Why is the car body covered with film?
Until now, world science has not come up with effective anti-corrosion agents. Vehicle owners use various means of protection in their cars against this dangerous disease. One method is to cover the body with a special anti-gravel film, which protects the paintwork from external influences, including gravel and small stones. How effective such protection is will become known later.
Contents of the article:
- Vinyl body protection
- Polyurethane body protection
- 5 folk tricks to quickly warm up your engine in winter
- 3 incredibly stupid mistakes drivers make when warming up the car interior in cold weather
gravel film on car can be divided into two types, depending on the material of manufacture (vinyl or polyurethane). The first is low cost, but has many disadvantages; the second is more expensive, but more effective. It can be attached both to individual elements of the body and to each of them. Most susceptible to corrosion, the entire machine can be secured.
Vinyl body protection
In the capital, the cost of covering an entire car with vinyl film starts from 80, 000 rubles. The price per meter depends on its quality and body size. Many say that this particular type of film was previously intended for advertising on cars and initially had nothing to do with its protective function. Thus, vinyl does not protect the body from chips at all. Moreover, when hit by gravel or small stones, such films can break, forming cracks, crusts and torn holes, which can significantly spoil the appearance of the car.
Vinyl is not very resistant to temperature and other external influences. In this regard, in our conditions, it loses its original appearance and fades after one and a half to two years of operation, despite the stated service life of three to five years. In addition, the longer such films are used, the more difficult it is to remove them from the body. After such procedures, at best, the paintwork needs to be polished; at worst, it needs to be painted. These are additional costs.
The value of vinyl in this case comes down mainly to its ability to change the color and texture of the car. Fortunately, such films are now available on the market in a wide range to suit every taste. As for protection, the maximum that it guarantees is protection from minor scratches and exposure to aggressive chemicals.
Polyurethane body protection
Polyurethane films are several times more expensive than vinyl films. The price per meter starts from 7, 000-8, 000 rubles, and the entire body, depending on the size, costs 15-17 m, that is, at least 100, 000-110, 000 rubles. Of course, this is an expensive pleasure, but its protective properties are much higher. Indeed, polyurethane reliably protects paintwork from large chips and deep scratches. In addition, it is more durable, resistant to temperatures up to 30 degrees Celsius and has an average effective service life of five years.
5 folk tricks to quickly warm up your engine in winter
3 incredibly stupid mistakes drivers make when warming up the car interior in cold weather
The polyurethane membrane is treated with a protective varnish, which does not penetrate the structure of the material and retains residual dirt on its surface. At the same time, the polyurethane coating is operational and does not change color or texture. The procedure for attaching a body using such a film takes longer than using vinyl. Drying alone takes 12 hours. However, the paintwork can be removed without problems.
Benefit
It is hardly advisable to spend at least 80, 000 rubles on decorative vinyl covering. Moreover, as mentioned above, this does not bring real relief, and sometimes even cripples. Instead of shelling out that kind of money, it’s easier to protect chips and scratches and make do with a pencil so you can sell the car in two years. Indeed, if the car is used regularly, then in our conditions this is exactly what is intended for vinyl film.
Best Protection – As for polyurethane products, they are generally beneficial for use in premium cars, provided they were purchased for a long period of time. Spending such a significant amount on temporary protection is not always logical if the car can be replaced in two or three years. After all, not everyone is willing to pay a premium for used car movies like these.
Perhaps, in some cases, a reasonable solution would be not to cover the entire body with polyurethane, but only the one that is most vulnerable to the grinding elements. In addition, such coatings transmit ultraviolet radiation. This allows you to maintain a single, uniform shade of paintwork on the entire body after several years of use. There is no difference in tone between the applied parts and other parts.
