Opinion about ceramic coating?

[RDATLTE]

Great info here as I've never done PPF or ceramic coating. I had planned to do PPF on the front end and ceramic coating all over as soon as my 5BW arrives. However, I am little bit concerned about potential paint damage when the PPF is eventually removed and am still considering on ceramic coating (the car will NOT be daily driven). My detailer said it's possible but very unlikely if the PPF is properly installed and properly removed (years later). Anyone have any experience removing their PPF after some number of years? Were there any issues?

I had the PPF on a rear quarter panel replaced after it had been on for 4 years and there were no issues with removal.

 

[Kimkeys99]

I had Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM on my C7s and have them on my Ram 1500.

 

[arod221]

I had Kamikaze Miyabi and ISM on my C7s and have them on my Ram 1500.

im not too familiar with the kamikaze product line....how do you like it? and what do you use to wash your car after the kamikaze was installed?

 

[arod221]

I've always used Quartz on my vehicles either the CQuartz professional or the Quartz finest reserve and then I use a product called wash mist the was developed by a friend of mine. its basically a waterless wash product...spray on, wipe off...done. about once a year I will wash the vehicle with CarPro Reset and Ironx just to knock off any sitting road grime. after that its brand new again.

 

[Kimkeys99]

im not too familiar with the kamikaze product line....how do you like it? and what do you use to wash your car after the kamikaze was installed?

I like it a lot. I use the 2 bucket method to wash it and use the Kamikaze Overcoat or Polishangel Cosmic Spritz as a finishing spray. This is 3 layers (2 Miyabi and 1 ISM) on both my C7 and 1500. It has lasted almost 3 years on the C7 and I just put it on the Ram in July 2021

 

[arod221]

nice, they look awesome...can't say as much for the Army flag though...hahaha I'm recently retired Navy. just busting your balls a little, bud. funny story...im a GM guy born and bred but I also have a 2019 Ram 2500 diesel. in 2019 I was a hard pass on the Denali HD. I still don't like the idea of an Isuzu (duramax) engine even if they have the best transmission ever put into a 3/4 ton pickup. Can't beat the interior of the new Ram trucks with that 12" uconnect screen. although the new GM trucks interior has had a massive overhaul and looks pretty darned nice now.

 

[Kimkeys99]

nice, they look awesome...can't say as much for the Army flag though...hahaha I'm recently retired Navy. just busting your balls a little, bud. funny story...im a GM guy born and bred but I also have a 2019 Ram 2500 diesel. in 2019 I was a hard pass on the Denali HD. I still don't like the idea of an Isuzu (duramax) engine even if they have the best transmission ever put into a 3/4 ton pickup. Can't beat the interior of the new Ram trucks with that 12" uconnect screen. although the new GM trucks interior has had a massive overhaul and looks pretty darned nice now.

Lol, you Navy guys always have jokes….Lol. What’s funny is that the only reason I have the Ram, was because I hated the interior of the Denali and Silverado. Love the exterior, but I just couldn’t stand the dated interior. I was a die hard Chevy guy and I hated Ram, but times have changed

 

[John]

The detailing poll thread has some good information in regards to PPF and paint coatings. I posted here: Detailing poll

Kamikaze products are pretty easy to use. I stopped using them in favor or other products that are just as good and better priced. They also very rarely are on sale.

PPF removal down the road should not be an issue. Generally you use steam to heat the adhesive and begin removing it. Plenty of products work to clean up any remaining adhesive. The only times I would worry about removal of old PPF would be if:

It was applied over a repainted panel

It was on a flexible panel (like a bumper) and that panel had bumped something enough to crack the paint but not enough to break the panel.

 

[robert270]

There is soooo much information out there on PPF and Ceramic coatings. Reviews are all over the place. Regardless i found a guy outside of Boston who will pick my dirty car up from dealer in a covered trailer, take it to his shop, paint correct if necessary, put on whole car expel ppf and then ceramic coat over everything. $7200. I think I’m going to do it. His review are fantastic. And then tall steve I’ll probably have him do windows too. Like that idea

Can you share his info?

 

[SOP]

Fan of it for long term vehicles. First round I had a professional do it. While I owned the car for 5 years, I found out I washed and used P&S Bead maker(temporary 1 month protection) or other shine/protection enhancing products, I might as well have foregone it and my paint would have still been very well protected. Bird droppings and other environmental contamination gets quickly removed with quick detailer.

Recent new family vehicle was prepped and graphene coated on my own. The Prius prime we also just got only gets synthetic spray wax(will be sold to make room for the 4BW)

The 4BW will also be prepped and graphene coated by me. Only debate is whether or not to have PPF installed or not on the front end.

 

[RDATLTE]

Fan of it for long term vehicles. First round I had a professional do it. While I owned the car for 5 years, I found out I washed and used P&S Bead maker(temporary 1 month protection) or other shine/protection enhancing products, I might as well have foregone it and my paint would have still been very well protected. Bird droppings and other environmental contamination gets quickly removed with quick detailer.

Recent new family vehicle was prepped and graphene coated on my own. The Prius prime we also just got only gets synthetic spray wax(will be sold to make room for the 4BW)

The 4BW will also be prepped and graphene coated by me. Only debate is whether or not to have PPF installed or not on the front end.

I use P&S as well. I go thru more Paint Gloss Showroom Spray N Shine than I do Bead Maker Paint Protectant.

 

[SOP]

I use P&S as well. I go thru more Paint Gloss Showroom Spray N Shine than I do Bead Maker Paint Protectant.

If I'm washing my car and know I'm going somewhere, I throw a coat of the P&S paint gloss spray.

