Regarding an E350 not being an investment, I don't need a lecture to understand that. I pointed it out to OP then he tried to gaslight me as if he said that all along and it was news to me.

Fair points about assumptions. However, I would like to say they were kind of "calculated assumptions" based on the tone and vibe of the posts by the OP. They didn't scream "I am a middle aged man who finally put my kids through college and now I get to enjoy the fruits of my long and hard career". It certainly sounded more like "I finally got my first big job and bought an expensive toy and those low lives in Kias can suck it. Oh and while I'm humble bragging about my new purchase should I blow more money on PPF 'cause why not?".

As you said, I could be way off on my assumptions but until I'm proven otherwise I will stick with them with a fairly high certainty.

I've been around the block enough to appreciate other people's perspective and assume good intent even if they don't align with mine. Here OP basically said I'm stupid and hurt his feelings because I failed to validate his own position. He also ignored every other comment that was contra on the PPF. These all are signs of immaturity and youth. If OP is over 35 and writes and thinks like they did, I would be shocked.

Regardless, the point had been made pro vs. contra on the PPF, OP came in wanting PPF and got validated by enough people to move forward with it. Literally no skin off my back and doesn't make my life any better or worse.

 

Again thanks for everyone's input. Clarification: We ALL now ANY car depreciates in value as I said (unless you have a 1977 "Smokey and the Bandit" Pontiac Trans Am lol). May I quote the Miriam Webster Dictionary - one of the definitions of "investment:" an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result."

What I asking is if PPF provide worthwhile result - protecting the car's finish from swirl marks, minor potential chips, ceramic coating for shine (whether I do it or someone else does) for a period of time. I hope that clarifies the term. If anyone thinks I lied, well, that's your business not mine.

Again, thanks for the input. So I had XPEL Ultimate put on my Mercedes. Full body, plus ceramic coating. By an highly rated company in the DC area, from all sources. The shine is unbelievable. Then join day 3 I caught a cat on my car. There were a few minor visible cat scratches on the hood (couldn't feel with my fingernail). Sure enough, it self-healed - and that is the truth. I couldn't be happier! I recommend it to anyone who wants to "invest" in this type of protection, with the expectation that is will have a worthwhile result for a period of time. Thanks again folks....

 

That looks great. How much did that cost?

 

what is the point of doing a full body ppf AND a ceramic coat? it makes no sense. I like most of the responses have done the front bumper up to the mid part of the hood and a ceramic coating. ceramic on top of ppf just seems redundant.

 

you don't have to worry about that. he comes off as king richard.

 

Two different solutions: PPF is a thick, physical layer that blocks rock chips and scratches, while ceramic coating is a thin, liquid polymer that bonds to paint, offering gloss, UV/chemical resistance, and easier cleaning, but less impact protection. Think of PPF as a shield for impacts and ceramic as a sealant for shine and maintenance; ideally, apply PPF to high-impact areas and ceramic over the entire car for comprehensive defense.

I have installed full PPF on all of my cars over the last 10 or so years, in addition to ceramic coating on all surfaces, including glass and even high-heat areas like the calipers. Makes cleaning a breeze. And helps protect against road debris.

 

Ceramic on top of ppf prevents degradation of the ppf due to UV. On my last three cars I had front ppf and I ceramic coated them. I would always coat the ppf too.

 

Thx for explainng guys. I got XPEL Ultimate 8 PPF, 8yr warranty from peeling, yellowing, cracking, etc. Then XPEL Ceramic coat 4yr warranty. $6700 installed. I asked how can I tell if the ceramic coating failed. The answer was simple. Water will stop beading up on the car, and the water won’t roll off on its own. I washed the car once using the proper solutions and equipment, and I practically didn’t need to dry the car. The water beaded and rolled right off. It’s so slick annd shiny. As I mentioned before, I had some minor cat paw markings that weren’t deep. The PPF healed them all. I’m extremely satisfied! And of course, no swirl marks. My advice to anybody who wants it is to do a lot of research for the proper installer. For XPEL, technicians are XPEL-certified by the company. You can ask to see their company certifications. Did a lot research on installers. Mine had a zillion all positive ratings, BBB A+ (for what that’s worth) since 2013. Known to be one of the best in the Washington DC area, even my Mercedes dealership recommended them, and a friend’s Porsche dealer.

