Removing Paintshield
Discussion
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THE CAR!Has anyone on here had the experience of removing the paint protection film after several years and the original paintwork was damaged by this?
Getting the car fully film protected comes at a tremendous cost (ca. EUR 6,000.00 over here). If the film has to be renewed at some point for some reason (so I have read elsewhere), I could only raise this sum every ten years or so for purely financial reasons.
So the questions for me is: Can I leave the film on the car for ten years? Isn´t there a massive risk that the paintwork will be damaged when the film is being removed (even if done carefully) after such a long time? I guess the company that puts on the film will not guarantee for not damaging the paintwork by removal, will they? If there are no experiences to be had for a period of ten years or so as this whole paint protection film technology is still quite young and its products seem to develop quickly and steadily, the risk would be all on my side.
So, if leaving the film on the car for ten years turned out to be unrealistic and a change of film needed to be done much earlier (e.g. after five to six years?), the only financial option for me would be to get only the front part of the car covered (that means either to live with the line on the bonnet or – more expensive – go right through to the A-post) and repeat this procedure every six years or so. But even if I was prepared to get together that necessary money (maybe EUR 2,500.00 - 3,000.00 ???) every six years, I would still be frightened that the paintwork might get damaged by the removal as there seems to be no warranty.
Any experiences welcome.
Getting the car fully film protected comes at a tremendous cost (ca. EUR 6,000.00 over here). If the film has to be renewed at some point for some reason (so I have read elsewhere), I could only raise this sum every ten years or so for purely financial reasons.
So the questions for me is: Can I leave the film on the car for ten years? Isn´t there a massive risk that the paintwork will be damaged when the film is being removed (even if done carefully) after such a long time? I guess the company that puts on the film will not guarantee for not damaging the paintwork by removal, will they? If there are no experiences to be had for a period of ten years or so as this whole paint protection film technology is still quite young and its products seem to develop quickly and steadily, the risk would be all on my side.
So, if leaving the film on the car for ten years turned out to be unrealistic and a change of film needed to be done much earlier (e.g. after five to six years?), the only financial option for me would be to get only the front part of the car covered (that means either to live with the line on the bonnet or – more expensive – go right through to the A-post) and repeat this procedure every six years or so. But even if I was prepared to get together that necessary money (maybe EUR 2,500.00 - 3,000.00 ???) every six years, I would still be frightened that the paintwork might get damaged by the removal as there seems to be no warranty.
Any experiences welcome.
Hi Emilio, I started this thread, and based on the feedback on here went ahead and removed the ppf - half bonnet, front wings and door mirrors. It was fitted when the car was new (6.5 years ago), and came off pretty easily with no damage to the paintwork. I heated it very slightly if it seemed to be sticking, but it generally came off ok.
The latest preference seems to be applying a ceramic coating to the whole car, which lasts for several years.
The latest preference seems to be applying a ceramic coating to the whole car, which lasts for several years.
Indeed, Johnny, I am starting to think of dropping the whole PPF idea and alternatively get on a glass ceramic coating. I have yet no idea how much that would cost and how much protection against stone chips could reasonably be expected from this, but I will get informed about this. Maybe this would be an acceptable solution for a very light and sparse use of the car.
On the other hand I was so thrilled by reading and hearing of the protection that modern self-healing PPF seems to give to the car. Driving the car without worrying of getting too near to other cars or lorries would really ease the whole experience. Keeping in mind that most parts of the car (e.g. the roof; countless times something has hit the roof of my VW Golf - but without damage apparently) are unprotected by a "cheap" half-way PPF solution or a non-PPF ceramic coating solution would be quite uncomfortable when I get to drive it.
But as long as I can´t estimate the possible risks of removing a PPF, I am cautious. It´s a dilemma for me.
On the other hand I was so thrilled by reading and hearing of the protection that modern self-healing PPF seems to give to the car. Driving the car without worrying of getting too near to other cars or lorries would really ease the whole experience. Keeping in mind that most parts of the car (e.g. the roof; countless times something has hit the roof of my VW Golf - but without damage apparently) are unprotected by a "cheap" half-way PPF solution or a non-PPF ceramic coating solution would be quite uncomfortable when I get to drive it.
But as long as I can´t estimate the possible risks of removing a PPF, I am cautious. It´s a dilemma for me.
Be careful - you're not really comparing like with like.
The ceramic coating will make cleaning the car easier and provide some protection from the elements (UV, etc). It's not going to protect the car from paint chips or light scratches. On the plus side it's relatively cheap to apply (indeed some on here have applied it over the top of PPF), so you could just resolve to use the money saved to put towards respraying the bonnet etc
Ppf will also protect against the elements, makes cleaning the car easy etc. But it's generally tough enough to also protect against stone chips. Downside as you know is the cost. You might want to talk to a specialist (hopefully Paddy will be along soon), but the guarantees on PPF are typically for 5-7 years. So they're clearly designed to last at least that long but whether they can make it to ten years I don't know.
Ive not yet heard of anyone who's had trouble taking PPF offor had it do damage to paintwork (albeit I'm sure if I searched google hard enough someone somewhere would have had an issue).
If you're put off by the cost of PPF I would explore having the front and bonnet done (it doesn't need to finish half way down, that sounds like amateur-night) and a ceramic coating elsewhere. Might be a sensible compromise
The ceramic coating will make cleaning the car easier and provide some protection from the elements (UV, etc). It's not going to protect the car from paint chips or light scratches. On the plus side it's relatively cheap to apply (indeed some on here have applied it over the top of PPF), so you could just resolve to use the money saved to put towards respraying the bonnet etc
Ppf will also protect against the elements, makes cleaning the car easy etc. But it's generally tough enough to also protect against stone chips. Downside as you know is the cost. You might want to talk to a specialist (hopefully Paddy will be along soon), but the guarantees on PPF are typically for 5-7 years. So they're clearly designed to last at least that long but whether they can make it to ten years I don't know.
Ive not yet heard of anyone who's had trouble taking PPF offor had it do damage to paintwork (albeit I'm sure if I searched google hard enough someone somewhere would have had an issue).
If you're put off by the cost of PPF I would explore having the front and bonnet done (it doesn't need to finish half way down, that sounds like amateur-night) and a ceramic coating elsewhere. Might be a sensible compromise
Could you be more specific on this, especially does this happen rarely or often?Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff