When you want to apply a film to your car, you will see two excellent products, PPF and Vinyl wrap, both of which are used on car paint, but with different emphases, and it can be a challenge to choose between them.
PPF VS Vinyl wrap
PPF, which stands for Paint Protection Film is a virtually invisible, typically 8 mil thick self-healing urethane film which is applied to the surface of your vehicle. It offers superior impact protection, keeping the paint of your car safe from scuffs, scratches and rock chips.
Vinyl wrap is a thin and flexible material, made out of PVC. It is typically 3-4 mil thick, and it comes in different colors, finishes, and textures. Vinyl wrap is mostly used for the purpose of altering the look of your car.
Purpose of PPF or Vinyl Wrap
The paint protection film is the best way to protect the paint on your vehicle. It works as a self-healing top layer, shielding your vehicle from freeway hazards, grocery store parking lot scratches, and paint abrasions caused by an adjacent vehicle flinging their door open.
Vinyl wraps are mostly used for decorative purposes. Carbon fiber films, chrome, chrome deletes, color shift, metallics, pearlescent, and camouflage, there are limitless options. The main purpose of vinyl wraps is to customize the appearance of your vehicle.
Surface Protection of PPF or Vinyl Wrap
While PPF is still the best way to protect the car from exterior damage, Vinyl Wrap can also serve similar purpose. Vinyl wrap is thinner than PPF, so it will not protect the paint from a deep scratch or a scuff. However, vinyl wraps can protect your vehicles from minor rock chips, bird droppings, and the negative effects of UV light.
To put it simply, PPF is perfect if you are looking for extensive protection. It is perfect for off-road or highway driving. However, if you are mostly driving in the city, vinyl wraps are able to provide a degree of protection as well.
Appearance of PPF or Vinyl Wrap
The classic PPF style is clear PPF, which is almost imperceptible to the eye and gives a shiny look to the car's original paintwork. But PPF is not limited to clear PPF, UPPF has developed MATTE PPF, MAGIC PPF, COLOR PPF. These types of PPF can be used to achieve different looks and give the car an attractive appearance.
Vinyl wraps, on the other hand, drastically change the look of your car. Transformations that can be achieved with vinyl wraps are incredible. You an go from white to black, add custom accents, cover chrome areas, or add custom graphics. The main purpose of vinyl wraps is to customize the appearance of your vehicle, so the film is designed with this goal in mind. For that reason it is thinner than PPF, and is slightly more flexible.
Summary
Whether you apply PPF or Vinyl wrap to your vehicle, your core consideration is your expectations of the outcome of your vehicle.
Do you want a car with a well-designed picture painted on it, or a car with a paint job in perfect condition that is safe from the vast majority of damage in everyday use?
