Do you care about your car? Do you care about the physical appearance of your car's exterior? If so, you've probably done some research about the products available for protecting and preserving your car's paint, and you've probably come across some information about two different products: Paint Protection Film (PPF or Clear Bra, such as XPEL Ultimate), and Ceramic Coatings (such as Opti-Coat Pro+).
You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.
What's the difference between these two products? What will they accomplish for your car? And what will be the best solution for protecting your car's paint?
Let's dive into those questions.
Paint Protection Film is a transparent, urethane material that can be applied to any exterior painted surface on your vehicle. In short, automotive Paint Protection Film preserves the quality of your car's paint by reducing the risk of multiple kinds of damage, such as'
If you want to learn more about the history and technology behind Paint Protection Film, read our formal introduction to the product.
Ceramic Coating is a liquid polymer that is applied to the exterior surfaces of a vehicle. After application, it chemically bonds with the vehicle's factory paint, establishing a layer of protection and a hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic properties of Ceramic Coating make it harder for contaminants to bond with your car's paint. This has two main benefits for the car owner.
A Ceramic Coating will also help reduce the risk of certain kinds of damage, such as'
Learn more about the benefits and limitations of Ceramic Coatings, you can read about them here.
As you can see, both products serve the purpose of keeping your car looking newer for longer by protecting and preserving your car's paint.
In addition to this common central aim, the two products have some overlapping performance features. Specifically, both products help reduce damage from UV exposure and acidic contaminants.
In the end, if you choose to purchase Paint Protection Film or a Ceramic Coating, you will be adding value to your vehicle.
Despite these similarities, Paint Protection Films and Ceramic Coatings do have significant differences and serve different purposes.
However, Ceramic Coatings do have their strength, particularly in terms of the hydrophobic surface they create.
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So which product is right for your car?
Here's the good news. You don't have to choose one or the other. They can both be applied to the same vehicle. The dynamic duo of Paint Protection Film and a Ceramic Coating is the ultimate form of invisible protection you can purchase for your car.
Here's how it works.
Paint Protection Film is applied first to the portions of your vehicle that will be most susceptible to rock chips or scratches from road debris. Since a Ceramic Coating does not protect against this kind of damage, it's important to apply Paint Protection Film to these areas. This often includes the front bumper, hood, fenders, side mirrors, rocker panels, and rear wheel arch.
With competitive price and timely delivery, Kingfilm sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Once the most vulnerable areas are protected with Paint Protection Film, your whole car receives a Ceramic Coating. The coating will bond to both the vehicle's factory paint and the film that has already been applied. When applied on top of film, coating will provide an additional layer of protection from chemical etching and stains. It will also help keep the film clean and free from contaminants, which will lengthen the life of the film.
Everywhere else on the vehicle, whether protected by film or not, the Ceramic Coating will thwart oxidation and chemical etch marks or stains. Moreover, the hydrophobic surface will make it harder for contaminants to bond to the vehicle, keeping the paint cleaner and making it easier to wash. The smooth surface of the Ceramic Coating will also enhance the gloss of your vehicle's factory paint.
Together, the two products will preserve your car's paint over the long-term, and enhance its appearance on a day-to-day basis.
So if your aim is to protect and preserve your car's paint so that it looks stunning every day your drive it, a combination of Paint Protection Film and Ceramic Coating may be the best fit for you.
If you want to learn more, take a look at this Mercedes AMG GT-S we equipped with Paint Protection Film, or read about the specific benefits of applying a Ceramic Coating to your wheels.
Paint Protection Film, clear bra, PPF, etc are all names for an amazing product that changed the automotive industry over 15 years ago. The last 10-12 years these films have gotten extremely good looking in terms of texture and installation, as well as overall performance and durability. Most of the films from reputable brands have had great UV protection and self-healing properties for the last decade and in the last few years we saw improvements in stain resistance, easier installation (which leads to less marks during install) and hydrophobic characteristics. So what are some pros and cons of the film? Here are a few thoughts I have after working with it for about 8-9 years now'
I'll start with the disadvantages because I feel they're more of a debatable and subjective issue rather than a 'con', but I'll list them regardless. and let me explain. These couple things are aesthetics and maintenance.
In terms of aesthetics, PPF will never look as clear, deep and texture free as paint. It's usually 6-8+ mil thick and it's practically a piece of plastic, so of course it's going to have some texture. That said, some films out there (such as old 'regular' Suntek C) are much better looking in terms of texture than others, so the difference with covered and uncovered paint is minimal.
Also, sometimes film can't wrap around certain crevices on the paint, so the edges of the film will show. This is most easily seen on silver cars from my experience. A good installer will make these edges as close to the panel edge as possible (sometimes right on the curve of the edge) so it simply disappears.
Going back to these being debatable cons' This is just the nature of the material so if you want the protection you have to deal with it. That said, a proper install with good film will make you forget you have film on your car in a matter of days. I'd compare this to actual glass on a car. For example, as clear as windshield glass is, you don't see through it as you would without it, but you need glass to protect from wind and the elements. In short, it's not a disadvantage of the film, rather you simply have film on your car to do a specific job and it does it really well.
The other disadvantage is maintenance. If you get a scratch, staining or similar other defects in the film, they may be in there permanently. If you get such defects in paint, they can many times be polished and corrected bringing the paint back to how it was before the defects. This could be seen as a con, but again the film is there as a sacrificial layer to protect from scuffs, rock chips, scratches, etc.
Also, you have to be careful around the above-mentioned edges of the film when doing just about any maintenance. One of the biggest issues I've seen is using a pressure washer near the edge as it may cause it to lift, especially if angled right into the edge. Some common sense quickly solves this issue. Other than that edges will obviously collect wax, polish, etc. so you may need to tape them off or not go near with certain products.
I can't really think of anything else that can be seen as a disadvantage for PPF. However, there are definitely advantages.
I'd love to say there are MANY advantages, but simply put there's just one' you have the film and it does what it's meant to do really well. The obvious one is how there is no tons of rock chips and that 'peppered' look on the front end or rocker panels. Then there's the fact it protects against random scratches that may happen daily such as kids walking next to the car with bikes, loading stuff into the trunk and simply opening the door too far and hitting a wall. It also has other specific uses like using it on sensitive interior trim that may scratch easily, engine bay areas where hoses/wires may rub the paint off and headlight lens to prevent yellowing (along with chips of course). Even more random uses for film are in different areas around the car where stuff like plastic door sills will rub the paint, window trim will touch the top of the door, roof rack area to help prevent scuffs when stuff is moving around up there.
Lastly, there's a plethora of uses for PPF outside the automotive industry. I've personally wrapped my own as well as clients' bicycles, motorcycles and even helmets. You can do key areas on each of the above or the whole thing and it does an amazing job keeping the surface in great condition. On bicycles it helps a ton with cables rubbing, rocks popping from below, chain smacking the frame, etc. On my motorcycle it's great all around but most noticeably on the gas tank where your legs rub the sides as well as the top when filling up.
Not to mention we've done quite a few installs on table tops with expensive materials that need protecting, random carbon fiber pieces and expensive home appliances to protect the paint from scratching due to daily use.
All in all, I'm a huge fan of PPF and would recommend it for anyone on anything haha. There's of course a cost involved and that's usually what guides coverage on a client's vehicle, but any film is definitely better than none.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Clear Paint Protection Film.