 

[MatthewAMEL]

Some of the posts in this thread are making me cringe. I apologize for tone. Detailing is my meditation. I think nothing of two or three day sessions detailing my and friends cars.

If you are paying $7200 for any kind of cosmetic service on your car...there should NEVER be a question of if you are getting paint correction. For that kind of money, it better be something like a 3-step Menzerna. Never let a shop tell you they can apply ceramic or PPF without paint correction. Those places just want your money.

And IMHO, ceramic over PPF is a complete waste of time and money.

PPF is designed to be flexible. Ceramic is essentially glass. Glass isn't known for it's flexibility. Due to temp variations and debris, large portions of the ceramic will be gone from the PPF in months.

Top Tier shops like Esoteric (ESOTERIC Detail | Auto Detailing, Clear Bra, Polishing, Detailing Products) would never recommend Ceramic/PPF combos and they handle the most exotic cars there are.

Of course the detailing shops will tell you it is the best thing to do and you should get it because it'll make the PPF look great and last longer...make the PPF easier to clean, etc...

They also get to charge you x2.

PPF and Ceramic are both ways to protect the factory finish, but they use very different ways to accomplish. They both have their benefits, but they don't really play well together.

You can put a sealant on the top of a PPF if you are trying for a bit of temporary gloss.

 

[SOP]

Around here, shops will charge you $7k just for full car clear bra installation. It comes with no kind of paint correction. Any professional shop's quote for ceramic coating should always include paint decontamination and correction to create a virgin surface ready for coating to be applied.

 

[xeerohour]

I tend to agree with what's been posted here. PPF is basically "prevent paint chips" while also making it a bit easier to clean. Ceramic is "make it shiny and hydrophobic for a long time". Ceramic in a lot of ways is basically long lasting wax.

I currently own a car that's 100% PPF'ed (bought it used that way) and I just use Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax when I wash it and it looks amazing for five year old paint. Picture for proof - this is a 2017 Miata, not exactly the most premium of vehicles.

I personally wouldn't pay for 100% PPF on a car, mostly because I don't think you tend to get a lot of paint chips on the roof / trunk / doors, and considering it will probably at least double the cost I think I can save a few grand in return for that risk. However I am a big believer in protecting your paint with something like the HCW or a decent alternative. Just like anything, it will require maintenance even with a coating. They just make that maintenance easier.

 

[RDATLTE]

PPF is for much more than just to prevent rock chips. It also prevents swirls, scratches etc… and it’s self healing.

I currently own 2 cars that are 100% PPF, no ragrets (). One has ceramic and one doesn’t. I do have regrets that I didn’t do ceramic now that I’ve done it. I was previously of the opinion that ceramic over PPF was overkill.

 

[SOP]

PPF is for much more than just to prevent rock chips. It also prevents swirls, scratches etc… and it’s self healing.

I currently own 2 cars that are 100% PPF, no ragrets (). One has ceramic and one doesn’t. I do have regrets that I didn’t do ceramic now that I’ve done it. I was previously of the opinion that ceramic over PPF was overkill.

I had ceramic over PPF on my first vehicle. In my opinion, it is overkill. PPF + coats of synthetic wax on top should be more than enough to help keep the PPF clean and add that shine.

 

[565565]

I went with full PPF and did the ceramic coating myself with Cquartz UK 3.0 and Cquartz sic over that, not the BW that didn't come yet, on the wife's X3m.

Honestly if you get the whole car PPFed then applying the ceramic costing yourself is a no brainer. The difficult part is the paint prep and with a new ppf film you don't have to do that.

Cquartz UK 3.0 was so forgiving that if you can wax your car, you can put this on. Did two coats on the whole car in 3 hours.

Cquartz sic was much less forgiving and prone to high spots if left on too long but won't stick well if not left long enough.

Maybe it will be all gone in a few months who knows but on paint UK 3.0 has hung around as well as the pro stuff.

I'm so glad I got the whole car PPFed as swirls always seem to appear on my cars no matter how careful I am washing or detailing. Now you just leave the car in the sun for a day and the swirls are gone. It's striking the difference between the parts that have PPF and the parts that don't (like windows trim and vents).

 

[SOP]

I tend to agree with what's been posted here. PPF is basically "prevent paint chips" while also making it a bit easier to clean. Ceramic is "make it shiny and hydrophobic for a long time". Ceramic in a lot of ways is basically long lasting wax.

I currently own a car that's 100% PPF'ed (bought it used that way) and I just use Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax when I wash it and it looks amazing for five year old paint. Picture for proof - this is a 2017 Miata, not exactly the most premium of vehicles.

I personally wouldn't pay for 100% PPF on a car, mostly because I don't think you tend to get a lot of paint chips on the roof / trunk / doors, and considering it will probably at least double the cost I think I can save a few grand in return for that risk. However I am a big believer in protecting your paint with something like the HCW or a decent alternative. Just like anything, it will require maintenance even with a coating. They just make that maintenance easier.

Only time I would consider full car PPF is if it's a truly special car, value is high/will be high in the future. On the other hand, this high end clear bra shop I go to is always full of new Tesla's waiting for full car PPF, which is absolute hilarious waste of money. Basically non-car people with money to burn apparently.

 

[dribs15]

Only time I would consider full car PPF is if it's a truly special car, value is high/will be high in the future. On the other hand, this high end clear bra shop I go to is always full of new Tesla's waiting for full car PPF, which is absolute hilarious waste of money. Basically non-car people with money to burn apparently.

100k+ last Cadillac ICE makes this truly special for me... plus the paint on my SS was the only let down for me. You could sneeze and it would chip. So maybe I'm just a bit spooked.