PPF and/or ceramic coating experience?

Evening all.

The incoming (at some point this year….) M440i will be my first ever new car, as such I’m considering spending some money having it treated properly so that it maintains the paintwork.
It will have had the BMW ProtectX treatment from the dealer, no experience of this product, sure it will be ok to start with, but know it won’t have any protection properties.
Does anyone have any experience of the protective properties of either/or PPF and ceramic treatments? I’m looking at this local company:

https://www.staffordshirecarcare.co...Zs_mlX-1vCe5vq_rJgIomGQWsW4Cm2VoaAgGzEALw_wcB

Look to have a good reputation.
The car will be on a PCP, so want it looked after, partly for the value but also for my own desire to have a spotless car.
The current F32 is in very good condition considering it is a five year old car with 26k on the clock. A few minor stone chips, but nothing hideous to note.

 

I would get it detailed first and then ppf applied. Ppf can be ceramic coated if you so wish. Ceramic coat won’t stop the chips, only ppf will and as it is self healing will still look decent in years to come.

I would knock the BMW protectx thing on the head - they have to put put it on and no doubt add a few swirls and other imperfections in to the mix.

I watched a young lady take a chamois leather to the carbon roof of my car on collection day as they had to move it out in to the rain to allow the car behind in the showroom to leave. Couldn’t believe she used it and I went over the car in detail after. So if they allow this then think how they will prep it with protectx.

Some even say no wash and pick it up with all the muck from transportation and get it taken straight to their detailer for the above to avoid BMW potentially swirling and marring the paint.

 

I got my G30 brand new from Park Lane

They offered the Protect X which i declined.

Things may have changed in the last 5 years but when i collected mine i went to the dealership, did the paperwork,sorted out the part exchange etc but the actual handover was not in the showroom but in an underground prep area around the corner - so the first time you see the car it may not be in daylight so a thorough check of the paintwork might not be possible.

Having said that i was happy with how it had been prepared.

I would simply collect it and get it booked in with your chosen detailer asap

 

The car is coming direct from the port to my doorstep, so any treatment would be done at the PDC centre. There is a good video of the delivery to door process that shows this.

I’m becoming more inclined to cancel the X treatment and book it in here. Once the car comes out of the trailer (promised covered delivery to my door) I can have a good look over the car before signing it off.

Has anyone here had PPF on their cars?

 

Did you have any specific treatment to your G80 following delivery?

 

I did look into getting it done professionally (and all the advice was do not let the dealership apply anything as the detailer would remove it)

In the end i did not bother, like many on here i adopted my own regime - regular safe washes, polish, wax etc and 5 years i still get comments that it looks like new

 

I did look into getting it done professionally (and all the advice was do not let the dealership apply anything as the detailer would remove it)

In the end i did not bother, like many on here i adopted my own regime - regular safe washes, polish, wax etc and 5 years i still get comments that it looks like new

 

I’m considering the PPF as a possible paint protection, the shine/coating on the AG Lifeshine on the current car is ok, but mainly because I’ve kept on top of it. Only once have I suffered a bad stone damage, had a newly resprayed Alfa GT (shiny red) and within two weeks it picked up a deep dent across the top of the bonnet during an M5 trip. Not 100% sure PPF would have stopped that one, but think it would have reduced the damage.
Will phone the local place up and see what their recommendation is.

 

Matthew, Someone on here
Has spent £2200 on ppf and detailing with annual top ups etc etc
I think it’s the gentleman who recently took delivery of the 640GT but his user name has escaped me for now….. he’ll be along shortly I am sure……
I’d skip anything a dealer could do…. If it’s anything like my X5 from Williams in Manchester it’s was right b@lls up…I’d go for straight from boat to detailing shop…. And spend your money there…. Ceramic will be cheaper than the full front / side skirt ppf….
Madmoggy has a detailer in the north east he uses….
If you just put paint protection film in the search bar at the top of this post it will all become apparent for you..
Cheers
Al


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

A lot of worthy previous comments
If you pay for the protect x treatment, you’ll pay again, regardless when you commit to Ceramic, I think we can all agree dealer prep is for maximum shine in minimum time.

Any coating regardless of method is only as good as the prep & refining stage, then it’s sealing in the effort, so I think protect x, not to discredit the dealer, only serves to seal in paint defects,

The sole reason I never opt for ceramic is the annual /bi annual top ups, which though longevity is improved, topping up does take it back to the wax dilemma, only difference being it’s not a DIY job so commit to additional expense

Not to discredit the depth of shine from thoroughly prepped and coated cars,
Its worth reading detailer reviews, moreso the bad ones and tracing resolution

 

The AG Lifeshine treatment I had on the E92 was excellent, helped by the Silverstone 2 paintwork, the paint was super smooth and had pretty much zero swirling. The current car is not so good, but still holds a very good shine, the dirt comes off easily as well.
It’s more the protection that PPF offers that I’m interested in for the new car. More research needed.

 

yes that was me l spent a good chunk of change on PPF and ceramic to protect the car for years to come and then sold it after 11 months of ownership

 

Matthew

l have had ceramic coating on my last three cars and had full frontal PPF extended down the side sills and PPF on the rear bumper load lip on the 6GT

when l had the PPF done the intention was to run the car for four to five years but never saw a years ownership so that was not my best investment. but the new owner should see the benefit of the film in years to come

the cost of PPF has gone through the roof recently like most things so a full frontal package would cost a good bit more now than l paid 18 month's ago and for me the decision would depend on what you intend to do with the car at the end of the PCP if you are going to keep it then l would definitely consider the full frontal PPF and ceramic coatings on all non protected areas but would have to think long and hard about spending up to three grand on a car that will be going back at the end of the PCP period

 

Thanks for those thoughts, certainly worth considering given that I don’t keep cars for more than 2-2.5 years. Does seem daft spending £2-3K on protection of its going back to BMW at some point. Will think on some more.

 

PPF is very good and will protect the bumper and the leading edge of the bonnet from road rash and rock chips and will keep it looking its best but a heavy hit on the PPF could still damage it and leave a rock chip on the film but on a self heal film you could use a heat gun to lessen the visual impact of the damage

the guy that you linked above has a very good YouTube channel featuring a lot of his work and what he does looks very good and the products that he uses are also very good the Gyeon range of detailing products are excellent and l use them quite a bit. and my 440i had Geyon ceramic on it from new and the paint was very good condition but the car had been a bit of a garage queen and not been used and only having covered 3000 miles l would expect the paint to be good

the current regime that you use for your current car would keep the new car looking good for a three year ownership period. and yes the car may get a few rock chips and a bit of road rash but as long as it is not terrible BMW wouldn't penalize you for it at the end of the PCP

a new car protection detail and a five year ceramic coatings package with the guys you linked above would really take the new car to the next level and really would make the car pop