If you have just bought a new vehicle, your dealership probably asked you whether or not you wanted to have paint protection applied to your new car. If this is the first time you’re hearing about it and are now doing research, you’ve come to the right place!
Here, we’ll discuss what exactly paint protection is and how it helps your car stay looking fresh. Paint protection is one way you can stay on top of keeping your car’s appearance in tip top shape. It is a preventative measure you can take before you even drive it off the lot. Paint protection is an investment that takes time and money, so it’s good to learn more about it before you commit. In the end, if you take great care of your vehicle and are able to reduce any damage to its paint, this will increase the resale value of your car when it’s time for a new whip.
Keep reading if you would like to learn more about vehicle paint protection.
What Is Paint Protection?
Paint protection is an invisible layer of coating applied over your vehicle’s paint and it serves as an extra layer of protection. Paint protection is typically offered by your car dealer to those who are buying a new car. Paint protection seals and protects your vehicle’s paint from bird droppings, stone chips, tree sap and even signs of fading. These are all common things that can damage cars that do not have paint protection applied.
Paint protection comes in a few different forms, it can either be a physical film or a liquid that is sprayed on and sets.
The price can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars for smaller cars or for a basic coating, and it can rise to around four figures for more advanced protection on larger or luxury vehicles.
What Are The Different Types Of Paint Protection Available?
Back in the day, the earliest form of paint protection was in a wax form. You would wax your car every couple months, and that was the only form of protection out there. Well, as technology advanced, more and more options for paint protection have come onto the market. These days you can still opt for wax, but now you can also choose from synthetic sealants, ceramic or glass coatings or paint protection film.
Synthetic Paint Sealants
Let’s start with sealants. These sealants are synthetic and human-made, which gives them an advantage over wax as they are designed for protection. Synthetic sealants are the next step above a wax, and they hold up much better. Sealant will protect your car from chemicals and UV rays and with the proper care they could last around six months before needing to get it replaced. A synthetic sealant is a good option if you are looking for paint protection on a budget.
Ceramic Or Glass Coating
Ceramic or glass coatings are made out of a chemical base that create more of a shell around your vehicle rather than a film. This shell offers more protection than any wax or synthetic paint sealant because the ceramic shell creates a barrier between any harmful elements and your vehicle’s paint.
The benefits of a ceramic/glass coating over sealants are many. The coating offers longer lasting protection with the proper care. It can last years instead of mere months, like with sealants. Coatings will also stay cleaner for longer and they are easier to clean and maintain overall. They also have a very high resistance to harmful chemicals like tar, road salt, or de-icing agents and others. They also give your vehicle more resistance to swirls or marring due to washing. The ceramic or glass coating takes the abuse of the outside elements and whatever else you throw at it, rather than your vehicle’s paint. It will also be safer for you to polish the coating rather than stripping away your clear coating on your paint.
Ceramic coatings can be a great option overall for paint protection for your vehicle, but don’t fall for scams or gimmicks saying that you’ll never need to wash or wax your car ever again. As this is just not true. Your coating will still need to be washed, and topped off every so often to keep it in good shape. It is not an end all be all solution to never needing maintenance on your car ever again.
Paint Protection Film
Paint protection film (PPF), also known as clear bra, is a thick film applied to your car in order to defend it against rock chips and other debris that might impact your car. When PPF was first invented, it suffered from yellowing because of the type of adhesive that was used to bond it with a car. But these days, the PPF available won’t yellow or crack. They have also come a long way in terms of aesthetics. PPF is nearly invisible to the naked eye.
PPF also has a characteristic unique to it. It has self-healing properties. Since it is a physical film, it can bounce back from little impacts from rocks and other debris, it can absorb that impact and reshape itself back to its original state.
PPF has the best results when it is applied to a new vehicle, one that hasn’t had any damage to its paint yet. And it is also a great option for areas that are high impact such as your bumper or mirrors. Over time, your PPF will get beat up and need to be removed and replaced. You can even get film protection FOR your film protection if you so choose.
So, Is Paint Protection Worth It?
Well, it’s always a good idea to put some preventative measures in place before you start driving your brand new car around and paint protection is a low-maintenance way of doing so. Paint protection will also give you peace of mind, and you won’t need to worry so much about small nicks and scrapes or small damages that can occur to your car while using it.
Ultimately, it is your choice, and there is an option for any budget out there in the end. You should base your decision on how you use your car rather than your car dealerships reasonings.
Author Bio:
Rhett Desormeaux is a content writer currently working with BreezeMaxWeb. He’s a passionate writer and loves studying ancient history, especially Bronze Age civilizations.
