When Paint Protection Film (PPF) first hit the market back in the 1980's it took a long time for the product to be commonly used on higher end cars as is the case today.
Originally starting life as 'Helicopter tape', PPF was created by the military in the Vietnam war to protect and extend the life span of helicopter rotor blades from debris which was kicked up during take off and landing without harming the performance of the blades.
Fast forward to the early 80's and race teams in the 'States are using helicopter tape, now renamed clear bra to protect race cars from tyre and stone chip damage on the race track. At this point, the idea of applying thermoplastic urethane to protect the paintwork of street cars was born.
Because of the history of PPF, it was never really important that it stayed clear for the duration of its life, in fact, the life span when fitted to helicopter blades wouldn't even allow for yellowing to occur. It's only in recent years that a lot more effort has been made to prevent PPF from turning yellow.
The reason PPF used to turn yellow was because of harmful UV rays from the sun. This was particularly visible on white cars and even more so when only some of the car was fitted with PPF but it effected all car colours.
It's only in the last 8 years or so, that automotive paint protection film manufacturers have started taking seriously the issue of yellowing and now it's a standard practise that paint protection film does not turn yellow over time. In fact, most PPF film is warranted from between 7-12 years and this warranty will nearly always include yellowing.
So, does paint protection film turn yellow over time, no. But, older films with no protection from UV rays did use to although we wouldn't expect it to happen if you were fitting PPF today. In fact, DIY PPF film is warranted for 7 years against yellowing.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to drop them in the comments box below. We hope this helped!
Safe driving!
