Quote:
Originally Posted by GrussGott
You want the Cosmetic Maintenance Forum
Basically it comes down to:
(a.) Spend a lot of money & time to protect your car from small paint chips which don't impact your resale thus are only a problem to your eyes when you see them, and since anything larger than a chip has to be repaired by a body shop ... and you still have to maintain the car
or
(b.) Hire a detailer to wash your car which could cost $30-$50 per plus $300-$500/yr for full details ... and might not be better than what you could do
or
(C.) Learn to maintain the car yourself which'll cost about $75 / year and take about 30 min every 3-6 weeks and isn't made easier whether you have PPF or not. (ceramic will make it easier, but it's also pretty easy to do yourself) |
PPF and coating (ceramic, graphene, whatever) are two very different things.
PPF can help with swirl marks, but it's a (relatively) thick layer of plastic film that prevents against rock chips and road debris and such. It can get swirl marks in it, though most are "self healing" enough for most of it. Most people coat the PPF itself.
Coatings (graphene is my favorite) is a very thin layer of coating that protects paint from elements (rain, bird crap) and swirl marks- the majority of which come from washing. Coatings are awesome. Water basically runs right off the car, the car stays cleaner and you can almost just rinse the car (and wheels!) right off to get 90% of the dirt off. My GF just pressure washes and air dries (we have a high powered blower made for this- don't use a rag as there is still a lot of dirt and your car will get swirled to hell) her car. She can get away with it because it's white though.
Just be sure to PPF before coating. A good coating should prevent PPF from adhering.
To me, both are a no brainer on cars of this price range, coating especially on darker colors. I get PPF on high risk areas (headlights, front bumper, 1/3 of hood, mirrors, rocker panels) and it's about $800 or so.
I do my own coating. It's very easy, but you need to be patient. $110 or so for Adam's graphene kit. Do it in your garage. Use a black light and you'll see exactly where you missed a spot, so it's super easy. Again, just take your time. It's a very noticable difference, even just running your hand on it. It feels hyper smooth. How fast it beads water and how easy it is to wash off dirt is dramatically better too. And of course, it will make a dig difference in preventing swirl marks. You can be fairly careless using the two bucket system if you pressure wash it first and not worry about it.
I dont really care for the PPF, as you can tell its there if you're looking for it- especially if you don't do the entire panel, you'll see the seam. But I hate rock chips a lot more.
Definitely let them remove the panels so they can tuck the ppf behind the seams.
edit: also, there's no need to wax your car after coating.