[JennyMac]

Would you do it? Have you done it? Are you happy you did, if so? Also have you done PPF?

[icj_45e]

Ceramic coating a new car is a great idea to help protect the paint, increase gloss and make future maintenance washes easier. PPF offers much better protection, but at a much higher cost.
I wouldn't suggest paying the dealer for ceramic coating, they usually mark it way up. Find a local detailer or do some research on youtube and you can easily ceramic coat your new car yourself. Good luck

[Steve737]

I’m very particular about my cars so yes I always do. If you decide to do it I would recommend no car washes you need to do it yourself with the proper micro fiber towels. I like Adam’s products but there are others that are great as well.

[traron]

I've never had a vehicle ceramic coated until we did the X5. I have to say I was quite suprised with the outcome. Washing and drying is so much easier. I just use my battery powered leaf blower to clear all the water off after each wash and it is as easy as that. I live in the south and don't experience winter dirt and salt so can't speak for what I would do if I was not here, but would do it again on our next vehicle.

[LDT]

Never had ceramic on a car until my previous 2020 Cayenne which I purchased used. It was still effective after 3+ years. Easy to wash and dry. Current M60i is not ceramic coated but I like to frequently wash and wax with P21s carnauba wax. Achieves a similar result. Lighter colors are easier than dark colors. Mine is Skyscraper. My local shops will do ceramic for $1000 to $1250 and have a good rep.

[Boardmember]

I got Ceramic Pro (5 year) at the dealership for $1850. Paint, glass, wheel surfaces. The local Ceramic Pro shop was $1700. It took four days and the convenience of writing one check and getting a loaner from the dealership made the +$150 very worth it to me.

Manhattan Green. Do it again? Absolutely. Wife’s white GX460 has front surface PPF and she now wants ceramic on hers!

[nZtiZia]

i wasn't impressed with dealer-provided ceramic coating on my wife's 2020 545i. when i got my 2021 X5, i had it done by a local detailer and really liked it. my wife liked it too, so we got her 2023 530e coated there. night and day difference between a reputable detailer and a dealership product (some dealerships outsource to a detailer...ours doesn't). i perform top coats annually myself

[Lionel Hutz]

It is a good option but not worth what dealers or most detailers try to charge for it now.

[JennyMac]

The place I called said to do PPF first then ceramic? $4K? ($2k each) do any of you have PPF

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by JennyMac

The place I called said to do PPF first then ceramic? $4K? ($2k each) do any of you have PPF

I used ppf to transform my vehicle’s look. worth the cost? nope, but I have no regrets!

if doing both, ppf has to be applied first. if ceramic is applied first, then the ppf won’t adhere well. there’s also ceramic-infused ppf (2-in-1 product)

[traron]

Originally Posted by JennyMac

The place I called said to do PPF first then ceramic? $4K? ($2k each) do any of you have PPF

I have the whole front, rockers, behind rear wheel, and rear ledge in Xpel PPF, and then Xpel ceramic over all. $2500 for everything. A friend of my son manages the shop and I think we got a good deal and excellent job.

[Davesrb]

Depends on your level of OCD when it comes to your cars look and condition. Are you the type that gets upset when you get a stone chip and notice it every time you walk up to your car? PPF is for you.
Do you like to have your car clean all the time? Ceramic will help with that, as well as make it easier to wash and dry.
Is it worth it? I think it is. I can wash and blow dry both of my BMW's in less time than it used to take me to wash my previous non ceramic coated cars.
I did PPF on the front clip, pillars and side mirrors on both the 840i and the X6. Then I had the 840 ceramic coated by my detailer in Gtechniq and I did the X6 myself in Adams Graphene. I wanted to see which lasts longer and works better.

[avi8tir]

If you like to personally take care of your car... wash, detail, etc etc, then ceramic is way worth it. Makes the whole process so easy... I get super frustrated when I wash my fiance's car which doesn't have anything for paint protection lol. its almost like the water clings to the car!

