Ceramic coat new car?

[crew]

I’m picking up a new car later this week and looking for input from the car guys on this forum regarding having the car ceramic coated. I’ve seen professionally applied ceramic and it looks great. One concern I have, however, is that I usually take my SUV’s thru a local car wash 2-3X per week and I’ve heard that non-touchless car washes are to be avoided on ceramic finishes. For the record, I hand wash my cars but not my SUV and I don’t want to add another vehicle to my weekly wash ritual.
I’d also like to hear thoughts on using ppf wrap on the front end and/or the entire body.
The car is a Toyota Grand Highlander hybrid and is a medium blue finish called Stormcloud.
TYIA for your input!

[1st amg]

Congrats on the new addition! Firstly, I think a ceramic coat is an excellent idea. It will survive car washes but not as long as a hand wash. Typically, lots of ceramic coats can last two years or longer, depending on where the vehicle is parked and if it’s hand wash. If not you may be looking at ceramic coat once every year.
I have used PPF many times and swear by it. Then PPF with ceramic coat on top is outstanding. For the Toyota, I would do a ceramic coat. Maybe PPF the front hood portion as the bugs are a pain to take off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fozzyf18]

When I had a ceramic coat professionally applied to my cars, it came with a warranty. The warranty was voided if I went to any car wash. Hand wash only. Restrictions may have changed based on new ceramic developments as that was 6 years ago, but that was a tough warranty period (3 years with annual application) to get through- especially since I didn’t know to ask about that before I had the work done.

That said, it looked awesome!

[0nly5iv3Digits]

I prefer PPF

[cdmorenot]

I’ve gotten every new car coated for the past 5 years - I only do it because it makes it easier to wash. No scratch protection and if you let hard water sit on your car, you better have the right product and buffer to get it off without removing the coating.

I don’t recommend ceramic coating for anyone that isn’t doing hand washes with someone that knows what they’re doing.

[rmlovett1]

Originally Posted by 1st amg

Congrats on the new addition! Firstly, I think a ceramic coat is an excellent idea. It will survive car washes but not as long as a hand wash. Typically, lots of ceramic coats can last two years or longer, depending on where the vehicle is parked and if it’s hand wash. If not you may be looking at ceramic coat once every year.
I have used PPF many times and swear by it. Then PPF with ceramic coat on top is outstanding. For the Toyota, I would do a ceramic coat. Maybe PPF the front hood portion as the bugs are a pain to take off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

⬆️⬆️⬆️ this
Ceramic coat provides a great look if done correctly, and just makes everything easier to remove from the paint.

[dnd2984]

PPF fan here. Get the front clip PPF and Ceramic the rest. All cars we buy now get full PPF top to bottom. It makes cleaning the car easier and extra layer of protection is peace of mind. I have 2 young kids and one loves playing with chalk and we have had a few instances he has drawn on something cute on my wife's new X7.

For cleaning I use bunch of microfibers and Ultima waterless wash and I am done in 20 mines cleaning the car.

There are many PPF brands out there do your research. I have had Xpel on my C63s and it has weird texture, on my X5M I did Suntek Ultra, and on my wifes X7 it has the new suntek reacation film and it's the best I have seen from gloss and easy to clean standpoint.

[Sephiroth]

Based on your description I wouldn’t bother with a coating or ppf. Just drive your suv and as you said put those resources into other vehicles.

[RTG]

Your coating is the paint. Absolutely wouldn’t waste the money on PPF or ceramic. Save that cash for your next vehicle, or anything else.

[996marty]

Ceramic coatings are great but I’d recommend not using a car wash.
The coating I had put on lasted years and made washing by hand a breeze with great results once done

[Speedbird-1]

How does it fare, with jet washing?

[SearChart]

I've PPF wrapped my LS400, I hand wash it every other week. I was told a car wash is fine though.

[NardinNut]

As to PPF, I think it depends on the vehicle. My launch edition TRX has full PPF over all paint. I did that as it’s a special release color and I planned on off roading it a bunch so wanted to protect from trail stripes. I absolutely love having it covered in PPF. I don’t freak out about marks and the self healing properties actually work well against minor door dings in parking lots.

With all that said, it was very expensive to get done. For a Highlander, and your use of it, I’d say it doesn’t make sense to do full PPF. Maybe front for rock chip protection, definitely not full.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by RTG

Your coating is the paint. Absolutely wouldn’t waste the money on PPF or ceramic. Save that cash for your next vehicle, or anything else.

I tend to agree, especially if you’re trading in every 3-4 years.

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I tend to agree, especially if you’re trading in every 3-4 years.

True enough!

[HHIslander]

If it was a >100k ride that you were planning on holding a long time, I’d maybe go PPF. But for a Toyota, I wouldn’t do anything other than ceramic at the most. I went through the same debate with a recent Lexus buy and just went ceramic. I spray and sponge at the local self serve car wash and the dirt/grime definitely come off easier after ceramic. That alone makes it worthwhile to me.