The Complete Guide to Choosing Paint Protection Films for Cars

Finding the right film to protect your car's paint requires knowing your options. Here is the complete guide to choosing paint protection films for cars.

Not everybody is familiar with paint protection film products. However, the market for paint protection film is worth more than $440 million every single year just in the United States! On top of that, this industry is continuing to grow by nearly 6% every single year!

Of course, an industry that large will have a lot of options. What should you pay attention to when choosing paint protection film?

There are a number of simple metrics you should assess the quality of a paint protection film by. Read on to learn all about the most important things you should be paying attention to when you choose a paint protection film!

What Is Film for Protecting Paint?

There are few things as satisfying as a fresh paint job on a car. In fact, there was probably nothing else that contributes to the apparent luxury of a car as a good paint job. After all, no matter how good the performance of the car is, most people will never push their car to its performance limits, anyway.

On the other hand, everyone, no matter how much or how little they know about cars, can appreciate how much better a car looks with a fresh paint job.

At the same time, a fresh coat of paint is highly susceptible to damage. That is where paint protection films come in. This technology allows you to preserve the look of a fresh coat of paint many times longer than you could without some kind of protection for your paint.

The paint protection film is a transparent coating for your paint that protects it from damage while still allowing your car to show off a perfect paint job.

Work With the Right Paint Protection Film Provider

There are basically two things to pay attention to when choosing a paint protection film. You need to have a quality product. And you need to make sure that the quality film product you choose is installed by a quality provider.

No matter how good the product itself is, you will not get the most out of it unless it is installed properly. That is why it is so important to find a great company to install your paint protection film.

There are probably multiple options near you for paint protection film installation. To find the best choice for installment, you will need to consider at least a few of them.

If possible, it might be worth asking around for recommendations. Any friends, family, or acquaintances with personal experience with a paint protection film installment provider can give you a deeper understanding of the quality of job you are likely to get at a given company.

You might also consider assessing your options by looking at online ratings and reviews. That way, you can avoid any installment providers who do not satisfy their customers.

Emphasize Installing Protection Films With Excellent Protection

Once you have the right company to install your film, you'll need to make sure that you choose a quality film for your car. Of course, probably the most important metric to assess a film by is how well it protects your paint. There's not much point in having a paint protection film if your paint job gets scratched and scuffed anyway.

On top of protecting your car from physical damage, a quality protection film will protect it from ultraviolet light, too. Generally speaking, the thicker your paint protection film is, the better protection it will provide.

However, that only applies to the thickness of the polyurethane layer. Make sure to get a paint protection film with a polyurethane layer that is at least six mils thick for proper protection.

Choose Transparent Options for Films

The whole point of a paint protection film is to show off a great paint job. That means that after protection, the next most important quality in paint protection film is transparency.

A low-quality paint protection film might obscure the beauty of a good paint job. On top of that, some kinds of paint protection film will start to turn yellow over time.

It is not enough to pick a film that will look good at the point of installation. Instead, you need to make sure that you pick a film that will look good in the long run.

Find a Film With Excellent Longevity

It is also important to pick a film with a long life span. The longer a film lasts, the longer it will keep your car and its paint job looking great.

Some paint protection films have a warranty for a full ten years after the point of installation. Make sure to choose a paint protection film that will last for many years.

Choose a Paint Protection Film That Can Heal Itself

Quality paint protection films can actually heal themselves. Even if they take damage, you can eliminate it simply by heating them, which will allow them to smooth out and create a perfect surface again. Make sure to choose a paint protection film that can heal itself.

Spend Some Time Comparing Film Costs

You might end up with multiple paint protection film options that seem like they will provide the same quality. At that point, it makes sense to choose between them on the basis of price.

Understand What You Should Prioritize When You Are Choosing Paint Protection Films 

We hope learning about what to look at when choosing paint protection film has been helpful for you. Many people are unsure what film to choose when they first look at the paint protection film market. Understanding a little bit more about the relevant metrics to assess a film by can help you make the right purchase for your situation.

To learn more about paint protection film and what it can do for you, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at MI Paint Protection in Walker, Grand Rapids, & West Michigan any time!