Both the car bodywork protection film and vinyl wrap are thin films that are applied on the paint of your vehicle. But there are lots of fundamental differences between these two.
Both of these things do their part perfectly, but choosing the right one is necessary. That is why here are some things that you can consider when choosing between the two.
Making The Right Choice
As we already mentioned, the prices of both these things are almost identical. But your perfect choice depends on whether you are looking to protect the outer surface of the car, or are losing to improve the aesthetics. Also, considering the budget can become a consideration as well.
For Visual Appeal
If you are looking for just the looks, you can go with the vinyl wraps. There are tons of vinyl wrap designs to choose from. You can basically get any type of vinyl wrap made according to your needs.
In addition to the designs and stuff, you can also get a limitless amount of materials to choose from. But that is pretty much all that a vinyl wrap can do for your car. It only enhances the look of your vehicle’s paint.
In addition to the colorful wraps, you can also choose the types which are a bit transparent, and help retain the original color of your car.
To Add Protection
Getting vehicle paint protection films installed means adding an extra layer of protection to your car. These are mostly transparent, and do not add any color on top of your car’s original paint.
These films are marketed as self-healing, meaning that they will heal themselves after being exposed to damaging surfaces and scratching substances. These add a layer of top coat on top of the stock paint which keeps the paint beneath safe from any type of light abrasions and unexpected damage.
For light damages on the paint protective film, some heat application usually melts off the PPF and the top layer gets back into the perfect shape. If you live in a sunny area, sunlight exposure might be all you will need to melt down the top layer and repair the damage.
This is definitely a better option as compared to visiting a shop and waiting for the scratch to get fixed. However, you should keep your expectations realistic with the paint protection film applied on your car.
For the people who want to modify the looks of their car even with a PPF on, they should opt for the ceramic coating on top of it, as it is the best option they can ever go with.
Getting A Professional Installation
There are experienced installers that prefer to install both the vinyl wraps and paint protection films by themselves, but you should never attempt to do it yourself unless you have a prior experience of the whole process. After all, this is the outer look of your beloved car, and you do not want to ruin it just to save a few bucks.
There are two options that you will have to choose one out of when it comes to the installation part. Wet installation can be done easily, and any errors can be eliminated by repositioning the wrap/film. But it is not the best method to try on your car.
On the other hand, the dry method might be a bit difficult to apply and master, but you can achieve a perfect installation with this method. But since the vinyl sticks permanently to the paint up on contact, you will need to have better application skills.
That is why the paint protection film in particular should be applied by an appropriately experienced professional. Every PPF manufacturer these days has their own certified professionals. You can only claim the warranty if you hire them for PPF installation.
How Long Do They Last?
The guarantee of PPFs usually ranges between 5 to 10 years depending on the manufacturer you choose to buy from. There are also some expensive alternatives with much longer guaranteed.
Vinyl wraps, on the other hand, have warranties starting from 3 years for hot climates.
This is all you need to know about vinyl wraps and Paint Protection Films. When getting one installed, select an expert paint protection film installer Springfield.