PPF · Windshield film · Tint

Warranty, installation and care

Something doesn’t look right, what’s covered, and how to keep film looking good. A warranty covers specific defects; it isn’t a promise the film stays perfect for that long.

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Something doesn’t look right What’s normal, what isn’t, and what to do next.What is covered Our warranties, removal, and what isn’t covered.Keep it looking good Washing, wear and what speeds up ageing.

Something doesn’t look right

Some things are normal right after installation. Others need a look.

PPF
Tiny water pockets right after installation are part of the film drying and usually fade on their own. Tell us if one grows or doesn’t fade.
Windshield film
Some moisture can remain while it cures. Haze, glare or distortion that affects your view isn’t normal: come back, and don’t drive with an impaired view.
Tint
Some moisture can remain while the film dries, and the dotted border on the glass can look different.

Not normal: an edge lifting, a bubble that grows or doesn’t fade, yellowing or haze, or a deep strike through the film. Tell us early, before dirt gets under an edge.

  1. Tell us early. Email book@superaf.ca or call or text 587-900-9494 with your vehicle, installation date, invoice or reference, and photos.
  2. We look at it. We tell you whether it’s a covered film defect, normal wear, damage, or something care can fix.
  3. Covered: you get the remedy your written warranty gives. For windshield film that’s removal, or removal and replacement, at no charge, and the replacement keeps the original expiry date and 16,000 km limit.
  4. Not covered: we explain why, and tell you any cost before any work.

Who pays?

PPF
For a covered defect, your written warranty sets the remedy, including removal and labour; you get it with your quote. Anything not covered is quoted, and we tell you the cost before any work.
Windshield film
An approved claim costs you nothing, and there are no cash refunds. During the warranty, removing film we installed is free, even without new film. New film is a new installation, unless an approved claim covers it.
Tint
The film’s written warranty sets it. Anything it doesn’t cover is quoted before any work.

Concerns about our installation are handled with us directly. None of this limits your rights under the law.

What is covered

Film defects: the written warranty

Paint protection film: gloss film with a 10-year warranty. Complete coverage also comes in satin or matte, at the same price, with a 7-year warranty.

  • Gloss10-year warranty
  • Satin7-year warranty. For Complete coverage.
  • Matte7-year warranty. For Complete coverage.

Windshield protection film: limited film warranty: 1 year or 16,000 km, whichever comes first, for film defects that cause yellowing, cracking of the film, blistering or delamination. It covers the film, not chips, cracks or other damage to the glass. Full details.

Window tint: manufacturer’s limited lifetime film warranty on both films.

We give you the written warranty terms for your film with your quote; those terms set what is and isn’t covered, and who stands behind it. The Terms have the full wording.

Our installation

Questions about how the film was fitted come to us. We look at it and tell you what we can do, and the cost, if any, before any work.

Removal when we replace film

Replacing it later. When we replace PPF that SUPER AUTOMOTIVE FILM installed, removal is included within five years or 80,000 km driven since installation, whichever comes first. Removal without replacement isn’t part of this benefit. It’s separate from the film’s defect warranty and from any goodwill repair.

Windshield film. During its warranty (1 year or 16,000 km), we remove windshield film we installed at no charge, even if you don’t want new film. New film is a new installation at the usual price, unless an approved warranty claim covers it.

Normal wear and damage

Normal wear, scratches, wiper marks and impact damage can happen to any film. They aren’t defects, and a deep strike or a car-wash brush isn’t a warranty claim.

Goodwill, at our discretion

If a small piece of film gets damaged outside the warranty, we may replace it at no charge, at our discretion. It’s goodwill: not a promise and not unlimited repairs, and large pieces like a front bumper or a full panel aren’t usually included. It doesn’t change what your warranty covers, or your rights.

A warranty isn’t a lifespan

A 10-year warranty means it lasts 10 years, right?

SUPER AUTOMOTIVE FILM

Not exactly. Three different things get mixed up.

Warranty

A written promise to fix film that fails from a defect, like yellowing, cracking, blistering or delaminating. It runs for a set time, under written conditions, and your terms say who stands behind it. It isn’t a promise about how long the film looks good.

Durability

How well the film takes hits: stone chips, gravel, scratches, bird droppings. Taking the hit is the film’s job, so damage from it isn’t a warranty claim.

Longevity

How long it actually looks good on your car. That comes down to sun, washing, chemicals, edges and care, more than the number on the box.

Keep it looking good

Understanding and care do more for how long film looks good than any warranty number.

Washing
Wait 48 hours before the first wash, unless your pickup instructions say otherwise. Wash gently with a pH-neutral soap and keep pressure washers away from film edges.
Staining or yellowing?
Staining is something on the film: bird droppings, sap, bugs, hard water or tar left to bake. Yellowing is a change in the film itself over time, and film warranties name it as a defect. Some marks are hard to tell apart, so show us rather than guess.
What can speed up ageing
Strong sun and heat, contamination left on the film, harsh or solvent cleaners, abrasive tools and brush car washes, and pressure washers close to the edges.
Edges
Edges can lift from how they’re wrapped, from panels moving on the road, or from washing too close to them. See how we decide where to wrap an edge on the PPF installation page.
Start my buildCare FAQ

PPF, windshield film and tint, side by side

Tap a question.

