[annabrady]

Hi! Just got my ‘24 M60i X7. I’m thinking of doing PPF to the front end area, and ceramic coating the rest… Good idea? Or should I just ceramic coat the whole thing? Not sure how long we will keep the car…

[aa2033]

You need to figure out how long you're going to keep the car for. If you're the type that goes through cars every 2 years, save the money.

If you plan on keeping the car, PPF the front end, and ceramic coat the entire car, including on top of the PPF. Ceramic coating isn't magic though, it and PPF need their own kind of maintenance. The durability of both will depend on your climate, traffic, the way you drive, garage kept or not, and overall how the vehicle is cared for.

I'm going to keep my car for many years, i only drive it on the weekends, and I hate rock chips. So I ppf'd and ceramic coated my entire car.

[ppointer]

I have been putting PPF on the fronts of my cars since 2007. Still doing it.

I recently added ceramic to the rest of the car. I like the results on the three cars to which I have done it, and will keep doing it.

[TboneS54]

Like the first reponse said, you'll need to think moire deeply about it. PPF can be a great decision, or it could be a giant waste of money all depending on the owner's use/environment and length of projected ownership etc

Also, PPF and ceramic coating are not comparable. 2 different things. Ceramic coating is comparable to waxes/sealants, with the main point being the longevity, not the physical protection like PPF provides.

[Joebie]

Ceramic coating isnt going to protect your paint from scratches, rock chips, and other abrasions. I feel like alot of people think that ceramic coating is some miracle coating that makes your car scratch-proof which drives them to ask this ceramic vs ppf question.

Ceramic coating is great. It glossifys the paint, it makes water bead up, keeps your car clean for longer than not having it, and makes cleaning easier than not having it because the dirt washes right off because its less likely to stick to the paint. But what it does NOT do is keep your car from getting scratched. Maybe there is a small amount of added scratch resistance but its nothing significant enough to count on keeping your car scratch-free long term.

PPF on the other hand is a relatively thick layer of clear material laid over the paint. It has scratch and chip prevention capabilities orders of magnitude greater than ceramic coating. They are not even in the same realm when it comes to scratch resistance. Most PPF is also self-healing so on a hot day it heals any scratches or scuffs automatically. The downside of PPF is the cost. It also doesnt last forever. I think most clear PPF these days is warrantied for 8-10 years.

If you have a special car like an M2, I personally think that PPF is totally worth it on the areas of the car that take heavy abuse like the entire front end, A-pillars, mirrors, headlight lenses, rear fender flares/quarter panels.

Prices probably vary regionally, but here in Missouri it was ~$2500 after tax for this on my car:

-entire front bumper
-entire hood
-both headlights
-both mirrors
-both fenders
-both rocker panels, (and a bit more extending onto the bottom of the doors)
-the front side of both rear fender flares
-the rear bumper behind the rear tires on both sides
-the trunk sill
-both A-pillars
-the leading edge of the roof

Hope this helps! Good luck!

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by annabrady

Hi! Just got my ‘24 M60i X7. I’m thinking of doing PPF to the front end area, and ceramic coating the rest… Good idea? Or should I just ceramic coat the whole thing? Not sure how long we will keep the car…

I'd go for both.

I've had Gyeon PPF applied to my front end plus the headlights, A pillars, mirror casings, sills (rockers) , inside the door shuts and all the exterior gloss black trim. The rest of the car has been Gyeon ceramic coated including the interior, the glass and the wheels (faces and barrels)

[Game]

Do both. My front end is PPF’d and I’ll be applying ceramic in the coming weeks.

[MADBMWX5MC]

I echo the rest, depends how long you plan to keep. I have done both on every car I have owned in the past few years.

[Limegrntaln]

This is after being washed every week, for 15 months. This was just a rinse off before I even washed it. The water beading and sheeting is still crazy, even after over 60 washes. There is no PPF on this car. Just ceramic. (Make sure you change the settings to 2160p)

[Game]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

I'd go for both.

I've had Gyeon PPF applied to my front end plus the headlights, A pillars, mirror casings, sills (rockers) , inside the door shuts and all the exterior gloss black trim. The rest of the car has been Gyeon ceramic coated including the interior, the glass and the wheels (faces and barrels)

[img]https://i.servimg.com/u/f69/12/93/90/57/1_4110.jpg[/img]

Looks great! Do you know which Gyeon coating they used for the paint?

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by game

looks great! Do you know which gyeon coating they used for the paint?

Gyeon Q² Mohs Evo

[Game]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

Gyeon Q² Mohs Evo

Looks great. I’ll be applying Mohs tomorrow.

