Paint protection film
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MANY things caught our eye when the new Defender was revealed, such as the cool looking satin exterior finishes available. Billed by Land Rover as offering ‘a rich and contemporary satin finish, showing the sophisticated surfacing of the exterior design in the best possible light’ the effect isn’t, as you may think, created by paint. Instead, it is simply a satin-effect clear film applied over the regular gloss metallic colour, and new Defender was the first Land Rover to use the material.
What is Paint Protection Film?
Paint Protection Film (PPF) has been around for years and was originally designed to protect helicopter blades during the Vietnam war. Twenty years ago, we’d notice it fitted on cars ahead of exposed wheel arches, especially when it yellowed with age and accumulated stone chips. PPF technology has since moved on. Today, PPF (which, technically speaking, is thermoplastic urethane) is a high quality technical product. It has acrylic adhesive on one side, and a self-healing top coat on the other.
It’s important to remember we’re not talking about vinyl wrap here. Vinyl wrap is PVC-based, it’s thinner, can
