PPF or ceramic coating

[Palos83]

Originally Posted by chris719

It doesn't help that much on wheels. Might depend on the coating. A typical high solids SiO2 coating does not help a ton.

i have it on mines ( Gygeon ) and it's definitely easier to clean them, one still needs to use brushes for a prefect look

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by John in VA

I've even seen wheels wrapped, like you would do to the painted body. A good shop can do it.

IMHO, that would be a total waste of money.

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

IMHO, that would be a total waste of money.

Not something I'm interested in either, but a better result than Plasti Dip.

[a.d0n]

Hi All,

i have both Ceramic Coating and PPF on my G80 and i would fully recommend getting it done.

i had mine done by a company i have trusted for the last 4 years and its brillant it has prevented a lot of stone chips and makes cleaning the car so easy.

if you look in my gallery you will see the picture of the car in the booth and it looks incredible.

the guys i used are a company based in Chichester Uk, called Freshlayers, they use the WAX IS DEAD coating and its awesome, if anyone in the UK is looking to get this i would highly recommend you look at this coating, the guys down there are super knowlegable as well and go the extra mile.

i will be uploading a new album for the coating etc later on today

[3mran]

I originally was avoiding the PPF but honestly, I'm kidding myself if I don't get it. I ordered a 24' X7 as a longterm family car, and I've been researching/ preparing, so I can take care of my new baby. After I got a quote of $6-7K for the PPF film, I was shocked as I didn't want to put myself in a money pit. As I kept doing more research, I'm seeing that I'm going to regret not putting it off the bat. Sorry for the rant, but I should be picking up my build in about 2 weeks and was hoping you guys could help me find a good detailing place near White Marsh, Maryland.

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by a.d0n

Hi All,

i have both Ceramic Coating and PPF on my G80 and i would fully recommend getting it done.

i had mine done by a company i have trusted for the last 4 years and its brillant it has prevented a lot of stone chips and makes cleaning the car so easy.

if you look in my gallery you will see the picture of the car in the booth and it looks incredible.

the guys i used are a company based in Chichester Uk, called Freshlayers, they use the WAX IS DEAD coating and its awesome, if anyone in the UK is looking to get this i would highly recommend you look at this coating, the guys down there are super knowlegable as well and go the extra mile.

i will be uploading a new album for the coating etc later on today

Is that where Jon from the Forensic Detailing youtube channel films some of his videos?

[Howard1485]

Tomorrow is the start of the PPF and tint process. I’m curious how this matte color will look after matte PPF is installed. The glossy black / carbon pieces will be glossy PPF. I can’t wait to be able to drive it with piece of mind!

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by 3mran

I should be picking up my build in about 2 weeks and was hoping you guys could help me find a good detailing place near White Marsh, Maryland.

Check with Chris Turner, A Buff & Beyond Automotive Solutions:
https://www.facebook.com/Abuffandbeyondauto/

[a.d0n]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

Is that where Jon from the Forensic Detailing youtube channel films some of his videos?

yes it is indeed John is a great guy!

[Howard1485]

For those debating, I wish I had done this at the dealership haha. I only drove this from the dealership to my house and to the PPF installer. I had ~250 miles when I had dropped it off.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Howard1485

For those debating, I wish I had done this at the dealership haha. I only drove this from the dealership to my house and to the PPF installer. I had ~250 miles when I had dropped it off.

Ouch, I feel your pain. I saw my nice sized chip on the lower portion of the front bumper after a few hundred miles and immediately decided I needed PPF.

Luckily BMW offers touchup paint for my Misano Blue color and the shop covered the chip with the paint and then put PPF allover. They did a great job with the touchup paint and you no longer see anything.

Have them put touchup paint on those little chips and hopefully the PPF will camouflage everything.

[Howard1485]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Ouch, I feel your pain. I saw my nice sized chip on the lower portion of the front bumper after a few hundred miles and immediately decided I needed PPF.

Luckily BMW offers touchup paint for my Misano Blue color and the shop covered the chip with the paint and then put PPF allover. They did a great job with the touchup paint and you no longer see anything.

Have them put touchup paint on those little chips and hopefully the PPF will camouflage everything.

The installer seemed to think the touchup would look worse and didn’t think I’d notice it with the matte PPF. I’m trusting the guy so I guess we’ll see. I’ll just won’t look too close haha.

[dbhajek]

I have PPF on all new cars I buy but it's not magic, rocks still go through it then I think it looks worse then a rock chip that you can't touch up.

