Self-healing PPF is one of the most demonstrated and least understood features in the industry. The top coat of modern PPF contains elastomeric polymers that re-flow when exposed to heat, meaning light scratches and swirl marks literally disappear when the film warms up in the sun or with hot water.
This is not marketing. Pour warm water on a scratched panel and watch the marks vanish in seconds. The mechanism is real: the polymer chains have memory and return to their original configuration once mobility is restored by temperature.
What does not self-heal: deep scratches that penetrate the top coat, cuts or punctures, and damage that reaches the adhesive layer. For everything short of that, your PPF heals itself daily without you doing anything.