PPF vs ceramic coating on new Type R

[udihamudi65]

Hello everyone,
Debating this issue with myself back and forth and find it difficult making up my mind. I know this is already worn subject but would appreciate your thoughts.
I will shortly receive a new Championship White Type R. Planning on keeping it for a long time (I kept my last car 13 years) and will be parking in a sheltered parking lot. My top priority is aesthetics, I like the shinny look of wax and want to keep my car with the best look. I am also a busy person and don't have a lot of spare time. Lately I discovered PPF, was shocked by the high price but thinking maybe a full body or partial front PPF is worth it to keep the car looking good. My biggest worry is that over time the PPF will look bad, because of rock impacts or scratches, peelings or dirt building up on edges that cant be wrapped around, like on the front bumper, which is more apparent on white. Also i am partial about doing only the front end with PPF because of color differences, which will maybe be more apparent as time goes by. I don't care about keeping the original paint and don't mind re spraying the car as long as it stays scratch and dent free accept for the hassle and maybe the money. Thinking maybe I will get better aesthetics by going for ceramic coating and correcting the paint now and then or re spraying.

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[Deleted member 51112]

Mine's just a normal Sport Hatch but I had the entire front end and mirrors done in XPEL clear film with less than 300 miles on the car. That same week I applied 3 coats of Mother's CMX ceramic to the rests of the paint. If I were in your shoes I'd being definitely doing that to a CTR if you plan on keeping the car for at least a few years.

 

[neonjed]

I recommend Xpel because it has a self-healing feature.

 

[Nitroturtle]

Ceramic and PPF really serve two different purposes. Ceramic acts similar to wax, except it last much longer, with it's main purpose being to protect your paint and clearcoat from the elements and keep it nice and shiny as well as making it easier to clean. PPF on the other hand is meant to protect against impacts, such as from rocks, from actually chipping your paint. Ceramic will not protect from rock chips and debris (though it will make it easier to clean) and PPF doesn't mean you'll have a nice finish without ceramic or wax.

On my CTR, I had a full frontal PPF wrap, along with rockers and a few other choice areas. I also have ceramic applied to the whole car, including all of the PPF surfaces. While this route is not cheap, it keeps the paint both protected and shiny as well as making it much easier to clean. I've had my PPF for 2+ years now, and the car looks as good as the day I had it applied. With that said, mine is a bit of a garage queen with only 15k miles after 2.5 years of ownership. I actually had a truck kick a rock up the other day that hit my hood. I checked when I got home and I could see the point of impact with a small indent in the PPF, but now after sitting in the sun a bit it's completely gone. Totally worth the expense imo, especially if you plan on keeping the car long term.

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