Always check the dealer’s reputation, because most of the brands are making good products these days but it depends on workmanship and how the results are.
BHPian namit.singh1210 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
All of us here love our cars a lot, and whenever we buy a new car, the first thing that comes to mind is whether we should opt for any kind of paint protection coating. Nowadays, dealerships have also started to offer various coatings like ceramic coating or PPF (Paint Protection Film) before delivering the car. But the question remains: is it genuinely necessary to apply such coatings for protecting car paints, or do car paints inherently need any protection in the first place?
I purchased a Volkswagen Taigun GT in Lava Blue colour about nine months ago. I've been through a lot of confusion regarding this matter. Let me share my insights based on my experience.
Initially, I considered getting PPF done from the dealership, but after some advice from acquaintances at the service centre, I decided against it, as they claimed it would be a waste of money due to the limited durability of coatings.
However, after a long road trip of 2300 km, I noticed stone chippings on the front area of my car, prompting me to reconsider. Some people suggested partial PPF, but hearing about their negative experiences with ageing films made me sceptical.
Here are my findings and answers to common questions for potential buyers:
- Car protection isn't mandatory, especially if you view your car merely as a means of transportation or can tolerate swirl marks and small scratches.
- Light-colored cars like white or silver are easier to maintain and may not need coatings as much as darker shades.
- Dark-colored cars, like mine, can lose their shine over time if not properly maintained. In such cases, at least opting for ceramic or graphene coatings is highly advisable to protect the clear coat from regular usage marks and maintain the car's shine.
- The choice of coating depends on your budget. So what I suggest is if you have a good budget of around 80-100 K for a mid size SUV(just an example, price depends upon the size of the car), go for a good quality TPU PPF (not TPH at all). So PPFs are of two types (TPU and TPH). So TPU is the superior one which is flexible in nature and gives your car better protection. TPH is the cheaper one, it does protect the car but neither the shine is the same as TPU and if the car is exposed to heat a lot then when you have to remove it after 4-5 years it will peel your paint off. So the whole purpose of PPF is useless there. So if you don't have a budget so high you can go for graphene or ceramic which will not give that strong protection but if maintained with a little care will maintain good shine and protect the paint from environmental damages like acid rain, bird droppings, etc.
Now the above were my findings so even after finding this, I was confused about where I get things done. So now these days there are a lot of scam detailers doing to customers, they will show a sample of TPU in starting but later on, they will apply TPH on the car and innocent customers don't even know about the same. If someone is quoting too low for a TPU film just know things can be fishy. So to be saved from that what you can do is what I did for my car. So I went to a detailer near my house which was CarzSpa- Nayan and Patel Automobiles near Pattanagere Metro Station Mysore Road, Bangalore. I asked for the quotation for my car, he gave the same to me which was around 90K. So then one can check the reputation of the same dealer with others who took their services or you can check reviews about them. In my case, one of my friends bought a Virtus GT, just 4 months before I bought and he got the PPF done from this place. So he gave me a very good review about the same. Now to check for the same I asked him to only protect my bonnet, bumpers, and pillars of the car. He returned my car in 2 days and initially, the impressions were nice. I used the car for some days and tried checking if TPU properties were as promised or not. So after around a month, I found out that there were no swirl marks despite dry rubbing, so self-healing properties existed. So it was sure he had used a TPU film and I gave the car for the remaining PPF.
Also, my left rear door of the car had got a huge dent ,so that also was repaired by the CarzSpa only and they did a good job in the repairing and paint matching. Mr. Nayan was always very active in sending the updates and assisted me well everytime I went for a wash also and now months later alsoif there is something he is always happy to assist me.
Damaged Left Door:
After Repair Image:
Below I am attaching the shots of the car after 9 months of PPF. I went for a inspection and then shots were taken.
Pro tip: Don’t go by the name of any detailing chain or brand. In a city, a particular dealer can be good for some brand and in another city, it can be the other way. So always check the dealer’s reputation, because most of the brands are making good products these days but it depends on workmanship and how the results are. So don’t go by brand by dealer and purchase a good product for your car even if it's a little expensive.
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