Common PPF Installation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Did you know that painting your car down the line could cost you thousands of dollars? For this reason, you should do whatever it takes to provide your car’s paint with the protection it needs now.

One easy way to do this is by having what is called PPF installed on your car. PPF stands for paint protection film, and it’s a type of film that can be applied directly to your car to keep the paint on it safe.

There are many benefits of PPF. But before you start the PPF installation process, be aware of PPF installation mistakes that people sometimes make so that you can avoid them at all costs. It’ll ensure you don’t have any regrets once you’re finished having PPF installation service.

Here is a handful of common PPF installation mistakes and what you can do to steer clear of them.

Choosing to Cover Only Certain Parts of a Car With PPF

If you’re going to have PPF put on your car, you should go all the way and cover all of it. You don’t want to make the mistake of only covering some parts of your car and risk having your car’s paint job look very uneven later.

There are some people who will only have PPF put on specific parts of their cars, like the hoods and the wheel arches. And while you’re welcome to do this if you want, you’ll be making one of the silliest PPF installation mistakes.

Cover your whole car with PPF from the start. It’ll give your entire car all the protection it needs when you’re out on the road.

Using Low-Quality Paint Protection Film

Most PPF is going to last for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. After that, you’ll need to have it replaced if you still have your car.

You may, however, end up having to replace your PPF even sooner than that if you choose a low-quality PPF at the beginning. It’s why you should be diligent about picking out high-quality PPF that’s going to last you for a long time.

If you’re going to make an investment in PPF, you might as well go all-in when you’re picking out PPF. It’ll produce the best results possible and make your car look amazing.

Failing to Prepare the Surface of a Car for PPF Installation

Preparing cars for PPF can take longer than the actual PPF installation process in some cases. You’ll need to make sure that the exterior of your car is 100% clean before you have PPF put on it.

If there’s even just a little bit of dust on your car, it could have a huge impact on the way in which your PPF sticks to your car. It might start to peel off before long and force you to consider having a new PPF put on it.

The prep process for PPF isn’t necessarily going to be fun. But it will be necessary for you to get the exterior of your car clean before you do anything else.

Lining Up the PPF for a Car Wrong

This is one of the biggest PPF installation mistakes that people make when they’re applying PPF to a car. They won’t line up the PPF correctly from the start, and it’ll lead to the PPF being lined up on a car all wrong when it’s done.

If this happens, you’re pretty much going to have to peel PPF right off your car and start over again. Otherwise, your car isn’t going to look quite right, and you’re also going to find that the PPF on it won’t provide as much protection as you would like.

Trying to Rush Through the End of the PPF Installation Process

At the very end of the PPF installation process, an industrial heat gun will be used to activate all of the adhesive that is in PPF. It’ll shrink the PPF and create a tight fit for your car.

Far too often, those using the PPF installation method will try to rush through this part of things. They won’t let the PPF heat up enough, and it’ll result in it not sticking to the surface of a car as it should.

You might be excited to get your car back out there so that you can show everyone how great it looks. But before you do, you should give the PPF time to get warmed up and then dry so that it’ll stay put for many years to come.

Attempting to Take the DIY Approach to PPF Installation

If you have a lot of experience working on cars and you want to apply PPF to your car on your own, have at it. But if you aren’t that well-versed in the car world, you should leave the PPF installation process up to the professionals.

They’ll be able to help you select the right PPF for your specific car. They’ll also be able to utilize their preferred PPF installation method to get the PPF that you’ve chosen onto your car.

Best of all, they’ll make sure you don’t make any of these PPF installation mistakes. Learn more about PPF car wraps and see how the pros can help you before scheduling a PPF installation.

Avoid Making Any of These PPF Installation Mistakes

When you’re all done putting PPF on your car, you should feel good about the way it looks and the way the PPF is going to protect your car. But you might not feel this way if you make any of these PPF installation mistakes.

Avoid making these mistakes at all costs. It’ll leave you with a much better-finished product when you’re all done putting PPF on your car.

Read through some of our other blog articles to get more tips on taking care of your car.