orangeblood18

I know it had been discussed numerous times but how do you like your ceramic coated car? I am trying to decide if spending $2,000 for this service is worth it or stay old school using Meguiar's glazing compound, finishing polish, and synthetic sealant. I know it is a big investment but have seen some of the benefits doing research online. It looks like a applying a good quality ceramic coating applied correctly makes keeping the car clean pretty easy. Don't just have $2,000 lying around to blow but would be willing to invest if it is worth it. Thoughts and opinions?

Also, has anyone installed the clear paint protection film on the front end of there car? The detailing shop recommends applying it to the front valance, fenders, hood, pillars, and mirrors. Cost would be around $1,600. Thoughts and opinions?

Thanks.

motoo344

It depends on how you use your car. Is it driven every day or does it sit around 90% of the time? Do you find it difficult to maintain and how often do you clean it? If you are out there once a week cleaning it you might not notice the major benefits of a coating and that is ease of maintenance. I have Opti-Coat Pro+ on mine because I install it but my car doesn't get driven a whole lot. I wash it a handful of times a year and it is a breeze, I haven't washed it since October and had it out the other day in the rain because I was working on my garage and it was still beading up perfectly. Another nice benefit is that once its washed its glossy again without adding anything, you can certainly apply a topper but if the surface doesn't get too contaminated it won't need one. I would shy away from anyone who makes bold claims about coatings or sells them as impenetrable shield. Clear film is going to be the only thing that truly will protect against rock chips, so if you are worried about that then its not a bad option. You can also look into DIY, you could get into it for a few hundred bucks, its really the labor getting to the coating part that is difficult.

orangeblood18

Unfortunately, this car has to sit outside due to my other toys inside the garage. No shade trees over the driveway so no worries about leaves and other crap from trees. Here in Texas we worry more about the sun and heat during the summer time. I am thinking the ceramic coating should last longer. The package I am looking at ($2,300) includes 6-layers and a guarantee of no waxing for 10 years. The company is very reputable and I feel good with their workmanship and quality. Yes, I always try to keep my cars clean so I normally will be washing and waxing frequently. Sounds like the ceramic coating would save some time and energy.

motoo344

Sounds like ceramic pro, they love the layering. If you like them go for it.

BudgetPlan1

I'm an avowed coating junkie, would never again have a car I cared about without a coating and/or PPF. Just makes life so much easier.

Worth noting that both our toys and daily drivers get used, no showpieces so I needs me some protection given my inherent laziness. I like clean cars but dont like cleaning cars 😱

Some misc. info on coatings & PPF I've gathered up over time if'n ya like reading:Quartz/Glass/Ceramic Coatings

While these are often marketed as ‘scratch resistant’, with spiffy phrases like “Diamond-Infused 10h Hardness” it’s largely irrelevant. While the coating you put on your paint may indeed be technically ‘harder’ than your clear coat the reality is that it’s such an infinitesimal difference as to be practically meaningless. The hardest coating in all the kingdom will still be measurably softer than your fingernail.

Some more info from professionals regarding coatings and scratch resistance:
- Are ceramic coatings scratch-proof?:

What coatings do offer is great resistance to environmental contamination and excellent self-cleaning characteristics. While they are no silver bullet, “Never gonna wash my car again” solution, the best of them can indeed keep your car cleaner with less effort. And less effort means less touching of the paint which means less chance for marking up that paint. Additionally, they can provide some protection from ‘environmental incidents’ (aka ‘Bird Bombs’) which could otherwise permanently etch the surface.

Additionally, while coatings are not scratch proof, there are a few coatings that offer some ‘limited self-healing’ characteristics. Kamikaze Zipang is one that I have on 2 of our cars. Again, it’s very important to read carefully and understand the limitations of such technology. I’ve tried a bunch of coatings over the past 3 years, looking for one that offered the best protection and self-cleaning characteristics I could find, mostly with black paint in mind. Kamikaze was the best suited to my needs/desires in that area. From the US Vendors Website:

Quote:
"With Zipang Coat, the chemistry provides even higher levels of gloss and brilliance than their ISM / ISM Pro coatings, and it offers semi self-healing characteristics, meaning that the appearance of small swirls or imperfections in the coating surface will reduce when exposed to heat."

Note the words “REDUCE” as opposed to “ELIMINATE” as it’s an important distinction to consider when setting expectations. Although totally amateurish and done with a cell phone camera, a flashlight held in my mouth and a heat gun, a few paragraphs down in the notes I kept about my Zipang experience are some pics that illustrate this on a very minor level: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/gl...atings/#ZIPANG

Here’s a video where a professional explains it better than I ever could:
What does self-healing mean?:

A few other vids from a pro explaining various other considerations of coatings:
1. 5 Common MYTHS About Ceramic Coating!:
2. Will I Be Disappointed with a Ceramic Coating?:
Paint Protection Film/PPF:

In my mind, the next step up the ladder is Paint Protection Film, aka Clear Bra and a few other names that elude me right now.

PPF *will* provide a level of protection from road debris, chips and other defects and most current films have self-healing capabilities that can help minimize defects…again with limitations. My guess is due to the film thickness (8mil, I believe) vs coating layer thickness (probably measured in microns?) deeper defects can be reduced/healed better with PPF as opposed to coatings. We recently bought a new, black Corvette for my wife which we had STEK Dynoshield applied to all painted surfaces. I’m only 6 months in with it so no long term opinions but I’ve kept some notes on the first 6 months here: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/li...tek-dynoshield/

The film also has some hydrophobic, coating-like properties built into it so self-cleaning effects will be present. Most films can be topped with a coating as well, perhaps further enhancing the coating-like benefits. Not cheap to have a whole car wrapped but if you’re gonna go big, may as well go REALLY big.

