[Wynnsiensheng]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

You don’t really need PPF on the trunk or back of the car, so that should save you about $2k. I would do the front and hood and A pillars with PPF and ceramic coat the whole car and wheels. SSG should hold up better than any of the other colors (along with AW).

TBH, the first I heard of ppf was 3 months ago when this dealer recommended it, in place of ceramic coating. I’m not sure if that means it’s a new thing, or just I haven’t heard of it.

Stone chips are the main issue that I’ve faced in the past. I had them on both a 4 series and Benz C43. But how sure is it that ppf will give protection from a stone chip? I guess the product claim is that it will, but I doubt they will guarantee it.

I see what you are saying, and why, but I’ll probably stay with ceramic coating for now. Not because it will give any protection from stone chips, but it does make the car easier to keep clean and is an alternative to waxing.

[Wynnsiensheng]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Those wheels look great with SSG so give it a little time as they may grow on you.

True. Sometimes it takes a while for the full visual impact to settle in. And I haven’t actually seen the car in the flesh yet, so my view might well change.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

TBH, the first I heard of ppf was 3 months ago when this dealer recommended it, in place of ceramic coating. I’m not sure if that means it’s a new thing, or just I haven’t heard of it.

Stone chips are the main issue that I’ve faced in the past. I had them on both a 4 series and Benz C43. But how sure is it that ppf will give protection from a stone chip? I guess the product claim is that it will, but I doubt they will guarantee it.

I see what you are saying, and why, but I’ll probably stay with ceramic coating for now. Not because it will give any protection from stone chips, but it does make the car easier to keep clean and is an alternative to waxing.

As for rock chips, it may depend on the thickness and quality of the PPF, but in my experience it has protected against rock chips and hitting a pile of loose asphalt on the highway (at 80 mph). I had to replace the PPF on the hood because of the damage from a large rock with no damage to the paint - not even a scratch. It looked scratched but when the removed the PPF the paint wasn't touched. The front apron wasn't damaged at all by the pile of asphalt even though some of it was embedded in the mesh. I was really surprised by that. The A pillars and all the black trim is covered as well, and it looks factory fresh. Even hand washing can leave swirls on that black glossy trim.

I also had PPF on my M3, and the front and hood were flawless after 10k miles. On our X5 -without PPF- after 20k miles we had 5 rock chips on the front - thankfully AW and weren't super visible. The other thing my PPF has protected me from is door ding scratches from my kids - they hit the car once and it put a tiny hole in the PPF but again the film did its job.

It's worth the investment IMO if you want your car to look amazing and/or don't want to deal with fixing rock chips and worry about waxing and detailing. I can't wax anyway with the satin finish.

[Wynnsiensheng]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

As for rock chips, it may depend on the thickness and quality of the PPF, but in my experience it has protected against rock chips and hitting a pile of loose asphalt on the highway (at 80 mph). I had to replace the PPF on the hood because of the damage from a large rock with no damage to the paint - not even a scratch. It looked scratched but when the removed the PPF the paint wasn't touched. The front apron wasn't damaged at all by the pile of asphalt even though some of it was embedded in the mesh. I was really surprised by that. The A pillars and all the black trim is covered as well, and it looks factory fresh. Even hand washing can leave swirls on that black glossy trim.

I also had PPF on my M3, and the front and hood were flawless after 10k miles. On our X5 -without PPF- after 20k miles we had 5 rock chips on the front - thankfully AW and weren't super visible. The other thing my PPF has protected me from is door ding scratches from my kids - they hit the car once and it put a tiny hole in the PPF but again the film did its job.

It's worth the investment IMO if you want your car to look amazing and/or don't want to deal with fixing rock chips and worry about waxing and detailing. I can't wax anyway with the satin finish.

Food for thought indeed

[ImActuallyAParrotNotHuman]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

Almost 5 months from the day of initial order, my car has arrived at the dealer. Should be ready for pick up on 30th November.

Hey can I come live with you in Thailand? What part are you in? Bangkok, Pattaya, phuket, or Chiang Mai? I'm so done with the US I want to leave to Thailand ASAP. Used to own two condos there one in Pattaya and one in phuket in my early 20s. Absolute paradise. Hawaii has nothing on phuket. Plus it's such a calming atmosphere Thailand 😭😭😭 I miss it so much.

Your basically driving an aventador. In Thailand a z4 m40i probably costs 3-5 times as much as it is in the states

BTW where are you from naturally? I know you must be a foreigner. Thailand is the most visited country on earth for a reason. Many ppl out in the states simply do not know this. You say Thailand and they think it's the third world, not all, but if you go deep in the Midwest, they do

[Wynnsiensheng]

Originally Posted by ImActuallyAParrotNotHuman

Hey can I come live with you in Thailand? What part are you in? Bangkok, Pattaya, phuket, or Chiang Mai? I'm so done with the US I want to leave to Thailand ASAP. Used to own two condos there one in Pattaya and one in phuket in my early 20s. Absolute paradise. Hawaii has nothing on phuket. Plus it's such a calming atmosphere Thailand ������ I miss it so much.

Your basically driving an aventador. In Thailand a z4 m40i probably costs 3-5 times as much as it is in the states

BTW where are you from naturally? I know you must be a foreigner. Thailand is the most visited country on earth for a reason. Many ppl out in the states simply do not know this. You say Thailand and they think it's the third world, not all, but if you go deep in the Midwest, they do

Lol, well I have a house in Phuket which is my main residence and a country house in Udon Thani which I use to get away from Phuket during the peak tourist season.

