Ceramic Coating + PPF? One? Both? Gah!

[ldj2018]

I just picked up my 2021 SX Nightfall and want to decide this week on what to do about having it ceramic coated. Then there is the million dollar do you ppf the front heavy traffic areas and ceramic the rest....

My biggest issue is I do not have a garage. I park in shade any chance I get but realistically UV + elements is my biggest reason to consider. There’s pros to both from what I am reading. Thoughts?

 

[Drewcifer]

They serve different purposes. If the intention is to prevent what you mentioned above, then ceramic. When you mention the front and heavy traffic areas what are you meaning? Do you mean to prevent rock chips and dings? If so, then ppf. All depends on what your intentions are. Yes, best and most protection is ppf followed by ceramic. Pff has to be done first though if you are doing both. Ceramic will stick to the ppf but ppf wont stick to the ceramic. There are different brands of ppf, some better than others, but the installer is what makes the biggest difference. Ensure to do your research and pick one who knows what they are doing. Not too many try to do ppf on their own. Ceramic, many options as well. You can pay a professional or detailer, buy yourself and apply or buy the spray kind and do it everytime you wash/detail your car. But speaking of washing/detailing your car, you do know that once you do ppf/ceramic it requires attention/upkeep and should not be ran though typical car washes. By hand is most recommended but if taken thru a car wash, should be the touchless/touchfree type where no brushes or anything touches it, water/soap spray only. Its a big expensive decision!

 

[ldj2018]

They serve different purposes? If the intention is to prevent what you mentioned above, then ceramic. When you mention the front and heavy traffic areas what are you meaning? Do you mean to prevent rock chips and dings? If so, then ppf. All depends on what your intentions are. Yes, best and most protection is ppf followed by ceramic. Pff has to be done first though if you are doing both. Ceramic will stick to the ppf but ppf wont stick to the ceramic. There are different brands of ppf, some better than others, but the installer is what makes the biggest difference. Ensure to do your research and pick one who knows what they are doing. Not too many try to do ppf on their own. Ceramic, many options as well. You can pay a professional or detailer, buy itself and apply or buy the spray kind and it everytime you wash/detail your car. But speaking of washing/detailing your car, you do know that once you do ppf/ceramic it requires attention/upkeep and should not be ran though typical car washes. By hand is most recommended but if taken thru a car wash, should be the touchless/touchfree type where no brushes or anything touches it, water/soap spray only. Its a big expensive decision!

Good points. It’s a bit convoluted I agree. I’ll do some digging on if those types of car washes are near me. I enjoy doing it myself however if I am being realistic I can’t do that weekly with my work schedule. I luckily have an Adam’s Polishes installer near me. They have a great understanding. We’ve talked multiple times about what to do. Thanks for your input!

 

[Christi]

I just picked up my 2021 SX Nightfall and want to decide this week on what to do about having it ceramic coated. Then there is the million dollar do you ppf the front heavy traffic areas and ceramic the rest....

My biggest issue is I do not have a garage. I park in shade any chance I get but realistically UV + elements is my biggest reason to consider. There’s pros to both from what I am reading. Thoughts?

I researched and considered both prior to getting my Telly two weeks ago. For me, money and control were the deciding factors.

I do want to keep my Telly looking it's best. I considered ppf for rock chips and dings and ceramic for easy cleaning. I decided that the rock dings were very minimal on my 2007 van I replaced so the price of ppf didn't seem worth the cost to me. Granted I also come from the Moab Jeep mindset of the more dents and dings the more risk and adventure you had.

I was very nervous about getting any dings on my new investment. Day 2, my 10 year old hit her door into my husband's car. Minor chip on both cars. No longer worried about minor dings.

I decided to do ceramic as self-applied. I won't let my husband drive my Telly so I really don't want to hand the keys to a stranger (like I said control issues). I will be applying Chemical Guys Hydro Charge and Hydro Slick within the next two weeks.

After the nasty I have been cleaning off, ceramic seems like it is an obvious choice to help protect my investment.

It really comes down to personal choice, finances, and your commitment to detailing.

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[vinylhaircut]

I'd encourage you to not think of this as PPF vs Ceramic. As noted above, they have different purposes. If your primary concern is dings/chips, that's what PPF is for. If your primary concern is keeping it clean, having a great finish, that's what ceramic is for. And certainly you can do both. What you would NOT do is what you said: PPF on the front and ceramic on the rest. If you decide to do both, you'd have PPF on first (most likely on a portion, like full front), and then ceramic on the whole vehicle (both PPF and non-PPF areas). You don't want ceramic only on a portion.

 

[trithumb]

I am doing both. Full front ppf and then a ceramic over it. The ceramic makes washing quick. Can 2 bucket it in less than an hour including drying. My ram has 6000 miles on it and 2 paint chips on the front. not having this happen on the wifes telly too.

 

[ldj2018]

What’s a ballpark you guys have all been seeing price wise?

 

[trithumb]

What’s a ballpark you guys have all been seeing price wise?

so for full front ppf I have been getting between 2000-2800. I am going with the place that PPF's all the McLarens for 2600.

In regards to ceramic its an additional 1700-2000. But I am doing the ceramic myself for $88 lol I have all the stuff at home minus the graphene

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[vinylhaircut]

What’s a ballpark you guys have all been seeing price wise?

I think it varies by location. In my area (Minneapolis), I had a full-front XPEL PPF applied for $1800. Also had paint correction and XPEL ceramic for $1100.

 

[ldj2018]

Dumb question but is it true you can’t take a ceramic coated car through the car wash?
Being realistic I can’t hand wash every week and I can’t stand a dirty car.

 

[trithumb]

Dumb question but is it true you can’t take a ceramic coated car through the car wash?
Being realistic I can’t hand wash every week and I can’t stand a dirty car.

If you're spending money on paint protection that means you value your car. Even if you don't do ceramic you shouldn't take it to a car wash. Like sand paper.

To answer your question, they use harsh chemicals that will strip away your coating. Just keep quick detailer in the car if it bothers you that much.

 

[ldj2018]

S

so for full front ppf I have been getting between 2000-2800. I am going with the place that PPF's all the McLarens for 2600.

In regards to ceramic its an additional 1700-2000. But I am doing the ceramic myself for $88 lol I have all the stuff at home mi

If you're spending money on paint protection that means you value your car. Even if you don't do ceramic you shouldn't take it to a car wash. Like sand paper.

To answer your question, they use harsh chemicals that will strip away your coating. Just keep quick detailer in the car if it bothers you that much.

good point. Thanks!

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[Jurassic3k]

I'm planning to do both. Driving straight to the installer after I pick it up at the dealership

 

[Drewcifer]

Dumb question but is it true you can’t take a ceramic coated car through the car wash?
Being realistic I can’t hand wash every week and I can’t stand a dirty car.

You can still take it thru a car wash, but you would be throwing away the money you spent on the ceramic. As mentioned the chemicals in the water at almost all car washes will kill the ceramic along the brushes slapping the car that scratch the crap out of it and give it that spider web look in the paint. The touchless are slightly better. Ppf and ceramic take a lot of upkeep, attention and time.

 

[vinylhaircut]

Some touchless are just fine, if it's just soap and water. Don't pay for anything else, like waxes or other coatings. For some people, and in some climates, it's just not practical to hand wash every time. Check with your ceramic installer for options, and check with touchless washes near you to determine exactly what they use.