Is It Necessary to Apply a Paint Protection Film for a New Car?
3 Answers
Generally, it is not necessary for ordinary household new cars to apply a paint protection film as the cost-performance ratio is not high. Composition of Paint Protection Film: A paint protection film is a thermoplastic polyurethane film (TPU) containing anti-UV polymers. It has anti-yellowing properties and super toughness. It is wear-resistant, does not yellow, is easy to apply, and resists collisions and scratches. After application, it isolates the car's paint from the air, protecting against acid rain, oxidation, and scratches, providing long-lasting paint protection. Advantages of Paint Protection Film: Crystal-clear transparency, seamlessly blending with the original car paint without affecting the color, and can enhance the paint's gloss by 5% to 20%. It can resist damage from petroleum, grease, weak alkalis, gravel, acid rain, etc. Its super flexibility and memory properties can withstand general scratches and friction. It has excellent UV resistance, preventing long-term damage to the paint and maintaining the gloss of the original factory paint.
I also struggled with whether to apply a paint protection film (PPF) when I first got my new car. After driving for over two years now, I think it really depends on your daily driving environment. In my case, the neighborhood I live in has narrow roads with lots of trees. Once, a tree branch left a scratch on the film while I was turning, but the scratch disappeared on its own after some sun exposure. Parking outdoors regularly, I don't have to worry about acid rain or bird droppings damaging the paint. However, to be honest, PPF isn't cheap—I spent over 8,000 yuan on imported film for my 100,000+ yuan car, which might not be cost-effective for cheaper domestic cars. If you frequently drive on highways or construction sites where there are lots of road debris, PPF can indeed protect against minor scratches and save you from repainting. But be careful not to cheap out on low-quality film, as it can yellow and bubble over time.
As a budget-conscious car owner, I've carefully calculated the costs. Applying a paint protection film (PPF) to an average family car costs at least 3,000-4,000 yuan, with premium options exceeding 10,000 yuan. Comparing five-year maintenance costs: waxing every six months costs about 300 yuan, totaling 3,000 yuan over five years; ceramic coating costs 2,000 yuan and lasts three years; while PPF is more expensive, it protects for five to seven years. Once when I reversed into an iron pole, the PPF was scratched but the paint remained intact, saving me 800 yuan in touch-up costs. However, it's unnecessary for economy cars—vehicles under 100,000 yuan have relatively low paint repair costs, and it's better to spend that money on tire maintenance. For cars worth 300,000-400,000 yuan or limited-edition color models, PPF is extremely worthwhile, especially since repairing a pearl paint job at a 4S dealership can cost 2,000-3,000 yuan.
