Complete Guide to Automotive Paint Protection

Waxes

Starting in the early 1800s, the first recorded use of car wax was actually comprised of animal fats used to shine painted horse-drawn carriages. Fast forwarding to roughly 100 years later, the first carnauba wax was invented to use specifically for automotive painted surfaces. Then, in the 1940s, the famous brand, Turtle Wax, created the first bottled liquid spray wax. Today, we have many different variations of wax infused with SiO2 (aka ceramic) or PTFE (aka Teflon) products to achieve longer durability. While the durability benefits are great, these waxes can exceed up to $600 if you purchase from a luxury brand such as Swissvax. That’s quite the jump from your standard $12.99 car wax from the 90s!

Ceramic-infused and Teflon-infused waxes may provide some slightly better longevity results, but these are usually marketing terms to strengthen product sales. Car waxes have generally remained unchanged in the past 80 years. They’re not made to be flashy, lavish, or marketed as exotic products (unless you buy from Swissvax, of course). They’re reliable, affordable, and you know exactly what you’re getting with them (up to 3-6 months of protection).

Coatings

Since the early 2000s, paint protection coatings have made significant advancements into the automotive detailing industry. Ceramic coatings are well-known in this space, and another is, of course, Permagard Automotive.

While ceramic coatings haven’t evolved much since the 1970s (when they first came to market in Asia as “glass coatings”), their marketing terms have. Nanoceramic, Graphene, Borophene, etc. The terms are always changing, but the general formulas have remained the same. Despite their name changes, they are still capable of providing great protection to this day.

Permagard has been protecting assets around the world for nearly 30 years, and during that time, many ceramic coating manufacturers have appeared in the premium automotive paint protection industry.

Permagard was originally developed in 1998 as an aviation-grade paint protection coating to be used specifically for aircraft painted surfaces. Expanding into Japan and Australia in the late 2000s, Permagard Automotive was established to protect high-end vehicles and daily drivers alike. To this day, Permagard has protected over $35 billion in transportation assets, including private jets, high-end supercars, and luxury yachts.

Automotive paint protection coatings are a very reliable option for vehicles. With Permagard Automotive being the only aviation-grade paint protection coating available today, you can achieve exceptional protection without compromising on quality. And while Permagard Automotive is a much easier-to-apply product than ceramic coatings, both can still achieve great durability results and exceptional shine (minimum of 1-2 years of protection, up to lifetime protection if maintained well and properly).

Sealants

Created in the 1970s, car sealants were intended to be the evolution of car waxes. They provide a similar application experience and are generally more durable than waxes. One main difference sealants have from waxes is in their synthetization. Because of their synthetic compounds, it allows them to bond with automotive painted surfaces to achieve their superior durability.

And just like waxes, they have evolved over the years to offer ceramic-infused options to achieve greater durability. However, this is primarily a marketing tactic to attain better sales. Sealants are also reliable, easy to apply, and provide a great shine for automotive painted surfaces (up to 12 months of protection).

Paint Protection Film and Vinyl Wraps

Paint Protection Film (PPF) was originally developed for military vehicles in the 1960s, primarily for helicopters and other military transport vehicles used during the Vietnam War. It was used to protect helicopter rotor blades and other sensitive military vehicle parts, as it was very common for shrapnel and debris to damage these valuable components.

In fact, the U.S. military specifically tasked the notable manufacturer, 3M, for this and requested that they create a solution that was both low-weight and inconspicuous.

Vinyl wraps were first used by PepsiCo in 1993, when they created the world’s first digitally-printed vehicle vinyl wrap for a bus to promote their Crystal Pepsi product. Since then, notable vinyl wrap manufacturers such as 3M, Avery Dennison, and Orafol advanced vinyl wrap technology by developing air-channels.

These air-channels were created by incorporating microscopic glass beads into the vinyl’s adhesive, which would fully prevent the vinyl from sticking to the vehicle’s underlying substrates. This allowed the vinyl to properly breathe and permit airflow in adjacent sections on the vehicle. This advancement ultimately made the vinyl wraps much easier to reposition on a vehicle to ensure a bubble-free, smooth install.

Paint Protection Film (PPF) and vinyl wraps are both great forms of automotive paint protection for your vehicle if they align with your needs. And with PPF’s advancements in technology recently, there is now colored PPF you can opt for to better customize your vehicle’s appearance. Vinyl wraps are the more affordable option between the two, but it’s important that you also pay for a good installer’s experience. Improper PPF and vinyl wrap installs due to a lack of installer experience or poor materials can come at a deeper cost later by potentially removing your vehicle’s clear coat when they are removed. Therefore, it’s important to keep your expectations reasonable and seek out a reputable installer that uses high-quality materials (up to 3-5 years of protection and must be reinstalled after that, can be very expensive).

