Do ceramic coatings have a reliable bond with paint protection film (PPF)?

[burnchar]

"The coating chemically bonds with the vehicle’s factory paint, creating a layer of protection." --ExclusiveDetail.com
"The new coating bonds with the molecular structure of your car’s paint" --AvalonKing.com

Bonding with urethane film is chemically very different from bonding with paint. How reliable is the bond to PPF?



Dr Beasley's blog says: "A ceramic coating for paint is designed to bond with just that: paint! You’re not going to get a very durable bond out of it when applied to film...". They are trying to sell their own ceramic coating, but is there any truth to this? Can anyone share a >1 year experience with ceramic over PPF, especially a DIY product like CQuartz?

 

[Peteski]

I very much doubt anybody will have ever applied a ceramic coating on top of film protection! But I await to be surprised at the lengths people will go to!

 

[TyH2009]

I very much doubt anybody will have ever applied a ceramic coating on top of film protection! But I await to be surprised at the lengths people will go to!

I'm pretty sure a lot of people have.

 

[Burrito]

ceramic over ppf is a pretty common package sold by many detailers

 

[jmaddr]

CQuartz has two different products for exactly this reason.

 

[EliteFinish]

Coating is applied on PPF on a regular basis through professional installers and DIYers alike. While it is true that some coatings aren't meant for or ideal for PPF application, there are multiple coatings DESIGNED for PPF. XPEL recently launched Fusion Plus and after applying it on my personal vehicle's front end PPF, it's seriously impressive and I'm really happy with it.

-Kevin

 

[mobilesuit818]

I have both and no issues,

- No Rinse Car Washes are a breeze.
- Wet paint look after washes is pretty self gratifying.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I have several year's personal experience with exactly the situation you're referring to, applying ceramic coatings on top of PPF.
First off, "ceramic coatings" are very different from each other and therefore cannot be lumped together as if they're all one product so keep that in mind when researching.
We've chosen to apply Opti-Coat Pro products because during our personal research it performs better than all others in real-world side-by-side comparisons, and the training support from the company was vastly superior to other companies that were just riding on the coattails of Opti-Coat by trying to sell us a mystery bottle of liquid made overseas and saying "it's the same as Opti-coat only 1/3 the price".
So this answer will relate to Opti-coat only and not other products... Opti-Coat Pro is a silicon carbide coating, this is much different than the silicon dioxide coatings in many ways, to your point though it bonds with the polyurethane on your factory clear coat, which is also chemically identical to the polyurethane in Opti's brand of PPF. Therefore you're getting a bond that Opti specifically designed into their entire coating system.
Will Opti-coat bond with other manufacturer's PPF? I am not a chemist and cannot speak to the chemical makeup of other PPF brands, but in our experience, Opti-Coat Pro also bonds with Xpel PPF the same as Opti's PPF.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I very much doubt anybody will have ever applied a ceramic coating on top of film protection! But I await to be surprised at the lengths people will go to!

I apply ceramic coating on top of PPF at least once a week. The reason is because although PPF is great at reducing rock chips, it's also much softer and more susceptible to environmental damage like bird poop, tree sap, bug splatters, etc. By coating your PPF you're getting the best of both worlds, and it makes it SOOO much easier to wash!

 

[burnchar]

Thank you, everyone.
I'll look into CQuartz Skin, XPel Fusion (though it is not DIY), and Gtechniq HALO (recommended on Facebook).

 

[Peteski]

I apply ceramic coating on top of PPF at least once a week. The reason is because although PPF is great at reducing rock chips, it's also much softer and more susceptible to environmental damage like bird poop, tree sap, bug splatters, etc. By coating your PPF you're getting the best of both worlds, and it makes it SOOO much easier to wash!

I wash my car about once a month when I'm keen. Ceramic coating once for every new car.

 

[ddwilson7725]

CQuartz has two different products for exactly this reason.

I use the same amount of product with pretty much every coating, to other similar coatings), is not a breeze to remove by any means. For example, in warm weather, you should be removing it anywhere from 2-3.5 minutes roughly. Their only vendor, which is why I was looking at Opti-Gloss or CQuartz. CQuartz Lite is a user friendly, easily applied ceramic coating! “Lite” is based on the incredible CQuartzUK Ceramic Coating Technology. Know more about carpro CQuartz at best net review.