You may know how to effectively repair your automotive paint if and when it suffers from scratches, but an even more important bit of knowledge is how to protect your auto paint against scratches and other threats in the first place. Not only will car paint protection save you effort, time, and money, it will help to ensure the long-term value and safety of your vehicle. There are many forms of vehicle paint protection, all varying in how they are applied.
Forms of Car Paint Protection
Car Paint Maintenance
How to Remove Scratches from Car Paint
Preserving your Car Paint After Repairs
Forms of Car Paint Protection
CLEAR COAT
One of the simplest answers to the question of how to protect car paint from scratches is clear coat spray paint. Really, this is a second layer of paint for your car, since clear coast is exactly that: clear. The product is paint with no coloring, though it may contain some properties that help preserve the pigmented automotive paint beneath, such as UV protection.
While a few vehicles have what is known as “single-stage paint,” which is an auto paint combined with protective enamel. The vast majority of cars and trucks, however, have the two layers: a base with color and a clear coat on top of that.
Like all automotive paint, the clear coat can be damaged by corrosive chemicals (like those found in bird droppings) and nicks and scratches. Clear coat spray paint can be used to restore the protective outer layer in areas where it has gone missing. This can be followed by an application of paint sealant, which is something like an amped-up car wax. Dealers may offer sealant, but as with many features available from the seller, you can also easily apply it at home.
PAINT PROTECTION FILM
While these thin layers of paint and wax do create some vehicle paint protection, serious efforts to prevent scratches need to involve some thicker barriers. One of the most common and effective methods is the use of paint protection film. This is a thin layer of clear material, often only millimeters thick, that can be smoothed out over just about any stretch of surface on the vehicle, serving as a shield against flying debris, grit, sand, chemicals, and other auto paint-destroying elements. The focus is on what are known as high-impact areas, as these are the places where the automotive paint is most likely to come into contact with flying projectiles.
Scotchguard™ 3M paint protection film is one option, and is cut to work with the curves and angles of various vehicles, conforming to the body to create a tight seal and providing auto paint protection while remaining virtually invisible. This film is also known as a clear bra, and can be found from several manufacturers. Another popular brand is XPEL®, which offers pre-cut kits that protect the bumper, headlights, fenders, hood, mirrors, and more.
Common areas for 3M clear bra application include the bumper, the leading edge of the hood and bed; key spaces on the door, such as the handle, sill, opening, and edge; and the rocker panel and wheel flare. Advanced forms of automotive paint protection film have a “self-healing” capability that erases visible signs of many scratches, nicks, and dings.
Paint Protection Film Installation
Installing paint protection film at home calls for similar steps as waxing and painting on clear coat: Ensure that the automotive paint is cool, dry, and clean. We mean really clean. Use an adhesive remover to eliminate all traces of gunk and goo on your auto paint, then use a glass cleaner to remove all traces of the adhesive remover. It’s recommended to do all of this on a day with no wind, as gusts could blow new debris onto an otherwise pristine car paint job.
With everything clean, including your hands, apply a mixture of soap (3M recommends four drops of baby shampoo in 16 ounces of water) to the top and bottom layers of the section of 3M paint protection film to be installed, your fingers, and the surface of the vehicle. Follow a provided pattern guide to ensure proper placement, then carefully squeegee off all of the soap, pressing firmly to squeeze it out from between the protection film and the automotive paint itself.
If the clear bra needs to be stretched to properly hug the surface beneath, spray a little mixture of three parts water to one part rubbing alcohol onto the center of the adhesive side of the film, then press it onto the desired location. This will hold the middle of the piece of film into place and allow you to press and stretch the rest with your palm and squeegee it once it’s in place.
Be sure to keep everything wet with the soapy solution throughout the installation process, paying particular attention to your hands to avoid leaving any fingerprints on the paint protection film.
Carefully wipe everything down and check for air bubbles or other places where the clear bra may have not fit perfectly. The film can be peeled off within a five-minute window and reapplied as necessary for best results.
Once set, the paint protection film can be removed if desired, simply by lifting it and pulling it away from the body, possibly with the use of a steamer or heat source (such as a hair dryer) if necessary.
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