Types of film for the car body and recommendations for its application

Many car owners are concerned about the protection of the paintwork of the body. This is especially true for those who have at their disposal expensive equipment that requires a lot of money for restoration repairs. There are several ways to protect the varnish coating - it can be applying a polish or a special film. Today, there are a lot of options for both one and the other. But since the film is a more reliable means for preserving the paintwork and optics of the car, we should talk about it in more detail.

A Brief Overview of Protective Films

For the first time this material was used in military affairs, it was used to protect some parts of flight equipment. For example, helicopter blades were pasted over with such a film, as a result of which they retained their performance longer in harsh desert conditions. Also, this material was used to protect the windshield of fighters. Thus, this detail retained its transparency, which was quickly lost under the influence of insects or foreign objects crashing at high speed.

Today, the protective film has found its application among motorists - it is used to preserve the paintwork of the car body, as well as for headlights and windshields. This material is produced by several manufacturers and has various versions.

The simplest coating is a thin transparent material that has poor resistance to physical impact, but it protects well from dust, chemicals and ultraviolet radiation.

Such films are used, but they are of little use, and their main advantage is their low price. A more versatile tool for protecting the car body can be called a booking film. Such a material is already able to repel the blows of small gravel or preserve the paintwork in the event of a minor accident or inept parking in a confined space. The structure of the film is made in such a way that it serves as a buffer between the varnish layer and the striking object.

Another option to significantly extend the life of your car's paintwork is vinyl wraps. They are produced both in different colors and carbon. There are also types of matte films, which have recently become increasingly popular. This material has weak protective functions, but its main role is to give the car an original appearance.

Benefits of car body film

In addition to these advantages, it is worth listing all the other advantages that are characteristic of the film:

• protection against chips, scratches and abrasions;
• prevents exposure to alkaline chemistry;
• preserves the paintwork of the body even in minor accidents;
• protects the surface from the effects of bird droppings and insect bodies;
• retains the original color of the car body;
• prolongs the life of lighting fixtures;
• protects the windshield from wear;
• Easily and quickly removed, leaves no residue and completely preserves the paintwork.

In addition, body armor film is much cheaper than restorative body repair. For example, if painting work can cost a car enthusiast about 20,000 rubles, then a protective coating with a film costs about half as much. And if we consider foreign cars from well-known brands such as Mercedes or Audi, then body repairs can cost not twice as much, but four or five.

Film Application Tips

And a few words should be said about applying the film to the surface of the body. The easiest way to get such a service is to contact the appropriate service. Professionals with many years of experience work there, who will help with the choice of material and stick it on your car with high quality. However, such work cannot be cheap, so many undertake to protect the paintwork of their car body on their own in their garages.

To wrap a car with a film, you need to prepare such simple tools:

• building-type hair dryer;
• household sprayer with soapy water;
• a stationery-type knife with blades that can be gradually broken off, thereby maintaining their sharpness;
• special distillation for water or a plastic spatula (about the same as for applying a tint film);
• quality film.

You need to start the pasting process with preparing the surface of the car - it should be thoroughly cleaned and washed using proven shampoos.

Next, it is desirable to degrease the surface. You can do without it, but then the result will not be as high quality. For degreasing, you can even use ordinary alcohol or buy a special tool that is sold at your car store.

Then you need to prepare the material for pasting. The purchased film is applied to a body part pre-moistened with soapy water and marked with a black marker. When cutting, it is very important to ensure that the material does not move, and the cutting line should be done with a small margin. In cases where excess film can be wrapped over the edge of the part, the overlap is made a little more. After the marking is ready, the film is removed and cut out. At the same time, tearing and delamination of the material along the edges should be avoided.

Next, the backing is removed from the film and the adhesive side is released. In order to do this quickly and accurately, you can attach a strip of ordinary tape to the back of the material and then carefully pull it along with the backing. Throughout the removal, it is advisable to spray the film with soapy water - this will relieve static stress and prevent sticking.

After that, the surface of the pasted part is carefully covered with soapy water. Care must be taken to ensure that there are no dry spots left. Then the material is laid, while all edges are controlled so that the stock provided for when cutting remains on all sides. If the body element has a complex geometry and the film does not take its shape well, then you can help yourself with a building hair dryer. The material is gently heated and smoothed by distillation.

After all the water and air from under the film are removed, you need to wrap the edges or cut them off with a knife. If the hood or trunk lid is pasted over, they are opened, and the edges of the material are bent and glued using ordinary rubber glue. Next, the entire part is inspected for defects. If there are any, then you can try to eliminate them with a hair dryer.

In some cases, to remove air bubbles, a needle is used to pierce the film, and the defect is easily eliminated by smoothing.

For the first couple of weeks, high-pressure washing and excessive rubbing with cloths should be avoided. This will enable the film to fix well, and last longer without defects.