 

I've questioned the ability of XPEL PPF to self-heal under a ceramic coating, but I'm glad to see that you were able to witness the self-healing because it is a great feature. I use System X Renew over full XPEL PPF. I have witnessed the self-healing with XPEL PPF + System X Renew, but it still seems like it wouldn't be possible. Renew leaves a very thin layer of glass. I called up System X to inquire about self-healing of PPF under System X renew and was told that renew is "not structural" but their ceramic coatings are structural. Thus, PPF can still self-heal under Renew.

My PPF installer offered to apply XPEL Ceramic, Gtechniq, CarPro or Revivify for a small charge.

Revivify has self-healing capabilities. It has a three-year planned longevity like a ceramic coating and can also self-heal under heat. The Revivify boost product which Revivify USA recommends applying like a spray detailer every three months is only available here: Retail Shop - Revivify America. It costs $60 per bottle plus $23 to $63 to ship to my location. Spending $83 and waiting a week to get the boost product in days of same-day Amazon shipments made me less inclined to go with Revivify. Using Revivify I assume I'd need a full $1,500 re-application after three years. Revivify USA said that traditional ceramic will not stick to Revivify. Potentially with Revivify you need to keep using Revivify or you must mechanically polish it off before switching to traditional ceramic. Since Revivify would be sitting on top of a thin layer of self-healing PPF clearcoat, I would not want to polish it off myself and would even question the ability of an expert to do it properly.

The disadvantage of System X renew is that it needs to be reapplied every 6 to 9 months. It is a true ceramic, but not a full ceramic coating. The first time I applied Renew, I didn't use a respirator. After ceramic coating my lungs from aerosolized product, I did subsequent applications while wearing a respirator, eye protection, gloves and having all skin covered. Renew doesn't like any humidity after application. I put the car into a dehumidified garage for 24 hours after application. The application of system X renew is the easiest of any sealant. However, the preparation for application is the same as for ceramic coating, which is labor intensive. While a surface with Renew is easy to decontaminate, it is still a project. Doing wheels is another project which takes longer than doing the rest of the car. Getting Renew to last 6 to 9 months is highly dependent upon proper preparation and application.

The main advantage of a ceramic coating is that you, or your installer boost it once per year and other than that it requires minimal maintenance. Using Renew by itself, I am doing the boost process twice per year with no underlying ceramic coating.

It is hard to tell when the ceramic coating is gone. It is even harder, at least for me, to determine where the ceramic coating ends and the PPF clear coat begins if you want to polish out some scratches in the ceramic. It is very likely that the ceramic coating will lose hydrophobic properties (stop beading or fast sheeting) before the ceramic is gone. One of the reasons for the annual maintenance or boost is to apply a product that is hydrophobic and will create the beads. On a non-glossy surface, it is easy to tell when the ceramic is gone since the ceramic adds a level of gloss. XPEL PPF is glossy and the film levels out the surface making it appear even more glossy. Determining when the ceramic is gone is harder when the surface is glossy PPF.

I was leaning towards selecting an 8-year life XPEL ceramic coating for the new car. It is easier to find an XPEL or another ceramic installer than to find a Revivify installer. The XPEL boost product was inexpensive and easy to procure on Amazon. My installer said that you can use any ceramic boost product on ceramic, which is likely true. Revivify USA said I should only use Revivify products on a Revivify coated surface. I looked at my installer's black car with 3 year-old XPEL ceramic over PPF. It looked amazing and glossy from three feet away. When I shined a light on the car, I could see wash swirl marks. My 3+ year-old XPEL PPF and System X Renew surface has no swirl marks. I decided to keep using System X Renew as the topper.

Another more traditional option is a quality carnauba wax. It is just as glossy as a ceramic coating. Using a wax detailer as a drying agent after washing is pretty easy. The main downsides of wax versus ceramic are that wax wears off after a month or two and bugs and road debris tends to stick to a car that doesn't have ceramic.

