[Horseman]

First thing is first.. I know the differences between the two and that both offer completely different outcomes. Ceramic Coating keeps glossy and hydrophobic versus actual protection from PPF.

With that being said, I'm now in a conundrum as to what it is that I should go for first. Going with BOTH might be a little pricey, but a part of me wants the protection over the shiny, but the other part of me wants the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic over the protection and oof ...

I've set up an appointment for the 26th to get work done and luckily they're like.. take your time decide, we'll plan for the gold ceramic package and go from there. Looks like I'll check them out either tomorrow or next week to get a better idea of what I want as well.

I do worry about how long a PPF is good for, whether or not it yellows over time and what that means for the rest of the car that's not under the PPF.. if it gets removed will the car then be two-tone.

Any thoughts and experiences on the matter would be most helpful.

[tr0406]

I got both on mine, the PPF first and the ceramic over it. Love it!!

So easy to keep clean.

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by tr0406

I got both on mine, the PPF first and the ceramic over it. Love it!!

So easy to keep clean.

Both sounds like the most beneficial option... but daggum the price could be about 3k or so.

[TAZ007]

Originally Posted by Horseman

First thing is first.. I know the differences between the two and that both offer completely different outcomes. Ceramic Coating keeps glossy and hydrophobic versus actual protection from PPF.

With that being said, I'm now in a conundrum as to what it is that I should go for first. Going with BOTH might be a little pricey, but a part of me wants the protection over the shiny, but the other part of me wants the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic over the protection and oof ...

I've set up an appointment for the 26th to get work done and luckily they're like.. take your time decide, we'll plan for the gold ceramic package and go from there. Looks like I'll check them out either tomorrow or next week to get a better idea of what I want as well.

I do worry about how long a PPF is good for, whether or not it yellows over time and what that means for the rest of the car that's not under the PPF.. if it gets removed will the car then be two-tone.

Any thoughts and experiences on the matter would be most helpful.

I've seen older PPF on a few Toyotas in Houston that look dirty and cracked. Not sure how easy it is to pull off, but it sure looked awful. I would probably just go with the Ceramic Coating.

[Ex_Stig]

Of the two, PPF first. You can always do the ceramic later. But, if you do ceramic first and then get a scratch or a rock chip you are SOL.

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by TAZ007

I've seen older PPF on a few Toyotas in Houston that look dirty and cracked. Not sure how easy it is to pull off, but it sure looked awful. I would probably just go with the Ceramic Coating.

Originally Posted by GNALUZU

Of the two, PPF first. You can always do the ceramic later. But, if you do ceramic first and then get a scratch or a rock chip you are SOL.

These two conflicting opinions are exactly what's goin on in my head right now.

On one hand I am worried about the long term aging of the PPF, but at the same time as an every day car (for now) I'm also worried about the chips and such from rocks.

[TAZ007]

Originally Posted by Horseman

These two conflicting opinions are exactly what's goin on in my head right now.

On one hand I am worried about the long term aging of the PPF, but at the same time as an every day car (for now) I'm also worried about the chips and such from rocks.

Assuming your keeping the car a long while, a fresh paint job in 10-15 years could be an option as well.

[DPelletier]

Definitely the PPF; you can do both if you want but the PPF actually protects the paint.

BTW, I've had PPF on my daily driver for 18 years now and it has not aged, yellowed, cracked or pealed. It does have some swirl marks from washing, just like paint does but you can wax over it. I've done PPF on my BMW, Jag, Audi, Range Rover, Mercedes, etc. etc. and I consider it mandatory as I like to keep my vehicles in good condition and I don't stress if I get caught going through a section of dirt road, construction zones, etc.


2 cents,
Dave

[DPelletier]

Originally Posted by TAZ007

Assuming your keeping the car a long while, a fresh paint job in 10-15 years could be an option as well.

Sure, but not a good one; even a high quality repaint doesn't last as long as an OEM paint job IME. I do everything I can to maintain the OEM finish for as long as possible. I have a small fleet of vehicles and almost always, any repaired/repainted areas fail long before the factory painted areas do. .....a vehicle with original paint is always worth more too.


Dave

[DPelletier]

Originally Posted by Horseman

These two conflicting opinions are exactly what's goin on in my head right now.

On one hand I am worried about the long term aging of the PPF, but at the same time as an every day car (for now) I'm also worried about the chips and such from rocks.

