Paint protection film... with graphics?

[KarenRei]

Not sure what forum to file this under, so let's try here, and if the mods have a better idea, feel free to move it

So, I've been thinking about getting PPF for my car (likely strike zones only - hood, bumpers, front fenders, etc). But it occurred to me recently that since most of the cost of PPF is labour, why not just do transparent film with graphics printed on it in key places, so that the car remains its original (black) colour and the non-wrapped portions of the car don't look any different than the wrapped ones? That way, I still get protection for the car, but also make it unique with custom graphics.

I was, however, informed by someone over on M3OC that regular printed wraps don't offer the same level of protection as PPF - and also that they tend to have only a short lifespan. Which makes that a much more unappealing option. Are there any options for combining the two - PPF transparency / longevity / heat-healable protection ability with custom printed graphics? A quick search showed that there's at least solid-colour heat-healable wraps on the market, although I don't know about the longevity otherwise, or whether you can print graphics to them (and of course if you go with solid colours you have to wrap the whole car).

 

[wycolo]

Perhaps you should embrace the time limit since likely a new design will form in your mind as the sun's rays begin to destroy the prior statement. To assist neighborhood democracy you could provide corner tabs so anyone reaching the end of their tolerance level could quickly rip off the graphic and restore, at least their own. sanity.
--

 

[KarenRei]

Lol, I take it you're not a fan of graphics on vehicles? I'm not talking anything dramatic

Just wondering if there's a way to do a durable, protective wrap containing graphics. Rather than having to choose between graphics, or durability / protection. Is the best option maybe just to have the graphics on one piece (like the hood) and double wrap that one (graphics -> PPF), and just PPF elsewhere?

 

[wycolo]

Well if Picasso ever painted the hood of his car I'd bet he'd paint over it with another masterpiece before the month was out . . . before someone else did. Btw, my neighbor just painted his beater with roof tar; it baked in the sun to a hard(ish) finish that was a vast improvement to a rust bucket ICE.

Go for the dramatic and do post it here!
--

 

[Need]

PPF the car, get a vinyl cutter and cut out the custom graphics and put them on top of the PPF.

 

[KarenRei]

PPF the car, get a vinyl cutter and cut out the custom graphics and put them on top of the PPF.

On... top of the PPF? Wouldn't that just leave them exposed and vulnerable to damage? And with an uneven surface texture (depending on what you mean by "cut out")?

 

[Need]

Have you seen vinyl graphic designs on cars? They are usually apply on top of paint and last for years. And they are cheap. So if you need protection for the car, then wrap your car in PPF and put vinyl graphic designs on top. I had some of those on my Mini Cooper S when I owned it.

 

[KarenRei]

Yes, I've seen wrapped cars. But what I don't get is:

1) Why would you put it on top of the PPF, where it's exposed to damage, rather than under it?

2) If it's just a cutout, wouldn't there be "edges" to it, and thus have it be at the very least not smooth, and potentially have the edges visible, making it look like a sticker?

To give an idea, I'm thinking about something like this on the hood:

... So, basically the black would be transparency, and the image would fade out to said transparency.

 

[Need]

The PPF under the graphic is to protect the car's paint. Someday you are going to get tired of the graphic and want to change them, the PPF under will make it easier. But it seems like you want to protect the graphics? But vinyl graphic is so cheap, you could change it every month.

 

[KarenRei]

The PPF under the graphic is to protect the car's paint. Someday you are going to get tired of the graphic and want to change them, the PPF under will make it easier. But it seems like you want to protect the graphics? But vinyl graphic is so cheap, you could change it every month.

Won't a cutout just stuck to the surface look like a big sticker? Unless it fully wraps the panel it's on, wherein replacing it is a lot more expensive than just peel and stick.

 

[Need]

Kind of like this? I think they are like $100.

 

[KarenRei]

Kind of like exactly what I showed above.... just a simple graphic running up the centre of the hood, transparent to the black of the vehicle's paint. Just a graphic printed on transparent film.

If it's not printed on transparent film, then the black won't match the black of the vehicle. There will be an obvious transition from where it stops to the rest of the car.

 

[depeche]

I have to admit, the first thing I thought of was this...

From Johnny Dangerously

Perhaps not exactly what you had min mind....

 

[buttershrimp]

Kind of like this? I think they are like $100.

Only $100 for this Mona Lisa? What’s the catch?

 

[Need]

Only $100 for this Mona Lisa? What’s the catch?

You have to be a follower of Ares to get the discount.

 

[Riggald]

Not sure what forum to file this under, so let's try here, and if the mods have a better idea, feel free to move it

So, I've been thinking about getting PPF for my car (likely strike zones only - hood, bumpers, front fenders, etc). But it occurred to me recently that since most of the cost of PPF is labour, why not just do transparent film with graphics printed on it in key places, so that the car remains its original (black) colour and the non-wrapped portions of the car don't look any different than the wrapped ones? That way, I still get protection for the car, but also make it unique with custom graphics.

I was, however, informed by someone over on M3OC that regular printed wraps don't offer the same level of protection as PPF - and also that they tend to have only a short lifespan. Which makes that a much more unappealing option. Are there any options for combining the two - PPF transparency / longevity / heat-healable protection ability with custom printed graphics? A quick search showed that there's at least solid-colour heat-healable wraps on the market, although I don't know about the longevity otherwise, or whether you can print graphics to them (and of course if you go with solid colours you have to wrap the whole car).

Paint Protection Films are a self-healing polyurethane film.

Self-healing presumably means that there is a degree of movement still possible in the surface .

Graphics depend on the surface that they are on NOT moving.
However, there is a UV-filtering clear-coat on top of the polyurethane layer, so... perhaps there is a stable-enough top-surface to add a vinyl wrap on top of the polyurethane paint-protection film.

But here's a video on details of the film and how it works.

So I expect it is not possible to have a graphic wrap made out of paint-protection film.

 

[KarenRei]

Okay. Then my best option is probably a transparent printed under-wrap with PPF on top of it to protect it. So I'll want to keep it to just one panel (aka the hood) to keep labour down, since it'll mean double wrapping (but at least it only means removing/reinstalling the panel a single time!)

 

[Riggald]

I've been thinking a bit more about this - my suggestion would be to have a graphic print on transparent substrate, but to makes ure there is a large area around the graphic-print's sheet, so the PPF is attaching to the bodywork around the graphic's borders, rather than the graphic having to bear the load of the PPF.

Also,

shows a graphic - it's not clear if the car also has PPF or not.

 

[KarenRei]

I've been thinking a bit more about this - my suggestion would be to have a graphic print on transparent substrate, but to makes ure there is a large area around the graphic-print's sheet, so the PPF is attaching to the bodywork around the graphic's borders, rather than the graphic having to bear the load of the PPF.

Also,

shows a graphic - it's not clear if the car also has PPF or not.

If the graphic is just cut out, and thus has visible edges, won't that make it look rather like a sticker? Or would the edges disappear under the PPF?

 

[Riggald]

I expect it depends on the thickness of the graphic, relative to the PPF.

You can buy small quantities of PPF for DIY use, so it might be worthwhile experimenting on a small sheet of metal.