Paint Protection Film (PPF) in Melbourne

Quality PPF typically lasts 5 to 10 years depending on the film, the conditions the car lives in, and how it is maintained. We use trusted films and back the install with a manufacturer warranty.

Front end coverage (bonnet, bumper, guards, mirrors) protects the areas that take the most stone chips and is the most common choice. Full body gives complete protection and is popular on new, high-value or track cars. We will talk you through what suits your car and budget.

Modern films have UV inhibitors and are designed not to yellow. Older or cheap films could discolour; the films we install are made to stay clear for their warranty life.

Yes. Quality PPF can be removed cleanly without damaging factory paint, which is one reason it is the preferred protection for resale and leased vehicles.

PPF pricing comes down to how much of the car you cover. Front end coverage, the bonnet, bumper, guards and mirrors, is the most popular choice and where most stone chips land, while full body protects everything. Paint protection film starts from $800 plus GST, and Henry will give you an exact, honest quote for your car and the coverage you want. See our PPF cost guide for a full breakdown.

Film first, then coating over the top. The order matters because the film has to bond to clean, corrected paint, and a coating already sitting on the panel gets in the way of that bond. Once the film is laid and the edges have settled, a ceramic coating goes over both the film and the bare panels, so you are left with one consistent surface to wash. If a car arrives already coated, the panels getting film are stripped back first.

It helps in two ways. The paint underneath stays as it left the factory, so there are no stone chips across the bonnet and bumper to argue about at trade-in time, and quality film comes off cleanly when the car is sold or handed back. Owners on novated leases and three year ownership cycles are usually the ones who get the most back out of it.

Most film gets sold on prestige cars, but the sums often stack up better on an ordinary one. Repainting a bonnet costs real money, and a stone chip claim is rarely worth the insurance excess, so the damage usually just stays on the car. The honest answer is that it depends on how you drive rather than what you drive. If you are doing freeway kilometres every week the front of the car is taking constant hits and film earns its keep. If the car mostly does short suburban runs and sleeps in a garage, a partial front over the bumper, the leading edge of the bonnet and the mirrors covers where nearly all the damage lands, for a lot less than a full front. Tell Henry what you drive and what you have to spend and he will tell you straight whether it is worth doing on your car.

It depends on how much of the car is being covered. A partial front is usually a same day job. A full front takes longer, because there is more panel to wrap and every edge has to be tucked properly rather than trimmed flush. Full body work runs across several days and should never be rushed. Most of that time is preparation rather than the film itself, since the paint has to be washed, decontaminated and corrected first, and the panels need to settle before the car goes back out. You get a clear time when you book, and we would rather keep the car an extra day than hand it back with edges that lift in a month.

Reaction is the top of SunTek's range. The part of any film that does the visible work is the topcoat, and Reaction's is built to lift light swirls and fine scratches back out with less heat than the older lines, and to hold a deeper gloss on dark paint. SunTek Ultra sits below it and is still a very good film that suits most cars on the road. The honest view from the bench is that the gap between a good film and a great one is smaller than the gap between a good install and a rushed one. A Reaction panel with a lifted edge will fail long before an Ultra panel that was wrapped properly, so the money is often better spent on coverage and preparation than on the badge. Tell Henry what you drive and how you use it and he will tell you which film actually earns its keep on your car rather than quoting you the dearest one. Our PPF cost guide breaks down what each level of coverage costs.

It can be, because a rideshare car does the kilometres that cause stone chips. Freeway runs to the airport and long days in traffic put the bonnet, front bumper and mirrors in the line of fire far more often than a weekend car, and a chipped front end is the first thing a passenger sees. A partial front covers where nearly all of that damage lands for a lot less than full body, and most rideshare owners do not need more than that. Film also comes off cleanly when the car is sold or handed back, which matters on a leased or financed vehicle. The honest advice is to look at how long you plan to keep the car and how many kilometres you do each week before you decide. Tell Henry what you drive and he will tell you straight whether it pays for itself on your car.