PPF vs Ceramic Pro vs Nothing

[pt19713]

What about

Adam's UV Graphene Ceramic Coating?​

Anybody familiar with this? Youtube video makes it look fairly easy, and a DIY kit too.

I'm in a few detailing groups and it's gotten a lot of good reviews.

 

[11046]

Thanks, it looks like something I can do!! Car geek, but Utube mechanic. Utube has gr8 video about putting it on

 

[1plavs]

There have been 1000 threads on this and 400,000 posts. If you’ve really read up, do you truly expect to get new, earth shattering info? If you want your car to look new in 10 years and withstand door dings and rock chips, PPF. If you want it to look freshly waxed for 3 years without waxing quarterly, ceramic. If you want both, ceramic over PPF. If you want your car to look like a POS in 3 years or less… do nothing.

Not true. I have owned a ton of vehicles and I didn’t put PPF or ceramic on any of them.

I used atouchless wash, dry it completely and then I use a something like Turtle Wax Seal N Shine on the paint…..the vehicle looks as good as new over time. I will admit that rocks and bugs will make their mark up in front, but big deal. It’s a vehicle and for me to spend thousands on top of msrp just isn’t worth when I already do my part to make the paint look and feel as best as possible over the years.

I’ll do the same with the MY. I have never lost a dime on a trade in because the front end had bug marks or rock chips on it. I got the full value whether you PPF’d it or not.

Think about that for a moment.

 

[1plavs]

How about $15.95 Ceramic Coating (LINK)?

1 layer lasts up to 6 months or more. It requires only 2 sprays per panel, except large surfaces like a hood requiring 4 sprays. With that this small bottle will do the whole car.

We developed this in-house with DIY users in mind without sacrificing the professional results.

Whether getting PPF, ceramic coating or both is a personal choice. But having your car ceramic coated repels dirts and grime to make it a lot easier to wash and maintain. It also gives you that shine or matte look, depending on what you have.

Ceramic coating doesn't have to be expensive, and it's easy to apply. DM is if you have any specific questions, and we'd love to help.

Your site says it’s $29? Do you offer a sample bottle still?

 

[Fairchild]

If you can find this in your neighborhood, I am a fan of DYNOshield (DYNOshield Hydrophobic Paint Protection Film | STEK USA) which is PPF with a chemically bonded top coat of ceramic (two for one) and all at a price about half of the major brands. i.e. (Paint Protection Pro | 3M Certified Paint Protection Film Install | Merritt Island)

Combine it with a protective coat of WET from Chemical Guys and you have affordable and durable protection with a shine that can't be beaten.

 

[SumaPerformance]

Your site says it’s $29? Do you offer a sample bottle still?

Sorry that price was for the sample which we don't have for sale anymore.

 

[SJROSSO]

Hi there. I initiated this poll/thread some weeks ago as I was pondering the question of PPF, Ceramic, tint, etc for my upcoming MY at the time. Other than my teenage years long ago, I pretty much looked at a car as an appliance that would get me from A to B - reliably and with minimal maintenance.

I did not even know PPF existed before ordering my Tesla and reading up on these forums. I’m nearing retirement and that means less of going from A to B and more of just having fun. Having been a software architect for much of my career I was fascinated by what Tesla is trying to do. Had to have this car. Where else can one look forward to a software upgrade to see what new features one can play with? Heck, I dread updating my iPhone with updates figuring something will break.

Well my teenage freedoms are coming back and I want a car that looks great and always will. So I got a great deal on my Acura and ended up splurging: Full PPF, Ceramic Pro (both exterior and interior) Calipers, and Tint. Picked it up yesterday and what a sight. Having spent all that money should incentivize me to keep it that way.

And now I’m ready to hit the road long and hard. Appreciate everyone’s comments on this forum. It’s been very informative to me and will continue to be.

 

[thesmokingman]

I just did the xpel pf but this thread is giving me the courage to try the ceramic coating at home,

 

[Wolfhausen]

Personally, I'd follow Keith and just do the clear PPF forward of the windshield and rear doors only. No ceramic for me. My cars are garage kept and detailed on the regular.

 

[SalisburySam]

I considered of/ceramic (no I didn’t) but not worth it for me in any regard. Car is 3 years old and with going through full-service car washes every month or so and a hand wax twice a year it still looks very good. Not Concours lovely, but very good.

For me, I’d take the money and buy stock or wine for much greater returns.

