Thoughts on paint protection film

[chetJ]

This question was recently asked on the Car Talk show on NPR and they said that if the dealer was offering it, it was a sham and in general that added paint protection is not neccessary.

 

[mbrogz3000]

For my information, should the protection film get applied over a fully washed and waxed paint surface or should it be applied over a fully stripped (ie. Dawn wash) paint surface?

 

[kingpin748]

This question was recently asked on the Car Talk show on NPR and they said that if the dealer was offering it, it was a sham and in general that added paint protection is not neccessary.

It's tough to argue that anything from a dealership isn't a scam. Having said that, as long as your getting an actual name brand product like 3M you can't go wrong with it. This stuff protects headlights, fog lights, and paint significantly better than nothing at all.

 

[nah2323]

typically the car is washed really well, then cleaned of wax in the applied areas immediately prior to application.

 

[glocke12]

This question was recently asked on the Car Talk show on NPR and they said that if the dealer was offering it, it was a sham and in general that added paint protection is not neccessary.

As I mentioned before, I have this on my car. While I would not call it a complete sham, I would call it a luxury that is optional and not needed unless you do alot of driving, especially on the highway.

With my previous 4runner the front of my hood had a fair amount of rock chips in the first year from highway driving. Since I wanted to avoid that, I had this material installed. It was expensive, and since I am not made of money it kind of hurt to part with that much cash, but at the same time I feel better knowing that in 4-5 years the protected areas will look significantly better on my current vehicle than they did on my last.

I also have it on my headlights and rear rockers.

If your the kind of person that does not drive alot of highway miles, and doesnt put alot of miles on their car to begin with (Id say <1k a month) Id say this option should not be a priority for you. But if you put over 1k a month on your car, and have a daily commute that takes you on the highway you might want to consider it.

 

[Aerostone]

What about when you take off the film after a year or two, the paint on the covered part is almost brand new but the rest of the truck has aged? Has anyone seen this?

 

[shishibo]

just remember to get 3M! night & day difference on material.