When can I wash the car after fitting?

Wait a full seven days before any wash at all. The film's acrylic adhesive reaches its final grip over that period, and pressurised water applied before it has set is by a wide margin the leading cause of edge lift we see come back. During that week the car can be driven and rained on without any problem — it is the jet and the rubbing you avoid, not moisture. You may also see fine bubbles or a slight haze under the film: that is the fitting solution evaporating, it is normal, and it clears on its own within days, faster if the car sits in the sun. After that, hand washing can resume as usual. If the car gets genuinely dirty before the seven days are up, a gentle rinse with clean water, no pressure and no rubbing, is no problem.

Can I use an automatic car wash?

We advise against it, and not out of excessive caution. The rollers and brushes in a tunnel wash scrub the panel edges first, which is exactly where the film terminates and where it is most vulnerable to lifting. Over several years of repeated passes, that is what wears out a well-fitted film early. Hand washing with a pH-neutral shampoo and two buckets remains the method that protects both the film and the paint beneath. If you have no choice, prefer a touchless station over a roller tunnel, and ask that the pressure lance be kept well away from the edges. The same reasoning applies to local hand-wash stands: hand washing is not the problem, a single sponge dragged over a dusty car without rinsing first is.

Can PPF be waxed or polished?

It depends entirely on the film. Gloss G7 is looked after like ordinary paint: wax, sealant or a ceramic coating all suit it well, and many of our customers apply a ceramic over the top to make washing easier. Satin S7, by contrast, is never waxed or polished. Any product containing a gloss agent or an abrasive, however mild, creates shiny patches on a matte finish — and those patches are permanent, since the matte comes from the texture of the topcoat itself. They cannot be polished out; the panel gets replaced. A shampoo made for matte finishes is all a satin film needs. It is also why we always ask which film is fitted before recommending a product: the right answer for one is exactly the wrong answer for the other.

What if an edge starts lifting?

Do not pull the edge or try to reattach it. Send a photo to NexusCo or your installer to identify the cause. Installation rework is not included in the commercial film warranty.

Can the film stay on after its warranty ends?

Physically yes, in many cases, but it is not what we recommend. Past the warranty period the topcoat gradually starts losing its properties — self-healing weakens first, then the adhesive slowly hardens under the combined effect of heat and UV. A film removed on time comes off cleanly and leaves the paint intact; a film left well beyond its service life becomes markedly harder to remove, and that is where the stories about paint damaged on removal come from. The good practice is simple: we review it at the anniversary, and we tell you honestly whether your film can run another season or two. One sign you can check yourself: if fine scratches stop disappearing in the sun, the topcoat has begun losing its elasticity, and that is the moment to plan the replacement.

CARE & WARRANTY

Living with
fitted PPF

The essentials, in one paragraph

PPF is looked after like good paint, with three extra rules. Wait seven days before the first wash, while the adhesive reaches full strength — during that period a few micro-bubbles of water under the film are normal and evaporate on their own. After that, wash by hand with a pH-neutral shampoo and a clean microfibre, keeping a pressure washer more than thirty centimetres from the film edges. Remove anything acidic quickly: bird droppings, crushed insects, sap. The film takes them, but it takes them better when they have not sat in the sun for a week. Gloss G7 can be waxed and polished like ordinary paint; satin S7 never — polish creates permanently shiny patches on a matte finish. The warranty runs fifteen years on G7X, ten on G7 and six on S7 — the commercial warranty covers the film only.

THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS

The week the film sets

The acrylic adhesive reaches its final grip in about seven days. What you see during that period is not a fitting fault, and what you do during it decides how the edges hold for years afterwards.

No washing for 7 days: Not by hand, not at a station. Pressurised water on an adhesive that has not finished setting is the leading cause of edge lift we see.
Micro-bubbles are normal: A slight haze or fine water bubbles under the film come from the fitting solution. They evaporate on their own, usually within days, faster in the sun.
Rain is not a problem: The car can be driven and rained on from handover: what to avoid while the film sets is the jet and the rubbing.
Do not lift anything yourself: Do not pull the edge or try to reattach it. Send a photo to NexusCo or your installer to identify the cause. Installation rework is not included in the commercial film warranty.