What does it protect?
PPF
The painted panels you choose, from stone chips, gravel and road grit. Your paint colour shows through.
Windshield film
Your windshield’s surface: a sacrificial layer that takes road grit and light pitting instead of the glass.
Tint
Your view and comfort: shade, glare and privacy. Heat and UV depend on the film’s specifications.
Can damage still happen?
PPF
Yes. A deep strike can go through the film, and brush washes or knocks can mark it. Film doesn’t hide marks already in the paint.
Windshield film
Yes. A rock can still chip or crack the glass under the film. It isn’t bulletproof.
Tint
Yes, film can be scratched or marked. Lasting marks, dirt or lifting need a look.
Is this normal after installation?
PPF
Tiny water pockets right after installation are part of the film drying and usually fade on their own. Tell us if one grows or doesn’t fade.
Windshield film
Some moisture can remain while it cures. Haze, glare or distortion that affects your view isn’t normal: come back, and don’t drive with an impaired view.
Tint
Some moisture can remain while the film dries, and the dotted border on the glass can look different.
Why is an edge visible?
PPF
Machine-cut kits stop just short of panel edges, gaps, badges and sensors, and partial film ends in a line about 24 inches back. Where a gap is too tight, we finish the edge cleanly instead of wrapping it.
Windshield film
The film is trimmed to the edge of the glass, so you can see its edge up close.
Tint
The film is fitted to the glass, and the dotted border on some glass can look different once it’s tinted.
How do I clean it?
PPF
Current shop guidance is to wait 48 hours before the first wash; your pickup instructions come first. Wash gently with a pH-neutral soap, keep pressure washers away from edges, and ask us before using unfamiliar products.
Windshield film
Follow the film’s instructions for washing and ice removal, and ask us before you use a scraper, cleaner or treatment on it. Keep using your wipers as you need to.
Tint
Follow the aftercare instructions we give you at pickup.
What happens if something fails?
PPF
Contact us with your vehicle, installation date, invoice or reference, and photos. We look at it and tell you whether it’s a covered film defect under your written warranty.
Windshield film
Contact us with your installation date, the distance driven since and what you’ve noticed. For an approved claim we remove the defective film, or remove and replace it.
Tint
Contact us. Both films carry the manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty, and its written terms set what’s covered.
Who pays?
PPF
For a covered defect, your written warranty sets the remedy, including removal and labour; you get it with your quote. Anything not covered is quoted, and we tell you the cost before any work.
Windshield film
An approved claim costs you nothing, and there are no cash refunds. During the warranty, removing film we installed is free, even without new film. New film is a new installation, unless an approved claim covers it.
Tint
The film’s written warranty sets it. Anything it doesn’t cover is quoted before any work.

How film makers’ warranties compare

Not the warranty for our film. This is a summary of four major film makers’ published paint protection film warranties, for comparison. Our own warranties are above, and your written terms come with your quote.

What film makers’ warranties usually cover

We read the warranties of four major film makers and merged the duplicates. Tap a question.

Is yellowing covered?
Across the industry

Yes. It’s the headline item: all four warranties we checked cover it, and one calls it discoloration.

Covered by all 4 warranties we checked

Most common

A yellow or amber tint, mostly on older or budget film. Cheaper PVC films are the usual culprit.

From our shop
Old, yellowed film peeling away from a silver lower front fender next to the tire, before we removed and replaced it
Old film we removed and replaced.
How it happens

Mostly years of strong sun and heat, and the film itself: that’s why warranties treat it as a defect, not as neglect. Contamination left to bake on can stain the surface and look similar. The typical complaint: the hood looked great for a few years, then went slightly amber, on the panels that see the most sun.

What helps

Care can’t rule it out, but it helps: wash gently with a pH-neutral soap, get bird droppings, bugs and sap off quickly, skip solvent cleaners, park out of the sun when you can, and ask us before trying a new product on the film. If you see it, show us.

Is cracking covered?
Across the industry

Yes, by all four. One also covers crazing, the fine web of surface cracks.

Covered by all 4 warranties we checked

Most common

Fine cracks or crazing in the top layer, or film that has gone brittle and splits around a chip.

How it happens

Film drying out after years of sun, and hard cold: both are listed as causes of brittleness and cracking. A big rock can split film too, but that’s damage, not a defect.

What helps

Keep it clean and out of the sun when you can. Brush snow off gently and never scrape ice off the film. Have a deep stone strike looked at, because a split lets water and grit under the film.

What about bubbles and blisters?
Across the industry

Mostly. Three of the four name blistering or bubbling; one doesn’t name it.

Covered by 3 of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 doesn’t name it

Most common

Raised bubbles or blisters that weren’t there when you picked the car up.

