Paint Protection

[RToyo86]

I have never seen a ceramic offer more scratch protection. My friend who is a opti-coat installer will also attest to this.
Coating will shed and resist dirt and contamination from sticking to the paint. An easier car to clean = a car you are less likely to scratch.

Majority of pro grade ceramic coatings that offer longer warranties require yearly maintenance return visits.
Sio2 sits on top of the paint and then layers are added to get the desired amount of durability. The layers will wear over time, and maintenance will help boost the layers to keep the coating alive.

Then there are brands like optimum who use a slightly different formula for their pro line opti-coat which is SIC based, not Sio2. Their compound actually bonds with your clear coat. In theory it is a lifetime coating but like anything the hydrophobics are dictated by wash maintenance.
You can actually treat the coating like paint, and use clay and iron removers on it which is something you wouldn't do with majority of coatings on the market.

For a daily I don't see as much value in a long term coating if you care about removing scratches, nicks etc as the car ages. Unless you are happy to pay for panels to be recoated as needed.

The 3M PPF has held up great overall on my car, but it is still a wear item. It has seen 100k km/4Y abuse with winters. The bumper is the area that gets hammered the most.
My hood, fender and mirror caps film is still in great condition, the bumper needs to be redone, or removed.

[Tokay444]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

I have never seen a ceramic offer more scratch protection. My friend who is a opti-coat installer will also attest to this.
Coating will shed and resist dirt and contamination from sticking to the paint. An easier car to clean = a car you are less likely to scratch.

Majority of pro grade ceramic coatings that offer longer warranties require yearly maintenance return visits.
Sio2 sits on top of the paint and then layers are added to get the desired amount of durability. The layers will wear over time, and maintenance will help boost the layers to keep the coating alive.

Then there are brands like optimum who use a slightly different formula for their pro line opti-coat which is SIC based, not Sio2. Their compound actually bonds with your clear coat. In theory it is a lifetime coating but like anything the hydrophobics are dictated by wash maintenance.
You can actually treat the coating like paint, and use clay and iron removers on it which is something you wouldn't do with majority of coatings on the market.

For a daily I don't see as much value in a long term coating if you care about removing scratches, nicks etc as the car ages. Unless you are happy to pay for panels to be recoated as needed.

The 3M PPF has held up great overall on my car, but it is still a wear item. It has seen 100k km/4Y abuse with winters. The bumper is the area that gets hammered the most.
My hood, fender and mirror caps film is still in great condition, the bumper needs to be redone, or removed.

You're shopping the wrong coatings. Mine is far harder than clear coat. My 9 year warranty has no yearly maintenance. I use fallout remover every spring because I don't hand wash very much in the winter. Ceramic coat your PPF.

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Tokay444

Mine is far harder than clear coat.

You keep saying that, but I don't think you have a clue what you are talking about. And even if you are correct, and you aren't, what makes you think that being "harder" equates to a resistance to scratching?? In many cases, it is the opposite.

It is my understanding (and pretty much everybody but you on this thread) that ceramics bond with the clear coat essentially filling in small gaps in the clearcoat making the surface smoother. A smoother surface has a lower coefficient of friction meaning that dirt, water, etc. all shed from the surface easier than a less-smooth surface.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by CincyJohn

You keep saying that, but I don't think you have a clue what you are talking about. And even if you are correct, and you aren't, what makes you think that being "harder" equates to a resistance to scratching?? In many cases, it is the opposite.

It is my understanding (and pretty much everybody but you on this thread) that ceramics bond with the clear coat essentially filling in small gaps in the clearcoat making the surface smoother. A smoother surface has a lower coefficient of friction meaning that dirt, water, etc. all shed from the surface easier than a less-smooth surface.

I am really interested in hearing what this harder ceramic coating that adds a barrier and has a 9 year warranty without maintenance is!

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by Tokay444

You're shopping the wrong coatings. Mine is far harder than clear coat. My 9 year warranty has no yearly maintenance. I use fallout remover every spring because I don't hand wash very much in the winter. Ceramic coat your PPF.

I did coat the PPF. Bumper film is still trashed from road debris.

Biggest snake oil myth in coating industry is the use of the pencil scale. Most of those tests aren't done on cars, they apply the coating to flat painted steel for testing. Car panels are made of various materials and will react differently..

