When I buy a car, do you think it's better to put on protection film or to apply a coating?" We are often asked this question.

In this issue, I hope to share our family's (my husband's) perspective on this question.

Protection film and glass coating

Protection film is a transparent film that protects the painted surface of a carIt is. In particular, by attaching it to the front bumper, hood, and other areas that are prone to stones and scratches, it can prevent damage to the paint.

Car protection films are designed to be durable and withstand UV rays and minor impacts.

Their thickness is about 150 microns (about 0.3 microns for glass coatings), which is thick enough, and some of them have a self-healing function, so that even if minor scratches occur on the film, they will naturally repair themselves over time.

It's kind of magical.

andAnother feature of the protection film is that it can be peeled off and replaced.

On the other hand, glass coatings also protect vehicles from damage such as flying rocks, rain, and UV rays. Also,Coating will also make it easier to remove dirt when washing the car and keep the car clean.

In other words, the respective roles and characteristics of protection film and glass coating are as follows.

Protection film is,For physical protection, especially against stepping stones and abrasionsThe film can be applied not only to the entire body, but also to parts of the body. The film can be applied not only to the entire body, but also to parts of the body, allowing selective protection of areas prone to scratches.
On the other hand, the coatingMainly excellent in gloss and stain prevention.It can maintain a beautiful appearance for a long period of time with less maintenance, and is less expensive than protection films.

However, neither of them is inexpensive (protection film is especially expensive), so I wonder what the best option is to keep your beloved car looking good for a long time.

Do you do protection film?

Now I would like to share with you some of the questions we actually received before.

I read an article about the car being glass coated when you bought it, but what do you do about the protection film.992I'm not sure which to choose, the optional protection sheet around the front or the protection film from another store, which is available as an option when you buy the car.

I bought a 996 and love to drive, so I go touring to Hakone and Izu, etc., but I get dead insects and stepping stone scratches. I am considering installing a protection film just for the front, but the price is very expensive, so I am wondering if I should install it.

This is my husband's response to these questions,

My husband is a glass coating guy, although it may depend on the purpose for which the car was purchased, etc. This is how I would answer the above question.

In the pastWhen I bought my GT3, I had a dealer option protection film installed.I bought the GT3 because I was prepared to have it for life. It doesn't scratch at all, but right after it was applied, the small parts sometimes floated a little, and it was a hassle to take the car in to have them corrected.
In addition, theWith a white body color, the film inevitably turns yellow with age.
I'm more concerned about that than the scratches, since there will be a subtle difference in coloration between the applied and unapplied areas.
I guess this depends on the quality of the film, but I will not apply protection film in the future. I think that a glass coating is sufficient.
If it gets minor scratches, paint repair is sometimes cheaper, and I have recently come to think that those minor scratches are part of my attachment to my car (laughs). When I buy used cars, I don't worry too much about scratches in those areas.
But.If the car was bought with an eye to selling it, and the body color is a darker color, the yellowing of the protection film does not bother me so much, so I think there is an option to apply it.

He said.

Also, the 992 Cabriolet that used to be in our house did not have protection film, but it had a "I don't get any stepping stones at all, and if I do get scratches, it's cheaper to fix them then, and I don't mind not having the protection film on.He said.

Recommended Coating

Next, let's talk about what we do about coatings in our home.

My husband used to do dealer coatings, but these days he does not do dealer coatings. The coating is not done by the dealer, but by a local keeper lab.

When I asked my husband before about the recommended coating at the keeper lab,

Among the keepers, I would prefer the new coating series EX Keeper, ECO Plus Diamond, and Fresh Keeper. These should be decided according to your budget, but if you often park your car in the open air, it would be better to have a good coating with EX or ECO Diamond.
In my case,Basically, we use Fresh Keeper because we keep the car indoors most of the time and because we have decided that it is more cost-effective to do a one-year inexpensive coating every year than an expensive one that lasts three years.
Also, based on various information and my experience, indoor storage often lasts longer than the manufacturer's durability index, so it is actually unlikely to be ruined in a year. So I am of the school of thought that a cheap coating is sufficient.

He said it was.

I see...

In addition.I also recommend a mineral-off car wash from KeeperLab to keep your car clean.

The car wash took about an hour, which is expensive and time-consuming for a car wash, but when it was over, they were amazed. The body shine was completely restored to the shine of a new car, it felt as if a layer of dirt had been removed, it was smooth to the touch, and water repellency was no longer a problem. (Please see our past articles if you like)

Recommendation for mineral-off car wash

These are my family's views on protection films and glass coatings.

The last part of this article is somewhat like an advertisement for Keeper, but it does not mean that I am being asked by Keepera, but simply my personal view and impression of our family.

I hope you will find this information useful.