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Forced to choose between the two, I would most definitely go with PPF over ceramic coating.

The list of car care supplies provided shows your interest in maintaining the beauty of the new coupe, my hat's off. However, no amount of cleaning and polishing can erase the front facia rock chips that will draw your eye each time you approach the otherwise glistening AMG.

Those small rocks the truck well ahead sends flying that skip merrily across your hood to impact on the A-pillars or mirror housings leave marks that are impossible to ignore. The same goes for the chips in the front facia, headlights, and the wide rear fenders.

The small shark fin shaped OEM clear film patches ahead of the rear wheel wells were put there for a reason - why they weren't extended below onto the rocker panels is a mystery. Having seen the more extensive and equally unattractive OEM patches on Porsche 911 rear fenders after a few thousand miles driven on local highways it's hard to imagine how those surfaces on the CLE53 could hold up (my firm belief is that they wouldn’t). Same goes to a lesser extent for the trailing flares behind the wheel wells, most certainly the rear imo.

There’s no doubt that professionally installed PPF is costly, and it pays to seek out the most skilled and reputable shops for the job. Many of those same shops are also factory authorized to apply exclusive ceramic coatings, a process that requires an equally high level of expertise. Combining the two might reduce the price, worth getting a quote for sure. I can't overemphasize the advantages of ceramic coating - the ease of cleaning, never having to wax the car, and the as-new shine and gloss that holds up for years - worth every penny from my experience.

Will add - the time to install PPF is when the car's new, as close as possible before chips and scratches develop. Installers will preform a paint correction before applying the film to work out imperfections before they're locked in.

 

thank you. I will do my research. Part of my hesitation is “I don’t know what I don’t know”. I’ve cleaned and maintained my cars religiously for 25 years, since my first one (a Camry!). I’ve always had relatively light colored cars and the damage sustained from the road was pretty minimal, if any. My last car - a 2020 C43 in Selenite Grey- held up super well. I never heard of PPF until about 3 or 4 weeks ago

My concern is less on cost and more on a ****ty install job, the idea of applying an adhesive to a brand new car, etc. I’ve read so many horror stories on Reddit (high end cars as well). Too bad this isn’t a factory option

 

Go visit the shop you're thinking of having apply the PPF, if that is the road you choose. Look at their work very closely at edges, where the body panel gaps are, around doors, mirrors, emblems, etc. If you don't like it, find another shop.

 

Consider getting PPF that has ceramic coating infused in the material.

I used SunTek Reaction on my CLE and it looks glossy and washes easily as water beads up nicely and runs off the car.

Lastly, just took Wifey’s Audi A7 to have hood PPF replaced as it got damaged by flying rock. No scratch on the paint and 5-year old PPF removed and replaced without a hitch.

PPF is the best…