Jimv1983: you really have to look hard to see the least difference between the areas with the PPF and those areas without. If I didn’t point it out, I don’t think you would notice it. You just need to look at a car done with a quality product like Xpel Ultimate and gauge for yourself. As for instances requiring removal, those are very rare. In the last four cars I have had with it, I have only had one removal and that was really due to an installation error. There was no harm to the underlying paint.

In my humble opinion, you may be overthinking this. The ceramic coating helps protect the paint from sun damage, bird droppings and the like, but it will not protect your paint from rock chips while the film does offer some protection from small stone impacts. You won’t be disappointed with the film, regardless of your decision on the ceramic coating. Also, for the record I had the dealer coating applied to the actual paint, and then had the film applied over top of that. It didn’t make sense to apply the coating over the film in case any of the film ever needed replacement. My film installer said it didn’t matter to him if I had the paint treatment installed before or after the film. For the sake of accuracy, I do not believe the coating the dealer sold me was a “ceramic” coating however...

 

I agree 100%.

On my 2017 ES, I have the paint protection film on the full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, mirrors, door handle cups, and door edges, and you would have to be looking awfully close to see that it is there. There are two big advantages to doing the full hood, full bumper, and full fenders. Besides getting a larger area of protection, you don't have the lines where the film ends and where dust and dirt can collect.

As others have said, paint protection film has come a long way. The highest quality films from XPEL, 3M, etc. are not prone to yellowing. They don't alter the color or the shine and depth of the finish at all. Also, I've had 2 instances where a piece of the film has had to be removed and reinstalled. In both cases, the film came off quite easily, and there was no damage whatever to the paint below. I suspect that it is likely that, when people have reported having had paint damage when removing the film, the damage resulted from applying the film to panels that had had paint work done on them, and the new paint wasn't given adequate time to cure before the film was reapplied.

If I had a choice of spending a similar amount of money either on paint protection film or some sort of ceramic coating, getting the paint protection film would be the easy choice. With the way that the front ends of modern cars have such large painted surfaces, it is inevitable that stones and other debris are going to impact the front of the car, and it is so nice to know that, when I wash the car, it is unlikely that I'm going to have to be reaching for the touch-up paint to attempt to repair stone nicks. And, with the multi-stage paint colors that have become so popular, getting an acceptable color match with even a small touch-up is close to impossible. So, that makes it especially advantageous to have the front of the car protected. Further, today's high quality films are self healing and environmental contaminants, like bird droppings and tree sap clean up easily before they can can get baked into the paint. All of that makes getting paint protection film an easy choice for me.

 

Yes, i think you should go with PPF instead of ceramic coating. Because in the end PPF is a thick film comparatively that is being applied over paint instead of a ceramic coating which is just a few nanometers. Ceramic coating won’t protect your car from scratches and rock chip.
My car is completely covered in Xpel Ultimate PPF except roof. Only upon closer inspection you can see that the film is installed on car.

 

Yes of course it can be damaged. Its much harder to damage it than paint, and when it gets damaged you just replace that piece. Thats the whole point.

 

Lesz is correct, and practical. I like PPF, and have used it on every car I’ve had for years. It addresses rock chips really well, and is reasonably priced. As SW17LS points out, it is easily replaced at minimal cost if damaged. Pointing out that if the PPF is damaged, the paint would have been worse as well as a lot more expensive to repair seems obvious. That is is so much improved in the last several years is a bonus. I also love the look and feel of a well prepared and coated car. I will also put coatings on all of my cars going forward. It takes work to maintain, but I personally enjoy the work and the benefits I gain because of it. Coatings minimize the effort, but doesn’t remove the need. I think the same can be said for PPF. You still need to keep it clean.

is anyone else old enough to remember when people put plastic seat covers in their car to protect them? They were HORRIBLE. Although not nearly as bad, I think about those seat covers whenever I have to put new PPF on a car.

i just read a really good article on coatings. If you’re interested ...
https://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-...e-2-04-30-2019

 

I am a fan of "Adam's" product however, their "ceramic coating" is pretty much non impressive. Goes on easy however, it will wash off super quick. It is great if you are getting ready for a carshow and want that extra kick. However, for the price, not to awfully happy.
Also, not a big fan of ceramic coating. A really good cleaning with clay bar and then a great wax, Groit's for me, works really well.

 

The thing about wax is it doesn't last long. Maybe a month or two.

Ceramic also adds some scratch resistance. It's not much but better than wax.