Which Ceramic coating for on TOP of PPF? Do they really last longer than a year?

[ThePirate]

Hello T-heads: I had a full PPF wrap (because I scrape and park in bushes all the time) and I was told by installer and by various youtubers that one can apply ceramic coating on top of that. Now there are various ceramic coats apparently made specially for ON TOP OF ceramic coating (they call them flexible, I think). The amazon reviews for all of them have a few negative reviews saying that they just don't last.

I have looked at these, especially for on top of PPF (these are for towel applicators), they claim up to 2 year protection, easy to use:
Gtechniq Halo coating: - $75 amazon -
CarPro Skin coating: -That’s $83 on Amazon.

You can compare to e.g. Gyeon Cancoat $65 for a big spray bottle, claims up to one year protection, super-easy to use.

* Anyone apply a ceramic coat on top of your PPF and remember which product you used? Can you please share results and time since application? Time since application is most important.

Look, if this thing doesn't last nearly a year, for all that expense, what's the point?

Thanks,

-TPC
----------------------
Boring no-frills 2023 white MYLR small wheels (for better range). Freemont build. much to my surprise, I like it!

 

[bpobill]

Buy a cheap one and apply every so often. The one I bought was like $23 and I can do my car 4 times with it at least. As most car wash and detailing products its full of BS and marketing designed to get you to spend more money on a product not very different from a cheaper one.

 

[ThePirate]

Buy a cheap one and apply every so often. The one I bought was like $23 and I can do my car 4 times with it at least. As most car wash and detailing products its full of BS and marketing designed to get you to spend more money on a product not very different from a cheaper one.

You're certainly right about hype and marketing. I'm doing my best here to separate BS and what I would call "data", that is, real people making real observations about their car. So, when I see the reviews on amazon I see lots of people saying wow - looks great!!!! - and they put it on three days ago. Then I see reviews on amazon that say "put this on supposedly two year life and it didn't last three months". So, not clear anything actually lasts. That's the reason for this post - to get people to report how long their coatings really last.

If I were a sensible person, I suppose I wouldn't care whether the stuff cost $25/year or even $100/year (think about the cost of my T; detailing probably costs $180 session if I pay for it, so spending way less than $180 is fine). What should be really important is performance - how long it lasts in this case, as my time for projects like this is limited.

***Bpobill, can you tell me what product you used and estimate how long it lasts, from your experience? I think that would really help out the folks on this list.

Thanks,

-TPC

 

[bpobill]

You're certainly right about hype and marketing. I'm doing my best here to separate BS and what I would call "data", that is, real people making real observations about their car. So, when I see the reviews on amazon I see lots of people saying wow - looks great!!!! - and they put it on three days ago. Then I see reviews on amazon that say "put this on supposedly two year life and it didn't last three months". So, not clear anything actually lasts. That's the reason for this post - to get people to report how long their coatings really last.

If I were a sensible person, I suppose I wouldn't care whether the stuff cost $25/year or even $100/year (think about the cost of my T; detailing probably costs $180 session if I pay for it, so spending way less than $180 is fine). What should be really important is performance - how long it lasts in this case, as my time for projects like this is limited.

***Bpobill, can you tell me what product you used and estimate how long it lasts, from your experience? I think that would really help out the folks on this list.

Thanks,

-TPC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088H2X1B3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XYPS3PS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No clue how long it lasts. I use that ceramic spray and it makes it feel like it was just applied. The ceramic spray is incredible and its very cheap. The Ceramic coating seemed fine. Easy to apply and remove, I just cant speak for longevity because I use that spray.

 

[zoomer0056]

I did the whole car in Xpel with Halo myself DIY PPF on 2022 Blue Model S .Halo lost its slickness in six months. It's been a year and a half (12,000 miles) since applying Xpel and Halo. At two years I will reapply Halo. In the meantime it gets C2 Liquid Crystal after every wash to bring back the slickness. It only gets washed once a month and gets detailed after every drive with Quick Detailer. I don't drive in the rain and SoCal doesn't get the car very dirty.

 

[Mattemsmy]

I use this after every wash . But I only have to wash my car once a month. I use my car duster (if I need to) every week and clean the windows as needed. She always looks good.

 

[kpanda17]

I had xpel ceramic installed on top of xpel ppf
Use for hand washing something like

Thoroughly microfiber dry and then
Xpel Boost the finish, maintains the ceramic

Then annually the Xpel dealer can do a touchip
Xpel is warranted for 10 years

I’m not paid for this just believe in the products

 

[EastCobbMYP]

I use this after every wash . But I only have to wash my car once a month. I use my car duster (if I need to) every week and clean the windows as needed. She always looks good.

Car looks Where did you get the Tesla letters for the back? We have a black one that I’m thinking of doing stealth PPF on.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

You don't really need a film-specific coating, many quality ceramics will do just fine if you want to go with a true ceramic. While at SEMA last year I asked a mfg rep what the difference was between their PPF-specific coating and their 'regular' coatings; hus response was primarily ease of use, with the PPF coating being far more forgiving as mistakes in application (high spots) aren't very easily remedied with film. Dunno if that's a universal thing with all mfg's though.

In any event, we had a car completely done with STEK Dynoshield in April of 2019 and a PPF-specific coating was used (Kamikaze); I recoated it with a non-film specific coating in September of 2022 (Kamikaze ISM 3.0) and it is doing very well. We also had another coat completely PPF'd with XPEL in APril of 2021 and coated with a non-film-specific coating (Kamikaze ZIpang) and it has been doing extremely well since that time (daily driver).

That said, any coating will have less of a lifespan on top of PPF than it will on bare paint (especially PPF like STEK Dynoshield that has a hydrophobic top layer 'built in') but if reasonably maintained you can still enjoy the benefits of a coating over multiple years.

Hope this helps!

 

[kpanda17]

My question:
Jay Leno Ceramic coating ~$20
Cquartz ~$93
I haven’t figured out the difference
Everyone’s opinion?

 

[BudgetPlan1]

My question:
Jay Leno Ceramic coating ~$20
Cquartz ~$93
I haven’t figured out the difference
Everyone’s opinion?

If you're speaking of Jay Leno's Radiant Spray Ceramic Coating, it's not a 'true' coating but rather a ceramic-infused sealant...not that there is anything wrong with that if you're looking for something of that nature. Cquartz is a 'true' coating that will give greater longevity, long-term good looks and greater chemical & environmental resistance.

A video that helps explain the differences: What are the differences between ceramic and spray coatings?

 

[kpanda17]

Fantastic, video is a big help
Thanks

My bad, should have known cheap is cheap
Can’t spray on true ceramic
True ceramic can not cost $20
Need to cure inside a building/garage 24 hours, per coat

 

[ahoymody]

Professionally applied Xpel. Specifically AP3 in Atlanta for PPF and the ceramic coating.

 

[kpanda17]

I had all of the xpel suite professionally done
Recently I installed the small strip of PPF on the MY bumper top edge
Not fun
I have done DIY ceramic on my M3
With perfect paint, I’ll do DIY ceramic
I’ll never do DIY PPF