BudgetPlan1

Yup...fortunately Beadmaker is pretty short lived and once it was gone (easily done with heavy foam application), improved beading, sheeting and overall performance returned. This was on top of Kamikaze coatings maintained with Overcoat which is the most hydrophobic coating-compatible topper/booster I've used.

I've given a go w/ a few of these types of products on top of a variety of coatings: Kamikaze Overcoat, Polish Angel Cosmic Spritz, 22ple Final Coat VS1, Polish Angel High Gloss (This is a definite ‘max-gloss’ choice), IGL Premier, Feynlab Ceramic Spray Sealant, TAC Moonlight/Gyeon CanCoat, Gyeon Cure, CarPro Reload, HydroSilex Recharge, Nanolex SiFinish, Gtechniq Liquid Crystal C2V3.

I agree that when topping coatings, a synergistic/compatible product is (for me) the best choice but at the end of the day, whatever works for each individual is their best choice.

The Kamikaze coatings themselves are among the most hydrophobic I've used so pretty much straying outside of synergistic products is always a bit of a drop in performance; purely a personal choice as one of my main priorities in a coating aside from protection is the ability to shed dirt and water as best I can; our cars go out rain or shine, even the 'toys', and I'm really not a fan of washing cars so any help to minimize that is one of my goals.

Underblu

I got the ceramic coating on 718 Spyder. It was expensive but seems to be well done and gives the finish a deeper look. I know some folks swear by PPF but I just don’t like it. It’s a synthetic wrap that must be malleable. I don’t care how advanced the “plastic warp” formula is, it never looks as good and glass-like as natural paint. I did have it on 2 of my former Porsches: black and GT Silver and didn’t care for it.

My Jet black 981 Spyder had no ppf and there were maybe a few tiny chips but only if you looked closely and really closely scrutinized the paint. It was a non issue when I traded my car in for my 718 Spyder. I’m hoping this ceramic coating will provide a little extra protection of the clear coat while also showing of the luster of the paint.

rzspyder

now this comment makes me wonder if I should just go with ceramic coating. I don’t like the idea of having a plastic wrap. On my previous Porsche I didn’t have a wrap or coating, and fortunately other than some swirls from car wash there was no mark.
On the other hand, the ease of mind one gets with protection from PPF is valuable. So this is a tough call.

BudgetPlan1

I think a lot of it depends also on how you're gonna use the car. While the PPF does have a slight texture, it's pretty unnoticeable to your average person looking at the car; the question is "Are you the 'average' person as far as appearance goes?" I stare at our cars endlessly and it doesn't really bother me much when I do notice. The wife's Vette was to be used as a daily driver in nice weather, work, shopping, whatever...she wants to drive that thing. We went with PPF because it was assumed that much of that would be commuting to work and other freeway use which really tends to beat up a car here in NE Ohio. Also getting consideration is that on the Vette, the layer beneath the paint is white so when a rock bounces off of it and chips it, it stands out like a sore thumb to me. I would think if'n you're gonna spend a lot of time on the track, it would be the way to go (PPF) as well. We also went with PPF because I was curious about it (and also wanted a pro to do the 'heavy lifting' as far as new car prep/protection goes; it was a superbly entertaining experience!).

I will say that I am also driving the snot out of the Agate Gray Cayman, lotsa freeway (about 250 miles a week) and I know it's had a few chips but they are nowhere near as noticeable as on a black car....but should I upgrade to a new Agate Gray Cayman in a year or so, I'll probably have that totally done w/ PPF as well considering how it will be used. Another advantage to PPF is the ability to self-heal minor scratches and marring, far more than even the best-est self-healing coating; PPF is generally 8mil think and you'll never be able to achieve a coating thickness anywhere near that so PPF will 'heal' better. Not really so much a consideration with proper wash routines on a non-black car but on black, I'd want all the help I could get.

Also worth noting is how long you plan on keeping the car; full wraps ain't cheap and if you plan on getting rid of the car after 4 years, it might just not be cost efficient.

Although I've been living with coated cars since early 2016 and become very familiar with what my chosen coatings can and can't do w/ regards to lack of maintenance, heavy vehicle usage, sitting outside, etc, it took me a full 'season' (April thru November) to become comfortable with how tough PPF is (or can be). While our PPF is indeed coated w/ a film-specific ceramic I just wasn't sure how well it would stand up to environmental contamination and such; would it do as well as the coatings I choose to use? It did and I'm far more acclimated to living with and keeping a PPF'd car in great shape (which is really no difference than keeping a coated car looking good aside from a few minor things, i.e. don't get up close and personal to panel gaps or edges if you use a pressure washer during washes).