 

[thesmokingman]

I just did the xpel pf but this thread is giving me the courage to try the ceramic coating at home,

Just an update on this. I started the the process and finished cutting and polishing. I had a couple trouble areas on a brand new car. There was a smudge which looked like a print deep into the clear coat on the edge of driver side passenger door. Thanks to whomever touched the door before the clear baked fully. And then best of all I found that the left side of the rear bumper cover had a really poor clear coat, it was rough to the touch, wth again! It took me an extra hour just to cut and polish those two issues. The car is a couple weeks old with only 170 miles on it, so brand new car with less than perfect paint. That said waiting on the ceramic coat to get here and I'll probably go over the paint a last time before doing the deed.

 

[boulder.dude]

My MY is a month old and I am new to 'properly' washing and protecting a car finish (even though this is my 7th car!). I didn't buy a PPF or a ceramic coating.

I'd like to apply something like Optimum Gloss-Coat before winter (October timeframe), but as a 'beginner' I wonder if I should work up to that by using an easier wax a couple of times before then, eg. after the 2,000 mile road trip that I'm doing next week.

Does this make sense? What product do you recommend for someone getting their feet wet (btw, my 'new' cleaning regimen is now Optimum No Rinse and a good microfiber sham and two-bucket method. I plan to do a clay bar in the October timeframe.)

 

[thesmokingman]

I'd recommend you do the front PFF. That will protect against rock chips, debris etc from damaging the paint. And do it asap before your trip. The ceramic coating is more for protecting against the elements. And the thing with PFF is it is better done to a pristine car, it makes more sense to protect a front end w/o chips and such.

 

[gadgetfreaky]

I went to richarsd Lim in Anaheim. And he did a ceramic csII on my white Y. Well worth it. Perfect paint bright as well

 

[SouthBayGuy]

I paid a professional to do the front and rear bumpers, full fenders and mirrors. I used bulk film to do the hood myself. I used a pre-cut kit with extended edges for the doors. I asked for extended edges on the pre-cut so I can wrap the film behind the door to hide unsightly edges that are typical of pre-cut kits. In addition, I ordered a pre-cut kit for the doors because I was concerned I would not do a good job of cutting the opening for the door handles. I definitely recommend applying film to the rear doors to avoid chips in the paint. Then I apply Turtle Wax Ceramic from Walmart on top of the ppf. There is a video on youtube from a guy named projectfarm. The Turtle Wax Ceramic was the cheapest and best of the bunch. I will eventually ppf the rear trunk and rear quarter panels myself. The thing about paint, is that it is relatively soft. Over time, debris gets embedded into the paint. That is why I want to ppf the entire car. In addition, I find it much easier to wash my car when a panel has ppf.

 

[roblab]

We put PPF on front and hood of both of our cars. It's amazing how often we hear the "THWACK!" of something hard on some part of the car, yet when looking for damage later we can't find anything. Had two previous Model Ss with the same, and when sold with over 100,000 miles on each, the paint was still in as-new condition. Even large chunks of gravel left only a mark on the PPF, which seems to cushion the blow admirably. Did have a run-in with a one-inch bolt (diameter) but it hit the window, shattering it. Wonder what it would have done with the hood.

With well over 200,000 miles of PPF driving, I think it's saved us the cost of having it put on. But, as always, YMMV.

 

[Fairchild]

My MY is a month old and I am new to 'properly' washing and protecting a car finish (even though this is my 7th car!). I didn't buy a PPF or a ceramic coating.

I'd like to apply something like Optimum Gloss-Coat before winter (October timeframe), but as a 'beginner' I wonder if I should work up to that by using an easier wax a couple of times before then, eg. after the 2,000 mile road trip that I'm doing next week.

Does this make sense? What product do you recommend for someone getting their feet wet (btw, my 'new' cleaning regimen is now Optimum No Rinse and a good microfiber sham and two-bucket method. I plan to do a clay bar in the October timeframe.)

The Chemical Guys make a good product.

Chemical Guys | Car Detailing Supplies, Car Wax and Cleaning Kits

Buy high quality car detailing supplies including car wax, polish and full auto detailing kits at Chemical Guys today.

www.chemicalguys.com

I would still recommend PPF on the front. You'll wish you did after your first road trip.

 

[Mr. 4sch]

What is the best Chemical Guy product to maintain an already ceramic coated car?

 

[Moshmosh]

I'm leaning on doing nothing. If I choose to keep the vehicle long term, I will get it wrapped in a really nice color in a few years. To be honest, the current Tesla color palette is not inspiring, and you are basically PPF protecting a mediocre paint job.

 

[Fairchild]

What is the best Chemical Guy product to maintain an already ceramic coated car?

I used WET and was very satisfied. It went on top of my Dynosheild PPF (front) and on the remainder of the car and produced a beautiful WET shine.