Has anyone had any issues with clear wrap or clear bra?

[solderhead]

More concerned with long term, has anyone heard of anyone removing clear bra or wrap and have paint damage?

Thank you!

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[Skye]

If you go back to the 1st generation of these products many years ago, they were prone to cracking and yellowing over time. The latest generation, no.

I've not read of anyone receiving damage while the latest materials are being removed and new later re-applied. With this topic, it pays to use a quality product, installed and removed by those trained in the craft. Go cheap or have an Uncle Urkle do it , YMMV.

I'm using XPEL PPF, which has a 10-year warranty against all defects. Several I know are using it. None of us are experiencing any problems with aging or damage. I've received several strikes. The material shows no signs of weakening.

Warrantied for 10 years, I expect to replace it sometimes afterwards. But there are a lot of variables. Maybe I'll replace in 10 years and a day, maybe several years later, IDK.

If you continue to be interested, I always encourage people to tour shops and see what they're doing, discuss options. Many offer packages based on coverage. XPEL franchisees use plotters to cut the material to custom-fit the film to the car.

 

[High Velocity]

I just removed 13 year old paint protection film that was on my dad’s car.

It was on the full front bumper and partial hood. Zero paint damage when removing it.

I used my steamer to remove it. He just had all new xpel paint protection film on the full front bumper, full hood and partial fenders.

Just keep in mind every car is different, just because I had no damage after removing it does not mean you will be able to remove yours with no damage.

When it comes to ppf, some brands use a stronger adhesive than others. Also your paint can play a role in removal as well. Factory paint jobs are baked on where aftermarket paint jobs are usually not for example.

Last but not least, if one car has 10 year old ppf but it was garaged and another car has ppf that’s only 5 years old but it sits outside baking in the sun all day. Well it’s a good chance the one that’s been baking in the sun will be much harder to remove.

Call some shops and have a professional remove it would be my advice.

 

[bankyf]

If the part of the car you are wrapping has been repainted, there is a greater risk of paint coming off. I have installed and removed PPF on several of my vehicles and the only issue I had was some paint removal on an area of a plastic bumper that had been repainted.

 

[MAGS1]

Stick with a high quality film (and installer) and there should be no issues. Removal, if done properly, shouldn’t cause any damage unless there has been a repaint as others have said. Even then, it should be minimal.

If it’s not installed properly then you could have issues of peeling and possibly yellowing.

 

[solderhead]

I did not think about this until now but what about the vinyl stripes on a GT350. Like you all said, will just find and ask a good installer but was curious on that too. Thank you again for the great responses.

 

[Skye]

I did not think about this until now but what about the vinyl stripes on a GT350.

I can lay out a few options.

- Nothing. Consider the existing stripe a sacrificial layer. While not PPF, the stripe will have a protecting effect to the underlying paint. See also RokBlokz or GT500-like guards to help protect the rocker area stripes (and paint)

- A Ghost stripe. Have the PPF installed as expected, up to but not including the factory stripe. As a final step, have a dedicated piece of PPF cut and installed across the stripe

- Install PPF in one piece, across the paint and stripes; this is not recommended. PPF will not show well and have a tendency to lift at the transition point of the paint-to-stripe

I did option one. The Mach 1 vinyl stripes, while not PPF, are pretty thick as is. Getting a ghost strip across the factory vinyl was not worth it, considering the price of simply replacing the stripes. I can tell I've taken rocks on the factory vinyl along the rockers, but the effects are so subtle, I can really only see it when on the ground and looking directly at them from inches away. RokBlockz or GT500 guards could be another option here.

I've yet to take a hit on the hood vinyl, maybe because the hood is soo flat, it goes straight for the windshield instead.

 

[GrabberBargeCaptain]

I dont know if i'd ever do PPF again except for the front clip/headlights area. It's REALLY hard to find installers that don't do sloppy work (look at the seams and where body panels meet other panels on most PPF'd cars and it's not pretty).

On my wife's CX5, the 3M Pro PPF'd hood is pretty cloudy and has lost its gloss (think it was installed in late 2020 on a brand new car). The fenders and front clip are still pretty glossy, so im guessing UV just did its thing on the hood. Car has been garaged for the latter half of that time span and has been washed weekly or biweekly, weather cooperating, by me, for the most part. Not covered by warranty since it's not yellowed or cracking. I did ceramic coat the film which makes me wonder if there was an adverse reaction from the coating.

