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Paint coating for gas station car washes
- Thread starter bearflag
- Start date
joebruin77
Active Member
I read a comment from an Xpel rep who said that if your car has full PPF, then you can take it through a car wash. Due to PPF's self-healing properties, any scratches or swirls induced by the car wash will disappear after about 20 minutes in the sun's heat.
Ceramic coatings provide a lot of protection from dust, dirt, and contaminants and makes the paint easier to clean, but it does not provide protection from scratches and swirls. For that, you need PPF. Of course, you can always put ceramic on top of PPF for the ultimate in protection, but that costs lots of $$$.
That said, I still don't trust car washes and will continue to use a rinseless wash or waterless wash myself on my P3D. Takes about 20 minutes to do a basic wash.
Ceramic coatings provide a lot of protection from dust, dirt, and contaminants and makes the paint easier to clean, but it does not provide protection from scratches and swirls. For that, you need PPF. Of course, you can always put ceramic on top of PPF for the ultimate in protection, but that costs lots of $$$.
That said, I still don't trust car washes and will continue to use a rinseless wash or waterless wash myself on my P3D. Takes about 20 minutes to do a basic wash.
640k
Member
commercial car washes use caustic soaps designed to loosen and dissolve the dirt on your vehicle to make it look clean. the problem with this is it strips the waxes and polishes out of your clearcoat, leaving the paint susceptible. additionally the spray waxes use polymers to adhere to your car without someone polishing it in, which can cause gumming in the paint. not to mention the brushes, cloths, etc., are never, ever cleaned and are the equivalent of wet-sanding your car each time you go through.
touchless car washes will use more detergents to get your car cleaner but will never fully wash your car.
the long of the short of it is, unless you have a film like @joebruin77 mentioned, commercial car washes are bad.
i feel like there should be a sticky on this stuff. it comes up so often.
touchless car washes will use more detergents to get your car cleaner but will never fully wash your car.
the long of the short of it is, unless you have a film like @joebruin77 mentioned, commercial car washes are bad.
i feel like there should be a sticky on this stuff. it comes up so often.
XLR82XS
D M C
joebruin77
Active Member
That’s right, I forgot about that-thanks for the reminder.
So the only way a commercial car wash will not damage your paint or sealant/wax is to have both PPF and ceramic coating. But if you spend the major $$$ for full PPF and ceramic coating, I personally would not take the chance at a car wash. I would either wash it myself or have a mobile detailer come to your house and wash it for you.
Then again, if keeping the paint scratch free or protected isn’t important to you, then you can save a ton of money and use commercial car washes. I used to take my old Chevy Volt through car washes and I didn’t care about the paint’s condition or protection that much. It was full of swirls and scratches but I didn’t care as much since it was a lease.
Thanks Full PPF costs a lot.
I took my Lexus CT200h though car washes and it didn't leave that bad of a mark. It's a shame the M3 paint is more sensitive. I don't mind hardly noticeable swirl marks but I don't want it the car washes to make more obvious marks on it.
I took my Lexus CT200h though car washes and it didn't leave that bad of a mark. It's a shame the M3 paint is more sensitive. I don't mind hardly noticeable swirl marks but I don't want it the car washes to make more obvious marks on it.
XLR82XS
D M C
IMO if someone plans to own a car for years and keep the paint looking great, PPF is worth the investment.
Kilotango74
Active Member
Vaillant
Member
FYI, PPF only lasts a few years before it needs to be removed. Also, it has UV protection, which means that paint that isn’t covered can fade differently than PPF protected paint. My previous car was a red RX-8 and I had PPF on the front of the car, which went partway up the hood. Taking it off was a major PITA (I waited too many years) and then it looked lousy afterwards, with a clear difference in how the paint looks on the unprotected and protected areas.
Only PPF. Otherwise you are shi*tted. I can't even hand wash my car.
Don't say anything abuse because i have never abused it. I have proofs.
joebruin77
Active Member
You bring up some interesting points. Perhaps if one does get PPF, it is better to get a whole car PPF rather than a partial PPF.
As for your concern that it only lasts a few years, I think the most recent PPF's on the market are higher quality than those from several years ago. Plus a good quality PPF from a reputable manufacturer will have a substantial warranty. My Xpel PPF comes with a 10-year warranty. I plan on keeping my M3 for 7 to 9 years, so I should be good.
jkoya
NA2 NSX
I agree !! I've had 9 cars covered in PPF since 2004 and the current ones are much better. The earlier ones would yellow and this was easily visible on light colored cars such as silver or white. I've had two light silver cars since then covered in PPF and there was no yellowing at all.
I had the full exterior of my Model 3 covered in Xpel PPF by @Premiertint and I am very happy with the investment..
