This is no more than a factual statement of my experience with a vinyl colour change wrap on my 2006 V8V Coupe. I post it purely for information, ymmv, take it fwiw, etc.

5 years ago I had a vinyl colour change wrap applied to my car. The paint was perfect, I just felt like a change for a while. It was done by a highly experienced shop using top-quality vinyl (Avery Dennison and 3M). The car has been always garaged, and the vinyl well maintained since - it still looked brand new, no peeling, no nothing. Nevertheless, I was advised by several specialists that beyond 5 years removing a wrap can become more difficult, and was recommended that it should be removed now to avoid any potential issues. So I did. However, removing the wrap has resulted in peeling clear coat on many areas of the car, especially edges of doors, fenders, boot and bonnet. The car now needs a total repaint at some cost. Whether this is simply how 16 year old Aston factory paint typically ends-up; whether it was a factory paint defect; or whether the car had been repainted in the 4 years prior to my ownership (unbeknownst to me), nobody can say. The experienced specialist that applied and removed the wrap has been exemplary, and I do not place any blame at their door.

So there you have it. Nothing more than a data point for anyone considering wrapping their car.

I will now be keeping this car forever

 

I heard this happens quite often when removing paint protection film from the cars after a number of years.

That being said, I do like the peace of mind and protection the film provides, especially on hoods and front fenders. Bumpers not so much and a repair/repaint on those areas aren't too bad.

Thanks for sharing. Let us know if you find a good paint shop and the general price.

My time for a repaint is coming soon as well.

 

It may be a hit or miss issue...I just recently had the front end ppf removed on my 2007 vantage. I was told the ppf was "at least 11 years old" when I bought the car a few months ago. I wanted to get new ppf installed over the entire front of the car, the A-pillars, half the roof, the rockers and rear quarter panels done. The installer did warn me that older ppf has been known to adhere to the paint and that there was a slight risk of pulling clear and paint off the car when they removed it. He told me they take every precaution, including putting the old ppf under heat lamps to loosen it up and help it come off easier. Fortunately, everything came off wonderfully and there were no paint issues. He did tell me that the newer ppf is better and will maintain its elasticity longer, so that when it's eventually time to remove it, there should not be any issues.

 

I have had to remove plenty of that 3M PPF. It is awful stuff from the get go, absolute hell a couple years or two after the expiration date.

When you factor in the cost of correct application using the best quality materials by a real professional outfit, replacement every couple of years, and then the chance that you may end up trashing the paint and having to repaint at some point anyways, what purpose does it actually serve? Better off just keeping the car clean, detailed and waxed/sealed and having chips or scratches professionally touched up when they develop.

The last film I removed was 15 year old 3M on the entire front clip of an “investment grade” E46 M3. Damaging the paint during removal would have had terrible implications for the originality of the car and value.

I believe that all told, I spent over 20 hours with a heat gun and solvent adhesive remover to removing the film basically an inch at a time. Until now I had completely blocked that experience out of my memory. Whole car had to be buffed out afterwards, since the paintwork under the film did not match the exposed surfaces after the fact.

A pin-striping removal wheel (rubber gummy block used on a drill or other rotary tool) is a good method if you absolutely must not damage the paint below, but expect days and days of nerve-wracking labor, and the need for a paint correction after all is said and done. Can’t imagine having to do it on an entire car.

 

Have heard some not so great things about the 3M ppf. I went with Xpel on mine. I guess I will find out in 8 to 10 years how it is...if I still have the car then.

 

When I received my "One of..." certification from the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, it noted that my '06 DB9's original spec included "Standard Fit Helitape." I had no idea what "Helitape" is, so I googled it and learned that it's 3M "Abrasion Resistance Polyurethane" and is used to protect helicopter blades, and - apparently - Aston Martin paint. I'd left mine in place behind the wheel arches for 16 years until I asked a detailer to remove it this spring. He said it was the hardest thing to remove that he's ever worked on and took about four hours per piece. Still, he managed to get it off without any paint damage.

