[namit.singh1210]

All of us here love our cars a lot, and whenever we buy a new car, the first thing that comes to mind is whether we should opt for any kind of paint protection coating. Nowadays, dealerships have also started to offer various coatings like ceramic coating or PPF (Paint Protection Film) before delivering the car. But the question remains: is it genuinely necessary to apply such coatings for protecting car paints, or do car paints inherently need any protection in the first place?

I purchased a Volkswagen Taigun GT in Lava Blue colour about nine months ago. I've been through a lot of confusion regarding this matter. Let me share my insights based on my experience.

Initially, I considered getting PPF done from the dealership, but after some advice from acquaintances at the service centre, I decided against it, as they claimed it would be a waste of money due to the limited durability of coatings.

However, after a long road trip of 2300 km, I noticed stone chippings on the front area of my car, prompting me to reconsider. Some people suggested partial PPF, but hearing about their negative experiences with ageing films made me sceptical.

Here are my findings and answers to common questions for potential buyers:

- Car protection isn't mandatory, especially if you view your car merely as a means of transportation or can tolerate swirl marks and small scratches.

- Light-colored cars like white or silver are easier to maintain and may not need coatings as much as darker shades.

- Dark-colored cars, like mine, can lose their shine over time if not properly maintained. In such cases, at least opting for ceramic or graphene coatings is highly advisable to protect the clear coat from regular usage marks and maintain the car's shine.

- The choice of coating depends on your budget. So what I suggest is if you have a good budget of around 80-100 K for a mid size SUV(just an example, price depends upon the size of the car), go for a good quality TPU PPF (not TPH at all). So PPFs are of two types (TPU and TPH). So TPU is the superior one which is flexible in nature and gives your car better protection. TPH is the cheaper one, it does protect the car but neither the shine is the same as TPU and if the car is exposed to heat a lot then when you have to remove it after 4-5 years it will peel your paint off. So the whole purpose of PPF is useless there. So if you don't have a budget so high you can go for graphene or ceramic which will not give that strong protection but if maintained with a little care will maintain good shine and protect the paint from environmental damages like acid rain, bird droppings, etc.

Now the above were my findings so even after finding this, I was confused about where I get things done. So now these days there are a lot of scam detailers doing to customers, they will show a sample of TPU in starting but later on, they will apply TPH on the car and innocent customers don't even know about the same. If someone is quoting too low for a TPU film just know things can be fishy. So to be saved from that what you can do is what I did for my car. So I went to a detailer near my house which was CarzSpa- Nayan and Patel Automobiles near Pattanagere Metro Station Mysore Road, Bangalore. I asked for the quotation for my car, he gave the same to me which was around 90K. So then one can check the reputation of the same dealer with others who took their services or you can check reviews about them. In my case, one of my friends bought a Virtus GT, just 4 months before I bought and he got the PPF done from this place. So he gave me a very good review about the same. Now to check for the same I asked him to only protect my bonnet, bumpers, and pillars of the car. He returned my car in 2 days and initially, the impressions were nice. I used the car for some days and tried checking if TPU properties were as promised or not. So after around a month, I found out that there were no swirl marks despite dry rubbing, so self-healing properties existed. So it was sure he had used a TPU film and I gave the car for the remaining PPF.

Also, my left rear door of the car had got a huge dent ,so that also was repaired by the CarzSpa only and they did a good job in the repairing and paint matching. Mr. Nayan was always very active in sending the updates and assisted me well everytime I went for a wash also and now months later alsoif there is something he is always happy to assist me.

Damaged Left Door:



After Repair Image:




Below I am attaching the shots of the car after 9 months of PPF. I went for a inspection and then shots were taken.




Pro tip: Don’t go by the name of any detailing chain or brand. In a city, a particular dealer can be good for some brand and in another city, it can be the other way. So always check the dealer’s reputation, because most of the brands are making good products these days but it depends on workmanship and how the results are. So don’t go by brand by dealer and purchase a good product for your car even if it's a little expensive.

[poloman]

From the after-repair photo, the color matching is totally off with adjacent panels.

[namit.singh1210]

Originally Posted by poloman

BTW from after repair photo the color matching is totally off with adjacent panels.

So for this I am just trying to give an POV from a common man perspective about coating, which are offered these days and how I gained knowledge about the same which may help someone out there.

