Should I be looking at a sealant, wax, or coating for PPF? I don't want to have to polish off in the future.

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sqenixs

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I have xpel ppf installed on most of my vehicle except the roof and I'm looking for something to put over the top of the film that will give it that water repellant character as well as enhance the shine. However, I don't want to have to deal with polishing or compounding it off in the future. For that reason I was scared to try a ceramic coating. I used cquartz UK 3.0 (first time using a coating like that) on a new set of wheels and I have to say that it was less forgiving than I expected. Any high spots were a real pain to remove by hand. I don't own an orbital so everything will be by hand. I also have concerns about a coating like those ceramic ones affecting the self-healing properties of the film.

With all that said, I still wanted something better than the waxes I have used in the past. My most common go to was meguiar's ultimate liquid wax and touch ups with the ultimate quik wax.

I am ok with having to re-apply or spray on stuff to maintain periodically if it means I don't have to polish or compound off anything. I would prefer however to get at least 1 year out of whatever I use. And that it can last through a winter in the midwest (with the salt and stuff). My vehicle lives outside year-round.

So I'm looking for:

- no need to polish/compound off old layers
- can last 1 year
- can last through a winter with salt/etc.
- can not harm the self-healing properties of PPF
- can add water repelling properties and improve gloss/shine
 
If you don't have an orbital, I would not suggest trying to do a coating. It would be easier to go with meguiar's ultimate liquid wax or ultimate paste wax, it's an excellent product.
Or perhaps Dr. Beasleys 1201 coating. Apply to wet surface, work it in, buff off.
 
I have xPel PPF on my wifes Rav. While Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax is decent...the hydrophobic tendencies die pretty quick on the PPF portion of the car. The PPF part will have much larger beads and some standing water while the paint (done at the same time) will have super tight beads. I certainly dont think it will do 3 or 4 months let alone a year. And this is all hand applied; no DA (dont own one yet).

I wish I had done my research in advance but I will have to polish out the PPF and I am putting WGSiO2 stuff on it to get more gloss/glass look with hopefully much better long term protection. Really not sure I want to "polish" it though so I can understand the OP need to get it right at the beginning.
 
I use Sonax PNS on my car including the PPF sections. It’s very easy to use and meets your criteria. There are many spray on / wipe off products that would as well.


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jdgamble said:
I use Sonax PNS on my car including the PPF sections. It’s very easy to use and meets your criteria. There are many spray on / wipe off products that would as well.


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From what I am reading are you supposed to use the PNS over the top of a regular wax? Or is the shine/hydro properties good enough that you don't need to? I have grey metallic paint and want to bring out the sparkle/shine.

Have you tried any of those newer silicon spray coatings? Or are they the same problem as a regular coating where you would need to compound it off?
 
Cquartz Skin is available and is a coating designed for PPF. GTechniq Halo is another one. They meet your requirements.
 
sqenixs said:
From what I am reading are you supposed to use the PNS over the top of a regular wax? Or is the shine/hydro properties good enough that you don't need to? I have grey metallic paint and want to bring out the sparkle/shine.

Have you tried any of those newer silicon spray coatings? Or are they the same problem as a regular coating where you would need to compound it off?
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PNS should be the first layer. It sticks like glue. I think it looks really good alone, but I like to add toppers over it. I recently put a layer of carnuba over it and it probably added some gloss.

I have only tried the Mothers CMX spray coating. I was not impressed, but I didn’t prep the surface. I just put it on top of sealant. I’m sure there is better stuff out there, but I am on the PNS bandwagon right now. The water behavior is insane, and it seems to be lasting a long time.


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I have been looking into it a bunch but there aren't a lot of reviews yet of it. My concern would be removal. I read somewhere you need to use a special chemical to remove it.
 
My only concern about the PNS is that I have read it is hard to wipe off cleanly. Also when it starts to lose its hydrophobicity do you need to remove it somehow? Removal can be a nightmare for some products.
 
sqenixs said:
My only concern about the PNS is that I have read it is hard to wipe off cleanly. Also when it starts to lose its hydrophobicity do you need to remove it somehow? Removal can be a nightmare for some products.
Click to expand...

You don’t need to remove any product if you don’t want. They will eventually wear out. But what would your next product down the road be? For a coating you would need to polish with at least a prep cleaner by hand. But if you just plan on applying more PNS (or most other sealants/waxes) it should be fine to go on top of warn out PNS, and/or you could use a coating prep wash prior to your next application to help further remove PNS traces and grime.
 
Yeah, my experience is PNS will go over old PNS just fine.

I haven't used the products Guz suggested. But, he knows his stuff and those come from two great product lines.

So, you have three solid choices there.
 
Re PNS wipe off... if you go light, it’s no problem. It’s REALLY hard to wipe off if you use too much.


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I have Xpel PPF on my entire car so I am speaking from personal experience. If you want the protection to last a year, I think you would have to go with a ceramic coating. I am not aware of any waxes or sealants that would last a year or longer. Ceramic coatings will not effect the self-healing properties of the PPF. Most makers of PPF, including Xpel, offer their own ceramic coatings to go on top of their PPF. I don't necessarily recommend the Xpel ceramic coating, but my point is that they would not offer them if they took away the self-healing properties of the PPF.

I personally use and recommend a ceramic-infused spray sealant. It won't last a year, but it is super easy to apply so it is no problem to reapply at least once every 4 or 5 months. And after a basic wash, you can use it as a drying aid to replenish it between applications. Whatever you use, just make sure it is safe for PPF. Here are two products I have personally used on my Xpel PPF. On the cheaper side, you can use Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic Spray Sealant. On the more expensive side, you can use IGL Premier.
 
I forgot Gyeon makes a full line dedicated to PPF.


 
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