20 Mar Paint Protection Film (PPF) – Everything You Need To Know.
DSJ Detailing is proud to announce we are officially an XPEL accredited Paint Protection Film installer. We’ve had many enquiries regarding our newly offered service and thought it would be beneficial to all if we opened our knowledge library on everything PPF to help you make an informed decision when it comes to protecting your pride and joy with XPEL PPF.
Our team, receiving their XPEL Paint Protection Film accreditation.
In this post we will cover the key topics and commonly asked questions surrounding Paint Protection Film, these include:
- What is Paint Protection Film?
- Why should I use Paint Protection Film?
- What are the benefits of using PPF on my car?
- Does paint protection film damage paint?
- How much does PPF cost in the UK?
- Does paint protection film come with a warranty?
- Paint Protection Film or Ceramic Coating?
- How do I maintain my PPF best?
- Best places to PPF your car in the UK?
- What types of paint protection films are there?
- Does DSJ offer any pickup service for my car when having PPF installed?
- What is our preferred paint protection film?
- DSJ Detailing paint protection review?
- Paint Protection Film, yes or no?
What is Paint Protection Film?
Paint protection film safeguards a cars paint from troublesome stone chips, the weather elements and key scratches with an invisible layer of plastic. Investing in this protective plastic armour is a proven way to protect your cherished possession from unwanted scratches or ‘love marks’ (this happens when a car is washed with a not-so-clean sponge).
Why Should I use Paint Protection Film?
Typically, paint protection is used as it’s the best way to protect your cars paintwork from external marring, scratches and swirls. If you are going on a road trip and don’t want to have a full detail service performed to remove bug splatters on the front bumper, PPF is the best solution available on the market. Stone chips can also be troublesome when going on long drives and can be very costly to repair, so invest some time in considering PPF, it truly is the most practical option.
What are the benefits of using PPF on my car?
- Protect car’s paintwork
- Easier car maintenance
- Completely invisible to the naked eye
- Easy to remove
- Extensive warranty offered
- Protects paintwork from harmful UV rays
- Very cost-effective
- Protect the cars residual value
XPEL Trackwrap being applied.
Does paint protection film damage paint?
Absolutely not. Please keep in mind you should find a reputable installer that understands the various installation processes.
DSJ Detailing Tip: Make sure the car is squeaky clean before application of PPF is applied.
Any reputable installer will tell you the same. View our detailing services here for further information.
How much does PPF cost in the UK?
Typically prices start from £400 + VAT for one completed panel. Every detailer will vary on how they price up a PPF project but please do be wary of very cheap quotes that don’t include the correct cleaning, decontamination and correction stages. These steps are critical to the overall look of a car with PPF applied.
Paint Protection Film or Ceramic Coating?
Both have their respective benefits but for long-lasting protection, paint protection film is our go-to choice. Ceramic coating is typically used to enhance and protect the top layer of paint from light dirt. Paint protection film is the ultimate protection in our professional opinion. We do offer a new type of ceramic coating, named XPEL Fusion to accompany any XPEL wrap, which provides the additional ceramic benefits to an already protected car.
Applying XPEL PPF to a Porsche 997 Turbo Gen 2.
How to maintain paint protection film?
Paint protection film should be cared for in the same exact way as the factory paint of a car usually is. Typically, we advise on the following these steps:
DSJ Detailing Tip: Before you start; Always use clean tools; anything that touches the surface of the vehicle should be squeaky clean.
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- Start with the wheels as spray will often reach the vehicles paintwork. Rinse, wash and agitate with different sized wheel brushes.
- Thoroughly jet-wash each panel of the car starting from the top, working down.
- The fun part: snow foam application – leave to dwell for a few minutes or as per manufacturer’s instructions.
- Repeat stage 2: Thoroughly jet-wash each panel of the car starting from the top, working down.
- Using the ever so popular two bucket method, start washing each panel with your preferred washing sponge, taking care not to apply too much pressure on the paintwork.
- Repeat stage 2: Thoroughly jet-wash each panel of the car starting from the top, working down.
- Use an iron spray remover (leave to dwell until you see the particles reacting on the paintwork) and jet wash the panels once again.
- Now, another very fun stage: the clay bar! Make sure each panel is lubricated sufficiently. DSJ Detailing Tip: Work in small sections of the car and always go horizontal or vertical, never in circles!
- The final rinse – nearly there! Work from top to bottom once again.
- We typically use air drying tools to push trapped water out of the little nooks and crannies but if you don’t have this, be patient and use a good quality drying cloth.
Best places to PPF your car in the UK?
When deciding who to choose to install paint protection film, it’s very important to understand their detailing and cleansing process. You don’t want to apply plastic film to dirty paintwork! View their gallery and determine their process or give them a call to find out more information. If you are thinking of apply paint protection film, hopefully, you’ll think of us, contact information can be found here.
What types of paint protection films are there?
Whether you are looking to wrap your daily, classic or track car, we have the right choice for you. We offer 5 different types of paint protection films:
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- Ultimate Plus
- Stealth
- Interior Protection
- Trackwrap
- Armor
Fully Protected with Ultimate Plus XPEL PPF.
Does DSJ offer any pickup service for my car when having PPF installed?
We offer a completely free pick up and drop-off service when selecting any of our PPF packages. Your beloved car won’t rack up the mileage or get any unwanted stone chips on its journey to our studio in Stamford, Peterborough.
What is our preferred paint protection film?
Our technicians are fully trained and accredited installers for XPEL. We can’t put it any better than XPEL can, so here’s a quote on why we selected XPEL and what differentiates them from the other products on the market:
“At XPEL, we’re not just a business, we’re enthusiasts too. With everything we do, we put quality & our reputation at the forefront and have done so since 1997. Our world-wide installer network is driven by the most competent and well-trained technicians available. The products we offer are meticulously tested and proven to perform under the harshest conditions around while maintaining the best possible appearance. Trust XPEL to be the only thing between you and the open road.”
For further information on XPEL, click here.
DSJ Detailing paint protection review?
We’ve completed many successful PPF installs over the past few months, but this particular review stuck out from a long-standing detailing client:
“Having been a client of DSJ’s for around two years, I took the leap and decided to protect a few of my cars with PPF as I was tired of the constant bug marring and stone chips damaging my paint. I couldn’t be happier with the results; the installation is near perfect and my paintwork is fully protected. Bring on Le Mans 2020!”
– George, his Porsche and Bentley are pictured throughout this article!
Paint Protection Film, yes or no?
Hopefully, this post has given you all you need to know when it comes to PPF. Find out how you can protect your pride and joy by giving us a call via 01780 756778
If you would like to know more about DSJ Detailing, have a read of our first blog introducing who we are and what we do here.
Additional Links
Interested finding out how PPF can sav eyou money?, click here.
Do you want to meet our team and understand what services we offer in further detail if so visit our blog here.
If you would like to know more about how to protect your car’s paint, check out a previous blog here.
Alternatively, book your car in for the signature DSJ detail here.
More information on how to protect your car with ceramic coating can be found here.