3M Scotchgard Pro · self-healing
Paint protection film and ceramic coating.
A physical barrier against rock chips and road debris, and a chemical barrier that keeps contaminants off the paint. They do different jobs, and they stack.
The question we get every day
PPF or ceramic coating?
Physical barrier
Paint protection film
A thick urethane layer that takes the impact instead of your paint — rock chips on the highway, door dings in a parking lot, bug etching on a front bumper. Light scratches and swirls sit in the film's top layer and lift back out with warmth.
Chemical barrier
Ceramic coating
A hard, slick sacrificial layer bonded to the surface. Water sheets off, bugs and bird droppings do not etch in, and washing takes half as long. Up to five years of protection.
Most people who care about both put film on the front end and coating over the whole vehicle. The coating goes on top of the film.
Coverage options
How much of the vehicle.
Film is priced per vehicle — panel size, body lines and edge wrapping all affect it. These are the packages people usually start from.
Leading edges
Partial hood, partial fenders, front bumper and mirrors. Covers the areas that take the most stone damage on a highway commute.
Most popular
Full hood, full fenders, front bumper, mirrors and A-pillars. No paint line across the hood, which is the reason most people upgrade to it.
Every painted panel
The whole vehicle, edges wrapped. Usually specified on new vehicles collected straight from the dealership.
Rocker panels, door cups, door edges and roofline are commonly added to any of the above.
Timing
New vehicle? Do it now.
Film and coating both perform best over paint that has never been damaged. If you can bring it straight from the dealer, that is the ideal moment — no correction work needed first.