 

I am very much inclined to agree with you. I have been mulling this over, to PPF or to not PPF, once my car is repainted. Given my experience, and the fact that no PPF/wrap lasts forever and has to come off at some point, why would I want to risk this happening again? Answer, I wouldn't, so I won't. I might consider a ceramic coating if I can be convinced that's worthwhile/no risk, but otherwise, I'll just take the chips.

 

Yikes, had no idea PPF had that problem.

I spent 1500 last year on my 2006 car when I got it to have it buffed and ceramic coated with Revivify. I'm...not very impressed, but the paint correction did noticeably improve the look of the car so I guess I'm not too upset. I did a bunch of touchup on the car, and got some budget ceramic coatings since I sanded away the professional application and to see what it was like to use. I spent many days fixing one spot where I stupidly went through all the clear with a powerful rotary tool trying to polish the chrome.

Ceramic coat does NOT create much visible, so whatever "self-healing" or "scratch filling" they advertise is not as significant as you might think. I can't find the video anymore but there's someone on Youtube who puts some light scratches on bare paint, PPF, and ceramic coating, and it turns out they all will "heal" with hot water or heat gun. PPF will heal more since it's a very thick layer of pretty soft stuff, but we've already discussed the potential problems with PPF. I have a tiny spot where I still have tiny pores from airbrushing I didn't completely sand out, which would come out with very minimal 3000 grit sanding, but no matter how many layers of ceramic coat I put on they don't visibly change. It's something like a 2 micron buildup at most because it's really just a silicone coating that bonds and cures to the very surface that doesn't have the ability to build up.

Would I do ceramic coating again? Probably not professionally with a full paint correction. It seems to stick okay to a suboptimally prepped surface, which is what you would expect given the chemistry. I just bought a new Honda and I think I'll just quickly wipe on a layer of cheap ceramic coating without paint correction as a form of more durable hydrophobic "wax". I have a bottle of Turtle Wax Ceramic Hybrid spray wax (ingredients show it's pretty much a mix of normal wax and silicones) which is more hydrophobic than the Revivify coating alone, but the Revivify seems to maintain a minimum hydrophobicity while the Turtle Wax is surprisingly durable but is noticeably degraded after the car gets a bit dirty, sits, and is cleaned. The ceramic coating installer said they use Carpro Reload (which is basically wax...lol) to "restore" the coating periodically, which basically confirms that the hydrophobicity of the coating itself does degrade and needs the extra layer on top for best results.

 

My opinion of ceramic coatings are that they are 99% marketing hype BS. People imagine a ceramic coat as a magic “liquid diamond” serum that somehow protects your car from scratches, dirt, etc.

In reality, my experience has been that it sheds water only slightly better than a top-tier modern wax/sealing product and provides basically no additional scratch protection. What is the point?

My biggest gripe about the stuff is that it picks up swirl marks and water marks just as easily as paintwork, which you then must live with unless you want to polish off your $1000 snake oil coating.

Start with a paint correction if you need it, wax the thing up with a premium wax or modern sealant, wash it carefully as possible, and then use a super-fine polish/glaze every year or so when the car picks up swirls and fine scratches.

 

Ceramic does not protect from scratches at all in experience. The coating can scratch, itself. I am on my 4th car with ceramic. I like how it sheds water and does add a layer of gloss. I haven't had to add a 2nd application 6 months on, but I will be there soon on my wife's car. The biggest draw back with ceramic is the curing time. It's pretty easy to apply. Paint correction is paint correction.

 

I've had C-Quartz applied to my last 3 cars and have been very happy with it. I think people mistakenly believe it adds some kind of protection against chips, etc. Its simply a very durable paint sealant that lasts years instead of months. I had it applied to my BMW M2 in 2018 and it still beads and keeps the car glossy today just as much as it did the 1st day it was applied. That being said...yes it can swirl and scratch, much like clear coat does. If you are the type who likes to go through an automatic car wash then don't waste your money on ceramic. If you like to wash your car by hand and do it properly (two bucket method, etc) then ceramic is very durable and will hold a shine for many years depending on the level of coating you use.

 

A better way to avoid such a situation while removing is using a ppf before wrapping