Today we're going to talk about DIY PPF maintenance. If you're not smart about it you can ruin your PPF.
We're going to give you a step by step guide on how you can maintain your Paint Protection Film at home on your car, truck, or SUV.
We can break down PPF maintenance into three main categories: the process, the chemicals, and the tools.
First, the wash process: A well thought out wash process is going to avoid introducing swirls and scratches to the paint on your vehicle. Most of the paint damage we see here at Immaculate Paint Protection is from improper wash methods.
Don't let just anybody wash your car, and don't take your car to the car wash.
Hundreds of dirty vehicles have gone through, getting all their grit and grime onto those brushes. That puts your vehicle’s paint at risk of getting scratched by the debris still on the brushes. (Touchless car washes are safe however.)
First, we wash the wheels and the tires since they’re the dirtiest part of the vehicle. Then, the pre soak step: we're looking to get the bugs and the road tar off. After letting the vehicle soak for a few minutes, we rinse.
When you have PPF you have to be careful rinsing. We use a pressure washer here in the shop at about 1200 to 1600 psi, and we use a rubberized tip so that if we hit the paint, we’re not going to scratch it up.
Near the edges of the PPF we're gonna stay away 6 - 8 inches or so. If we put the pressure washer right on the edge of the PPF, we can blast water under the PPF. It won’t ruin the film, but it’s going to look real ugly with water bubbles behind it.
After thoroughly rinsing, we do an iron decontamination process, and rinse the vehicle again. Next, we wash the vehicle using the two-bucket method.
Do one section at a time in straight line motions - front to back, flip it over, then up and down. Repeat. This way, if you do introduce any swirl marks, a linear swirl mark will be less noticeable.
Finally we dry it off with microfiber towels. At this point if you want to use a spray detailer or a drying aid feel free to do that.
Next, let's talk about the chemicals we're going to use to maintain your paint protection film.
Here at my shop we're certified for Gyeon ceramic coatings. I'm going to talk about the Gyeon product line because I have experience with those products.
When I sell those chemicals to my clients to maintain their PPF or their ceramic coating, they're coming back and they're telling me these products really work and they're great.
A high quality product always wins. I would prefer to pay for a high quality product to save time and avoid the aggravation.
Some of the products we use include:
A high quality wheel cleaner - in most cases, one with some type of iron removing product to get the iron that comes off the brake rotors.
Tire cleaner to get the black rubber nice and clean.
Bug Remover - We use the Gyeon Bug & Grime in the shop because it’s safe and effective on PPF.
Side note: Get the bugs off your car right away - bugs have acid in them that can etch the self healing clear coat in the PPF.
Iron Decontamination Product - We use Gyeon Iron. This step is only as needed - one or two times a year, or when the vehicle is very dirty.
Road tar remover - I recommend the Gyeon Tar. I know it's safe on the PPF because we use it, and unlike some cheaper tar removers, it doesn’t stain or discolor black plastic.
Soaps -
In our process, we use Gyeon Foam for the pre-soak step.
For the soap in the bucket we'll use Gyeon bathe.
I wouldn't advocate using a clay bar on a vehicle with PPF. We've seen enough instances where the clay bar will slightly marr the self healing properties in the film.
Instead, I recommend using a high quality tar remover, and then an iron remover about once or twice a year. The PPF’s self-healing clear coat is a little softer than your normal paint, so it's going to be more impervious. It's going to suck up the contamination that's falling in and out of the air and coming down your car. So iron remover is going to help get that cleaned up.
When it comes to tools, it’s all about what you want to spend. You can wash a vehicle with minimal tools, or you can spend the extra money if it’s something you enjoy.
The most basic tools you need to wash are a bucket and some microfiber towels. However, if you use microfiber towels on the body, you’ll want to throw them away afterward. They’ll catch all the dirt and grime from your car that could later scratch the paint if reused.
In the shop, we use:
Multiple wash buckets - We like to have a dedicated bucket for the wheel tire process. And we have lots of tire and wheel specific tools.
Grit Guards - I like Grit Guard and the fact that it’s a family owned, American company out of Ohio. We also have dollies from them to easily roll around the buckets.
A pressure washer - it helps speed up the process, but it’s not necessary to wash your vehicle at home.
For pressure washing, we use 1600 psi and lower. We also use a fan tip so that it applies less force on the car.
When pressure washing, start farther away from the vehicle and slowly creep into it. As a reminder, don't put the pressure washer right up to the edges of the PPF. You're gonna blow water through it.
A platform or ladder - If you have a large vehicle like a truck. I've wrapped all the edges of our step stool with foam to cover the sharp edges and avoid damaging the paint.
High Quality Wash Mitts
High quality microfiber towels - the Gyeon silk towel is a customer favorite for drying.
Remember, whatever touches your car or truck can scratch it. So using high quality washmitts and microfiber towels are best. When you wash your towels and washmitts, put them in the washing machine using cold water, and always low temperature on the dryer.
“How often should you be washing your vehicle?”
Wash your vehicle when it's dirty. So wash all the bugs off and rinse off the bird poop.
If you want some hard and fast rules, I would say a vehicle that's outside should get washed 1-2 times a month. If you go through a big snowstorm and there's a bunch of salt on the road, take it to the car wash. Use the quarter operator pressure washer, and rinse all the salt off the vehicle.
If you have a Corvette, a Ferrari, a Porsche 911, that stays inside and only drives in ideal conditions, maybe you're only washing it every few months or 3-4 times a year.
Now the reason you're going to want to wash your vehicle frequently with PPF on is because a high quality PPF should have a warranty on it.
The warranty doesn't cover negligence of not maintaining your vehicle. So you need to wash your vehicles.
A lot of people say they don't want to buy that PPF because it's going to yellow out. While the old PPF did yellow out, newer, high quality PPF won't yellow and should be covered under warranty.
I'm gonna give you three free bonus tips.
Don't wash the vehicle in the full sun. Find out what time of the day you have the shade. Washing on hot paint in the full sun is not a very enjoyable experience.
If you ever drop a wash mitt or towel on the ground, stop and set it aside! It likely has contaminants on it now. Put it in the washing machine before your next wash to avoid scratching a vehicle with that debris.
Don't ever use anything that's been in the sink. We’ve seen brillo/scuff pads used before. Those are going to scratch your paint.
Commentaires