In short, no. If your car already has pre-existing scratches, bad stone chips or damage then it's not a great idea to fit PPF over the top and there's a few reasons for not doing so.
1) You'll lock in the damage! PPF can last for over 7 years so fitting PPF over the top of existing damage, essentially locks that damage in for the period that the film is on the car. To repair the damage, the film needs to come off which wastes both time and money.
2) Fitting PPF onto a damaged car will also be really difficult. Large scratches or dents will make the PPF not want to stick to the cars paintwork and if the damage is really bad, it might even mean the PPF doesn't fit properly to the shape of the panel.
3) What about if my car has a smart repair or other paint repair? Well, we also wouldn't recommend PPF to be fitted over the top of any smart repair to your car. Smart repairs look great but in reality, the paint isn't as well stuck to the panel as it was when it left the factory. The chances are, fitting the PPF will be totally fine, but when it comes to removing it, you could have issues and in some cases, even pull the paint off the car! That's why we would never recommend getting a smart repair done before fitting PPF.
If you are planning on getting a repair done to your car, make sure it's done by an approved bodyshop with a proper spray booth to ensure the car is being painted properly and reduce the chance of any lifting paint when removing the PPF film.
It's also important to leave the car for a number of weeks after the paint has been applied to allow the paint to gas off. Only then do we recommend protecting it with PPF.
There's no doubt, the best time to fit PPF is when you drive your car out of the showroom, there's no damage and the paint is perfect. But if that's not possible or if you didn't buy the car new, consider these tips above to help you get started.
Thats it for todays blog post, as ever, safe driving!