How’s it holding up?

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by Game

Looks great. I’ll be applying Mohs tomorrow.

How’s it holding up?

I had the car coated ( and PPF'd ) in June 2022, up to now it's still beading up etc like it did when I first had it done. The car lives outside in all manner of UK weather.

[Drifttime85]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

I'd go for both.

I've had Gyeon PPF applied to my front end plus the headlights, A pillars, mirror casings, sills (rockers) , inside the door shuts and all the exterior gloss black trim. The rest of the car has been Gyeon ceramic coated including the interior, the glass and the wheels (faces and barrels)

[img]https://i.servimg.com/u/f69/12/93/90/57/1_4110.jpg[/img]

I agree to both as well. I just got mine done.

[Howard1485]

I appreciate everyone’s input in this thread! I took delivery mid June and have only driven 200 miles since. I’m planning on keeping this vehicle for awhile so for my own piece of mind have decided to go for full PPF and ceramic coating. I’m getting my windows tinted at the same time but all said and done is costing $7,400. How does that compare to others that have had similar services done?

[Drifttime85]

Originally Posted by Howard1485

I appreciate everyone’s input in this thread! I took delivery mid June and have only driven 200 miles since. I’m planning on keeping this vehicle for awhile so for my own piece of mind have decided to go for full PPF and ceramic coating. I’m getting my windows tinted at the same time but all said and done is costing $7,400. How does that compare to others that have had similar services done?

I didn't go through the dealer when I purchased my car so my was a bit cheaper than your quote. I paid 5.5K full ppf/ceramic/tint.

[aa2033]

Originally Posted by Howard1485

I appreciate everyone’s input in this thread! I took delivery mid June and have only driven 200 miles since. I’m planning on keeping this vehicle for awhile so for my own piece of mind have decided to go for full PPF and ceramic coating. I’m getting my windows tinted at the same time but all said and done is costing $7,400. How does that compare to others that have had similar services done?

That's pretty on par.

I paid 10k for old front end ppf removal, full paint correction, paint touch ups, wheels polished and ceramic coated, new full body ppf, and cquartz finest reserve applied on the ppf. They had my car for 3 weeks. It was a ton of work but came out phenomenal. I don't regret any of it. Every panel on my car is ppf'd including belt moldings, carbon accessories, my spoiler, the roof moldings, and even the black appliques on the doors.

[BFG.audiophile]

I’ll echo others and share my experience. Here in central IL I paid a couple
thousand to have stage 2 paint correction on my X5 and then 2 coats of ceramic coating. My X5 still seems to be a magnet for dust. I had hoped the ceramic coating might have had some repellant properties beyond the oleophobic, but it was not the case. I have found it easier and a bit quicker to wash, but again, I hoped I might be able to get by with using a foam cannon and pressure washer for pure touchless, but every now and then I need to get out the mit. I use Gyeon products and really like them.

For the thousands I spent I would have gone the liquid wrap route…self healing properties + a bit of a coating protectant, but then again I’d still have swirl marks underneath the wrap. Let me know if you’d be interested in any before and after pics of the paint. For now, here is a picture of “Sabine”:

[boostednorm]

Originally Posted by aa2033

That's pretty on par.

I paid 10k for old front end ppf removal, full paint correction, paint touch ups, wheels polished and ceramic coated, new full body ppf, and cquartz finest reserve applied on the ppf. They had my car for 3 weeks. It was a ton of work but came out phenomenal. I don't regret any of it. Every panel on my car is ppf'd including belt moldings, carbon accessories, my spoiler, the roof moldings, and even the black appliques on the doors.

Can you PPF or Ceramic coat the wheels? It would seem it might help remove brake dust if applied.

[aa2033]

Originally Posted by boostednorm

Can you PPF or Ceramic coat the wheels? It would seem it might help remove brake dust if applied.

Yes you can ceramic coat them. It definitely helps with brake dust.
I have never seen anyone PPF a wheel, heat and adhesion because of the extreme angles would be an issue i would imagine.

If you're getting your car ceramic coated, definitely get the wheels done at the same time. Worth it.

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by aa2033

I have never seen anyone PPF a wheel, heat and adhesion because of the extreme angles would be an issue i would imagine.

I've even seen wheels wrapped, like you would do to the painted body. A good shop can do it.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by boostednorm

Can you PPF or Ceramic coat the wheels? It would seem it might help remove brake dust if applied.

It doesn't help that much on wheels. Might depend on the coating. A typical high solids SiO2 coating does not help a ton.