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No PPF will ever be perfect. If an installer tells you they leave no debris or bubbles under the film, they are not being truthful or else need a pair of glasses. Having said that, if the contaminants are easily visible from more than a few feet away, that's not a good job (sort of defeats the purpose). Sunlight is the best place place to check for imperfections. I just did my BMW recently and it looked great in the garage when I finished but when I took it outside, as expected I saw bubbles (and a few fine white hairs courtesy of my little pup). Hard debris you have to live with or re-do. Bubbles may disappear (if liquid) or can be aspirated with a hypo needle (if air or liquid). Unfortunately black is the color which will show these more than just about any other.
No PPF will ever be perfect. If an installer tells you they leave no debris or bubbles under the film, they are not being truthful or else need a pair of glasses. Having said that, if the contaminants are easily visible from more than a few feet away, that's not a good job (sort of defeats the purpose). Sunlight is the best place place to check for imperfections. I just did my BMW recently and it looked great in the garage when I finished but when I took it outside, as expected I saw bubbles (and a few fine white hairs courtesy of my little pup). Hard debris you have to live with or re-do. Bubbles may disappear (if liquid) or can be aspirated with a hypo needle (if air or liquid). Unfortunately black is the color which will show these more than just about any other.
Eloquently put.
Only comment I’d like to expand on, proper lighting will show FAR more than the sunlight.
our dedicated ppf room has nearly 160000 lumens of light at a very precise color tone and wavelength. These bulbs have chips and lenses made in Japan and were custom designed by the lighting engineer for our specific tolerance and application.
our standards in this room...almost anything we notice and see in this room, you’ll never see outside. For our production installations, 1-5% installation defects we see in this room, 99% unnoticed in sunlight at 1-3 inches away. That’s one of the highest standards of excellence in the industry, and world
Not really, in fact the statement I hear all the time is “Amazing work, I can’t even tell it’s wrapped” Use a great installer and have ALL the edges wrapped.
Not for me. Would never put an inch of it on any of my cars. Totally lame in every way.
Only comment I’d like to expand on, proper lighting will show FAR more than the sunlight.
our dedicated ppf room has nearly 160000 lumens of light at a very precise color tone and wavelength. These bulbs have chips and lenses made in Japan and were custom designed by the lighting engineer for our specific tolerance and application.
our standards in this room...almost anything we notice and see in this room, you’ll never see outside. For our production installations, 1-5% installation defects we see in this room, 99% unnoticed in sunlight at 1-3 inches away. That’s one of the highest standards of excellence in the industry, and world
I had never had a black car until my DD S550 in Obsidian Black. Turns out I liked it. When I ordered this car, I went with Jet Black Metallic thinking that pure black would be impossible. I have PPF on all painted surfaces and am very happy with the results overall. Perfect? No but close enough for me as I drive the car about every week year round and don't enter any Concours events.
I had a couple spots where the PPF was coming up on the back and, to his credit, the installer redid the entire rear bumper without charge.
Nice thing about PPF is I don't worry about spot cleaning with a dry wash product like Blackfire. And have been putting Beadmaker on as a sacrificial layer once a month or so. It's all good enough for me.
Only comment I’d like to expand on, proper lighting will show FAR more than the sunlight.
our dedicated ppf room has nearly 160000 lumens of light at a very precise color tone and wavelength. These bulbs have chips and lenses made in Japan and were custom designed by the lighting engineer for our specific tolerance and application.
our standards in this room...almost anything we notice and see in this room, you’ll never see outside. For our production installations, 1-5% installation defects we see in this room, 99% unnoticed in sunlight at 1-3 inches away. That’s one of the highest standards of excellence in the industry, and world
Thanks.
Yeah, just haven’t gotten around to installing the center radiator. Haven’t needed it yet.
Paint shop did a remarkable job. Painted in July, sat for 45 days while I was out of the country, PPF in September.
i use Swiss Vax. It’s not cheap, but it gives the best shine and a jar lasts a couple of years.
i drive it! Has 44K on it in 6 years.
The spoilers are TechArt, front and rear.
Which Swissvax wax are you using? I use their leather condition and have used a couple of their waxes in years past.
I use Zuffenhausen about 4 times a year. I use the cleaner with a buffer once a year. No swirl marks😀😀
Thanks! Your car looks great! Guessing you use the Cleaner Fluid regular? I need to get more info if that fills or removes swirls. As much as I like to remove swirls through traditional polishing, I would be happy with filling.
The reality is, there’s no such thing as a perfect installation. Most installers and owners would like to believe it’s “perfect” but you’ll always find something somewhere given the correct lighting and discerning eye.
installing ppf is management of debris, correct manipulation of the ppf material, and setting realistic expectations for yourself as installer and conveying that to the owner. You’re putting a giant sticker on a complex surface and time is of the essence.
the standard of excellence will vary from shop to shop, and most importantly, installer to installer. Remember this one caveat...an experienced and crafted installer knows EVERY imperfection He/she has left behind. If they’ve left it behind it’s been either strategic, or lack of attention/intentional.
I’ll give you an example...at our shop, our standard of excellence is among the highest, if not the highest, in the industry. I’m psychotic that way and enjoy the pain...it’s a disease, I need help, but I digress 😆😆
Let’s say on a black 911 I have 2-3 particles on a bumper. If these particles are not able to be cleaned out, and are say near an area that’s not noticeable unless one crouches down and tilts his/her head, but rest of the installation is clean and void of imperfections, we’ll
leave the particles there. Logic behind that; we want the best product for the client but know if we redo an entire bumper and spend 3-4 more hours, what if we get another debris in a more obvious area?
same situation as above, but say the particles are on the top/middle bumper area, and white particles on a black car. Well, if we cannot remedy the problem with favorable results, we redo the entire installation on bumper.
we can afford to do so in such circumstances because we charge accordingly and it’s our business model. I cannot say the same for other shops if they’re competing on price, and you can understand why.
so, long answer, were you over-promised and under-delivered? Or, do you have something that’s the best your installer can perform?
if you share photos of what you’re concerned about, I can better help navigate your concerns
There are prob 9-10 tiny air bubble marks on the hood for example. They are very hard to photograph but I tried. Installer is like you, there is a point where pulling it off a oanek can not necessarily be the best idea. They did that on the bumper so I know they care. As I said before prob with black I guess is these marks stick out so much more.
Thanks! Your car looks great! Guessing you use the Cleaner Fluid regular? I need to get more info if that fills or removes swirls. As much as I like to remove swirls through traditional polishing, I would be happy with filling.
As they say a picture tells the story. Black is not a color, it’s an obsession! I use the cleaner with a buffer once a year. 3 or 4 times a year with the wax. Love this stuff. Takes out any swirl marks.
02-08-2020 | 11:23 AM
