Ceramic coating or protective film application?

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MD4E9

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Good day, interested to know if anyone has used a protective film over their paint job to protect from rock chips , etc and/or ceramic coating.

How do we keep the exterior looking spectacular without damaging the paint. Thoughts?
 
I had a mobile detailer ceramic coat my NK in January after it had been polished. Supposedly lasts three years but as I keep mine garaged and covered it should last much longer. Feels smooth as glass. They apply it by hand in square foot sections, took three hours was just under $300 which included washing it first.
 
Double your pleasure and protection!
Ceramic over film is what's done on a lot of BIG $$$ cars. The PPF protects against rocks and debris, the Ceramic protects against environmental contaminants like bugs and birdpoo, gives a great deep luster and will be the easiest wash you'll ever do.
The e9 hood is pretty darn large/wide and some mfgs film is not wide enough to cover in one piece, and you don't want any seams. Don't do just a bra package in film, suggest you do at least a full frontal with door handle pockets.
>> Have your wheels ceramic coated too.
fwiw, we use Expel film and Ceramic Pro at our auto salon.
 
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What is your recommendation for how you wash after application. Hand wash? Type of drying? No touch car washes?
 
Ceramic Coated my 1988 M5 & 2007 X3. The cross-linked-chain-polymers do not prevent rock chips. They make touching up rock chips more difficult. The coating adds shine & makes cleaning easier and requires no wax to stay shiny. I went with Top Coat which has a suite of cleaning products to help protect the coating. Recommend hand washing ceramic coated cars. Car wash detergents are fairly aggressive and will shorten the life of the coating. I have run my 2007 X3 through a touchless wash to help remove road salt before hand washing.

Expel film, which I put on my E9 air dam in 2019. Is designed to protect against small rock chips & bug splatters. Larger rocks will do minimal damage to the film & won't chip the paint. Also makes the bugs easy to clean. This is the first yearI haven't had to repair or repaint the air dam which is the most expensive part on the car.
 
This Aston Martin DBS Superleggera OHMSS Edition has Expel film with three coats of Ceramic Pro...

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Eye Candy shots of Aston Zagato Shooting Brake with Expel and Ceramic Pro...
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HB Chris said:
I had a mobile detailer ceramic coat my NK in January after it had been polished. Supposedly lasts three years but as I keep mine garaged and covered it should last much longer. Feels smooth as glass. They apply it by hand in square foot sections, took three hours was just under $300 which included washing it first.
Click to expand...
Chris, who polished it?
 
I ceramic coated my truck when it was new and it came out great. I used Chemical Guys Ceramic Coat. First step is to wash with a detergent that strips away wax and sealers; Chemical Guys has a special wash for this step but I suspect it is just dish washing liquid. The next and longest step is to clay the whole vehicle. Wash the vehicle again, dry, and then apply the ceramic coat. I applied it to every exterior surface except the tires! Provides a great shine and it is very easy to keep clean. The over the counter stuff doesn’t last as long as the industrial strength products that are out there, but my coating cost me about $50 worth of products and 4 hours of my time.
 
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