Paint correction and CQuartz or Xpel clear bra???

[NsXMas]

Ceramic coating really doesn't do anything to 'protect' the paint from rock chips. But it protects the paint from scratching it when washing the car, and keeps it clean looking for a long time. I just had my wife's car ceramic coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra. It's pretty amazing. However It still has a clear-bra on the front and behind the tires -where rock chips are prone to happen.

It all depends on what you're looking for. But it's a big mistake to think ceramic coating will do anything to protect against chips.

Yea, as an update I decided to just wrap the entire car with ppf. After looking into ceramic coating, it seems a bit of a chore. You have to wash it and dry it a special way. You have to get the coating re-applied annually for the warranty, etc.

I decided just to ppf the entire car, and can rest easy about rock chips and scrapes. Plus I can hand wash the car easily over the ppf, do a quick wax coat on it and it's good to go. Less maintenance and more protection. Ceramic coating is nice, but no substitute for ppf.

 

[NSX-GT]

Has anyone tried both at the same time? Paint Coating (Cquartz) and PPF (Clear Bra)? If so, which one would you apply first?

A local shop has told me to actually put the coating on the film as the coating has self-healing properties. I am kind of confused as I thought the PPF would be stronger for protection...

 

[MotorMouth93]

PPF is made to go directly on paint, so film first then coating. Putting the ceramic coating on before the film is pointless at best and will likely cause adhesion problems for the film.

You are correct, PPF is infinitely superior to ceramic coatings in terms of how well it protects the paint and is also self healing to an extent, ceramic coatings only offer chemical protection, they do nothing to prevent chips or scratches. The downside to PPF is that, from very close, you can see a slight texture and sometimes the edges and relief cuts are visible around tight curves, so just ceramic coating will look marginally better than a car wrapped in PPF. That said, my car is wrapped in Suntek PPF and even body shop workers haven't noticed it until I pointed it out.

Putting ceramic coating on top of PPF doesn't really improve protection but it does make the car easier to clean since nothing sticks to it and more hydrophobic. I wouldn't bother with this and would just wax the car regularly, ceramic coating doesn't last as long over PPF as it does over paint so it's just not worth the money IMO.

 

[NSX-GT]

^^ Thank you Motormouth93, That information is clear and answered my inquiries perfectly.