You will still get punctures in the film over time and it looks the same as rock chips except you need to spend a couple grand getting new film applied aka never gonna happen unless it's a classic car or something. There are some PPF renewal products that I haven't tried that I will before deciding to rip the PPF off or we sell the car.

On the mustang, i did the front clip/headlights since thats where 90% of the damage will occur (and yep i've already had one little puncture on the front clip, paint underneath seems fine). I found a great installer in my area who's done the cleanest job i've seen which was cool.

I'd do headlights on ANY car though, those suckers are expensive and they go cloudy after a few years.

 

[solderhead]

I can lay out a few options.

- Nothing. Consider the existing stripe a sacrificial layer. While not PPF, the stripe will have a protecting effect to the underlying paint. See also RokBlokz or GT500-like guards to help protect the rocker area stripes (and paint)

- A Ghost stripe. Have the PPF installed as expected, up to but not including the factory stripe. As a final step, have a dedicated piece of PPF cut and installed across the stripe

- Install PPF in one piece, across the paint and stripes; this is not recommended. PPF will not show well and have a tendency to lift at the transition point of the paint-to-stripe

I did option one. The Mach 1 vinyl stripes, while not PPF, are pretty thick as is. Getting a ghost strip across the factory vinyl was not worth it, considering the price of simply replacing the stripes. I can tell I've taken rocks on the factory vinyl along the rockers, but the effects are so subtle, I can really only see it when on the ground and looking directly at them from inches away. RokBlockz or GT500 guards could be another option here.

I've yet to take a hit on the hood vinyl, maybe because the hood is soo flat, it goes straight for the windshield instead.

Man, you laid this out perfectly! Thank you, and I have heard people putting a layer on the windshield, something to consider I guess.

 

[Skye]

Like bodywork and paint, it is best to shop around and see real world examples of their work.

I've attached two from Skye. One is along the rocker, where the PPF meets the stripe. Another, along the back where PPF meets a lens.

For many of the panels, there's often nothing to see. The XPEL PPF templates used leave a bit for those seams, to wrap around the edges of those panels. There's nothing to note PPF is even there.

The team I relied on had huge plotters in the back to cut the materials. The only free-hand items were for unique and custom installs.

YMMV.

 

[MAGS1]

Man, you laid this out perfectly! Thank you, and I have heard people putting a layer on the windshield, something to consider I guess.

I’m honestly not sure how PPF on windshields would do with wipers. You’d have to really stay on top of the PPF and make sure you have a good ceramic coating on there to keep it slick. Otherwise I would think the wiper blades would try to grab the PPF. I’ve never tried it so I honestly don’t know

 

[solderhead]

I’m honestly not sure how PPF on windshields would do with wipers. You’d have to really stay on top of the PPF and make sure you have a good ceramic coating on there to keep it slick. Otherwise I would think the wiper blades would try to grab the PPF. I’ve never tried it so I honestly don’t know

Definitely! Do not want that wiping away lol.

 

[kilobravo]

I used my steamer to remove it.

Mind if I ask which model steamer, HV?

..which makes me wonder if there was an adverse reaction from the coating.

Pretty sure that's not the case, Captain, I've certainly never heard or read of that happening.

I dont know if i'd ever do PPF again except for the front clip/headlights area.

I feel the same way and skipped PPF on the '20 as I hate those dirty edges along the bottom.

 

[WItoTX]

They all yellow and crack over time. "The latest generation" hasn't been in the sun, or road grit, or grime, long enough to have any real long term tests done. So just assume it will eventually go bad. Taking it off won't hurt your paint.

If you track your car at all, the clear will absorb the rubber, so you will have black marks, that if you clean it with R3, or whatever rubber remover product you choose, will turn brown. Just a fact of life.

If you are just trying to protect paint on the road, there is no better investment IMO. Track days, it certainly helps, but does have drawbacks.

 

[High Velocity]

Mind if I ask which model steamer, HV?


Pretty sure that's not the case, Captain, I've certainly never heard or read of that happening.



I feel the same way and skipped PPF on the '20 as I hate those dirty edges along the bottom.

I have the McCULLOCH MC1375, I bought it just to have to remove ppf because my shop that I use charges around $130.00 an hour to remove ppf. It did a really good job for the price.

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