What folks smarter than I have to say about PPF:
- Should I get PPF or Ceramic Coatings on my car?:
Lotsa choices, no perfect answer. Your best means of knowledge and info is your PROFESSIONAL Detailer a trusted, a knowledgeable professional has seen and done far more than any half-wit hobbyist like myself ever will so it’s best to take advantage of what they can offer.

Premier

Assuming you have a Porsche, the areas most susceptible to paint damage is the front end of the car. Most of our clients have the Front Bumper / Full Hood / Full Front Fenders / & Mirrors protected as a starting point. Obviously, you will have to guage your driving habits and road conditions to see if there are other areas that you should get protected. Budget will also play a part in this since the more you get done, the more it will cost. Also consider whether they company is doing pre-cut kits vs. custom installations. The best thing to do when considering paint protection film is not look solely on pricing and brand,...but to go see the work in person. The only way you will know whether the standards of the company meets your own.

In terms of ceramic coatings, it is a luxury to have. But if you are on a budget and have good paint maintenance habits, using high quality detailing products is a good compromise.

lflouie

Ppf vs coatings:

IMHO, films are for primarily used for scratch, chip, and weather resistance, with benefits for shine and ease of care. They tradeoff some visual clarity. Of course they should not be waxed with any hydrocarbon based sealant/wax. They can be coated with the right cearmic coating to increase/retain shone and "help" resist scratches.

Ceramic coatings are primarily shine enhances with a very thin hard coating the resists dirt, scratches and contamination and aids ease of cleaning. The quality of the result is directly dependant on the skill/ care of installer, as well as condition and quality of the paint. The durability is affected by the layers, exposure to weather and the type (pro type using uv light or consumer grade) of ceramic coating.

If your car is stored outside and your primary concern is the effect of weather or it is a garage queen, Ceramic coating, or even a sealant will work. Sealants/waxes have a relatively short degradation life ( 6 mos -1 yr depending on conditions. A consumer grade ceramic is good for ~ 1-2 yrs on a car left outside, but 3-5 years on a garage queen....all with occasional top coating. A pro grade will last at least 2x as long under the same conditions.

PPF best properties are impact resistance followed by weather resistance (if entire car is coveted), some ease of cleaning and minimal uv protection. It will scratch and can yellow degrade overtime.but is the best mechanical impact protection.

Which you choose depends on your goals and intended use:

1) weather protection and ease of cleaning (stored outside) but willing to treat every 6 mos, a good wax or sealant. Lowest cost, easy to apply, good shin and easy to address minot blemishes.

2) same goals as above except wanting to extend ease of cleaning and frequency of treatment, ceramic coating. More expensive, but much longer lasting. Superior shine, especially with occasional top coatings. Note: top coating is easy but I find doing at least every 4 weeks ( or sooner) is needed to retain glossy. Major limitation to ceramics is that minor paint damage/correction which can be easily corrected with rubbing compound if using wax or sealant, requires recoating the entire panel with ceramic coatings....minor imperfection touch ups are expensive/inconvenient.

3) if your goal is selective protection from road rash and weather strategically applied ppf or for complete protection wrap entire car. Expensive to install or partial replacement, and unless completely wrapped remainder of car needs some type of coating.

4) Selective (frontal) ppf and the remainder in what ever coating or sealant that meets your intended use and planned length of ownership plus your own level of OCD relative to car finish.

I did extended but selective ppf (front, full fenders, full hood, lower rocker panels including stoneguard area, turbo inlets rear fender, rear wheel arches on backside and custom cut protection on lower rear fender intercooler vents behind rear wheels). The entire car including ppf was ceramic coated with consumer grade (Car Pro UK)...total cost $2000.
My car is garaged, occasional concours, driven <5k per year, and as you'd suspect I have a high OCD factor....expected Ceramic coating life 3-5 years.

The hardest part was the original paint correction process to get "perfect paint". Once the paint is as good as possible, application of ppf and or coating is pretty straight forward....it is 80-90% prep and 10-20% application, IMHO.

Premier

Here is a comparison we did with Prestige Film Technologies' (www.prestige-films.com) newest ClearGuard Alpha (just launched) vs. Xpel / Suntek / Stek

This is the only film on the market that does not require heat to self-heal. To be realistic, who other than the pros have a heat gun lying around to warm up the film to remove swirls and lights scratches?

We are an installer of ClearGuard Alpha in the San Francisco Bay Area so if you are not near us, please look up to see who is in your area here:

http://prestige-films.com/dealer-locator/

XLR82XS

Ive never had an issue with Xpel self-healing. I do live in S. Florida where the direct sun is beating on the film constantly.

XLR82XS

June 21. Full body Xpel Ultimate PPF with GTECHNIQ HALO ceramic coating & STEK windshield protection film completed. Wow... as usual my installer did an AMAZING flawless job that is getting constant compliments. Such a difference from a plotter cut install. Truly the best installer in the state of FL. Another thanks to Naples Auto Armour for knocking it out of the park again with the Taycan. GT3RS with previous subpar full body PPF getting completely removed and rewrapped by Naples soon.

Maskman

I bought this c2s in fall and love it but knew the black would drive me crazy! Swirl marks. Water spots etc! Well had total ppf and ceramic and am SO HAPPY!wash car dry with leaf blower and tidy up with lint free towel and all good. This was taken right after wash. Know it is pricey but best thing for the obsessed owner. And love black!! Nothing better when “buttoned up”