I still think its worth it.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Howard1485

The installer seemed to think the touchup would look worse and didn’t think I’d notice it with the matte PPF. I’m trusting the guy so I guess we’ll see. I’ll just won’t look too close haha.

Hopefully the matte PPF will do the job and he could always do a small section in the area when the damage is located first to see the results.

Wishing you good luck!

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by dbhajek

I have PPF on all new cars I buy but it's not magic, rocks still go through it then I think it looks worse then a rock chip that you can't touch up.

I still think its worth it.

Yes, a rock can still penetrate the PPF but just think of all the crap that didn't go through and your finish was protected.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Howard1485

Tomorrow is the start of the PPF and tint process. I’m curious how this matte color will look after matte PPF is installed. The glossy black / carbon pieces will be glossy PPF. I can’t wait to be able to drive it with piece of mind!

By the way, don't forget to update the Garage in your Bimmerpost profile with this blue beautiful baby!

[dudley@07726]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Yes, a rock can still penetrate the PPF but just think of all the crap that didn't go through and your finish was protected.

I had a rock penetrate the PPF on the bottom black part of the front bumper near the air intake. It was hard enough to cause a small indentation in the bumper. PPF was replaced and it looks good. Though, if you run your finger across it, you will feel a very small dip in the PPF where it hit.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by dudley@07726

I had a rock penetrate the PPF on the bottom black part of the front bumper near the air intake. It was hard enough to cause a small indentation in the bumper. PPF was replaced and it looks good. Though, if you run your finger across it, you will feel a very small dip in the PPF where it hit.

Surely the rock would have caused more damage to the bumper if you didn't have PPF. At the end of the day the PPF exactly what it is supposed to do!

[Howard1485]

Picking her up from PPF and ceramic coating today!

[Anderson11]

I sleep better at night with a PPF'd front end. LOL

[Billyplum]

Originally Posted by Joebie

Ceramic coating isnt going to protect your paint from scratches, rock chips, and other abrasions. I feel like alot of people think that ceramic coating is some miracle coating that makes your car scratch-proof which drives them to ask this ceramic vs ppf question.

Ceramic coating is great. It glossifys the paint, it makes water bead up, keeps your car clean for longer than not having it, and makes cleaning easier than not having it because the dirt washes right off because its less likely to stick to the paint. But what it does NOT do is keep your car from getting scratched. Maybe there is a small amount of added scratch resistance but its nothing significant enough to count on keeping your car scratch-free long term.

PPF on the other hand is a relatively thick layer of clear material laid over the paint. It has scratch and chip prevention capabilities orders of magnitude greater than ceramic coating. They are not even in the same realm when it comes to scratch resistance. Most PPF is also self-healing so on a hot day it heals any scratches or scuffs automatically. The downside of PPF is the cost. It also doesnt last forever. I think most clear PPF these days is warrantied for 8-10 years.

If you have a special car like an M2, I personally think that PPF is totally worth it on the areas of the car that take heavy abuse like the entire front end, A-pillars, mirrors, headlight lenses, rear fender flares/quarter panels.

Prices probably vary regionally, but here in Missouri it was ~$2500 after tax for this on my car:

-entire front bumper
-entire hood
-both headlights
-both mirrors
-both fenders
-both rocker panels, (and a bit more extending onto the bottom of the doors)
-the front side of both rear fender flares
-the rear bumper behind the rear tires on both sides
-the trunk sill
-both A-pillars
-the leading edge of the roof

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Appreciate the detail you’ve provided here, Joebie. I’m in St. Louis as well, with a G87 currently in production. Where did you get your PPF done? Did you choose a preexisting track pack (or something similar) that the shop offered, or did they price it out piece by piece based on what you laid out above?

[allinon72]

This is my opinion and a lot of people (with PPF) will probably disagree, and that's OK. If you're spending 6-7k on full body PPF, you're simply preserving the car for the next owner, at your expense. You're never going to get that money back in the improved condition when getting rid of it or trading it in. Now it's easy to say "I'm going to keep this car forever", but the simple fact is, rarely does this actually occur because life comes at you fast. And suddenly, when things change and you must get rid of the vehicle, you've got several thousand dollars locked up in paint protection that is literally money down the drain.

If you're spending 1-2k on some front end PPF, fine, that makes sense. Ceramic coat the entire car (DIY preferred, for the same reasons as above).