Regarding the color matching exact same thought came to my head when I got the photograph from detailer. But when I saw it in person it was totally fine so that is an issue of camera and lighting. Will try posting a photograph taken in proper lighting.

[TheFonz]

I agree, that PPF is mandatory, especially in metro cities where there is overhead construction work ongoing for metros or flyovers and huge cement mixers roaming the roads running and dropping cement and paint on anyone passing by.

I was under the impression that PPF isn’t worth the cost for mass-market cars and had to pay with paint stains on my car’s hood. As my car is 1.5 years old, I don’t think it’s worth going for it now but one should get it done within 1-2 days of buying a new car.

[SedanGuy]

How does TPU perform when you get it dry washed in apartments?

For context, I have my car ceramic coated when I bought my car. For a year or 18 months I always washed my car at home with the power wash and PH neutral shampoo, the whole nine yards. After 18 months I started noticing swirl marks coming back.

I did another round of rubbing and compounding from Turtlewax and applied ceramic coating myself that I bought from turtle wax. It too lasted only for a year but the swirl marks are back.

If TPU works well, maybe I will think about TPU for my next car.

[aniketi]

Last year when I got Ignis, enquired about PPF coating. I was shocked when I got the quote. It was like some 17 K and 32 K for the best one or top one. It doesn't make sense at all to pay this much for PPF coating as it will just give color protection mainly. For 8 Lakhs rupees car, it's way too much. If I invest same money in good MF, I can repaint my car completely after 5 years with the money I will get from invested amount. In 5 years, whatever you do, small scratches and some damages will happen for sure. Repainting will make my car new again.

Personally I guess PPF coating make sense for high end cars where denting painting is very costly and PPF amount is justified.

[one-77]

Originally Posted by aniketi

I was shocked when I got the quote. It was like some 17 K and 32 K for the best one or top one.

I understand it can cost anywhere upwards of a lac for a reasonable quality PPF. Agree with you, it’s not worth it. You can get an average car repainted twice over for the price they quote got PPF. Also, PPF protects only against very minor scratches. Anything that’s major requires the PPF to be replaced, or worse, the part would need dent removal and/ or repaint.
To put things in perspective, I was quoted 1.5-1.8 lacs for PPFs from brands like Avery Dennison/ Stek/ Lumar for the Tiguan. And a bumper PPF replacement costs upwards of 15k in case of a minor scratch.

Perhaps I would get my Ferrari or Rolls Royce PPFd, if/ when I get it. My everyday car certainly doesn’t need it.

[dsuman]

I recommend PPF. I got 3M PPF Full Body done for my Apache RR310 for 18K (it was high, had another option for 12K) in 2018. Bike was straight out of showroom. In 2022 the Film was still as it was when applied. I sold off the bike in 2022. No peeling off anywhere

Similarly got it done in 2019 for Interceptor 650 fuel tank. As of today, Film has started to peel off. Paint is still intact though.

Spend a fortune (I mean to say avoid fakes) if you want real protection. Do not compromise. Also remember more the curves more are the chances of PPF peeling off.

But nothing compared to the peace of mind a PPF gives. Bye

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by namit.singh1210

- Dark-colored cars, like mine, can lose their shine over time if not properly maintained. In such cases, at least opting for ceramic or graphene coatings is highly advisable to protect the clear coat from regular usage marks and maintain the car's shine.

Just adding my learnings on the subject:
- I have owned a Shadow Blue Vento for 11 years, out of which the car was subjected to an Open Parking for 7 years. I always wanted to get PPF, but could never save enough. I regularly polished my car, put it under cover everyday and had no daily cleaner for the car. I will say that the shine of the paint held up pretty well. It had swirls, but were visible only from very close. One caveat is my car usage was very controlled and not very extensive where it would be subjected to harsher conditions. That is once or twice in month polishing the car was enough.

- I bought a Red Slavia last year and got it immediately PPFed. Usage and maintance schedule remains the same. The Slavia has a stilt parking. The PPF does have swirls, but being a self healing one and some regular polishing does hide the swirls well enough. The gloss of the PPF have so far remained intact and it does add to the gloss of the car.

How much protection one needs for his/her car depends on usage and expectations. The hard reality is keeping swirls away from our cars in our dusty cities is nearly impossible.

In general, regular polishing of the car can keep the shine of the paint protected well enough but PPF does add to the peace of mind.

Rachit.