Got Scratches and Chips In Your Car’s Paint? You Need PPF, and XPEL is Here to Help

PPF can be applied to the whole car, or more cost effectively, just to high-impact areas. The most common place for PPF is the front end – front fenders, bumper, and half or full hood. On sportier cars with wider hips, such as Porsche 911s, some paint protection film on the rear quarter panels can be beneficial on a partial PPF application, as well. The Bentley in the XPEL offices is finished with front end paint protection film, that, like the sample above, absorbs and deflects anything on the road.

But of course, we needed to do our own test, so we used a wire-bristle brush to scratch a PPF-covered surface. This left fine hairline scratches, similar to the swirl marks that become ever apparent on most cars, especially after many trips through the drive-through car wash.

However, XPEL experts wanted us to do a little light damage; that’s how we could see the magic of self-healing paint protection film We used a heat gun to lightly and evenly heat the panel. Like magic, the scratches disappeared before our eyes, leaving a perfectly smooth finish.

In the real world, this process doesn’t require a heat gun. This is the vinyl’s self-healing process. As mentioned previously, XPEL was the first company to release a truly self-healing vinyl. In practice, the heat needed to heal blemishes in the wrap is generated by the sun, or the engine heating the hood, although a heat gun could always be carefully used. This process will effectively prevent minor to moderate scratches, although deep scratches can still permanently damage the film, so it is recommended to still be cautious.

My favorite test came next – the gravelometer. This device accelerates gravel at an approximately 6” square of painted metal at varying speeds. For the sake of our test, we accelerated the gravel at 60 MPH. The first panel in the gravelometer served as our control, featuring car maker-quality paint with clear coat and no PPF. After a quick trip through the gravelometer, the paint came out scratched, marred, and pitted, as seen on the far left below. Unfortunately, it will not just buff out!

Then we tried the gravelometer with an identical metal panel coated with XPEL’s PPF. After the gravel accelerated at the same speed, the panel sustained some minimal scratching and scuffing. We didn’t try wiping or heating the paint protection film to see if the imperfections would come out; even PPF can’t heal from major damage (PPF pictured on far right above). However, after removing the clear paint protection film, the white paint underneath was nothing short of perfection (see center image above).

Anyone who lives in a warm climate, or who is a celebrity, is likely very familiar with window tint (if you don’t already have it on your car). Tinting your car’s windows can greatly reduce the interior temperature, as well as damaging UV rays that can cause fading of the dashboard or upholstery.

In the age of electric vehicles, the temperature-reducing properties of window tint are more important than ever. Extreme heat drains an EV’s battery – especially those like Teslas that turn on intermittently when parked to maintain a comfortable interior temperature. On these vehicles, tint could be the difference between leaving the movie theater with 70% charge or 10% charge.

You’re also probably just as familiar with poorly applied window tint. You know, that car rolling down the highway with splotchy tint on the windows? This is either due to improper installation or low quality film. Since XPEL’s films will always be applied by an XPEL trained and certified installer, XPEL’s automotive window tint films are backed by a lifetime warranty – so you never need to worry about touch ups or reinstallation.

While window tint helps keep you cool and PPF helps protect your car from scratches, ceramic coat adds another layer of protection. Ceramic coat helps your car stay clean by creating a hydrophobic layer on the surface of your car, think like a very thin layer of glass. This makes your car easier to clean, and also reduces the amount of contaminants, like dirt or brake dust, that stick to the surface to begin with.

Ceramic coat can be applied on its own, over your car’s original paint. Before applying ceramic coat, all cars will undergo a full detail and paint correction. This process serves to remove any imperfections currently in the paint, such as swirl marks, so the final product gives a perfect mirror finish.

For the perfect protection and shine, though, XPEL recommends combining paint protection film and ceramic coat. The PPF provides protection, while the ceramic coat keeps the film clean for years to come.

XPEL has a full line of PPF products in varying thicknesses and finishes, including gloss and satin, as well as a textured black that is popular for the rocker panels of off-road vehicles and trucks. They also produce similar products for marine applications and bicycles.

paint protection film doesn’t just protect paint, though. XPEL developed a line of interior PPF products to protect that pesky piano black interior panel that shows every tiny scratch. And a matte finish paint protection film, called Stealth, can be applied to your infotainment screen, producing a low-glare, fingerprint-proof finish.

It’s easy to see why PPF is an ever-growing business, expanding from the super car owners and enthusiasts who use PPF to protect their investments, to commercial and residential uses that will help with heat control and UV protection, protect against breakage and more. It’s great for your car or your bike. There are films to protect your kitchen counters. And for the living room walls that your toddler thinks are fun to color with permanent markers (ok, I made this last one up but I’d be surprised if the XPEL people aren’t thinking this too).

After looking at the rock chips on my front bumper after miles and miles of highway driving, I wish I had paint protection film to protect my own investment. Now I know.