It's a tough choice for sure and I'd limit it (PPF) to cars I was somewhat obsessive about, mostly due to cost of a full wrap. Like anything, I guess, there is no universal best solution, but there is probably a best solution *for you*. Finding it can be a bit of a journey but when ya get it right, it's a wonderful thing.

Archimedes

But most enthusiasts are not the average person when it comes to their cars, and it is very easy to spot a car that's been coated with PPF. So the issue is whether it bothers you or not. But people who say that it's not noticeable are being disingenuous.

The funny thing is that most Porsches don't even see 10k miles before they're sold on to another owner, so spending $4-5k to save a nick or two that would have little to no impact on resale value isn't the wisest decision for most people.

MoeMistry

Some good, and very honest, discussions here.

as an installer, and a purist, nothing beats paint. Ceramic will make it easier to clean and definitely helps keep the swirls and scratches manageable assuming the coating is legit and home care is good.

I install ppf for a living and when it came to my new car, daily driver 3-series diesel wagon with Mediterranean Blue paint, I was in a conundrum. I ended up clear braing the mirrors forward and rear bumper luggage area. I knew if I got chips up front, I’d be totally bummed.

when I’m a few feet away, I cannot tell the difference. But when I’m wiping the car after a wash, I notice the film under the led lights. Does it bother me, yes. Is it a deal breaker, no because the alternative is random touch-up spots or repaint and that would bother me more

so, it simply comes down to what’s YOUR priority and you should always no the true pros and cons

hope this helps

BudgetPlan1

It's all in what bugs ya most, I guess. Heck, some new cars have so much texture in the factory paint that the texture of PPF might actually be an improvement 😄

Yep, for me and black, I'll take the slight texture over a chip that has a white 'core' on a car I'm planning on using in situations prone to such unfortunate events.

Car that sees 2k miles a year, nope. I've also come the realization that if I'm truly using a toy car like I want to, something is gonna happen to it no matter what I choose; it's a harsh world ou there...things happen.

VVG

After owning a number of different cars with both PPF and ceramic, I can tell you that the prep and quality of the application can have a significant impact on the look. I took my Spyder to a very high end shop for full prep, PPF and ceramic. They did a proper wash with a foam cannon, high grade products, etc. They did a full surface decontamination and paint correction. PPF was Xpel Utimate. They then did full Ceramic Pro Gold on the entire vehicle, including over the PPF. It was cured with two infrared cycles. It was finished with a Swissvax topcoat product. They results were astounding. The finish on both the bare metal and PPF surfaces were flawless. I have quite honestly, never seen this level of workmanship in the past. In a completely different league from any dealer prep or product.

wcw67

rzspyder, just go to a reputable shop and have them stick on a small piece so you can check it out yourself. It's not a big deal. Pull it off when you're done. As some of the points above have already been stated the top flight PPF films (10yr warranty at least) are difficult to tell the difference from paint. Some folks may be referring to older or cheaper films or worse, bad/inexperienced installers. However as also stated above you ARE adding a protective layer so it's not the same as paint alone. If you get up close enough you will be able to obviously see any relief cuts or aspects where edges can not be wrapped (ie. body seam from bumper to fender) or corners due to decent PPF being at minimum 6mils thick. Just remember ceramic coating does nothing to stop rock chips or other road debris from damaging paint. Even more important on plastic areas (bumpers). The irony of what I've read above is if one is super **** (i'm near that category!) I'd much rather have PPF protecting the paint vs. having to see unsightly pock marks, paint chips as the only way to fix that is take it to a paint & body shop and get it sanded/resprayed.

Archimedes did make a good point and that is how long will you keep the car, how often will you drive it. I live in a metro area that has multiple rock quarrys, there's always road construction going on and you can hardly drive 5 miles without getting hit. If you take a look at the shoulders of the highways you see what i'm talking about. I'll be wrapping my entire car for the reasons I just stated as well as the fact I don't have to worry about swirl marks, bugs, bird droppings etc. The paint will always be pristine. I'm going to have 10mil film installed on the entire front and 7mil on the rest of the car. Once done I'll have everything ceramic coated. That's just me though and what works for me and my ownership. I intend to have this car a very long while. YOU need to decide what's important to you. Opinions are all over the place, educate yourself with facts and make the best decision for you and your ownership experience.