The Difference between Ceramic Coating and Paint Protection Film
At present, there are two main types of car Paint and interior Protection methods in the market: Ceramic Coating and Paint Protection Film (PPF will be used in the subsequent article). Many consumers are confused about them and always ask: How are they different? What are the differences in applying methods? What are their different effects? Is there a difference in endurance and price? Here is the answer for you.
1. WHAT ARE CERAMIC COATING AND PAINT PROTECTION FILMS? HOW DO THEY WORK?
As you can tell from the name, Ceramic Coating is a chemical liquid made of compounds consisting of silicon and other elements. By coating the car paint with a liquid, Ceramic Coating liquid crystallizes after contacting the surface of the car paint and the air. During the short period of crystallization, a glass-like coating with high hardness is formed which can protect the car paint. At present, most of the ceramic coating applying methods use spray or daub. The spray method is suitable for personal use given its preservation conditions and coating method. Spray Ceramic Coating is more like wax so its durability is short. Whereas the Daub Ceramic Coating method is used by major professional car beauty shops. It is more complex because the coordination of lighting and baking lamp is needed to achieve a relatively high degree of ceramic coating finish.
PPF, as shown from the name, it is a transparent protective film produced with TPU as the main raw material, like window film, but the thickness and ductility are much higher. PPF needs a long working time and has high requirements regarding details and technology, so only the staff and team with decades of experience can complete the entire work. Inexperienced technicians often cause paint exposure, PPF peeling, various marks left on the PPF surface, etc.
2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CERAMIC COATING AND PAINT PROTECTION FILM IN PROCESSING?
First of all, Ceramic Coating has high requirements on the paint surface. Since Ceramic Coating is a medicinal liquid, although it can effectively improve the smoothness and gloss of the car paint, it has no effect on car paint repair. To restore the car paint to the best possible condition, paint correction is performed including scratches and swirl marks removal because the purpose is to protect a perfect car paint instead of a lot of scratches. Besides, after polishing, smooth car paint can better adhere to Ceramic Coating which enhances persistence. In addition, ceramic coating is a relatively hard and smooth layer which makes it difficult to paint the car after ceramic coating, so Ceramic Coating needs to be polished off before any repair.
PPF not only can effectively protect car paint but also has a high repair function, which can fill slight scratches caused by car washing to a great extent. Therefore, there is no need to repair the slight scratches and swirl marks before PPF service. However, if the scratches are deep, the partial repair is needed. We will reduce splicing and digging holes as much as possible to ensure the full wrap of PPF. So, it may be necessary to remove some parts, such as the side mirror on the door, door handles, car logos and some special decoration which is another reason for the large price differences of PPF in the market, of course, you can consult our professional technician in advance.
3. Advantages and disadvantages of two ways for car paint protection
Compared with PPF, Ceramic Coating is more passive or static protection. It is mainly aimed at the corrosion of car paint by chemicals and delays the aging of car paint. Given the higher hardness and density of Ceramic Coating, it may be more effective in resisting bird droppings, acid rain, gum and other substances damage to the car paint because these harmful substances will penetrate into the paint more slowly. Besides, Ceramic Coating has better water resistance, which makes it difficult for dirt to stay on the surface of the paint.
The disadvantage of Ceramic Coating is that it cannot completely resist scratches and dynamic attacks like stone chips. The car paint can be damaged when the car is washed in an improper way and when the car encounters stones while driving.
The advantage of PPF is that it contains almost all the functions and advantages of ceramic coating, and it can provide perfect dynamics protection to the car paint. It can effectively resist all kinds of scratches, stone chips and swirl marks caused by improper car washing. Most of the damages can be restored through heating such as exposure to the hot sun, hot water, and a heat gun. Even in a very serious scratch accident, the original car paint can be protected and only sheet metal repairs are required. Since the application of PPF is much more complicated compared with Ceramic Coating and the material price is very high, the price for PPF is higher.
4.The durability between Ceramic Coating and PPF Wrap ?
The durability of Ceramic Coating is determined by many factors: the products you use, the application process, the environment in which your car is used, the parking environment, weather, etc. Since Ceramic Coating is a chemical substance and it protects the car paint by consuming itself, the better the environment is, the longer the durability of Ceramic Coating will be, and vice versa. There are cases of the excellent performance of Ceramic Coating after 5 and 6 years, and cases of exhausted Ceramic Coating only after half a year. Therefore, although the initial cost of Ceramic Coating is less than that of PPF, the maintenance cost and efforts required in the late stage are much higher than that of PPF.
The durability of PPF can be determined by two aspects: the quality of PPF itself and the quality of wrapping techniques. All the materials we use are of the highest-grade series with a 10-year warranty, which means that within 10 years, the film itself will not be broken, discoloured, or deformed. As to the quality of construction, we can almost achieve Lifetime durability. As long as there is no collision or artificially broken words, it can basically remain on the car all the time. In this way, although the initial expense is large, the later maintenance costs will be reduced greatly.
5. How should I choose?
The first factor is to what extent do you want to protect your vehicle?
If you want perfect long-term car paint protection, PPF is definitely your best choice. If you just want to protect it in the new car stage, or don’t need very long-term paint protection, part of PPF or Ceramic Coating is a more cost-effective choice.
How long do you want to keep your car?
If you expect to keep your current vehicle for 3-5 years, a good ceramic coating along with good maintenance is enough. If you own a luxury brand car (paint repair and painting work are much more expensive), a collection vehicle, or a vehicle you want to keep for a long time, PPF will definitely be worth the value.
What is your budget?
This is also the most important factor. Combined with the cost of the first service and later maintenance costs, you can determine which service is needed according to your usage scenario.
Here we have briefly explained the difference between Paint Protection Film and Ceramic Coating. If there is still something unclear, please feel free to contact us at any time to gain more knowledge and information related to car beauty. (info@shiningcar.com.au)