Anyone else thinking of ceramic coating their new Bronco?

[vrtical]

getting XPEL PPF put on, I have ceramic on my other car, but I plan on being off road so PPF is a way better solution.

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[jdogi]

getting XPEL PPF put on, I have ceramic on my other car, but I plan on being off road so PPF is a way better solution.

I'm also considering this. But I'm not sure how long it'll last, honestly. On a car, a long time... but a truck in the wilds, I'm afraid it's going to get chewed up pretty quick. Still debating it.

Looking at the complexity and size of the surfaces on the 2-door Bronco, I'm hoping it's reasonable enough to give it a shot despite the real possibility that I'll be throwing in the towel really soon after. This is going to be one of my more difficult choices... this, and the 10 speaker B&O setup.

Any thoughts on how the PPF is really going to hold up?

 

[brokentwig]

Ceramic Coatings are awesome, they are harder than clear coat, but not hard enough to prevent scratching.

Unless your'e like me and keep your car garaged, and re coat it every year you won't get 5 years out of a ceramic coating. They are great at protecting the paint, make it a lot easier to keep the vehicle clean, will greatly reduce the amount of maintenance, but they aren't maintenance free.

Everyday I am seeing more and more consumer ceramic coatings, they are getting better and easier to apply. So even if you have never applied a ceramic coating these new consumer ceramics are a great way to apply ceramics yourself, and not worry about damaging anything

If you want to protect it against scratches Paint Protective film is the only way, they are very strong, but still not indestructible. You really don't need to PPF the whole car, the front end, headlights, are usually enough as that's where most damage and rock chips occur

And probably the sides since I seem to find every tree branch on the trail.

 

[jdogi]

And probably the sides since I seem to find every tree branch on the trail.

This is what I'm worried about. It's nice to prevent those rock chips on the front, but I just haven't heard enough about these wraps' durability to know how they're going to hold up to this kind of abuse. It's pretty expensive to keep redoing panels.

 

[brokentwig]

This is what I'm worried about. It's nice to prevent those rock chips on the front, but I just haven't heard enough about these wraps' durability to know how they're going to hold up to this kind of abuse. It's pretty expensive to keep redoing panels.

There's also a certain degree of "that's what I bought it for" in all of this. It's an off-road vehicle, so I think it's gonna get some trail rash sooner or later. I just want to mitigate it as much as reasonably and affordably as possible.

 

[tripjammer]

Ok, here is how I am going to do it....2-door Bandlands or Wildtrak then the first day I get it I am taking it to the detail ship.

Getting paint correction
PPF on the following: Headlights, front fenders, parts of the front bumper that might need it, hood, A pillar, side mirrors
maybe: PPF side doors and rear fenders.
Windshield protection film
Ceramic coating over the whole Bronco, including the wheels
Tint the side windows

 

[brokentwig]

Ok, here is how I am going to do it....2-door Bandlands or Wildtrak then the first day I get it I am taking it to the detail ship.

Getting paint correction
PPF on the following: Headlights, front fenders, parts of the front bumper that might need it, hood, A pillar, side mirrors
maybe: PPF side doors and rear fenders.
Windshield protection film
Ceramic coating over the whole Bronco, including the wheels
Tint the side windows

Oh yah, might as well throw in some tint. That's gonna look bad ass, especially on the red.

 

[jbf19]

Ok, here is how I am going to do it....2-door Bandlands or Wildtrak then the first day I get it I am taking it to the detail ship.

Getting paint correction
PPF on the following: Headlights, front fenders, parts of the front bumper that might need it, hood, A pillar, side mirrors
maybe: PPF side doors and rear fenders.
Windshield protection film
Ceramic coating over the whole Bronco, including the wheels
Tint the side windows

I see you're in Texas. Where are you getting that done? What do expect to pay?

 

[AdmiralDissociation]

Linex an entire vehicle adds several hundred pounds.

no, no it doesn't at all. more like 30lb. ask me how i know...

 

[Natai]

I'm also considering this. But I'm not sure how long it'll last, honestly. On a car, a long time... but a truck in the wilds, I'm afraid it's going to get chewed up pretty quick. Still debating it.

Looking at the complexity and size of the surfaces on the 2-door Bronco, I'm hoping it's reasonable enough to give it a shot despite the real possibility that I'll be throwing in the towel really soon after. This is going to be one of my more difficult choices... this, and the 10 speaker B&O setup.

Any thoughts on how the PPF is really going to hold up?

Wondering this myself.
PPF is great for light road debris and the like, but I've never seen how it holds up to more serious stuff.

 

[keeph8n]

Probably won't get this one done. Truck will be taken to the dunes and off road park the first two weekends I have it anyway

 

[TurkeyRun]

TruCoat

 

[Rick Astley]

No, I won't be using ceramic coatings. They provide no appreciable protection or benefit for the cost of entry. I can achieve superior visual benefit with detailing and waxing.

In addition, ceramic coatings have a number of visual drawbacks if you're wanting to compare a high-quality detailing using quality waxes to a high quality ceramic coating professionally applied. Instead of just whatever wax somebody has lying around, and whatever prep work the "average" person puts into their automotive "detailing". "But ceramic coating looks better than Turtle Wax ice wax!" you say. I sure hope your $1,000 professionally applied coating looks better than the $5.00 dressing you wiped on your car with a paper towel, but your comparison is not apples to apples.

Many people consider a 3-hour wash and wax (or one-stage spray wax) to be a "detail" and at that level of investment you're approximately correct, the ceramic coating will look "better" (avoiding the debate about artificial gloss not actually looking better due to the expense of depth and warmth that a viable wax will provide).

However, since your ceramic coating will be at least a $300-1,000 investment (with the $300 range being DIY, plus a few bucks for your labor/equipment), you could get a drastically better output from an actual professional detail for ~$300, then have a detail re-done every year and about cost neutral. In 3 years time that ceramic will still look as good as that 3-hour job you saved yourself from in year 2. Years down the line you'll have saved a few bucks with the ceramic (professionally applied), but will have been cost-neutral if you have the proper tools/chemicals/equipment at home for detailing. Comparing a professionally applied ceramic to a DIY proper detail, the DIY detail will be a cost advantage and with superior appearance the entire time.

Water beading is not a metric for a quality detail or coating. It's the byproduct of hydrophobic properties of chemicals used. Which are easily established with spray-on dressings and impacted greatly by surface contaminates.

"Ceramic" = the keyword used to take money from your wallet... I mean, here's a car made entirely from ceramic, best paint protection on the market. However, for you, "ceramic" is marketing jargon currently associated with surface coatings. The "ceramic" is doing nothing for you or your paint. But Zaino started the "wallet to vacuum" addiction that is going stronger than ever to this day.

 

[Rick Astley]

Wondering this myself.
PPF is great for light road debris and the like, but I've never seen how it holds up to more serious stuff.

It resists abrasion quite well and can be "healed" through targeted application of heat (heat gun) with it's self-leveling properties.

Ceramic coatings will provide the same protection to abrasion that wax will (so little as to be considered essentially zero). Now, if you strategically duct tape ceramic tiles to the outside of your car and are lucky enough for branches to hit only on those ceramic tiles, then you have the ultimate protection!

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