As I said, I've had PPF on my daily driver for 18 years and it has held up fine BUT if that proves not to be the case and you had to replace it in 5-10 years, you can do so with no problem.......rock chips and the related damage....well, not so much.


Dave

[Horseman]

Thanks for the information. Definitely helps with the decision process.

[Kwajtrader]

Originally Posted by Horseman

These two conflicting opinions are exactly what's goin on in my head right now.

On one hand I am worried about the long term aging of the PPF, but at the same time as an every day car (for now) I'm also worried about the chips and such from rocks.

Is your car garaged? I’ve had PPF on my last two garaged cars that were both daily drivers and never had any issues with yellowing or cracking. Just make sure you get Xpel or one of the other professional grade films installed.

[Mixitt]

I put 2 or more coats of CQuartz 3.0 UK on the frontal areas - mirrors, hood, grille, bumper, etc. 1 coat on the rest. Beading like a mofo 30 months later.

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by Kwajtrader

Is your car garaged? I’ve had PPF on my last two garaged cars that were both daily drivers and never had any issues with yellowing or cracking. Just make sure you get Xpel or one of the other professional grade films installed.

The place I am going to uses Suntek and based on what I see on that site and reviews, it's pretty good.

Yes the car is garaged.

[Kwajtrader]

Originally Posted by Horseman

The place I am going to uses Suntek and based on what I see on that site and reviews, it's pretty good.

Yes the car is garaged.

PPF is pricey, but it’s the only solution for minimizing rock chips and surface scratches. For me it buys piece of mind.

[Designer003]

I definitely recommend PPF as well. Protect your baby!

However, my z4 is in white body color with Suntek clear PPF, and over the time it does get bit creamy tint, and it is more noticeable on white.(not noticeable on other body color)

I had to replace my door PPF 2 months ago and that's when I noticed the difference.
But I still consider this is a minor problem, if you are looking at them from more than 3 feet away, you won't notice.

[DPelletier]

Originally Posted by Kwajtrader

Is your car garaged? I’ve had PPF on my last two garaged cars that were both daily drivers and never had any issues with yellowing or cracking. Just make sure you get Xpel or one of the other professional grade films installed.

Certainly keeping the car garaged and out of the elements will help the PPF (and the rest of the car) last longer......but the daily driver I mentioned above still has good PPF after 18 years and I can count the number of days its spent in a garage on one hand; it's a very large truck so it has literally sat exposed in the elements for 6,550 days....

Dave

[Horseman]

Going to the shop today to get some pricing info and such.

[Kwajtrader]

Originally Posted by Horseman

Going to the shop today to get some pricing info and such.

When interviewing the PPF shops ask them what kind of prep they do before applying to see it they claybar the car or just wash it, and also ask what they do to prevent dust and debris from getting under the film during application. Dust under the PPF looks just like it does on your phone’s screen protector, except it’s much much more annoying and you get to look at it every time you wash the car. The company I used had an indoor clean space where they did the install. I’ve seen some installers doing it outside, which IMHO is not the best idea.

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by Kwajtrader

When interviewing the PPF shops ask them what kind of prep they do before applying to see it they claybar the car or just wash it, and also ask what they do to prevent dust and debris from getting under the film during application. Dust under the PPF looks just like it does on your phone’s screen protector, except it’s much much more annoying and you get to look at it every time you wash the car. The company I used had an indoor clean space where they did the install. I’ve seen some installers doing it outside, which IMHO is not the best idea.

These guys do the works before doing anything so I feel confident that they’ll do a good job.

I went and talked to them today and decided to go with the Suntek PPF on the whole front, side view mirrors and side skirts. Also decided to go with a basic ceramic coating on rest of car. The Suntek PPF comes with ceramic coating as well.

[Kwajtrader]

Originally Posted by Horseman

These guys do the works before doing anything so I feel confident that they’ll do a good job.

I went and talked to them today and decided to go with the Suntek PPF on the whole front, side view mirrors and side skirts. Also decided to go with a basic ceramic coating on rest of car. The Suntek PPF comes with ceramic coating as well.

I did the same, but had them add the doors ,A pillars and the horizontal areas under the trunk lid where I always end up bumping stuff into it. I should have also added the horizontal areas on the door sills. I just sent them an email to get a quote for that as well.

[Horseman]

I might add more PPF later in. But for sure I’ll get better ceramic coating after my first year. Trying to buy a house right now.