How it happens

Tiny water pockets right after installation are part of the film drying and usually fade on their own. Blisters that show up later often come from contamination under the film, or film put over paint that hadn’t fully cured.

What helps

Follow your pickup instructions before the first wash. Don’t poke bubbles. Tell us if one grows or doesn’t fade. New or repainted panels need to cure before film goes on.

Is peeling covered?
Across the industry

Partly. Two name delamination. A third covers loss of adhesion, but counts edge lifting as normal weathering. One doesn’t list it at all.

Covered by 3 of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 doesn’t name it

Most common

Edges lifting, film letting go in tight gaps, and a dirt line under a lifted edge.

How it happens

Pressure washers held close to an edge, brush car washes, film forced into tight gaps where panels move and rub, and edges that get picked at. Film makers warn that automatic and power washes can lift film.

What helps

Keep pressure washers well back from the edges and never aim at them. Hand wash or touchless only. Don’t pick at a lifted edge: tell us early, before dirt gets under it. Where a gap is too tight, we finish the edge cleanly instead of wrapping it.

What if it goes dull or hazy?
Across the industry

Only some. One covers excessive gloss change. Another covers loss of gloss, oxidation, UV damage and fading on one premium film only. Two don’t name it.

Covered by 1 of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 on some films only · 2 don’t name it

Most common

Film that looks hazy, dull or swirled next to the paint around it.

How it happens

Abrasive wash tools, brush car washes, polishing compounds and years of sun. On satin or matte film, glossy waxes and detail sprays add a shine you didn’t ask for.

What helps

Soft wash mitt, pH-neutral soap, dry with a clean microfibre towel. No polishing compounds on film. Light swirls in self-healing film can fade with warmth from the sun or warm water. On satin or matte film, use matte-safe products only.

What they usually don’t cover

The things people expect a warranty to cover, that it usually doesn’t.

Stain-resistant means stains are covered, right?
Across the industry

No. Stain resistance is sold as a feature, not covered as a defect. None of the four names staining as a covered defect, and one excludes water spots from mineral deposits.

Covered by none of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 excludes it · 3 don’t name it

Most common

Marks or rings from bird droppings, bug splatter, tree sap, hard water and road tar.

How it happens

Left to bake in the sun, or hard water and sprinklers drying on the film.

What helps

Remove droppings, bugs and sap the same day if you can. Dry the car after washing, and get mineral deposits off before they dry.

If an edge lifts, that’s a warranty claim?
Across the industry

Usually not. One warranty calls edge lifting normal weathering, and others exclude damage from improper washing and automatic car washes. Edges come down to the installation and how the car is washed.

Covered by none of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 counts it as normal wear · 3 don’t name it

Most common

An edge that lifts, collects dirt and turns into a dark line.

How it happens

Film wrapped into tight gaps that rub, not enough area to bond, too much tension, and washing close to the edges.

What helps

The panel decides. Wrap where it works, and finish cleanly where it doesn’t. Keep pressure washers away from edges, don’t pick, and tell us early.

A rock went through the film. Covered?
Across the industry

No. Taking hits is the film’s job, and damage to the film isn’t a defect. Warranties exclude rocks and road debris, collisions, vandalism and hail.

Covered by none of the 4 warranties we checked · 1 excludes it · 3 don’t name it

Most common

A chip or gouge through the film, scuffs from a brush wash, or damage from an accident.

How it happens

Gravel roads and highway driving, which mean more rock impacts, plus brush washes and everyday knocks.

What helps

You can’t stop a rock. Self-healing film shrugs off light swirls with warmth, but deep gouges don’t heal. Ask us about replacing a damaged piece.

The fine print, across the industry

It covers the film, not your paint.
Film warranties don’t cover damage to the paint itself, and some exclude paint damage when film is removed. Have a professional remove film.
Labour isn’t always included.
Some warranties cover parts and labour on approved claims. Others pay reasonable costs for part of the term, then give a credit or replacement film.
Proof matters.
Expect to need proof of installation by an authorized installer, the warranty card and the receipt listing what was covered. Some also require the vehicle to be registered, and a written claim within 14 days of finding the problem.
Washing and products count.
Damage from improper washing, automatic car washes and harsh chemicals is excluded, and some warranties exclude coatings that aren’t the film maker’s own. Ask us before you coat or treat the film.
Some warranties move with the car.
Some transfer to the next owner for the rest of the term, with proof of the install date. Others don’t transfer.
Repairs may not restart the clock.
At least one major warranty says a replacement doesn’t extend the original term.
The length depends on the film line.
The clear-film warranties we checked run 5 to 12 years by film line, and one maker lists a limited lifetime warranty on its top film.
Where you drive matters.
One maker’s terms say durability is lower in high heat, humidity, pollution and at high altitude.

Terms differ by film line and region, and they change. Ask for the current warranty terms of the film you’re buying.

About this comparison

Summarised from the published paint protection film warranty terms of four major film makers, checked October 2026. Duplicates are merged. Each maker’s full terms govern. “Doesn’t name it” means we didn’t find it in that warranty, which isn’t always the same as not covered.

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