4 Ways To Protect Your Car’s Paint & Which One To Choose

November 4, 2022November 4, 2022 The Mechanic Doctor

Protecting the paint on your vehicle is extremely important if you want to keep your car like new for years. However, many people don’t know what type of paint protection they should apply to their car, and that’s why today I’m going to discuss 4 ways to protect the paint on your car, and I’ll also show you which one you should choose based on your budget and expectations.

There are four main types of paint protectants:

Car waxes
Sealants
Ceramic Coatings
Paint Protection Films (PPF)

I’ll briefly explain each of them so that you know what to expect from each paint protectant type. Also, I’ll try to write everything in layman’s terms, so even if you’re a complete beginner, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

1. Car Waxes

Car waxes are the oldest type of paint protection. People have been using them to protect and enhance car paint for more than 50 years. Most natural car waxes are made from carnauba wax, a specific byproduct of a plant grown in Brazil. Waxes protect your car from UV rays, heat, acid rain, bird droppings, oxidation, etc.

Car waxes are still popular even today, especially among people who like going to car shows. The reason is that car waxes are the best at enhancing car paint by giving it an extremely deep shine and reflection. Here’s our quick guide on applying car wax to your car.

Waxes are usually also the cheapest option, and people on a tight budget often buy them to save a few bucks. You can find car waxes in paste, liquid, and spray forms.

Since car waxes don’t last very long (mostly up to 2-3 months) and aren’t durable, more and more people have been buying synthetic waxes (sealants) in the last few years.

2. Sealants

Sealants have been created to replace car waxes. Sealants are entirely synthetic polymer-based solutions that provide your car with durable protection against UV rays, heat, oxidation, corrosion, and other contaminants.

Some people like to separate these two, but I always say that sealants are nothing else but synthetic car waxes. Today, there’s a full range of paint sealants that combine all the best elements and technologies to create long-lasting protection for vehicles.

Sealants are usually just imperceptibly more expensive than car waxes, and since they provide longer-lasting protection (3-12 months) for the car’s paint, most people prefer them over natural waxes, which I already told you about above.

Another fantastic advantage of sealants is that they’re a bit easier to apply than car waxes. That’s because they chemically bond with the surface (clear coat), and most of them come in liquid or spray forms, even though you can find them in paste forms as well.

So, to conclude, everything’s very similar to car waxes, but you get longer-lasting protection and easier application. The only downside to sealants is that they can’t provide your car with so much gloss and shine.

3. Ceramic Coatings

Ceramic coatings are the newest type of paint protection. They’re made of synthetic ingredients such as silica, quartz, and silicon dioxide (SiO2). The combination of these ingredients gives ceramic coatings the ability for extremely long-lasting and durable paint protection.

Ceramic coatings usually last anywhere between 1-5 years, but there are some manufacturers saying that their products can last up to 9 or 10 years – with proper maintenance, of course. However, from my experience, realistic expectations are 3-5 years of longevity.

Even though all types of paint protectants require proper preparation of the paint (claying, compounding, polishing), ceramic coatings require 100% perfect and smooth car paint. Otherwise, they won’t bond to the paint properly and won’t last more than just a few months.

Because of that, ceramic coatings are extremely expensive to apply. Even though the products usually cost up to $100, the whole preparation part is where it gets expensive. Another thing that increases the application price is the experience, knowledge, and dedicated space you need to apply the ceramic coating correctly.

Anyone can apply waxes and sealants, but to apply ceramic coatings, you really need to be well-educated on the topic, or you may end up doing more harm than good to the car.

4. Paint Protection Films

The most expensive type of paint protectant is paint protection film, also known as PPF or clear bra. Paint protection films provide your car with the highest level of protection from scratches, UV rays, bird droppings, bugs, acid rain, small rocks, branches, etc.

Waxes, sealants, and ceramic coatings aren’t even close to PPF when it comes to protection properties. Furthermore, with proper maintenance, paint protection films can last anywhere between 5 to 10 years (even longer in some cases).

Another fantastic thing about paint protection films (high-quality ones) is their self-healing option. If you scratch the PPF, all you need to do is heat up the surface, and it’ll return to its original state.

But here we come to do the biggest downside of protection films – the price. Clear bras are unaffordable for most people out there since their application often costs a few thousand bucks. That’s why many people apply PPF only partially on their vehicles (bumpers and hood). PPFs as a product aren’t cheap, and together with that, it’s hard to do them on your own, which all together increases the overall price of the application.

Another downside of PPF is that it won’t provide your car with so much gloss and shine, such as waxes, sealants, and ceramic coatings. To get even better shine, people often combine PPFs with ceramic coatings, which again increases the cost of application even more.

Which One To Choose?

The most important question of this article is – which type of paint protectant should you choose? To make it easier for you, I’ll write you a quick recommendation for each of those products, which will hopefully help you choose the right paint protectant for your vehicle.

Choose car wax if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on protecting the car’s paint and you want to achieve the highest level of paint shine and gloss. Here’s our quick guide on applying car waxes.

Choose paint sealants if you want longer-lasting protection than car waxes, so you don’t have to reapply it every 2-3 months, and you also want some significant level of paint shine and gloss.

Choose ceramic coatings if you’re ready to pay a lot for paint protection, or you’re an experienced DIYer that knows how to prepare the paint properly, and you also have the ability to do everything in a closed environment to allow ceramic coating enough time to cure.

Choose paint protection film if you want the ultimate paint protection for your vehicle, and you’re ready to pay a few thousand bucks for it. Of course, you can only cover a few car body parts, which is still a great option for preventing some minor damage.

Quick Comparison Table

Here I made a quick table where you can compare these types of paint protectants so that you can more easily choose the one that’ll fit your needs.

Final Words

Whichever of these products you decide to use, it’s great. Any type of paint protection is better than nothing. Just ensure to always wash your car in the right way so you don’t cause swirl marks and scratches, and always take care of paint protectants by following the manufacturer’s guidelines on the products.