Plastic protection against rock chips?

[lhanddds]

I think it was called Track Tape. Like I said maybe I should have spent more. I’ll certainly try the Track Armor if you liked it. Was it stretchable at all? Track Armor also had varying reviews on Amazon.

[Tom]

Track Armour worked great for me. I think it had a little give to it, though it's been a while. I used it to get the car from the dealer to my home, maybe 50 miles, before the ppf guy could get to it. It's not PPF for sure, but on my white car it was very unnoticeable and left zero residue on the paint. I think Tracwrap by xpel is the original and maybe the best/most ppf like. But Track Armour was a massive upgrade from the painters tape I used the first time I brought a car home...

[blueline]

A few updates to this thread since my new, just-delivered 992.2 is in the shop for its PPF, paint correction, ceramic, clear UV tint, etc.

My installer is a Llumar Platinum dealer, so that's the PPF I've been using the past several years. llumar Platinum is an excellent, top-rated PPF owned and developed by Eastman Chemicals. Suntek Ultra is also owned by Eastman Chemicals and is almost the same product as the llumar Platinum, although the Llumar line is and will remain Eastman's premier product. As such, both have the ceramic-enhanced quality but I'll still ceramic coat the car with Gtechniq.

Echoing what others have said, I personally feel that any of the top brands are good as long as the installer is top notch. Without a doubt that's the biggest key.

I think it's also wise to consider the longevity of any PPF - it does have a finite life span. If the car spends much of its life outside and/or in the hot sun, I would want it replaced way sooner than if it spent its life in a clean and temp-controlled garage. All PPF brands will degrade over time. The harsher the conditions, the faster the degradation and the higher the chance of paint damage upon removal.

Regarding the use of temporary protection such as Track Armor or Track Tape, use caution. My installer strongly recommends against using those products or others like them on new cars. He feels the risk of damaging the surface far outweighs any perceived benefits. Those temp coverings are low quality products that conceivably could easily damage paint, especially if the car is new.

[blueline]

Follow up to my comment regarding the lifespan of PPF, the consensus seems to be a max of 10 years if on a daily driver, probably fewer years than that if on a vehicle exposed to extreme hot climate and intense sunlight. For other cars, PPF should be good for 10 to 15 years.

If the film is left on a car too long, the problem is not necessarily the film itself but rather the adhesive that will deteriorate and make removal a more laborious process, also potentially causing damage to the finish during removal.

UV is a killer for plastics and other materials.

[lhanddds]

I have given up and purchased an old fashioned bra for highway trips. I tried a PPF product but it was not a good material or my technique was suspect. Probably the latter.