just got a c7.allmost the entire car has ppf on it the hatch is the only place i dont see it .
how do you take care of this surface
can you use quick detailer?

 

any help would be great.

 

I use a California Duster to gently remove the majority of dust on the car, then go over it with a microfiber towel and some Adam's Polishes Detail Spray. Works well for me and yes, I have Xpel on the entire front end of my car. I also just use the same car wax I use on the non-Xpel covered surface to protect the areas where Xpel is applied.

 

Sorry, but why in God's name would anyone do this to their car ? The "entire" car is covered in plastic film ? So now you are going to polish plastic instead of this car's beautiful paint finish? I thought your question was going to be: How do I remove this plastic film?

 

I too have the protective film. (Came with the car) I treat is as I did the paint on my C6. I use Turtle Wax ceramic and have been extremely pleased. I don't think of the film as a protectant. I think of it more a a sacrificial covering that does indeed get chips and especially the front bumper. There is also the issue with buildup along the edges. If I had my druthers, I'd rather not have it.

 

Just don't use any petroleum based products.

 

what he said!!

 

I'll put my fully wrapped car next to yours. Pretty hard to tell the difference, might even look better than the paint. The factory paint isn't that awesome anyway. You treat it like paint except don't use products heavily based in petroleum. You have the benefit of not worrying about swirls or scratches.

 

We had PPF applied to our C7 upon delivery, some general information on living with it, things to avoid here if interested: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/li...ek-dynoshield/

Generally no big deal to maintain, nice ph balanced shampoo, little maintenance topper on occasion.

I’m a foam cannon guy as besides being fun I figure “It can only help, it can’t hurt” so why not? With that in mind when it comes time to wash I’ll give a quick rinse with a pressure washer very carefully (more on this below) foam it (using Gtechniq Citrus Foam if *really* dirty or just Gyeon Bathe or CarPro Reset if only slightly dirty), rinse it again, bucket wash it (again, Gyeon Bathe or CarPro Reset), air dry it with the ‘ol BigBoi BlowR PRO and then (far too often than is necessary) apply some Polish Angel Cosmic Spritz to the paint.

Some things to avoid:
Can’t get too crazy with the pressure washer when washing: The film will have some exposed edges here and there, ya just can’t cover every bend, twist and angle on a car (nor should you from what I’ve read) or hide every edge of the film so have to be careful with the pressure washer. Even with the widest 40 degree white tip on the gun, I generally stay farther away from the surface when rinsing and foaming. Haven’t had any issues but I don’t want to either; mostly a common sense approach works well enough, even with my sometimes flawed perception what common sense really is.

No waxing: Even though I’m a ‘coating junkie’, dropping some wax on a car is sometimes a nice (and easy) way to spend a sunny afternoon. I have found some coating-friendly waxes that I like to use (Kamikaze Infinity) and I am dying to try the relatively recently released Polish Angel High Gloss Paste Wax but alas, won’t be using it on this car. No matter how carefully it’s applied, the risk of catching a film edge and getting some buildup there would not be a good thing, especially on black. Bummer, but a small price to pay for the other advantages of PPF.

Into every life a little rain (or shopping cart in this case) must fall: At some point midway thru the summer, the back corner of the car got really whacked by something, given the color left there I’m guessing it was a shopping cart or similar heinous device. It left a small tear in the PPF which, since it’s so small and inconspicuous, gave me a chance to muck about with the film up close and personal-like. While usually these ‘great ideas’ of mine lead to bigger problems, this turned out OK. I was able to carefully trim away a small piece of the torn film (with surgical scissors I ordered online), wet the area down, apply a little heat and re-seat the film. The edge remains a little jagged cuz that film is some pretty tough (and flexible) stuff and not wanting to go farther (Translation: “Make it worse”) I left it at that. I’d guess someone with steadier hands and a sharper eye could take a sharp knife and clean up the edge a bit but it’s so small and un-noticeable as is that I have no issues with it. Subsequent washings and maintenance since the incident indicate that so far, the film is nicely ?glued? to the surface at the edges, no lifting has subsequently occurred. Out of sight, out of mind!

Depending on the film applied, it may have some limited self-healing capabilities built in but just like paint, it *can* be scratched or marred if abused.

 

ok i'll bite how do you remove ppf.

 

You treat ppf like any other painted surface of your car, you can wash it, wax it, detail spray it...etc

 

I have this film only on the front of my commuter car, and always have, so I'm very experienced with it, thanks. I always end up peeling it off after a few years because it gets scratches and chips in it, just like the factory paint.When you do decide to peel it off, it's a complete mess of pulling, stretching and tearing that takes forever and leaves you with a nasty film on the paint finish. It buys you some time after you peel it off to drive around with flawless paint that is a different shade than the rest of your car. One time I peeled it off the front bumper of my commuter car after 4 or 5 years of looking drab and it even took the clearcoat of the car right with it off my front bumper ! Oh the joy !
Nevermind the seams everywhere that look like someone keyed your car when the polish defines them. But that is as far as I go with this stuff as it only serves a purpose on the front of my commuter car that sees some very aggressive driving everyday with tandems and rocks thrown in until I decide to peel it off. .

On my Corvette(s), I use my detailing skills on the factory paint, and yes, it does look absolutely amazing when you know what you're doing. You can put your plastic covered Vette next to mine any day of the weelk. I guarantee in the long run mine will not only look better with the factory paint being able to breathe, it will also be easier to maintain even when it gets a scratch or a chip.

 

You don't . Just kidding. Heat and pull method. Then check your fingers at the end of the day for missing skin.

 

I have zero interest in covering car paint with a condom. I have zero anxiety over the thought that some day I may need to repaint the front of my vehicle due to normal wear and tear. The $$$ I save by not installing PPF, and costs associated with maintaining it, will be used to defray the expense of a new paint job down the road and will also put $$$ back in my pocket. The ROI on a PPF install is just not there.

 

Uh, if you are talking just the front end / nose, it would be cheaper to do PPF than paint. But it is fine, it is not for everyone and that is your choice.