-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
PPF vs Ceramic Pro vs Nothing
- Thread starter SJROSSO
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ceramic pro ppf xpel
Do you have to clay, polish, and do paint correction first? I paid for professional ceramic coating on our S but want to try DIY on our Y. I have all the polishing tools but lack the skill to do it well.
Yes. Prep is key to a good coating. I use a medium grade clay bar. Griots, Mothers, Meguiars, MATCC all make good clay bars. You'll want the beefier ones around 100 grams. Depending on the condition of your paint, you may need a 2-step correction. My Y has 7000 miles so most of my panels only needed a 1-step. The driver's rear door and quarter panel had some scratches from people rubbing up against it, so I did a 2-step on those two panels. I use a Griots G9 orbital polisher, Meguiars M100 rubbing compound and M210 polish. If I had to do it again, I'd go with Meguiar's M110, which is formulated for orbital polishers. I use Hex Logic pads. Most of the panels I use the blue and green pads for light and medium cutting, orange pad for heavy cutting.
The main thing I've learned is to apply it light and let the polisher do the work. Mask off any trim you don't want to have polish touch, such as the plastic wheel well trim, the plastic below the rocker. There are lots of good videos on YouTube to show various techniques and tips. Overall, I'm really happy with the Turtle Wax Graphene spray. The shine and slickness it provides for a consumer grade product is really good. I know it's not going to last more than 6 months but it takes less than 45 minutes to reapply.
Its Super easy just take your time and don't worry too much about the paint its almost impossible to permanently mess up paint with a modern DA polisher. Larry from AMMO NYC or JunkMan2000 on youtube are a great place to start.
If the paint is not too swirled you can probably get away with just a simple one step polish. I was able to get my paint glass smooth with Sonax 04-06 polish and a Rupes Medium Wool Pad. This is what detailers domain recommended to me for Tesla paint.
Attachments
Just had full front PPF installed plus spot I front of rear tires where rock chips are prone to accumulate. I applied my own ceramic spray coating after hand wash and clay bar. Very simple and cost effective. Now I know I can drive my car knowing it’s protected. Just washed the car again yesterday for first time after having everything done and it was super slick and easy to clean and dry. Money well spent! PPF was SunTeck film
Thanks, @pt19713! Great photo showcasing your results too!
I have most of the same products you recommended (Mother's clay, Meg's 205, Hex logic pads, etc.). I think I originally used Meg's 210 and found it difficult to work with (probably due to my poor polishing skills). I have the Porter Cable 7420 orbital DA and still ended up with areas of dried up polishing compound that were super hard to wipe off. Is that a sign of bad technique? I switched to Meg's 205 instead and it seemed easier to work with.
I have watched tons of YT videos but I'm still doing something wrong, I think. I always end up with areas of hard to remove residue. I put 5 dots of the polishing compound or wax on the hex pad and use light pressure. Am I supposed to use the orbital polisher and keep making passes until the orbital and pad itself leaves nothing behind? Based on videos, I make several passes and there's a haze left so then I hand buff that away but sometimes it's super hard to remove. Maybe I'm using the wrong type of microfiber towels? I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
Ah, I had the same issue initially with the M210 and it was due to using too much. It took me 2 panels to get the hang of it, though. I always start on the rear quarter fenders. Most people start on the hood or front end of the car. I prefer starting on the steel panels because it may require a bit extra buffing/elbow grease and the steel panels are easier to work with. The hood is such a thin aluminum that even with light hand polishing/buffing, you'll push down on and it bends.
As far as technique, yes, left/right and up/down and let the DA do the work and try not to stay in the same spot too long. Even when you do get the hang of it, there are some spots you'll have to buff by hand.
Thanks, @pt19713 . You inspired me to keep trying and get better.
