Aftercare
How to look after your film
Follow these instructions and the film will do its job for the life of your coverage. These instructions form part of the conditions of our limited warranty. They ask only for ordinary care, and they do not require you to buy anything from us or from anyone else.
- 7 daysBefore the first wash
- Hand washTwo buckets, pH-neutral soap
- Once a yearFree inspection with us
What this applies to
These instructions apply to the paint protection film we installed on your vehicle, on the panels listed as covered areas on your installation record. Terms used here have the meaning given in our limited warranty.
The film manufacturer may also publish its own care requirements for its separate warranty. A copy comes with your installation record. Where the two documents differ, follow whichever is stricter. The manufacturer’s document governs its own warranty; this one governs ours.
The first seven days
The adhesive is still bonding to your paint. This period matters more than anything else you will do later.
- Do not wash the vehicle for at least seven days. If your installation record states a longer period, follow that instead.
- Keep the vehicle out of heavy rain and away from sprinklers where you reasonably can. A garage is ideal.
- Do not apply wax, sealant or any coating for at least thirty days.
- Do not press, squeeze or attempt to pop small bubbles or pockets of moisture. They are normal and clear on their own, usually within two weeks.
- Do not pick at, lift or trim any edge. This breaks the bond and is not covered.
Haze, faint lines and small bubbles are normal at first. Installation fluid takes time to evaporate through the film. Warmth speeds it up, so parking in sun during the first few days helps. If anything is still visible after thirty days, contact us.
Washing
After the first seven days, wash the vehicle every two weeks or so, and sooner if it is visibly dirty. Dirt left on film for long periods can stain it.
- Hand wash with a pH-neutral car shampoo and a soft microfiber wash mitt.
- Use two buckets, one for soap and one to rinse the mitt, ideally with grit guards. This is the single most effective way to avoid putting scratches in the film yourself.
- Rinse thoroughly and dry with clean microfiber towels. Do not let the vehicle air dry, as minerals in the water leave spots that are hard to remove later.
- Wash in shade where possible, not in direct sun on a hot panel.
- Wipe along panels rather than into or toward an edge.
Pressure washers
- Keep the nozzle at least 24 inches from the surface.
- Use a wide fan tip, 40 degrees or wider. Never a narrow or turbo tip.
- Never aim at an edge, seam, corner, emblem or any area that has started to lift. A narrow tip held close to an edge is the most common way owners lift their own film.
Water use in California. Many California jurisdictions require a hose used to wash a vehicle to be fitted with a shut-off nozzle, and local restrictions may apply during drought. Check the rules where you live. A two-bucket hand wash uses very little water and is better for the film in any case.
What to avoid
- Automatic car washes with brushes or cloth. They put fine scratches into film and can catch an edge. Touchless washes are acceptable once the film has cured, though the detergents are usually harsh.
- Abrasive polishes, compounds, clay bars and scouring pads anywhere on the film.
- Waxes and dressings containing dyes, pigments, naphtha or kerosene. These can stain or dull the top coat.
- Solvents, degreasers, and bug or tar removers left to dwell. Spot-treat, work quickly and rinse.
- Parking under sap trees, near sprinklers, or under light posts where birds gather.
- Anyone other than us removing, trimming, repairing or reinstalling the film. Contact us first.
Deal with these promptly
Some contaminants are acidic and will etch or stain the film if they sit on it. Remove them as soon as you notice them rather than waiting for the next wash.
- Bird droppings
- Bug splatter
- Tree sap
- Fuel spills and overspray of any kind
- Road salt and construction dust
Soften with warm water and a damp microfiber cloth first. For a stubborn mark on gloss film, isopropyl alcohol diluted to about half strength on a microfiber cloth is usually safe. Test an out-of-sight area first, work gently, and never wipe toward an edge. Do not use alcohol on matte or satin film unless the manufacturer’s own care document permits it.
Coatings, and anything you stick on
Ceramic coatings and sealants
You may apply a ceramic coating or sealant over the film after thirty days, and doing so does not affect your coverage. Use a product its maker describes as suitable for paint protection film, and for matte or satin film one described as matte-safe. Any brand is fine.
A coating applied over the film is not part of this warranty. If a coating has to be removed to carry out covered work, reapplying it is at your cost.
Adhesive items and accessories
- Do not apply stickers, decals, badges, vinyl lettering, or adhesive mounts to the film. Removing them can lift or tear it.
- Do not place magnets or suction mounts on filmed panels. Grit trapped underneath grinds into the surface.
- Avoid bras, bonnet masks and strap-mounted racks or carriers on filmed panels.
- If you use a car cover, use a soft, clean, breathable one, and never fit it over a dirty vehicle.
Matte and satin film
Matte film is cared for the same way, with two differences that matter.
- Never use a wax, polish, sealant or quick detailer intended for gloss. Gloss agents fill the texture of matte film and leave shiny patches that cannot be reversed.
- Never polish or buff matte film. Buffing burnishes the surface and creates a permanent shiny mark.
- Use only products described by their maker as safe for matte or satin finishes. Any brand is fine.
- Spot-clean marks early. Matte film shows fingerprints and oils more readily than gloss.
Self-healing
Light swirls and fine scratches in the top coat close up with gentle heat. Park the vehicle in warm sun for thirty to sixty minutes, or flow hot but not boiling water over the panel.
This works on the top layer only. It will not repair a cut that has gone through to the base of the film or to the paint beneath. If a mark does not clear, bring it to us.
If something looks wrong
Tell us early. A lifting corner caught in week one is a ten minute fix. The same corner left for six months has collected dirt and moisture and may need the panel redone.
Contact us straight away if you see an edge lifting or curling, a bubble that has not cleared after thirty days, cracking, yellowing, or film separating from the paint. Do not try to press it down, trim it or tape it. To open a warranty claim, follow Section 10 of our limited warranty.
Your annual inspection
Bring the vehicle to either studio once in each twelve month period, measured from the anniversary of your coverage start date. The inspection is free and takes about an hour. We check every edge, log the condition, and put right anything small before it becomes something large.
If the vehicle is kept more than 100 miles from either studio, contact us and we will agree an alternative, such as dated photographs or an inspection by an installer we nominate.
If you sell the vehicle
Coverage transfers with the vehicle at no cost. Pass these instructions to the next owner along with the installation record and warranty certificate, and tell them the coverage exists. They are also published here permanently, so a link is enough.
The new owner should contact us to have the certificate reissued in their name. See Section 08 of our limited warranty.
You do not have to buy anything
No brand of product is required and no particular service provider is required. Nothing in these instructions or in our limited warranty conditions your coverage on buying a specific product or having work done by a specific person. Use any pH-neutral shampoo, any microfiber, and any detailer you like.
Where we describe a type of product to avoid, that is because of what it does to the film, not because of who makes it.
If you do not follow these instructions
Following these instructions is a condition of our limited warranty. But not following them does not cancel your coverage outright.
What is excluded is damage caused by not following them. If a scratch appears because the vehicle went through a brush wash, that scratch is not covered. Coverage for everything else, including any separate defect in the film or in our installation, continues unaffected.
Nothing here limits any right you have under the California Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, the California Commercial Code, or the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. See Section 12 of our limited warranty.
Changes to these instructions
We may update these instructions for future installations. The version that applies to you is the version in effect on the date of your installation, and we will not make it stricter afterwards. The version and effective date appear at the top of this page.
Keep a copy with your vehicle records. This page is published permanently and a current copy is always available from us.
Ask us
If you are unsure about a product, a mark, or anything that looks wrong, ask before you act on it. It costs nothing and it is much easier to fix something early.
Pasadena, CA 91107
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362