Ceramic coating vs PPF
 

Hi guys, new member!

I registered because I am considering getting my car protected… My house is linked to the road by a track, and every day I have to drive through that, I was ok with it until I noticed that my car got scratches because of the stones.

I went online and talked to friends to try and find a solution and I came up with 2 ideas:

First: get some protection film on my car (called PPF for “paint protection film”): the idea is to wrap your car in a thin layer of plastic to protect it from scratches. It is said to give a decent protection against scratches and some of them are even self-healing. However this is expensive and it can alter the shine and looks of the car.

Second: ceramic coating, from what I understood it is a liquid coating that is applied by detailers, it is cheaper, gives a shiny look and good protection (9H pencil-scale seem to be the highest one), it is also hydrophobic (meaning water won’t stick to it) which makes the car easier to clean. For the downsides: the final result depends on how well the guy who applies it works and it the protection provided is less good than for films.

So my question for you today is, which one should I go for? My heart goes to PPF by a tinny margin but I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance!

PS: I searched on the forum a bit and I could not find an existing thread on this topic so if that's the case I am sorry about it.

Ceramic coatings while durable and hydrophobic will not come close to the protection of a PPF film.
You can still ceramic coat it after the film is applied and won't have to worry about dried sealant around the film edges.
If you are a do it yourself guy, you can get set up gear and product wise for less than a detailers price.
Unless of course you know a guy who knows a guy.

Hi Spazzz, thanks for answering! :)
So your take on this is to go for both?
Thing is PPF is really expensive... I need to find a coating that is harder than 9H that would be my best option as far as cost efficiency is concerned!

You can still chip with a ceramic coating. If you use your finger nail on the paint it will scratch the clear coat ( mar it ). They may be resistent to scratching( whatever the hell that means)
Last year a guy at work said my car was so shiny and proceeded to rub his finger back and forth on the paint. This was with a day or two of dust on it.
He swirled that spot good. I dealt with it until I got home to polish and reapply Optimum gloss coat on the spot.
Ceramic coatings will attract less dust and dirt with some self cleaning abilitiy in the rain. They are easier to clean as long as you are careful and thats about it.
I'm pretty anal about my products and the whole washing process, whether it be 2 bucket shampoo, foam cannon or rinseless.

If you are defending against a sandstorm or rock chips the PPF is the closest thing you will get to paint insurance protection.
The ceramic coating is a lot of hype as far the bullet proof claims.

Ok so basically PPF for the protection and ceramic coating for the gloss and to make it easier to clean right? Any suggestion regarding the brands for both the PPF and the ceramic coating?
Thanks for your time Spazzz!

I came across this for you to read. It might help.

http://exclusivedetail.com/best-paint-protection-film/

Of course it all depends what shops are close for you and what you are willing to spend.

Coatings are hard to recommend because I can set my ceiling pretty low since I do it myself. I buy coatings that are less than 100 US dollars and the rest is the timeit takes me to do it..
Cquartz Finest has been a standard but over the last couple years the coating brands available.has ballooned
Once again it all depends what shops are close and what they offer.
Find your shops then research the product reviews of what they offer.
I hope this helps a little.