This is just the first in a 3 part series where we’ll compare ceramic coatings to paint protection films. Our first metric is chemical resistance. The chemical resistance of a coating determines how well it stands up to chemical components like windshield washer fluid, gasoline, coolant, battery acid or most anything with an acidic component. Your car is exposed to many of these things on a daily basis, so it’s important that whatever you choose to protect your paint is highly chemical resistant.
Paint Protection Film
With paint protection films, you don’t always get the best chemical resistance. While most will offer some level of protection they are not highly chemical resistant, and things with a high acidity will certainly damage the film. It’s interesting to note that many bugs have highly acidic bodies, and because paint protection films are not highly chemical resistant it’s possible for bug splatter to become etched into the PPF. Certainly not a pretty sight!
Ceramic Coating
Ceramic coatings provide a high level of chemical resistance that protects your cars paint from all types of acidic contaminants including things you might not think of like acidic rain, bugs, and bird droppings. Professionally applied ceramic coatings are the gold standard when it comes to chemical resistance.
Comparing the Chemical Resistance of PPF to Ceramic Coatings
So, how do these two options stack up when it comes to chemical resistance? Although some paint protection films offer a level of chemical resistance, with most ceramic coatings you get more bang for your buck. Simply put, a ceramic coating provides a much higher level of chemical resistance than even the best paint protection film.
When it comes to your car’s paint, you don’t want to mess around, so we highly recommend the ceramic coating in this category. Although paint protection films certainly have their uses, their lower level of chemical resistance means that acidic contaminants would most likely will damage the film.
Although PPF and ceramic coatings both have their pros and cons, it’s interesting to note that they work well together. Check out our previous article which goes into detail about PPF and ceramic coatings and the benefit of layering ceramic coating on top of paint protection film here.
Keep an eye out for part 2 of our article on PPF vs. Ceramic Coatings, where we’ll compare their durability.
At Details Matter, we are certified installers of both Ceramic Pro and Opti-Coat Pro, so if you’re looking for next level protection for your car’s paint and other surfaces, both interior and exterior, contact us today.