck out there and drive safe even if you have paint protection installed!
Rvinyl is your one stop shop for pre-cut paint protection kits and sheets of professional grade, 15 mil protection film. Don’t let the elements destroy your car’s good looks, pick up a kit today at a fraction of the cost of Xpel or 3M VentureShield: https://www.rvinyl.com/paint-protection.html
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