Paint Protection Film (PPF) over hood decals

[Thats_Exactly_Why]

Was nervous about getting PPF over the hood decals and was debating whether to go over or cut around them. Main concern was that the ridge of the decal would cause a small gap that would be visible and possibly trap water. Discussed with the installer and he assured me that the gap wouldn’t happen and since he wrapped the film over the hood, getting water trapped under there wasn’t a concern.

well, got it back yesterday and there is definitely the gap that I was concerned about. Installer literally told me that the gap is cause by trapped water / fluid they use during installation and that it would evaporate over a few days.

So, you would think I would be pissed, but the truth is, I kinda like the way it looks and I’ll be happy however it turns out to be honest. It is a very thin line and almost like a little pen stripe. If it does evaporate and go away, that’s fine too.

I elected to go over the decal because I park this thing outside most of the time (the 66 fastback gets the garage) and I wanted to protect the decal from fading. It does convert the decal from matte to gloss finish though. Actually it makes it match the blacked out roof finish, so that turned out for the better as well…

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[mmerholz]

Looks great! I will let you know that I have a 2023 Mach 1. It's a daily driver to work and back on weekdays. After 3 years and hundreds of hand washes the vinyl decals have held up extremely well (no protection). So, they PPF should provide additional protection.

 

[DarkHorsePremium]

Yes. Looks good I like it as well. I'm almost wishing I did it too.

 

[mrnavy2]

SWEET

 

[Dark Sprite]

I gave my PPF installer multiple options but we settled on different sections of PPF using the XPEL templates to fit the different decals - gloss where glossy and satin where the decal is matte. I wanted to maintain the existing effects and didn’t want the inevitable air gap/ridge where the PPF transitions from bonnet to decal and off again. I’m very happy with the result.

 

[N1T3MRE]

Put a pic to show you what it looks like after 12-18 months - full piece on bonnet over decals

Admittedly this car has also dealt with 2 Northern Australian summers (temp) and has come up a treat

PPF freshly done October '24

January '26 - still has slight lines but I like the satin look it gives the decals

 

[LouG]

Nice effect. Hope it lasts.

 

[BillK]

Was nervous about getting PPF over the hood decals and was debating whether to go over or cut around them. Main concern was that the ridge of the decal would cause a small gap that would be visible and possibly trap water. Discussed with the installer and he assured me that the gap wouldn’t happen and since he wrapped the film over the hood, getting water trapped under there wasn’t a concern.

well, got it back yesterday and there is definitely the gap that I was concerned about. Installer literally told me that the gap is cause by trapped water / fluid they use during installation and that it would evaporate over a few days.

So, you would think I would be pissed, but the truth is, I kinda like the way it looks and I’ll be happy however it turns out to be honest. It is a very thin line and almost like a little pen stripe. If it does evaporate and go away, that’s fine too.

I elected to go over the decal because I park this thing outside most of the time (the 66 fastback gets the garage) and I wanted to protect the decal from fading. It does convert the decal from matte to gloss finish though. Actually it makes it match the blacked out roof finish, so that turned out for the better as well…

Looks great! I happened to get my 2026 King Ranch with front PPF just this week and was also warned a small bubble or two might appear and would disappeared over a few days. I also ordered a 2026 Dark Horse Premium last week (AI image attached…build in a separate post) and have already arranged for the same team to do full PPF and ceramic coating when it arrives this summer.

 

[FrostyOne]

Was nervous about getting PPF over the hood decals and was debating whether to go over or cut around them. Main concern was that the ridge of the decal would cause a small gap that would be visible and possibly trap water. Discussed with the installer and he assured me that the gap wouldn’t happen and since he wrapped the film over the hood, getting water trapped under there wasn’t a concern.

well, got it back yesterday and there is definitely the gap that I was concerned about. Installer literally told me that the gap is cause by trapped water / fluid they use during installation and that it would evaporate over a few days.

So, you would think I would be pissed, but the truth is, I kinda like the way it looks and I’ll be happy however it turns out to be honest. It is a very thin line and almost like a little pen stripe. If it does evaporate and go away, that’s fine too.

I elected to go over the decal because I park this thing outside most of the time (the 66 fastback gets the garage) and I wanted to protect the decal from fading. It does convert the decal from matte to gloss finish though. Actually it makes it match the blacked out roof finish, so that turned out for the better as well…

Was nervous about getting PPF over the hood decals and was debating whether to go over or cut around them. Main concern was that the ridge of the decal would cause a small gap that would be visible and possibly trap water. Discussed with the installer and he assured me that the gap wouldn’t happen and since he wrapped the film over the hood, getting water trapped under there wasn’t a concern.

well, got it back yesterday and there is definitely the gap that I was concerned about. Installer literally told me that the gap is cause by trapped water / fluid they use during installation and that it would evaporate over a few days.

So, you would think I would be pissed, but the truth is, I kinda like the way it looks and I’ll be happy however it turns out to be honest. It is a very thin line and almost like a little pen stripe. If it does evaporate and go away, that’s fine too.

I elected to go over the decal because I park this thing outside most of the time (the 66 fastback gets the garage) and I wanted to protect the decal from fading. It does convert the decal from matte to gloss finish though. Actually it makes it match the blacked out roof finish, so that turned out for the better as well…

I had PPF put over my entire hood and the product my installer used did not leave any gap, it's a thinner film, but basically just as durable as the film he used elsewhere.

The problem with that air gap is it may cause the film to dry out over time and start to peel is what he told me.

 

[LouG]

That blue is amazing, it might drag me away from adriatic.

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