Topping PPF with ceramic coating, ceramic spray, Revivify, or wax are all good options with varying plusses and minuses. Perhaps I should have gone with Revivify or XPEL ceramic, but I know how PPF+System X Renew works and I can maintain it myself or pay someone a normal detailing price to apply it for me. Selecting Revivify or XPEL ceramic was really tempting because it would be minimal maintenance for me other than paying for an annual ceramic boost and paying for a new application after the ceramic wears off. I have Revivify on the front of one car with Renew on the rest of the car. Visually, Revivify, Renew and full ceramic are indistinguishable to me.

I do wonder where the ceramic coating goes when it wears off. Are tiny particles of glass going into my drinking water? I imagine that biological wax that naturally degrades is safer for the environment than a ceramic product that wears off. We know that the ceramics that are used for non-stick pans stay in the environment forever. A ceramic coated car is so much easier to clean that I try not to think about the tiny bits of glass coming off my car and going who knows where.

If you ever get tree sap or bird droppings that are on the car for awhile, I have seen the PPF bubble up. I thought the PPF was destroyed. After removing the sap or bird droppings and waiting a day, the PPF has always self-healed to a leveled shiny surface.

 

Looks beautiful. Yes, PPF does protect against rock chips, swirl marks, bumper parking scuffs, driving into the garage at precisely 9:00 PM when the garage door is programed to automatically close at 9:00 PM and also driving into the garage with the rear hatch fully raised.

 

This is a nice succinct summary of the purpose of PPF and ceramic.

I'd add that some PPF can self-heal, removing any scratches that haven't gone through the PPF clearcoat. I'd also add that I have had to replace PPF on the bumpers where people scuffed them in the parking lot. In those instances, it saved me from taking it into a paint shop for a week.

 

To me, it all just seems cost prohibitive and possibly unnecessary. I have a 2007 GL450 that I’ve had since new. It’s always been garaged and meticulously maintained. The paint on this almost 20 year old vehicle is still impeccable with nothing but washes and waxes. You can’t tell it from a brand new full sized new GL.
It might be beneficial for extreme conditions but I believe most MB owners keep their vehicles garaged or out of the weather.
No doubt the picture above is stunning and I don’t disagree with anyone who chooses to go that route.
When I bought my E450 the dealer wanted to sell me a ceramic job interior and exterior for $4500 which I quickly declined.

 

If you do your own wash/wax, for around $100 and just a bit more work than waxing you can ceramic coat your car. There is no comparison between wax & ceramic when it comes to longevity and ease of washing. I did my W222 in July 2024, and it still sheds water and shines like the day that I did it. Definitely worth the extra effort just to avoid having to wax a couple of times per year.

Just be sure that it’s a ceramic product in a small glass bottle. Spray on ceramics are NOT the same thing.

 

I use Meguiar's Ultimate Ceramic Coating Kit on my car once a year whether it needs it or not. It is a spray and takes about 15 minutes to spray, spread and wipe using the provided microfiber cloths. It leaves a deep shine and lasts a long time even in the Florida sun. List price is $25, but discounts may be available.

 

I'm still going to go with this is a solution looking for a problem. I will never spend $7k to "protect" something that is meant to protect something. No amount of paint deterioration makes this a net positive "investment".

Edit: this was in response to the now deleted installer spam masquerading as "advice". Feel free to ignore.

 

Before applying ceramic you want to remove all the wax. It is helpful to claybar to remove contaminates as well. The prep work to apply ceramic is higher than a simple wash for applying wax, but once the ceramic is on, it is much easier to wash the car and remove bugs. Once ceramic is applied, just leaving the car out in the rain does a pretty good wash job even if the purists will say a real wash needs to be done frequently.

 

I am considering the expel stealth ppf on my graphite grey e53 (night pkg+, dynamic) , to (i) produce the magno effect that was not a purchase option and (ii) address concerns about the practicality of magno paint. Would look like this (2"30 mark):
Thoughts?

 

I've seen the previous generation E63 S wagon final edition in graphite grey magno. It looks amazing. I would definitely do PPF over magno. Selecting graphite grey and applying Expel stealth PPF should have a similar effect. The final edition comes with the 21" forged wheels which in combination with the graphite grey magno give the car a serious presence.

My vote is to go for it.