I'm surprised to hear you say "wrong brands" after I mentioned opti-coat, since I believe them to be one of the better pro grade coating options in the market. One of the more unique too.

Opti-coat uses SIC as a result of a chemical reaction vs Sio2 coatings which use Sio2 suspended inside a resin which bonds to the surface.
Main difference being Sio2 coatings use layers to offer longer warranties, along with different resin formulas. The resin which holds Sio2 will wear off. Opti-coats formula the SIC is formed as a chemical reaction that bonds to the paint, there is no resin that wears off. To wear that coating you need to wear off the SIC layer that bonded with the paint.

No matter the coating you need to perform some kind of maintenance to keep the hydrophobics up. Whether or not the installer requires it for the warranty varies.

[Tokay444]

I wouldn’t look at opticoat.
Gtechniq and Modesta. Nothing else compares.

[saltywetman]

anyone know much about graphene? was reading some articles talking about how graphene is the successor to ceramic coatings being even more longer lasting?

[Tokay444]

Keep it in your vaxxxine.

[Tokay444]

Originally Posted by CincyJohn

You keep saying that, but I don't think you have a clue what you are talking about. And even if you are correct, and you aren't, what makes you think that being "harder" equates to a resistance to scratching?? In many cases, it is the opposite.

It is my understanding (and pretty much everybody but you on this thread) that ceramics bond with the clear coat essentially filling in small gaps in the clearcoat making the surface smoother. A smoother surface has a lower coefficient of friction meaning that dirt, water, etc. all shed from the surface easier than a less-smooth surface.

LOL. "What makes you think the harder things get, the more resistant to scratches they are?" Because that's how hardness works.
But yeah, it's me that doesn't know what they're talking about...
https://www.pfonline.com/articles/pa...ch-resistance-

[Tokay444]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I am really interested in hearing what this harder ceramic coating that adds a barrier and has a 9 year warranty without maintenance is!

Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra.

[CincyJohn]

Originally Posted by Tokay444

LOL. "What makes you think the harder things get, the more resistant to scratches they are?" Because that's how hardness works.
But yeah, it's me that doesn't know what they're talking about...
https://www.pfonline.com/articles/pa...ch-resistance-

You are a freakin’ idiot. You didn’t even read the article you quoted you toolbox. It said exactly what I said.

[WolfpackS2k]

PPF is totally worth it! And I don't know what conditions people are driving in to get theirs torn up, because I have previously used it for years and never encountered any issues with damage. And I'm a freaking magnet for road debris (even had to get my roof repainted once from paint chips after a semi [not even in my lane!] ran over a sheet of dry wall, making it explode). My father recently had the PPF replaced on his S2000 (was roughly 15 years old and yellowing) and it had no tears/holes in it.

[Tokay444]

Originally Posted by CincyJohn

You are a freakin’ idiot. You didn’t even read the article you quoted you toolbox. It said exactly what I said.

You’re projecting an awful lot for a guy that doesn’t know how hardness/ toughness works.
From the article… “ Formulating coatings with much higher inherent hardness is done with ceramic enamels. While these are excellent for scratch resistance, their impact and chipping resistance is quite poor, excluding them from many applications such as automotive.” Except, we have now development them to be used in automotive applications, not for their chip resistance, but for their scratch and contamination resistance.

[spcmafia]

I've used a combination of Ceramic and graphene wax.

If you are DIY, on a budget, Graphene is the way to go. It last way longer than, again, budget ceramic coatings. Turtle Wax makes an amazing Graphene wax. Very easy to apply and upkeep.

Don't want rock chips? Maintain proper distance according to your speed on the road and don't tailgate, obviously it can't always be helped.

Don't want swirls and other minor scratches? Don't use shitty products when washing/drying your vehicle, DIY and never EVER bring it to an Automatic Car Wash with brushes. Use microfiber towels and sponges, a two-bucket method, and a properly rated pressure washer.



No amount of clear coating with prevent physical damage as well as PPF. Sure, it can have a degree of elasticity, but sucks at preventing dirt/contaminants and it would still not give you the level of protection PPF would give you.


OP, depending on your budget, and what sort of deal you can get, you can't really go wrong with either. But you're trying to keep the surface as damage free as possible, go with PPF.