In short it looks better (or it should if no paint was ripped off). In a home setting unless you're very anal you won't need mylar.

Over time, eXpecially an older game like that, the Mylar dulls and dirties and just isn't attractive. The risk with older games is the mylar can easily rip paint off...so keep your eyes peeled for touch ups.

I have pulled a lot of Mylar and I’ll second the above post. If the game is going in the home it will be fine. Looks better. Faster. Etc... if it’s going out somewhere it will wear out. A lot of older games hve planning under the Mylar and once exposed it can really start to crack up

Typically Mylar removal weakens paint around the insert in my experience. I have seen some games that got significantly play with the Mylar removed that all began to wear. I think I’m location it would probably wear quickly. Especially an older game. It wouldn’t deter me from buying a game by no means though and I pull it a lot of times on games I have

Not with mylar. They now make clear playfield protectors. They're more expensive but easy to remove if you ever have to.

Try bay area amusements. I think they carry the protector. It's around $130. I have them on a few of my games. Need to save up for a few more.

The mis-information that playfields don't wear in a home setting needs to be abolished. Even in home settings playfield wear can develop around pop bumpers, in front of slingshots at flipper tips, ball drops, around inserts, rollover trip-wire holes...more.

Do with this info as you wish, but do not believe the "heavy wear" areas on a game don't wear in a home. It takes longer and isn't as much as route games, but they will wear.

I agree with this. While you don't need mylar in as many spots, I still tend to use it in some heavy travel spots. Even with diamond plated games playfield wear can creep up on you.

If you have nice mylar keep it. Add to it.
If you don't remove it and touch up, then 4 coats of automotive clear.

I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with this statement at all. If the game is played it is going to wear. In the home setting the wear will be significantly less.

I wouldn't add mylar to a non-mylared game, but if it's already there and in good condition, it stays. It protected the playfield from wear and planking for 30-something years, right? Use a Treasure Cover kit or similar to polish it up and it will look just fine.

I've read that a few people have had success with this polishing kit for taking care of cloudy mylar:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AIZ5HY

I won't remove mylar unless absolutely necessary--it's too much of a pain, and carries some risk of lifting paint. It did its job in protecting the playfield, and it really doesn't affect play all that significantly. Clean it and wax it, and balls travel over it fine.

I also add mylar to protect from wear when I'm done shopping out a playfield. Most of the older games I work on don't have the benefit of those new protectors anyway.

I have full intentions on trying that on my phantom of the opera.

I typically will only remove the Mylar if it is peeling or discolored. I will put strips in front of drop banks and slings and also add Mylar circles to areas where the ball drops out of a ramp or from an upper playfield.

Well easier than clearing but can still be many hours to install protector.

I add mylar or cling vinyl to potential wear areas in all my games (took me almost 2 hrs to measure and cut mylar to fit between the pops on my WOZ). I don't have the attitude where I don't care because once I let the machine go I'll never see it again and it's someone else's problem.
I appreciate a 25 year old game that still looks good.