And yeah, car prices are high here due to the import tax, although not as high as the country that I’m from, which is Singapore.

So I guess I’ll see you in a Z4 on Thailands highways sometime soon? ��

[ImActuallyAParrotNotHuman]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

Lol, well I have a house in Phuket which is my main residence and a country house in Udon Thani which I use to get away from Phuket during the peak tourist season.

And yeah, car prices are high here due to the import tax, although not as high as the country that I’m from, which is Singapore.

So I guess I’ll see you in a Z4 on Thailands highways sometime soon? ��

No. Lol. In Thailand, I'm either hiring a motorbike taxi everywhere or just rent a motorbike lol. Z4 is too posh for Thailand, I feel its too unfair kind of lol for the locals most can't afford it. You are literally in a Lamborghini right now in a BMW z4 in Thailand.

[stlcdr]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

TBH, the first I heard of ppf was 3 months ago when this dealer recommended it, in place of ceramic coating. I’m not sure if that means it’s a new thing, or just I haven’t heard of it.

Stone chips are the main issue that I’ve faced in the past. I had them on both a 4 series and Benz C43. But how sure is it that ppf will give protection from a stone chip? I guess the product claim is that it will, but I doubt they will guarantee it.

I see what you are saying, and why, but I’ll probably stay with ceramic coating for now. Not because it will give any protection from stone chips, but it does make the car easier to keep clean and is an alternative to waxing.

I have full PPF (stealth/matte - more of a satin), and ceramic on the wheels. While the ceramic doesn’t stop the (black) wheels from getting dirty, they are certainly easy to clean.

The A-pillars are black. I had gloss black PPF put on the pillars. As well as the front side vents. Black plastic can get scratched very easily, even with gentle cleaning. Might be worth thinking about if you are having just ceramic on the body paint.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

TBH, the first I heard of ppf was 3 months ago when this dealer recommended it, in place of ceramic coating. I’m not sure if that means it’s a new thing, or just I haven’t heard of it.

Stone chips are the main issue that I’ve faced in the past. I had them on both a 4 series and Benz C43. But how sure is it that ppf will give protection from a stone chip? I guess the product claim is that it will, but I doubt they will guarantee it.

I see what you are saying, and why, but I’ll probably stay with ceramic coating for now. Not because it will give any protection from stone chips, but it does make the car easier to keep clean and is an alternative to waxing.

PPF has been around for some time now and the quality being offered to the market gets better every year. There is no such thing as a 100% guarantee but I can assure you that PPF from one of the better brands will do a great job and protect your new baby from the vast majority of rock chips unless they are really large stones that will cut through anything. The better brands are self healing which is a plus.

Ceramic coatings will nevert protect your paint from rock chips!!!

I park outdoors so I did allover PPF plus ceramic coating after I noticed a chip in my front bumper in the first few hundred miles of ownership and my car looks fabulous 2 years later.

At the very least protect the front of your car with PPF, including the A pillars, rocker panels, headlights and the side mirror covers. You can them put ceramic coating on top of the PPF and the rest of the car.

Are there shops that specialize in PPF and ceramic coating in Thailand? If yes, I would go to a specialist and not have the dealer the PPF application.

Do some research and see if any shops offer the better brands such as Xpel, Ceramic Pro, Suntek or Stek that come with a limited warranty. As I posted previously many brands now offer a hydrophobic top-coat in their top of the line PPF that is supposed to take the place of applying ceramic coating over the PPF which is like a all-in-one approach to protect your car's paint.

Bimmerpost has a Cosmetic Care & Detailing forum where you will see many discussions regarding PPF and ceramic coating. Many of your questions will hopefully be answered there.

https://g29.bimmerpost.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=954

[Wynnsiensheng]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

PPF has been around for some time now and the quality being offered to the market gets better every year. There is no such thing as a 100% guarantee but I can assure you that PPF from one of the better brands will do a great job and protect your new baby from the vast majority of rock chips unless they are really large stones that will cut through anything. The better brands are self healing which is a plus.

Ceramic coatings will nevert protect your paint from rock chips!!!

I park outdoors so I did allover PPF plus ceramic coating after I noticed a chip in my front bumper in the first few hundred miles of ownership and my car looks fabulous 2 years later.

At the very least protect the front of your car with PPF, including the A pillars, rocker panels, headlights and the side mirror covers. You can them put ceramic coating on top of the PPF and the rest of the car.

Are there shops that specialize in PPF and ceramic coating in Thailand? If yes, I would go to a specialist and not have the dealer the PPF application.

Do some research and see if any shops offer the better brands such as Xpel, Ceramic Pro, Suntek or Stek that come with a limited warranty. As I posted previously many brands now offer a hydrophobic top-coat in their top of the line PPF that is supposed to take the place of applying ceramic coating over the PPF which is like a all-in-one approach to protect your car's paint.

Bimmerpost has a Cosmetic Care & Detailing forum where you will see many discussions regarding PPF and ceramic coating. Many of your questions will hopefully be answered there.

https://g29.bimmerpost.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=954

Thanks very much for all the info! I’ll check out what’s available locally.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Wynnsiensheng

Thanks very much for all the info! I’ll check out what’s available locally.

Based on your past history with rock chips on your cars it would be a wise investment.