do you guys polish PPF?

[MAGS1]

Do you have imperfections in the PPF? If they’re just some light scratches, PPF can self heal with heat. Hot water or a blow dryer will do the trick most of the time. Can also use a heat gun but don’t get it too hot.

I would avoid anything abrasive if at all possible. Maybe a finishing/jeweling polish by hand but I’d be hesitant to take a machine to it.

As Tony mentioned, 3M is one of the top film brands out there. If they say not to use abrasives, I would follow their recommendations.

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[AZ_Ryan]

Excuse me in advance, but the concept of polishing paint protection film, somehow, to me, seems really weird.

The PPF can get scratched or scraped. Years ago I had a piece of carpet fly off a trailer in front of me (not properly secured) and hit my hood and fender on the freeway. It scraped the paint and PPF on passenger side. Polishing (by hand) was able to correct most of the scraping on the PPF.

Modern XPEL PPF is designed to be "self healing" when heat is applied to the damaged area.

That said, outside of damage there is no reason to polish your PPF.

 

[Son of SVO]

I have ppf on the front of the car. If polishing here means machine, i would not recommend. My experience, and my car is xpel is it's fine to use paint cleaner and sealer (my choice) or wax hand applied. I happen to use Pinnacle Brilliance products and have great had great results!

 

[TonyNJ]

The OP has a PPF on the front of his car that isn't self healing with heat. It's a slightly older style from 2020 and I'm pretty positive it isn't 3M. As for polishing it, do it by hand to clean any light imperfections and shine it up. Then add another coat of ceramic as that car hasn't had any in at least 1-2 years.

It will look great. The new 3M stuff that self heals has a 10yr warranty. A heat gun makes it look new when it gets scratched. The older stuff isn't like that. Way less lifespan.

 

[cerbomark]

Thanks, because 80% of the car is covered I m wondering what my fall detailing will need to be. I d like to get it right before I coat it once again .

 

[MAGS1]

Seek out a PPF specific coating too. There’s a few out there now and they’re designed to work specifically with PPF. Should get a little more longevity out of it too. Here’s a few:
GTechniq Halo
Carpro CQuartz Skin
Gyeon PPF

 

[S550HPP]

Black car.

Yes I polish my full PPF car with red foam pad, rotary polisher, light pressure, constant movement, light water misting, final polish compound.

The goal is to clean, and introduce heat for PPF healing, especially the fine scratches and gouges. 1-2 times year.

Afterwards I apply a hybrid wax ceramic by hand then hand buff with terry cloth.

Whole process takes me 2 hrs. Looks like new and beading is great.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Black car.

Yes I polish my full PPF car with red foam pad, rotary polisher, light pressure, constant movement, light water misting, final polish compound.

The goal is to clean, and introduce heat for PPF healing, especially the fine scratches and gouges. 1-2 times year.

Afterwards I apply a hybrid wax ceramic by hand then hand buff with terry cloth.

Whole process takes me 2 hrs. Looks like new and beading is great.

Yikes. A red pad? 1-2 times a year? Not sure where to start with this...

Let me just say that with a proper coating, or even proper washing maintenance, none of that is necessary.

As for machine polishing PPF, no vendor recommends it.

 

[S550HPP]

It works for me. By red pad I mean the ultra soft dimpled final buff pad.

I don't have time for proper wash it's the hand wash bay, spray with engine or wheel cleaner, soak for 3 min, rinse, blow dry and wipe with spray detailer in 25 min.

The guys that did the PPF mostly do $200K + cars paint correction, ceramic, and PPF I asked them first they said it was fine to polish the PPF with fine.

It's very easy to burn the PPF though so need to be very delicate and careful around edges and make sure the rotation direction is not against any of edges.

 

[DFB5.0]

If needed, yes, you can polish PPF. However, just do some research on the brand of PPF you have before starting, as others have mentioned, they are not all created the equal.

This video shows removing spot scratches from PPF, first attempting to heat treat the PPF, then progressing to polishing when that proved unsuccessful. In this case, he has XPEL.

Paint Protection Film | Exclusive XPEL Dealer In Tampa, FL (autopaintguard.com)

 

[kilobravo]

If considering polishing, I'd discuss with an installer that regularly works with the mateirals.

Excellent advice.

That said, outside of damage there is no reason to polish your PPF.

Totally agree, Ryan.

Let me just say that with a proper coating, or even proper washing maintenance, none of that is necessary.

Again, I agree and the reason is, I have polished a handful of PPF'd vehicles with both 3M and Xpel film over the years and my observation was that the glossiness didn't change a wit. That said, as others have mentioned, the heat gun method helps the scratches but for more serious issues, compound and polisher will often remove the problem BUT, you gots to be ultra careful to avoid damaging the film itself. No pressure, constant movement, ultra fine pad and compound is the safest route.

It's very easy to burn the PPF though so need to be very delicate and careful around edges and make sure the rotation direction is not against any of edges.

This ↑↑↑

But honestly, I think anyone who tries this will be disappointed with the results, the material is simply not going to shine up like paint. It is vinyl after all, not hardened clear coat, and it can MELT with the heat of an improperly used machine.

Finally, the way to get the most gloss on a vehicle is through polishing the clear coat, not the film. You want the film to be as invisible as possible so it allows the now polished paint to shine through.

But the biggest mistake is to have film applied to a vehicle that was not polished first in an effort to save money. Huge mistake IMHO.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother OP, you'll get better a better sheen with a good topcoater.

 

[S550HPP]

To heal just use hot water or steamer. To clean use alcohol and hand swirl remover. Takes longer but safer if not 100% confident with rotary polisher skills, compound and pad selection.

I tape all black trim off and all edges to be extra safe.

 

[kilobravo]

I tape all black trim off and all edges to be extra safe.

Same here.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

I tried Gyeon PPF-Renew and it did nothing. This was on my wife's CX5 which, on the hood, the 3M PPF had gotten a bit cloudy looking and lost its sheen. Ended up peeling that crap off. Her bumper looks ok still so i left that on.

It lasted 3-4 years so i guess it did its job. It was taken care of pretty well by yours truly, ceramic coated and regularly washed.

 

[S550HPP]

Only 3-4 years? Parked outside all the time? Seems a bit low. Many have 10 year warranty against fading, cracking, peeling...

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