Probably not. But you really didn't define "incredibly dangerous to dead bounce on it" beyond it just doesn't work. It could be a bad bushing, or even something as simple as the height of the rubber on the flipper. I find the best course of action for things like this is to grab my phone, and film a deadbounce in slow motion. That way I can see the real action and discover where the energy of the ball is going. Don't throw the ball at the flipper, just drop it from the same spot on the playfield over and over to let it deadbounce on its own. The playfiled protector should not be involved with that.

Interesting, why would it be a bushing?
Tempted to buy some new ones and swap them in. I have considered height of the flippers but should double check.

i got one for my SS a couple years ago and havent noticed any difference. It's still laying on the floor under the game.

It sounds like this might be an artifact of extra ball spin, which I do notice with the playfield protector. Yes, it is much more difficult to catch, and the ball behaves a little differently. I wouldn't say worse, or better, it's just different.

That was a wild guess because you didn't really describe what "not working" means. When a ball is coming down the playfield and you dead bounce, if it doesn't, that energy had to go somewhere. As dq13 said, it may be ball spin which can send the ball straight down the flipper. You may have got "heeled" which is when the ball hits that little spot between the flipper and the guide and just zips down the flipper on an angle. I suggested bushings because if they are cracked or broken, the flipper itself may just be getting hit, and all the energy goes into the broken bushing which would look odd. And the way to check the bushing is to just pull the glass, grab the flipper and wiggle it (you can feel it it has a lot of give in it) rather than just shotgun replacement. It could also be bad links that absorb the energy. Or the ball getting pinched from a flipper rubber that is too high.

So like I suggested at first, slow motion footage will usually tell you where the energy is going. When it isn't working, it is usually fairly easy to track down.

Annoyingly I recorded a video of my wiggling the flippers but can no longer find it.
There's a bit of up down movement from the shaft so I can only assume the bushings aren't helping.
I have got a flipper rebuild kit and bushings so will find out soon!

It definitely behaves very different to my other pins so it's not just bad bounces or hitting ball guides.

Did a full flipper rebuild including bushings and I'd say it's a tiny bit better but still not like my other games. Must be the protector, it's a shame it's a nightmare to remove as I'd be able to do a quick test.

What do you use for wiping the PF protector, if microfiber cloth should not be used?

Idk, I have em on 30 or more games with and a several without. I don't notice any difference in dead bounces, id guess it's something else. flipper rubbers maybe, if it's not the bushings.

worse comes to worse just cut it out if you don't like it, takes 5 minutes (I cut one out before, because I blamed the protector for something, turned out I was wrong and it was a power issue).

Do NOT use a microfiber cloth. It will dull the protector. Just use Novus 1 with a cotton cloth

not all microfiber cloths are created equal. Some are rougher and made to grab, some are very soft meant to wipe with no damage.

Sure, but no reason to roll the dice on something that can't be undone.

I mean maybe its a roll of the dice for some. I can easily identify what type of microfiber is what. Maybe I'm just used to them because I detail a lot of cars, but the differences are hugely apparent most of the time. Regardless, no fresh clean microfiber should really be scratching and unless its a specialty towel, it would be less scratch prone than cotton. Theres a reason we basically only use microfibers detailing cars anymore.

Has anyone put a playfield protector on after putting a playfield overlay on?

I've had a protector on my Mando for over a year. A lot of work to disassemble and re-populate the playfield. The protector from playfield protectors in Germany, is ill-fitting in a couple of areas and was corrected later after I had already re-populated the playfield. They did not respond to my pointing out the issue and asking if they could correct it and send me a properly fitting one, before I re-populated because I was not going to do it twice. Zero response from them and they changed the protector to my suggestions without notifying anyone, including me. So as to the protector itself, if designed to fit properly, it is worth the investment in time and money. I lightly wax the protector and do not have any issues with ball speed. The protector does get spot "wet" from suction to the playfield, not really wet just looks that way. I get ball hang ups where the protector does not fit correctly in the right orbit, but I am sure the new design probably solves that as I pointed it out to playfield protectors.

In summary, a playfield protector, IMHO, is worth the investment in time and money if it fits properly.

I bought a PETG protector from Germany after seeing a buildup of dimples on my Jumping Jack reproduction playfield. Once installed and having played several hundred games I noticed several wet spots but can live with it although it looks like crap. More Bummed though to see minor smudging on the surface that I wasnt expecting after so few plays, but I assume this is par for the course. No longer seeing dimples being made, so I am happy about that.

If there is a way to truly polish these, I havent heard of an effective way... if anyone can chime in Id be all ears.

I think your thread revival and your pinball expectations are way out of kilter with what is actually going on with the true reality of the pinball hobby as a whole.

Wet spots in anything can be remedied. I frequently correct them on old Bally Williams translights sticking to the clear plastic. Look online for examples of how to use corn starch to do it. My method is to sprinkle on a tiny amount and then gently sweep it away with a tissue until an invisible layer of particles remain.

I learned all about the inherent facts of dimpling recently. Once you welcome this into your life, you'll enjoy pinball much more.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-dimple-reality-check