It’s PPF (paint protection film), and yes, you can have it applied to your car to protect those parts that are vulnerable to stone chip damage. I’d say it’s unlikely that many people would have it applied to the whole body of a car, as certain parts (rear bumper, tailgate) won’t be particularly vulnerable to stone chip damage. It’s not cheap though; I’ve seen prices of £3,000 or more quoted on Internet sites to have a complete car wrapped in PPF, and £900 - £1,200 for the front section of the bonnet, front wings and door mirror cappings. Bear in mind the car also needs to be fully decontaminated prior to application, so that cost would need to be factored in too. In view of the cost, I suspect that it’ll be mostly high end cars that have this applied.
For those who opt for PPF, many would probably have it only applied to specific vulnerable panels; e.g. front bumper, front half (or whole) of the bonnet, front wings, door mirror cappings and front section of the roof.
DIY kits are available, where you can buy pre-cut sections to cover the vulnerable panels, although I dare say it requires a certain amount of skill to align it correctly with the body panels, and apply it without trapping unsightly air bubbles.
Having PPF applied won’t alleviate the need for washing a car; it’ll still get just as dirty, and be just as susceptible to squashed flies, bugs and bird droppings.
I suppose ultimately it comes down to how much you want to spend on keeping your car’s underlying paintwork free from stone chips or other minor damage such as scratches or bird droppings etching into the lacquer (some might say, for the benefit of the next owner), and how long you intend to keep your car. For what it would cost to have PPF applied, you could get a number of stone chips and minor bodywork imperfections repaired and / or have a car could be professionally detailed a number of times during a typical period of ownership.
Alternatively, the other option is to buy a paint chip repair kit such as a Chipex kit, and invest in a DA machine polisher, some detailing supplies and adopting a safe washing technique to maintain a car’s paintwork in good condition. That’s what I’ve done, and i know it’s not for everyone, but I get the satisfaction of doing it myself and seeing the results of my efforts for a much lower cost.
