New Car Protection: Why We Stopped Defaulting to PPF

Film seems like the obvious new-car move, and for a heavily chip-exposed car it can be. On a car you plan to keep and eventually sell, though, PPF works against you over time. It yellows and dulls under the sun, so the protection layer itself ages the look of a car that's supposed to stay fresh, it seams at every edge and traps dirt, and the longer it stays on, the harder its adhesive fuses to the paint, which is how removal ends up pulling paint off with it. So we protect new cars with Icon Rocklear instead. It bonds directly to the paint and cures thicker than your factory clear coat, and it makes a new car look better than it did coming off the truck, with deeper gloss and more metallic pop. There's nothing to yellow, no seams, and no replacement cycle. For a brand-new daily driver, Rock Chip Protection Front is the go-to, three layers on the hood, front bumper, both fenders, and the mirrors, and it leaves you with significantly fewer chips than a bare front end, right where the chips land. It's chip resistance, and it isn't chip-proof.