I happened to come across a post in the Porsche forums comparing the Turtle Wax Hybrid vs Adam's ceramic coating, and he made an interesting point. If I am going through all the trouble claying, decontamination, and polishing, then should I just try a DIY ceramic coating that will last longer than the 6-month Turtle Wax product? Then again, I have zero experience applying ceramic coating.
yes and no. I usually recommend people getting their feet wet to use the consumer friendly products, like the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions. They are much more forgiving if you make a mistake and over apply. Once you're comfortable with the process, you can invest in the higher end products like CarPro Cquartz. I don't recommend people jumping right into this product because if you make a mistake (remove too early, remove too late), you literally have to remove the product and start over.
Here's a link with some info to the product: Product Review and Application: CarPro Cquartz Protective Coating | Ask a Pro Blog
Okay, good advice. I don't want to get ahead of myself and end up like this poor guy and his Bimmer:
I don’t see the value in paying 4 grand to protect the paint when you can repaint it for that
@pt19713 , when you're polishing and realize you used too much, is there an easier way to remove the dried up residue? I tried using more polish to buff out the dry polish but that didn't really work in the past (and actually doesn't make sense now that I put it down on words...adding more polish when the problem was too much compound).
A few squirts of detailing spray should get that out easy. You can also add a few squirts too the pad when priming to extend the working time of the product. I use 2 cap fulls of Optimum no rinse and the rest water in a spray bottle.
So, what I am hearing... if you are leasing don't bother, everyone else get PPF at least on areas known to be problems on Model Y... Also, for the most part ceramic coating is only for people who hate washing their car, but you may want to do ceramic coat on the front bumper bug killing zone to make it easy to wipe the bugs away.
Does that about sum it up?
Keith
PS: What are the high impact areas on the Y? Front clip and rear doors? Can you tell visually when part of a car has film and other parts don't?
Last edited:
Although it costs a lot less, I’m not a fan of the partial PPF. It offers the extra protection but I don’t like seeing the lines.
On the S I didn’t do any PPF but had ceramic coating professionally applied and loved how easy it made car washing. Plus the car stayed cleaner longer in between washings. I didn’t need to use wipers because rain would just slide off the windshield and every other surface of the car. My wife’s 15-year-old Lexus has rain drops that will sit in place on the hood at 65 MPH, but on the S rain starts to slide off as low as 15 MPH. Wheels also collected a lot less grit and grime and super easy to clean. Just the time savings made it worth it but I didn’t keep the S as long as I expected. I am definitely doing ceramic coating again on the Y, just haven’t decided if I want to go the DIY route this time or not.
I figure the cost outlay of full PPF really benefits the next owner more than it does me. Since ceramic coating is usually applied over PPF, I can at least reap the full benefits of only CC. After two years with the S I didn’t notice much if any rock chips in the bumper, hood, or fenders when I sold it.
On the S I didn’t do any PPF but had ceramic coating professionally applied and loved how easy it made car washing. Plus the car stayed cleaner longer in between washings. I didn’t need to use wipers because rain would just slide off the windshield and every other surface of the car. My wife’s 15-year-old Lexus has rain drops that will sit in place on the hood at 65 MPH, but on the S rain starts to slide off as low as 15 MPH. Wheels also collected a lot less grit and grime and super easy to clean. Just the time savings made it worth it but I didn’t keep the S as long as I expected. I am definitely doing ceramic coating again on the Y, just haven’t decided if I want to go the DIY route this time or not.
I figure the cost outlay of full PPF really benefits the next owner more than it does me. Since ceramic coating is usually applied over PPF, I can at least reap the full benefits of only CC. After two years with the S I didn’t notice much if any rock chips in the bumper, hood, or fenders when I sold it.
Last edited:
Like pt19713 said, I am not talking about PPF on part of a panel like the factory option PPF for the rear doors (I hate that look) I am talking about doing the front clip, and rear doors but leaving the front doors and hatch without film. When looking at the car would I be able to tell the difference between the un-filmed front door and the filmed rear door?
Keith
Similar threads
