Educate me on PPF, Ceramic coating and Paint Correction

So true, which is why when PPF manufacturers advertise lifetime warranty it makes think of PT Barnum.

In fact, I would say depending on how often and how you drive your car, PPF should be replaced about every 2-3 years, if not sooner (especially if you track your car).

 

What I don’t understand, but maybe I do, is why don’t the manufacturers do this?


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Same reason I’d clean the couch before covering it. Even though it may be hard to see the imperfections, I’d know they were there. OCD I guess.


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Not a great analogy. No one is suggesting you wrap a dirty car. In fact I said it needs a thorough cleaning.

 

Two key reasons all 3 of my cars (812, Performante, 05 Ford GT) are fully covered in PPF with ceramic top coat:

1). It gives me much more confidence to drive the cars. It feels like a suit of armor. I literally drive concern free.

2). I hate washing cars. PPF means I pretty much do not have too. I received my 812 last June, have not washed it once. The film plus ceramic repels dust. I simply spray and wipe with Xpel brand quick detailer. Looks brand new all the time.

Costs very greatly depending on market. Figure $6-9,000. Additionally, I’m a fan of windshield protection too. I have ClearPlex on my 812, and Exoshield on the other two. Exoshield for the win.

 

Understood, but why mask the imperfections you know are there? Cleaning the car doesn’t remove swirl marks, buffer trails from the factory, overspray, etc. To me it’s doing half the job. I get it that some won’t want to spend the extra money, but we’re not talking average cars here. Nobody’s gonna spend $5k to wrap a Honda, and most people will only wrap the most endangered parts of the car rather than the whole thing. So yes the wrap might hide the imperfections to a degree, but to me it’s just silly to PPF without correcting first. Your car, of course, so to each his own. Some people might wonder why someone would spend $30k for a slightly different shade of red ... these are dream cars not appliances. I wouldn’t dream of PPF without correcting first, whether I could still see the imperfections or not.


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I agree. By the way, my 3 cars were fully paint corrected before PPF and I did not pay anything for it. The pricing was already baked into the final PPF price.

 

So FYI- totally trust GH- I mean he runs a business doing the stuff so no reason to doubt him.

I paid $7500 for paint correction, wrapping and ceramic. So if his shop charges 8-10k then it’s a wash for me so why not do it if the difference is negligible.

And yes my car is wrapped with no visible edges or anything. It’s perfect.

 

I wonder to what degree they corrected it considering you cant tell once the film is on.

 

Oh it was definitely corrected. I’ll
Have to dig up the photos.

 

I went through this a month or so ago.

I did paint correction and a STEK PPF. I skipped the ceramic.

Mine looks very shiny and very clear and smooth under the ppf. I believe it was due to paint correction.

The newer films have properties that mimic ceramic.

I did fenders forward along with lower rockers and I am thinking of doing my doors and the roof.

I will not do the engine cover and I am torn on the rear fenders as they get hot from engine heat. I can see this stuff baking on and becoming a disaster.

This stuff has come a long way from the 3M strips that would leave a line on the hood.

 

I have a friend who applies PPF and he says the same about no point in paint correction. If you think about it the correction is in the top coat lacquer and you are adding a new top coat with PPF.
Not sure about the whole having to replace after 2-3 or 5 years either.
My Speciale is now 5 years old and it looks as perfect as the day it was done. It’s done a few track days and about 5000 miles.

I do have all my cars corrected before PPF as Topaz in the UK do this at a discounted price for me. But that’s just for me to have a perfect car and it may as well be done while they have it. They did ceramic coat the PPF on my Speedster recently and I can’t tell the difference between the cars that are not coated. It’s doesn’t clean any easier. I wouldn’t bother in future.


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The way it was described to me is the longer it stays on the harder it is to remove and the odds of removing pint with it increase.

I am going to evaluate mine around the 6 yr Mark. That said I do believe the clarity and the durability will last far longer.

 

It depends on how often the car is out in the sun and the amount of adhesive the film uses.

 

Initially wasn't a believer in the worth of ceramic coatings but my black 360 coupe has it and it really really makes a difference. Would recommend paint correction, Xpel or similar followed by Ceramic coating for optimal results.

 

I will add to your summary that you need to pick the right installer. Final product is dependent on the quality of installation. When done wrong it could be a nightmare

 

Seriously watch some YouTube videos ... White Details, Car Cleaning Guru, Obsessed Garage, Topaz. This will give you a really good idea of what paint correction consists of and whether YOU think it is necessary. Hard to fully appreciate on video but you’ll get the idea.


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Absolutely the case

 

Depends on the type of paint, the intended use of the car and the skill of the installer. No one size fits all. For instance, for 3-layer and special car then quality correction (to perfection) and PPF of just front or maybe just bumper. PPF changes the color and depth of the paint. For hyper just correction and wax. Definitely just correction on single layer and no PPF. I would never PPF an entire car unless it was a DD. Would never put ceramic directly on paint either. See - simple.

 

I'm sure I'm just another opinion to add onto the pile, but wanted to comment on the PPF with ceramic properties. Yes, the newest ones do have hydrophobic properties. However, it is just a coating put on during the manufacturing process, and not a particularly good one from the two films I've tried so far. It will likely wear off long before the film itself needs to be replaced.

Still, it's better than nothing. At the very least it helps prevent the etching and staining that old PPFs suffered from.

 

So what exactly is PPF?

Where on the periodic table does it or its parts reside?

Matt

 

I bet 3m has a good right up on this but I've never been interested enough to look it up.