Paint protection film has been around for a long time, nearly 50 years in fact. In that period it has been improved a great deal. Early films were prone to yellowing, lifting and cracking. The finish of those early films wasn’t great either, but now adhesive PPF is less prone to those early problems and has greater clarity.
However, there are still some limitations; adhesive PPF is supplied on a roll and cut on a special machine to patterns that are made for different vehicles. That leads to some obvious drawbacks – what if there is no pattern? If you own a very new car or drive a rare classic, chances are there is no pattern for your car. You either have to pay for a pattern to be made or the film will be cut to size directly on your car, with all the risks that go with it.
Whether it is cut on a machine or on your car, ideally, the edge of the film should be wrapped around each panel to avoid lifting. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. Just imagine trying to wrap a flat sheet around a tight curve or a pointed shape. If you’ve ever gift wrapped something with an unusual shape, like a ball or one of those perfumes that come in diamond shaped boxes, you will understand the problem. You get creases and folds that are unsightly.
The usual solution to this is to cut the film just a little bit smaller than the panel. But this leaves an edge that is visible and has adhesive on it. Over time dirt will accumulate here that you can’t get off. Maybe not a problem on a dark car, but how about a white one?
Size can be an issue. The rolls of film and the machines that cut it are a finite size. That’s OK if you have a smaller car, but what if you drive a Range Rover or Bentley Bentayga? You can have a small strip of film across your bonnet, or 2 pieces of film will be used, creating a seam.
The final point to consider is removal of the film. Over time, all those stones hitting the film will take their toll and show signs of wear. That’s OK, the point of PPF is the film gets damaged and not your car. But at some point, the film will need to be removed. Now, if it’s done correctly, removing adhesive PPF shouldn’t damage the paint underneath, but if it does, you might need a respray. To minimise this risk, apply heat to soften the glue and peel the film away slowly. It’s a time consuming process, so if you aren’t willing to do that yourself, budget an extra 50% of the install cost for film removal.
We think paint protection film is a great investment to protect your car, even with those limitations, but we’ve thought long and hard about how to improve it so that it really is like an invisible shield, guarding your car from damage. Our background is in spray painting cars and while paint doesn’t have any of the limitations of that old PPF, it’s also quite fragile. What we needed was either a paint that was bulletproof or a paint protection product that we could spray on.
4 years of testing and development later and we have P1 ChipGuard a paint protection spray (PPS) that is painted directly on to your vehicle. You get the same high level of protection, without any unsightly seams or visible edges where wax and dirt can accumulate. There is no need for cutting machines or patterns and there is never any risk of cutting into your paintwork.
How large can we go? Because P1 ChipGuard is sprayed, not laid, it doesn’t matter if you want to protect your car, your boat or your airplane! If we can spray it, we can protect it. And removal is a doddle. P1 ChipGuard is not adhesive, so peels off quickly. No need for heat and no risk of damage.
We’ve tested P1 ChipGuard thoroughly (ask to see the air pistol video sometime) and we are so confident it will protect your car we are the world’s only applicator to guarantee it. Check out our 4 year warranty; if the paintwork is damaged by stone chips during that period, we will not only replace the film but also repair the paintwork beneath!
