Torn between PPF & Ceramic

[buster]

There was a guy this weekend at this car show I was at that does PPF. My friend was thinking of getting the hood and I believe front bumper area done on his Vette. That alone was $2,500.

If you have the money, go for it but IMO, just keep up with it regularly. Have a polisher on hand when needed.

99.9% of folks looking for a new used car never go by the paint condition. Most can't tell and most don't even know what paint correction is. So swirl away lol.

Skip to 2:30

 

[Thermo1223]

LOL I get that,

Mostly for my benefit being a dark color that can you easily see the swirls in. The blue is dark and just pops when it's clean. My truck is white and gets washed sometimes, barely.

 

[The Critic]

LOL I get that,

Mostly for my benefit being a dark color that can you easily see the swirls in. The blue is dark and just pops when it's clean. My truck is white and gets washed sometimes, barely.

That’s the other issue with ceramic- it must be washed regularly (2-3x/mo) or else the hydrophobic properties will die. For some reason, contaminants will bond to the surface. If you go too long between washes, a chemical decontamination wash will be needed to restore beading.

 

[Thermo1223]

That’s the other issue with ceramic- it must be washed regularly (2-3x/mo) or else the hydrophobic properties will die. For some reason, contaminants will bond to the surface. If you go too long between washes, a chemical decontamination wash will be needed to restore beading.

I might just go PPF then which is not to say I won't wash regularly at least in the winter it won't be as easy. Seems like for the multitude of highway trips we will take the PPF on the front would be more beneficial. I do use touchless a lot on the winter because of the undercarriage blaster.

 

[The Critic]

I might just go PPF then which is not to say I won't wash regularly at least in the winter it won't be as easy. Seems like for the multitude of highway trips we will take the PPF on the front would be more beneficial. I do use touchless a lot on the winter because of the undercarriage blaster.

Touchless wash works well if it is done very often, but the chemicals are harsh and will wear the coating more quickly than traditional wash methods. It can also leave a film.

I added some pictures of my truck - three pictures were from the film install. The other three are from after. This was a year ago and the film look just as good as new. We wrapped the entire hood, fenders, rocker panels and the lower section of the bumper using STEK dynoshield. Retail for this job, locally, is in the $3k range. But it is probably cheaper where you are.

 

[Thermo1223]

Touchless wash works well if it is done very often, but the chemicals are harsh and will wear the coating more quickly than traditional wash methods. It can also leave a film.

I added some pictures of my truck - three pictures were from the film install. The other three are from after. This was a year ago and the film look just as good as new. We wrapped the entire hood, fenders, rocker panels and the lower section of the bumper using STEK dynoshield. Retail for this job, locally, is in the $3k range. But it is probably cheaper where you are.

My pricing;

Full Front includes: Full front bumper, Full hood, Full fenders, headlights, mirrors - $1995

This is using Xpel Ultimate Plus but his recommendations were also to do the rockers, B & C pillars, and grill if applicable. He also recommended only doing partial fenders for whatever reason. I'd just assume that you'd do them fully so decrease the above price by $300 for partial only.

 

[The Critic]

My pricing;

Full Front includes: Full front bumper, Full hood, Full fenders, headlights, mirrors - $1995

This is using Xpel Ultimate Plus but his recommendations were also to do the rockers, B & C pillars, and grill if applicable. He also recommended only doing partial fenders for whatever reason. I'd just assume that you'd do them fully so decrease the above price by $300 for partial only.

Ask your installer the following questions:

1) Is he using bulk film and cutting all patterns on the vehicle?
2) Or is he using pre-cut patterns but extending the edges enough to allow for final trimming to be done on car...

(#2) is probably ideal, but not all installers are invested into a plotter and the software. And in some applications, doing bulk makes more sense since the patterns can be crappy (or unavailable).

You also want to ask if the paint is being polished prior to PPF application. PPF hides most minor defects, but for best results, polishing is preferred. I would also ask if he plans to use any adhesion promoter.

Edit: Those prices look fairly average, if not on the lower end. But they might be average for your area.

 

[PoorMans180SX]

This all depends on how good your factory paint is, am I right? Some cars have tough factory paint that handles the elements well, and some *cough*GM*cough* have terrible paint that scratches and chips in the breeze. Also, to throw another option into the mix, Graphene is supposed to handle scratches better than ceramic, but not necessarily be as hydrophobic.