Thoughts on paint protective film

Is your 550 single-stage paint or does it have a clear coat? Generally, any metallic finish car from that era would have a clear coat, but a solid color (rossa corsa, nero, etc.) may or may not.

If it were my car, I'd be inclined to leave it be till it becomes an issue, you would still be risking lifting paint taking it off to address something that apparently has yet to occur. The cloudiness that he's referencing could also have to do with long-term UV exposure, so if the car spends the majority of its time garaged as opposed to baking in the sun, it could be a long time before you have any issues. If the film is already 7 years old it's probably no more risky waiting on it than it would be taking it off today, but who really knows?

YMMV

 

It has a clear coat.

 

My 575 has the clear bra way too long. The consensus is if we remove it, there will be, at best, fade lines, at worst, paint removal. Just drive the car and pull it only if you are willing to repaint (IMO)

 

PPF is great stuff if you want to minimize paint damage from road debris. As with anything do your homework and find a competent shop to apply the film using top-quality materials.

PPF longevity on a car depends on the amount of exposure to the elements and UV and the care given to maintain the PPF. Since most of our Ferraris live a comfortable garaged life and aren't driven that often, there is no reason a well-done and maintained PPF job shouldn't last at least 10 years or so. Also keep in mind that PPF materials have gotten much better in the last 5-10 years.

Removing old PPF is not that hard. I just removed some from my Porsche 993 that had been on there God know how long. Used a heat gun set on 350 deg F, worked slowly and deliberately, and most of it came off fairly easily, but some parts had to be picked off in small pieces. No paint damage involved, although there was some faint lines showing where the edge of the PPF was (these can be compounded/polished out). Kind of a PITA but not hard to do, and certainly not so for any competent car detailing shop that does this kind of work.

 

It is true that film can get cloudy with age but this is usually true of older films of lesser quality that were not protected from UV. Any car that I put film on gets film-specific glass coating that protects against UV and swirl damage. That film on your car is 3M film, which at the time was one of the best on the market. I have never bought the argument of "don't worry about stone chips".

 

Thanks for this. Was wondering about how to remove the PPF on my 430 which was applied by the supplying dealer in the days when MySpace was a thing.