With good care it lasts for years. The metallic finish holds up best when the car is garage kept and washed by hand, since heat and harsh sun are what wear any wrap down over time. Daily street parking is fine too, it just means a little more attention at wash time to keep the flat tone looking even.

It protects it. The film sits on top of your factory paint and takes the sun, light scratches and road grime so the paint underneath stays sealed and clean. As long as your existing paint is healthy and well bonded when you wrap, the metallic film shields it the whole time it is on the car.

A matte respray is expensive, permanent and very hard to touch up when one panel gets scratched. This wrap costs far less, goes on faster, and protects the original paint instead of replacing it. If you ever want to go back to factory or try a new look, you peel the metallic film off. A paint job gives you none of that.

This is the one thing to get right. Never wax, polish or machine buff a matte wrap, because any of those create shiny spots that ruin the flat metallic look. Hand wash with a matte-safe soap, skip the automatic brush washes, and rinse off bird mess or fuel splashes quickly before they sit. Treat it gently and the finish stays even.

Yes, many DIY installers do. The film uses a Henkel solvent-based acrylic air-release adhesive, so trapped bubbles push out to the edges as you work instead of leaving lumps. You can install dry or wet. Take your time on curves and mirrors, use heat to set it, and work clean. Tight body lines are where patience pays off.

When the film has been on healthy factory paint and you remove it with gentle heat, it lifts away cleanly and leaves your paint as it was. That clean removal is the whole point of a wrap over a respray. The longer it bakes in harsh sun without care, the more careful the removal, so heat helps.

It stays flat as long as you care for it correctly. The shine problem comes from waxing, polishing or buffing, not from the film itself. Avoid those completely on the metallic finish and stick to a gentle hand wash, and the non-reflective look keeps its even matte tone.

The rolls are 1.52m (5ft) wide and come in 6m, 18m and 23m lengths. A 6m length suits a single panel like a roof, hood or a set of mirrors. A small car usually takes around 18m for a full wrap, and most sedans and larger vehicles need the 23m length. Buy a little extra so you have room for mistakes and tricky curves.