What extends the film, what wears it out

Do

Wash by hand, pH-neutral shampoo, two buckets, clean microfibre
Remove droppings, insects and sap promptly: their acidity works on the topcoat
Dry with a microfibre rather than air-drying, especially in hard water
Keep the jet more than thirty centimetres from edges and joins
Park in the shade when you can: the film filters UV, it does not need to take it needlessly

Avoid

A pressure washer held point-blank on a film edge
Automatic roller car washes, which scrub the edges
Abrasives, strippers, acetone and wheel cleaners on the bodywork
Dry-wiping a dusty car: that is how swirl marks are made
Stickers and suction mounts left in one spot in full sun

On satin S7 one extra rule overrides all the others: never polish, never use a gloss wax, never a shine product. A shampoo made for matte finishes is enough. An area accidentally polished on satin cannot be recovered — it gets replaced.

The warranty, without small print

Commercial film warranty: 15 years for G7X, 10 years for G7 and 6 years for S7. Installation is a separate service and is not covered by this warranty. The NexusCo commercial warranty applies to film sold to installers and individual customers. It covers product defects under the warranty conditions. Installation, removal, refitting and installation faults are not covered by this warranty, including when NexusCo installs the film.

Covered

Yellowing and discolouration of the film
Cracking, crazing and hazing
Lifting and edge peel caused by a film defect
Bubbles and blisters appearing after the setting period

Not covered

Installation, removal, refitting and damage caused by incorrect installation
An impact that goes through the film to the paint: the film did its job
Damage from an accident, vandalism or a car park knock
Damage from unsuitable, abrasive or solvent products
Polish applied to satin
Film removed or altered by someone else during the warranty period

View warranty conditions

How a claim works

Send photos: On WhatsApp, in daylight, one wide shot of the panel and one close-up of the fault. In most cases that is enough to settle it.
We answer within 48 hours: We tell you plainly whether it is a warranty case and why. If it is not, we tell you what the repair would cost.
Film replacement: After reviewing and accepting a claim, NexusCo supplies replacement film for the area with a covered defect. Removal and refitting are separate services, not included in this commercial warranty.

Frequently asked

: Wait a full seven days before any wash at all. The film's acrylic adhesive reaches its final grip over that period, and pressurised water applied before it has set is by a wide margin the leading cause of edge lift we see come back. During that week the car can be driven and rained on without any problem — it is the jet and the rubbing you avoid, not moisture. You may also see fine bubbles or a slight haze under the film: that is the fitting solution evaporating, it is normal, and it clears on its own within days, faster if the car sits in the sun. After that, hand washing can resume as usual. If the car gets genuinely dirty before the seven days are up, a gentle rinse with clean water, no pressure and no rubbing, is no problem.
: We advise against it, and not out of excessive caution. The rollers and brushes in a tunnel wash scrub the panel edges first, which is exactly where the film terminates and where it is most vulnerable to lifting. Over several years of repeated passes, that is what wears out a well-fitted film early. Hand washing with a pH-neutral shampoo and two buckets remains the method that protects both the film and the paint beneath. If you have no choice, prefer a touchless station over a roller tunnel, and ask that the pressure lance be kept well away from the edges. The same reasoning applies to local hand-wash stands: hand washing is not the problem, a single sponge dragged over a dusty car without rinsing first is.
: It depends entirely on the film. Gloss G7 is looked after like ordinary paint: wax, sealant or a ceramic coating all suit it well, and many of our customers apply a ceramic over the top to make washing easier. Satin S7, by contrast, is never waxed or polished. Any product containing a gloss agent or an abrasive, however mild, creates shiny patches on a matte finish — and those patches are permanent, since the matte comes from the texture of the topcoat itself. They cannot be polished out; the panel gets replaced. A shampoo made for matte finishes is all a satin film needs. It is also why we always ask which film is fitted before recommending a product: the right answer for one is exactly the wrong answer for the other.
: Do not pull the edge or try to reattach it. Send a photo to NexusCo or your installer to identify the cause. Installation rework is not included in the commercial film warranty.
: Physically yes, in many cases, but it is not what we recommend. Past the warranty period the topcoat gradually starts losing its properties — self-healing weakens first, then the adhesive slowly hardens under the combined effect of heat and UV. A film removed on time comes off cleanly and leaves the paint intact; a film left well beyond its service life becomes markedly harder to remove, and that is where the stories about paint damaged on removal come from. The good practice is simple: we review it at the anniversary, and we tell you honestly whether your film can run another season or two. One sign you can check yourself: if fine scratches stop disappearing in the sun, the topcoat has begun losing its elasticity, and that is the moment to plan the replacement.

A question
about your film

Whether the film was fitted by us or by a shop that buys our rolls, send us a photo and we will tell you where you stand.

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Living withfitted PPF