crw

When Clearplex is applied to a windshield that might have minor stone chips or pitting - it seems that one would see air bubbles in those places?

For a new windshield yes, what about one that isn't?

needmoregarage

Thanks Mike Cap for the valuable maintenance info!

We’ve only installed it on new glass. It sometimes has bubbles or distortion. The installer has done it in our garage, and also his shop. Some cars come out great the first installation. On one car it looked perfect.

In other instances he installed multiple times before it was acceptable. The film had imperfections that couldn’t be detected ahead of time. He only charged for one installation. If the imperfections are not in line of sight, I accept them. But this is one of the reasons I’d try Exoshield.

I was told the installer can ruin the application by using too much heat. Our guy is a master and an artist. His PPF skills are impressive. He is not a fan of clearplex due to the very tricky installation but he does it to satisfy customer demand.

THE REFINERY

Just to add a few data points using our experience:

Generally, original paint is well bonded to the surface below. Sometimes plastic panels (eg bumpers, carbon fiber) have a weaker paint bond than metal panels, but generally Porsche is very good. This is the key risk when removing PPF - that the PPF adhesive is stronger on the paint surface than the bond of the paint to the panel beneath it. With repainted panels the risk is MUCH higher that the paint's bond strength could be compromised.

A detailing shop can usually tell you quickly if you have original paint vs having been repainted. A paint thickness gauge will quickly reveal which panels are multiples thicker than the others. But without a gauge, you're looking for signs of imperfections that wouldn't have been original from the factory. Tape lines, overspray, paint texture differences, clarity of reflection differences, color variation, edge delamination, dust spots, birds eyes, etc etc etc.

These repainting issues are exactly why we believe so strongly in preserving the ORIGINAL paint. You can reset back to your pristine condition original paint and start over as often as you like - even after the car has seen years of surface damage. And there's no comparison in cost. A quality respray will be MANY times more expensive than the cost of PPF - and you don't have to deal with the imminent issues that are created by repainting. Repainting is never "as good as original" (unless you're investing in show-car quality work maybe).

So back to the original question: should I use PPF on an older car? Sure! If you're already considering repainting WHEN the car gets worn from sandblasting and chips, then the relatively low possibility of PPF damaging the paint when it gets removed shouldn't be a concern. You will most likely be fine removing the PPF if you choose to refresh it down the road and not need a repaint, but without PPF, your only option is repainting. No amount of paint polishing and touch-ups will restore a bumper or hood to the condition of the paint protected beneath PPF.

Hope this helps!

sdm100

My car shows better with a high quality wax on original paint

needmoregarage

Thank you The Refinery for the insight!

boomboomthump

Good feedback, thanks Mike!

carpete

I share your suspenion/ride height comment and was wondering (although a sep subject really), what you ended up changing suspension set up to....feel my 993 could be more sorted and curious
what was done that also maintained original ride height....and approx costs?