KEEPING CARS BRAND NEW: TEFLON, CERAMIC COATING AND PPF

A sleek and shiny car can turn heads as it zooms down the road. But maintaining it requires a lot of effort. Even a tiny stone on the road can cause a scratch on the car’s paint. The paint on a car can cost a lot to smooth over a small scratch or a dent. While driving, even a tiny scuff can distort this detailed work. Taking care of the car’s looks is easy today, with various technologies and solutions like paint protection film, ceramic coating and Teflon coating. But which is the best out of the three? Read on to find out.

TEFLON COATING

Teflon is a brand name though now it is synonymous with the product they produce – polytetrafluoroethylene. This material is waterproof and rust-proof. Teflon is usually used on utensils to create a non-stick coating. Teflon is the perfect material for this because of the presence of fluorine. Fluorine is an organic material that doesn’t bond with anything other than fluorine-based and carbon-bases. This property is what makes it non-stick as it repels everything else. But it doesn’t offer long-term protection to the paintwork of the car.

CERAMIC COATING

The ceramic coating comes in a spray bottle of 30ml. That 30ml is enough to apply the layer over the entire car. The ceramic coating gives a more matte finish to the paint while also offering protection from UV rays. This coating is also waterproof like Teflon but lasts longer. Ceramic can protect the paintwork on a car from scratches, stones, and excessive heat and offers more protection than Teflon for the car’s exterior. The principle is the same as that of a lotus leaf. The ceramic coating, once applied, creates a steep angle of 120 degrees. Its water repelling property makes the water form droplets on its surface, and the vertical angle makes it roll down the car’s panels.

PAINT PROTECTION FILM (PPF)

The last option in this list is PPF. PPF is made of 4 layers. The base is a polyester release liner; the film is taken off this liner and pasted onto the car’s exterior. The base layer of the actual film is an acrylic adhesive. This adhesive layer is highly durable and lasts long in all weather conditions. The next layer is polyurethane. This coat is the primary reason behind the success of PPF. Any scratch or dent on the film can immediately be mitigated by applying heat. As long as the damage doesn’t go past the PPF, it can be reversed. The polyurethane in the film is very reactive to heat and retains its normal state on heat application. This reversal only works if the damage doesn’t tear the film, but PPF has a solution for that, too, force dissipation. When a stone or rock comes into contact with the film, it distributes the impact all over its surface, minimising the damage. Therefore, the film tearing chances are low, and any damage to the body can be reversed by applying heat. The reversal doesn’t require very high temperatures; using a hairdryer or pouring hot water is enough, and the car looks brand new again. Compared to the others, paint protection film offers the most durable, long-term and wholesome protection to the exterior of a vehicle.