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PPF

Messages
126
Likes
111
Location
Colorado
#1
I’m considering some form of paint protection after incurring my first minor nick on the front fender.

How does the more modern film, such as xpel, hold up over the years – does it yellow or crack with age like some of the older material did? My car generally always garaged and well taken care of.

At some point as it begins to age, will removal ruin the notoriously thin paint?

I’m just weighing my options – I’m particular about my vehicles, however the cost for PPF and the potential for reapplication and paint damage during removal is a concern when factoring in the relatively low cost of the vehicle.

Thoughts?
 


Messages
115
Likes
152
Location
Audubon, PA
#2
Hey,

I had my front bumper covered with xpel when the car was 200 miles old. This August it will be 5 years, and the car has about 56k miles now.

The good -
-The bumper definitely looks significantly better than it would if it was never wrapped.
-It doesn’t need to be detailed. It’s virtually impossible to scratch, unless the film is perforated.
-There are NO signs of yellowing.
-It’s very discreet. I can see the seams, but nobody has noticed before.

The bad -
-It’s not quite as tough as I would like. It does have rock chips in it.
-The corners are starting to show signs of lifting up.
-It is easy for wax to make it’s way under the edges if you apply by machine (rotary polisher or similar).

I’ll post some pictures later today, as I am finishing detailing today, hopefully.
 


the duke

Senior Member
Messages
935
Likes
886
Location
Cleveland
#3
XPEL is top. I hadit but due to an accident I ended up getting the front bumper replaced and insurance only usd some shittier 3M pre-cut material. That was 5 years ago and I have no lifting, no yellowing, nothing. Front looks mint,
 


CSM

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,530
Likes
1,622
Location
Cleveland, OH, USA
#5
FWIW, My FRS has 8 year old PPF. Its top quality 3M material that was installed when previous owner bought it. Its held up well. I recently had the car full polished and ceramic coated and the polish took care of the very slight yellowing.
 


Messages
59
Likes
67
Location
Chicago
#6
I’ve had Xpel (full front clip) for two years. No yellowing/lifting/cracking—of course, mine hasn’t been on all that long. I’m happy with the protection. At the very least, it saved me from having a long scratch across my hood (from my own careless use of a snow brush/scrapper). The whole “self-healing” part is pretty cool. I can’t speak to removal.
 


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