All too many times I get asked, “how long is the warranty and will the film look the same 5 or 7 years later from the day it was put on?” Now to answer that question I like to ask this simple question in return. If you were to go and buy a brand new car off the show room floor, will it look like the day you drove it off the show room floor 5 or 7 years later? He or she usually laughs and says “well I guess that depends on how well I take care of it”, which is exactly how I respond to their initial question regarding the product. Another thing to think about is this. Let’s pretend for a minute that their was a film that did not age whatsoever and looked like the day it was installed 7, 10, 15 years later. What will the rest of the vehicle look like? The front end would stand out like a sore thumb because it would be immaculate while the rest of the vehicle would show signs of aging!
An example: if you took three black painted panels and set panel A outside for a period of one year, waxing it daily, panel B outside never touching it, and panel C inside an enclosed dark room that all three will look different after on year? Panel C will look like the day you placed it in the room, panel B will look slightly different from panel A because of the damaging elements of outdoor exposure, and panel B will more than likely show some harsher damage from the same elements of outdoor exposure. What everyone needs to understand is that these protective films are porous and so is the paint on your vehicle! Both will expand in the hot sun and can absorb dirt and moisture which makes it important to keep both surfaces clean when possible. When it comes to cleaning protective films, you need to understand that the use of waxes and polishes containing dyes will cause the film to discolor, primarily turning yellow, gold, or a light brown color. I recommend to use PLEXUS or Ice Polish by Turtle Wax. Also remember that bird droppings, tree sap, bug acids, mineral deposits from hard water, and acid rain (to name a few) can potentially damage the painted surface, so what effect do you think they will have on the beautiful surface of the paint protection film? They can cause damage as well, so it is important to remove these immediately if encountered. Remember, the job of the film is to protect the surface beneath it and your job is to do the best you can keeping both looking new.
