Ceramic or PPF?

[MDFilip]

Didn't really know about either of these options before. All previous cars have owned always just got hand washed and waxed by hand at least once a year. I should be picking up my 20 GT350 HEP in the next week or so and have been reading a little about both. I have seen some cars with PPF on front bumper and hood and always hated seeing the seams, now I see a lot of people do the entire car (seems pretty expensive) although I know what it feels like to get that first scratch and the thought of doing paint work. Pros and cons of either?

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[Arknsawchuck]

I went ceramic because of the lines and the fears of damaging paint in the future when it comes time to pull the bad PPF off. I've pulled vinyl off with no issues but I hear PPF is another animal. And the cost of PPF also. Its not like these Ford paint jobs are top notch anyway. So at some point in the future I'll just get it repainted if need be. Judging from the cost of wrapping the entire car a paint job won't be much more.

 

[drjeff]

I spent $600 to have my new car ceramic coated and it looks fantastic. PPF would have been closer to $2000 and would still need fixing after a few years, plus potential damage to the paint. Not worth it IMHO

 

[m3incorp]

It is one of those things that is worth it to some and not to others. I've got both but I still see some things I don't like.

 

[XeninWorX]

Pretty sure to take off PPF you just use a steamer and it’ll come off without any damage to the paint. My entire hood and fenders are one piece PPF. The bumper is separate pieces so you can kinda see the dirt lines where they’re joined. I don’t mind as it still covers the entire bumper and stops stone chips.

 

[m3incorp]

How often does someone really need to peel off PFF. I can't say I know of a single person that had not been in an accident that need to do that.

 

[gixxersixxerman]

If you want maximum protection, then PPF is the way to go. For my I paint correct and ceramic coat the car myself. For me, no way I would do PPF. It’s a car. Wouldn’t matter if it’s a GT500 or half million dollar exotic, I’d never PPF a car. I couldn’t care less about Little Rock chips, just not something that bothers me. And I don’t care if the paint is great for the next owner. But I only keep cars a couple years. I do understand why people do it, I don’t knock it, just not worth it to me.

 

[FreePenguin]

PPF is king. 170k 8 years on my other car I had Ppf day one. Looks like a regular mustang with 5k miles

I ppf my ecoboost at 1k, and looks mint. The old stuff 8 years ago far inferior to today’s self healing films

 

[Rapid Red]

General thoughts:
Not a fan of PPF, have a step son that put it on a new challenger . Looked very good 2016, 2020 some of the gloss has gone. Nothing drastic just not quite as invisible. He also mentioned as I was getting the Mustang that the PPF could yellow with time.

Never interested in the PPF personally. Sounds like a good idea, unable to get past the fact. It is a cover with seems an adhesive to bond.

Someone above mentioned wrecking a car with it. I can easyly mentally visualize how that would tun out.

Ceramic, have the car a year almost, as a big wash and past wax user. Was on the fence with regards to the coating.

Could understand to advantage being pushed, held off cause I did not read that it was a process an individual could easily successfully do on their own.

Long story short, found there are offerings that an owner can apply. So I stepped up and made the switch, have found.

Fast with a good shine, much easier to apply and use. Compared to past wax. A product that is a must using ceramic, is the clay mit.

Has to be the second greatest invention of all times after the electric toothbrush.

My vote Ceramic hands down, am only speaking about this product to make a point .... only

Did not want to jump off the deep end and try a ceramic that might be considered a professional product.

I opted for Jay Leno's offering, the reason as I see it. Believe his coating would be the most forgiving with good staying power. Considering the crowd he speaks too.

To be clear did not go looking for his product. Stumbled onto it searching for the clay mit.

My .02

 

[FreePenguin]

My old film hasn’t yellowed in 8 years, and new films are getting 10 year warranty against it. Don’t think yellowing is a thing anymore

 

[Fly2High]

From what I have understood, ceramic is a coating that requires a detailer to fully polish out your car and then apply a coating that is more durable than wax or other coatings. It will improve the gloss but there is some question of is that due to the detailer polishing the car or the product. Could be a little of both.

Ceramic coating will not stop paint chipping and only will aid in protection, similar to other waxes and coating, from dirt, bird droppings and can water spot if a top coat is not applied and maintained. Some still water spot. Nature of the beast. Often a ceramic coating will last from 1-5 years, typically, and then needs reapplication. For me, it a a way to stop waxing your car every time you wash and helps make washing a little easier since dirt doesn't hold as well. Then again, several newer products do that too but do not last as long. Some do last 6mo to a year though.

PPF is a cover over your car that physically protects your paint. It is plastic so all the downsides go with that -possibilities of yellowing, lack of shine/gloss, only certain waxes can be applied.

What are you looking to do? Neither is perfect but they each have their place.

Things that make me wonder is:

If I am in an accident, Do you need to strip a car with a ceramic coating so that paint will stick? There use to be a product, and maybe still is, called Liquid Crystal. They use to state on the bottle that it would penetrate your paint and harden it. Downside was that it required that any paint chip or spot repair to be brought down to bare metal and re-primed and painted. Made spot repair next to impossible. Loved the product but that made me stop using it when I saw paint not sticking. I wonder if ceramic coatings are the same.

Based on the cost of these products, how much does it cost to have paint chips repainted? Might be cheaper or similar in price to just have the paint patched once every few years and just do a touch up to prevent rust.

Do you have a garage queen? For me, my Mustang is a daily driver. Right now, I plan to keep it forever if possible. Not too many sticks left and I enjoy them. When the time comes, off the frame resto is a possibility. What I am getting at is, if you love a car, restoration is not cheap and is always a labor of love. Money is not the object. If these coatings and film will make you happy, get both, one or none. Either way, just enjoy the car. When you love something, cost is not the most important fact.

 

[lizardrko]

PPF is more to help reduce rock chips, Ceramic is more for the gloss, protection against UV rays, easier maintenance washes. So really, depends on your needs. Like what has been mentioned, PPF is a film, so there is room for installation errors, and you may notice it, and has to be replaced over time, which is costly.

 

[MDFilip]

With ceramic coating lets say you get a surface scratch not all the way to the paint, can it just be buffed / polished then new coat of ceramic or does the ceramic need to be chemically removed first?

 

[lizardrko]

With ceramic coating lets say you get a surface scratch not all the way to the paint, can it just be buffed / polished then new coat of ceramic or does the ceramic need to be chemically removed first?

If you need to compound/polish off a scratch, the ceramic coating will be removed/severely weakened by the polish. Best to wait until the ceramic coating wears off and needs to be reapplied before doing any paint correction.

 

[wtb6mtv8rwd]

PPF damaging paint upon removal is a myth IMHO. Maybe on a maaco paint job but certainly not on a quality respray or original paint work.

My entire car is wrapped in PPF and I couldn't be happier. I don't worry about rock chips, road debris, gravel. It's the best protection you can get. I put extra thick film on the headlights to avoid pitting and road rash. I can enjoy the car anywhere on any road and it stays pristine looking. Highly recommended.

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