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Paint Protection Film/Ceramic Coat worth it?

lightsout

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If you plan to off road much Ceramic is a wast of $ as it will not prevent scratching or rock chips, however Ceramic is good for street use. Having a Black wrangler paint protection was #1 on my list of additions I weighed all the options from commercial ceramic coatings to consumer grade, I went and looked at all three of the Paint protection film (PPF) 3M, Xpel, Suntek and even look at Xpel and 3M on the same car to compare films.

My Conclusion which every shop I talked to (they all offered both film and ceramic) was for wranglers epspecially if you plane to go off road paint protection film was the way to go and then if you wanted added shine and ease of cleaning put the Ceramic on top of the PPF. They they all concluded that Ceramic wold provide little benefit for off road use in terms of paint protection.

I chose 3M PPF it has the best warranty of all the films, I also considered Xpel however Xpel has a slight orange peel texture to it ( saw the comparison 1st hand as well there are many reviews online that also confirm this). The PPF films will prevent the scratches and being self healing even if it gets scratched it will heal, it will also prevent rock chips. #m warranty has a 10 year warranty and if you get a rock chip for example that penetrates the film 3M will cover the cost of new paint up to $3500.

I did a full 3M wrap (except tailgate and window frame) cost was $1600 and it looks absolutely amazing.

I also added ceramic on top of the film, now I did a consumer grade ceramic coating (most if not all on Amazon are) so I except it to last 1 year 2 and the very most. Be wary of any Ceramic that you pray on and wipe off they are not the real deal they have very little ceramic properties.

Here is a picture of the shine/reflection with the 3M (this was before the ceramic coating.

Note. if you install ceramic coating then decide to add PPF you will find it is very difficult to do. PPF has to be installed 1st as the PPF will not adhere to ceramic coated car.

3M%201_zpsbm5zxbfz.jpg


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trailchaser

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Did ceramic coating myself with Cquartz UK 3.0, super easy and love the gloss and ease of cleaning. That’s one underrated thing about ceramic coatings is how easy it is to clean, especially if you’re not worried about it getting swirl marks. I am so I wash the Jeep properly to avoid it but eventually, it will be taken off-road and all bets are off when that happens. Til then, I keep my expensive ass wrangler clean!

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Are you on 35s?
 

cosmokenney

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We may be a little bias but we vote yes. If you want to protect your paint, maintain your finish and your investment, then you'll want some sort of protection on your paint. As someone mentioned on the thread, ceramic coatings do NOT stop scratches or rock chips. If you want to stop that, you'll want to get Paint Protection Film (clear bra) installed. XPEL ULTIMATE/ULTIMATE PLUS are the world's very first self-healing film, meaning that fine scratches and swirl marks (just the sort of thing you get when on the trails) will self-heal in the heat of the sun.

We did a project with Jeep Jamboree for all of last year and protected their JLU Rubi. Check out the install video below for more details.
Choosing your coverage is the next step. Typical Jeep protection is the full front end and either lower sections of the doors/sides + fender flares or to do full front end plus full sides to protect when off roading.

Finding an installer is critical. We have a lot of certified XPEL Installers all over the world. Check out the link below to find one nearest you.
XPEL Installers

All of that said, if you just want protection from bird droppings, tree sap, plus super ease of maintenance and an increased appearance, then ceramic coating is the way to go. Check out the photo below as an example. This Subaru Crosstrek is ceramic coated with XPEL FUSION PLUS on HALF of the hood (the right side) and you can see a clear difference on what having a ceramic coating is like versus bare paint. We threw a bucket of muddy water at the hood in the middle of this Subaru and it's very clear to see how well the ceramic coating performs.
IMG_6445.jpg


Hope this info helps, let us know if we can answer any other questions.
I'd get the XPEL PPF film, but my god the cost to get it done right. No f'n way!
 

BrntWS6

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I did some ppf on the grill myself. You can buy them pre-cut. Turned out okay, you have to stretch them which i was not expecting. I figured the front grill would be getting the most damage. All 4 fenders were done from the factory so good there.
 

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ChimpanZed

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Makes sense on a nice sports car. Not much sense on a Jeep.
I have a 2016 GT350R with full XPEL paint protection and ceramic on top of that.