Now, I have done the $2500 professional install through a high-end detailer before but this time around I did it myself. It was a fun weekend project. I would not pay the $2500 again since I did happen to enjoy the project.

[misterD]

We did our 2021 X6 about 8 months ago along with a 2 stage paint correction. Local detailer was about $1500.

Make sure you hand wash only and also clean up bird droppings as soon as possible. I also learned that ceramic coatings are not impervious to mineral stains, so be careful if you have to park near sprinklers.

I would do it again but also be realistic about its performance and required upkeep.

[modesa]

I applied a ceramic coating type thing that I bought on amazon for...$30 a bottle? Or something like that, there's a youtube channel that does reviews on all the amazon ceramic coatings and I picked one that was shown to be still effective after at least 1 year. Seems to be working OK, although at some point I gave the car a polish with a polishing compound to get rid of some swirls and just went ahead and applied a second coat of of the ceramic just to be sure. The water does bead off fairly quickly when I take a hose to it, but I'm not sure what else its supposed to do or if your $1500 coatings do something different.

[cobramite]

The PPF coverings may have their place for a guy who drives 15 or 20K miles/year in an environment where salt and cinders are all over the roads 5-6 months.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by cobramite

The PPF coverings may have their place for a guy who drives 15 or 20K miles/year in an environment where salt and cinders are all over the roads 5-6 months.

I’m pretty certain 100% of ppf owners and manufacturers will disagree with you

[LOFT]

I had my Manhattan Green Metallic X45e done on the recommendation of friends.

No regrets after a year. I like to have a clean waxed look without the work and ceramic coating does the job. Tree sap and bugs are easy to clean.

Always use microfibre cloth and touchless car wash.

[cobramite]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

I’m pretty certain 100% of ppf owners and manufacturers will disagree with you

Yeah, I don't doubt that for a minute and that would be expected as most guys swear by their decisions and of course the manufacturers of these films would endorse their use.
I personally would have no real need for PPF for my new X6 which will see 6,000 miles/year at the very most here in Florida with no salt, cinders, broken up pot hole debris etc.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by cobramite

The PPF coverings may have their place for a guy who drives 15 or 20K miles/year in an environment where salt and cinders are all over the roads 5-6 months.

Yeah, I don't doubt that for a minute and that would be expected as most guys swear by their decisions and of course the manufacturers of these films would endorse their use.
I personally would have no real need for PPF for my new X6 which will see 6,000 miles/year at the very most here in Florida with no salt, cinders, broken up pot hole debris etc.

that’s what all you needed to say in the first place

[cobramite]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

that’s what all you needed to say in the first place

I would actually consider it to achieve that matte finish tone you have. Yours looks good.
Mine is Mineral White. I saw a frozen white Urus the other day and damn did that look cool, got me thinking about it. Not sure if it was PPF or a factory paint.

[Sleeper]

PPF-wrapped cars will always be easier to achieve a near-perfect finish for the life of your vehicle (with proper maintenance) than not. And my grandiose statement applies whether you live in an area with bad roads, harsh climate, and a high level of pollution/iron fallout, or in a perfectly clean environment with smooth roads.

All quality PPF is self-healing, so swirl marks, rock chips, light dings etc. are all 'healed' by leaving your car out in the sun on a hot day, or simply using a heat gun. To me, that's worth the cost to wrap every last inch of the car in stealth or gloss PPF (my moods change depending on the car) on every vehicle that I own. There's nothing that cheapens or dulls the look of a car more than one covered in swirl marks.

Ceramic coating on top of the PPF just makes it way easier to clean and dry, and it simply just looks better. Otherwise, unless you're dedicating a substantial amount of time - especially on dark paints - to keeping swirls out and keeping the finish looking wet and glossy, your car is never going to look as good as a wrapped car after 1-year.

[/grandiose statements]