DIY installation: paint protection film

Two of my friends had this film applied professionally. Both commented that it really did little to protect against rock dings.

 

My SUV came with clear bra from the previous owner. I haven't noticed any rock chips where the film is, but I guess I haven't looked that closely. It's also higher up, which might make a difference. It probably had it from the dealer, so the film is 11 years old now and starting to look a little bad, slightly yellow and hazy.

Has anyone put protective film on the headlights? I suspect these would be super expensive to replace if the lenses ever get cloudy. There are restorer kits, but that seems like a temporary fix. But of course it would be worse if the adhesive from the film somehow damaged the lenses by itself.

 

A problem I see with using those protective film is that people use them to make the car look better, but it doesn't. They are not as durable as the paint it is protecting and they tend to look worse as time passes. Certainly removing the film will reveal pristine unscratched paint at some point, but no one is going to see that as long as the film is on. It may be a good investment if you are trying to sell the car later, but I wonder if the cost and effort is worth. Well, this is from someone who seldom washes and never wax a car. I guess, I really don't care much about how the car looks, as long as it runs well.

 

You're probably right, which is why most people don't have it on their cars. I think having it on the headlights makes sense, once it's cloudy peel it off and put a fresh layer on.

I also like having it on my SUV since I sometimes drive past bushes or tree branches on narrow 4wd roads. But I could use it on the sides more than the front (but that would be really expensive). After 11 years it's just getting to the point where I might want to peel it off in a couple years, so that's pretty good.

It will look decent for longer than most people own their cars, on average, so it might be worth it not to worry about damage to the paint during that time.

 

I applied this film at on our Gen 3 at 20,000 miles before a trip to Alaska during which we drove long distances on gravel roads. Now at 84,000 miles it does seem to have prevented the typical minor paint chips on the front nose of the car, but the film edges have accumulated a slight layer of grime that is very difficult to remove and makes the film edges more noticeable. I was trying to take a picture of its condition just now , but the car is covered in snow and rain, so a picture would be misleading. But the film has both adhered well and lasted 4 1/2 years.

 

How it holds up probably depends on the color of the car. My SUV is dark gray, so very slight yellowing, hazyness, and dirt along the edge isn't really noticeable. I imagine it would look bad quickly on a white car.

 

Any links, or prices paid for the purchased products?

 

Well, conditions are currently unfavorable (that is, IFR), but if you look closely where the arrow points you can see the film applied on either side of tbe air intake area. The edges are not very noticeable but do have a bit of dirt in them.
I bought my film from Amazon but as that was 4 1/2 years back I cannot retrieve the exact link. My recollection is that I went with a brand name like 3M and possibly that I chose the thickest available film. I think I did a preliminary cleaning with isopropyl alcohol and after that thoroughly dried used soapy water and plastic squeegees for the actual installation (cutting before removing the backing and installing, IIRC).

 

Good idea, but I think I will let it be rather than risk cutting into the paint accidentally. But we now hace a “severe clear” VFR type of day, so I was able to get better pictures:
Before:


After:

Close up with arrows pointing to the slightly visible edges. I installed the film in what I thought would be the “high probability “ i pact areas for stones or debris.

I do think this type of film is preferable to getting the paint on the nose chipped, particularly if you must drive gravel or dirt road surfaces regularly.