I'm glad I did the XPEL as I track it and those Sport Cup 2 tires kick up a ton of rocks and rubber at the rear quarter panels. I regret doing the ceramic, however. Ceramic is not a lifetime solution, and when it fails it looks like peeling clearcoat. After 3 years my ceramic is failing in three different places. It was correctly applied, but it hasn't fared well in high impact locations. At least I can just pull off the XPEL and replace it to no ill effect other than cost. If I had ceramic on top of paint I'd either have to try to repair the ceramic or to polish it off. Both options are bad.

My philosophy on Jeep ownership is to not treat it too precious. If you do, you're not likely to enjoy it as it should be enjoyed.
 

cosmokenney

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My philosophy on Jeep ownership is to not treat it too precious. If you do, you're not likely to enjoy it as it should be enjoyed.
That's how I've felt about all my other reasonably off-road capable cars. A few scratches not a big deal. But, for some reason, I am in love with my newest Wrangler more than I probably should be. ;-)
 

Kizzo

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Makes sense on a nice sports car. Not much sense on a Jeep.
Not when the Wrangler costs 60K. The Wranglers (Rubicon and Sahara) are now in luxury price territory. I will have both the ceramic coating and PPF on my 2021 Wrangler.
 

Kidcia

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We may be a little bias but we vote yes. If you want to protect your paint, maintain your finish and your investment, then you'll want some sort of protection on your paint. As someone mentioned on the thread, ceramic coatings do NOT stop scratches or rock chips. If you want to stop that, you'll want to get Paint Protection Film (clear bra) installed. XPEL ULTIMATE/ULTIMATE PLUS are the world's very first self-healing film, meaning that fine scratches and swirl marks (just the sort of thing you get when on the trails) will self-heal in the heat of the sun.

We did a project with Jeep Jamboree for all of last year and protected their JLU Rubi. Check out the install video below for more details.

Choosing your coverage is the next step. Typical Jeep protection is the full front end and either lower sections of the doors/sides + fender flares or to do full front end plus full sides to protect when off roading.

Finding an installer is critical. We have a lot of certified XPEL Installers all over the world. Check out the link below to find one nearest you.
XPEL Installers

All of that said, if you just want protection from bird droppings, tree sap, plus super ease of maintenance and an increased appearance, then ceramic coating is the way to go. Check out the photo below as an example. This Subaru Crosstrek is ceramic coated with XPEL FUSION PLUS on HALF of the hood (the right side) and you can see a clear difference on what having a ceramic coating is like versus bare paint. We threw a bucket of muddy water at the hood in the middle of this Subaru and it's very clear to see how well the ceramic coating performs.
IMG_6445.jpg


Hope this info helps, let us know if we can answer any other questions.
Coming from the company I was just looking at Im really only worried about my front/ doors/sides as I plan to go fenderless would applying the 3m film provide rock chip protection?
 

Nole_Dynasty

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Coming from the company I was just looking at Im really only worried about my front/ doors/sides as I plan to go fenderless would applying the 3m film provide rock chip protection?
Yes, but only to a certain extent. Flying rocks it will likely prevent but not rubbing against a rock.
 

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Kidcia

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Yes, but only to a certain extent. Flying rocks it will likely prevent but not rubbing against a rock.
Yea I’m more worried about highway then off-road. If I get to go off-road is expecting some type of damage eventually. But for now street driving is killing my fenders and going fenderless is the goal for the looks and use. Thanks for the reply
 

Litfuse

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Not when the Wrangler costs 60K. The Wranglers (Rubicon and Sahara) are now in luxury price territory. I will have both the ceramic coating and PPF on my 2021 Wrangler.
I guess I still think people take their wranglers off road. Silly me. Wrangler owners are probably more prone to curb rash these days than trail rash.
 

StrikeZ

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I look at my trail rash with pride! It’s a Jeep, so if you’re going to hit some tight trails, you’re going to come out with some scratches.
 

Kidcia

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I look at my trail rash with pride! It’s a Jeep, so if you’re going to hit some tight trails, you’re going to come out with some scratches.
I agree! To me it’s still an off-road warrior and I can’t wait to get on trails. I’m intrested just because I have a friend with a white 4 door turning orange and it’s never been off-road. So just to hold off while my jeeps still new. I’m considering the xpel!
 

ekohn00

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I had my Porsche ceramic coated. And off the top of my head I would think it's a waste on a Jeep.

But thinking differently...... and knowing it absolutely won't provide any help over scratches, but if you're off road - chances are your jeep gets really really dirty.... the ceramic coating will make it much easier to clean off later.

But here's the problem, your not going to be able to wax or correct those scratches away, until you remove the ceramic coating.
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