[Bluenose-2er]

So now I have found a local pro who can do Ceramic Pro.

I think I am leaning toward the Ceramic Pro and foregoing the PPF. Not as good protection, but I think the added layer should beef up the paint resistance to small chips... and that seems to be all I have gotten with my 135i in 5 years on NS roads. Plus the $2k in my wallet will help bank against any touch ups I need down the road.

Maybe I will regret it... but time to just pull the trigger on something. I am home this weekend and I think it should be time to take the car out of its winter cocoon.

[hshot_rooke]

Originally Posted by Bluenose-2er

So now I have found a local pro who can do Ceramic Pro.

I think I am leaning toward the Ceramic Pro and foregoing the PPF. Not as good protection, but I think the added layer should beef up the paint resistance to small chips... and that seems to be all I have gotten with my 135i in 5 years on NS roads. Plus the $2k in my wallet will help bank against any touch ups I need down the road.

Maybe I will regret it... but time to just pull the trigger on something. I am home this weekend and I think it should be time to take the car out of its winter cocoon.

Mine is going in for Ceramic Pro on May 10th. I'm foregoing the PPF as well. It's just too costly to do PPF and a coating together, for me anyways.

I believe swirls will still form on the coating and stone chips will still happen, but hopefully coating will give an extra layer of protection from both.

[Bruce_SC]

Originally Posted by hshot_rooke

Mine is going in for Ceramic Pro on May 10th. I'm foregoing the PPF as well. It's just too costly to do PPF and a coating together, for me anyways.

I believe swirls will still form on the coating and stone chips will still happen, but hopefully coating will give an extra layer of protection from both.

It's all in the prep and care with the swirls.

Chips however are going to happen with just coating.

Bruce

[3Si]

Ceramic coating is not even remotely close to any PPF for protection. I've had cars with just the coating, and it still got dinged up by rocks easily. It's better than nothing, but don't expect too much from rocks and debris. It is mainly for the cosmetic shine and ease of washing. On top of this, once you do the coating, it makes applying the PPF a lot harder. Most of the time, installers will need to polish out your coating before applying the PPF. Yes, PPF is not cheap, but if I care about the paint, might as well do it right the first time. For those with LBB, it is not an easy color to blend when one day you decide to fix the front due to stone chips.

[Bluenose-2er]

Originally Posted by 3Si

Ceramic coating is not even remotely close to any PPF for protection. I've had cars with just the coating, and it still got dinged up by rocks easily. It's better than nothing, but don't expect too much from rocks and debris. It is mainly for the cosmetic shine and ease of washing. On top of this, once you do the coating, it makes applying the PPF a lot harder. Most of the time, installers will need to polish out your coating before applying the PPF. Yes, PPF is not cheap, but if I care about the paint, might as well do it right the first time. For those with LBB, it is not an easy color to blend when one day you decide to fix the front due to stone chips.

It is true that coating does not compare to PPF for rock chips. It does add to the toughness of modern paint coatings though... which are just so damn thin!

[gmzanatta]

I don't mind a few stone chips so I only got the coating done. I'm super anal about my cars, but at the end of the day, dropping a few grand on PPF for a few stone chips never seemed worth it for me.

But it's all down to preference and how OCD you are about the paint. Scratches bother me like crazy, chips not so much.

[reenu]

The advice is very useful and clear, it was very helpful for my car protection and maintenance!!

[Mmm2]

I was in the same boat as the op. My recommendation is to do the front bumper at a minimum. I knew if I didn't get the PPF I would regret it. I did all the research and went with Xpel Ultimate based on the installers I spoke with when doing research and the 10 year warranty. In order to install any PPF, a one step paint correction should be performed at a minimum. PPF will magnify any imperfections in the paint.
Ceramic and glass coatings do not protect against rock chips or swirls. It does offer protection from environmental impacts while providing additional hydrophobic properties.
I did the full front including the front bumper, full hood, full fenders, mirrors, door handle cups, a pillars, rocker panels, top of rear bumper for protection from things being taken in and out of the trunk, and replaced OEM film on quarter panels (already starting to yellow) with a larger piece for better coverage which extends to cover the edge of the wheel well and behind the tire.
Applied Kamikaze glass coating on everything including rims (removed from car) and all trim and glass.
Yes it was expensive but I drive on the freeways and rocks are always falling off dump trucks and being off kicked up by cars. The Kamikaze coating and Xpel make washing a breeze. The brake dust that normally accumulates on the wheels rinses away without using any chemical cleaners.

[akkando]

The paint on my M2 is really soft, or I am really unlucky, or an idiot, or some combination of those. I would recommend at least front bumper PPF over ceramic coating to everyone if you don't want a ton of stone chips.

Seemed like places that used suntek were cheaper than those that used xpel if the cost is an issue.

[Detailers Domain]

a bit late to the game on this one, sorry. coatings will not come close to ppf, a great value add to ppf. it's a great stand alone product but make sure not to compare a coating to ppf/clear film.

[Bluenose-2er]

Originally Posted by DetailersDomain

a bit late to the game on this one, sorry. coatings will not come close to ppf, a great value add to ppf. it's a great stand alone product but make sure not to compare a coating to ppf/clear film.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, it seems to be the consensus that they do not compare. Coating seems to be more of a paint steroid, PPF is having your own secret service agents hovering around you in dark glasses.

Since I have not historically had problems with rock chips (easy to avoid high risk situations with the light traffic here), I am leaning toward steroid use.

[Detailers Domain]