UV Radiation Resistance

Protecting your vehicle against fading and oxidation is paramount to maintaining its appearance. Choosing a form of protection that is resistant to UV radiation can accomplish this important task. In fact, since Permagard was created and engineered specifically for aircraft painted surfaces, it is one of the best options you can choose to protect your vehicle’s appearance from fading and oxidation.

Paint fading sets in over time on vehicles that do not house any form of paint protection, and if left unresolved, can form into oxidation. Oxidation can massively affect your vehicle’s overall appearance, gloss, and depth of shine. It also weakens your painted surfaces and makes them more vulnerable to underlying substrate damage.

While ceramic coatings and modern paint protection films can provide adequate UV radiation resistance, they often come with their own string of issues when combatting this environmental hazard. Ceramic coatings’ chemistry can be penetrated, leading to potential fading appearing underneath the ceramic-treated surface. Modern paint protection films (while they have improved) still suffer from yellowing and fading issues over time.

This is why Permagard Automotive (a product that has been tested up to 40,000 feet on luxury aircraft for nearly 30 years) is the best option to choose from when considering UV radiation resistance for your vehicle’s painted surfaces.

Scratch Resistance

Repelling scratches is usually high on the desired results list for someone unfamiliar with paint protection. So in reality, do automotive paint protection products protect your vehicle against scratches? In theory they do, but it is advised to manage your expectations when it comes to their efficiency.

While paint protection film is the overall best option for your paint to resist against harsher or deeper scratches, it is ultimately limited by a few factors. These can be the type of object that impacted the film, the speed at which the object scratched the film, and the area that the scratch occurred.

For example, if you take a butter knife and drag the serrated edge across one of the vehicle’s door panels, it’s not going to show much impact. However, if a jagged stone hits your vehicle’s hood at 60 mph, it’s certainly going to leave a significant scratch. This is where paint protection film’s greatest strength is utilized.

For all other light surface scratches and micro-scratches, an automotive paint protection coating such as Permagard or a ceramic coating will work perfectly well. Permagard in particular excels at hiding deeper surface scratches and nearly eliminates most micro-scratches entirely during the application process. And with the Permagard Service Treatment, you consistently fill in micro-scratches on your vehicle’s painted surfaces to maintain its overall paint clarity and appearance.

Environmental Contaminants

Salt-laden air, exhaust residue, acid rain, road salt, bird droppings, insect impacts, and grease are only a handful of the environmental contaminants that your vehicle can encounter. For the more acidic substances on this list such as bird droppings, insect impacts, and acid rain, these contaminants can cause etching to form on your vehicle’s painted surfaces if they are not properly addressed in time.

Etching creates unsightly holograms on your vehicle’s paint that can affect its overall appearance and paint clarity. Even more so if the acidic substance causing the etching is not promptly removed, it can even begin to affect your clear coat’s integrity, especially if your vehicle is stored outside in direct contact with the sun.

Ceramic coatings tend to struggle with salt resistance and paint protection film can be quite difficult to remove etching from its surfaces. Where Permagard has the advantage over both is that it can be easily repaired. When you encounter harsh etching on a ceramic-coated surface, it must be removed with an abrasive compound, resulting in you having to reapply the ceramic coating. With paint protection film, you run the risk of damaging the film itself from an abrasive compound.

However, with Permagard, you can simply remove the etching with one of our pretreatment products, then reapply the Permagard coating. No harsh compounding or damaging of the clear coat. This puts Permagard a step above over other automotive paint protection products when combatting environmental contaminants.

Superior Appearance

Improving your vehicle’s overall appearance is a hallmark trait of automotive paint protection. However, all paint protection products are not created equally and like every other product industry, some perform better than others.

Waxes tend to provide a warm glowing hue to vehicles, improving their shine for a car show look. Sealants provide a slightly different experience, focusing on enriching gloss and increasing paint contrasts.

Coatings undoubtedly provide the best enhancement. Ceramic coatings greatly increase gloss and shine while vivifying paint colors. Permagard dramatically increases gloss while simultaneously increasing the DEPTH of shine. This is achieved by Permagard maintaining the vehicle’s overall paint thickness, due to no paint correction being required to apply Permagard. Paint correction thins down paint thickness, creating a suboptimal appearance that cannot be recovered once lost. With Permagard, you build up the vehicle’s paint thickness, maximizing its appearance, and creating the richest depth of shine that cannot be achieved by competitive products.

Waxes and Sealants

After you have thoroughly washed and dried the vehicle, start off with a microfiber or foam applicator pad. Apply the correct amount of product onto the pad as specified by the product’s instructions. Apply the product onto the painted surface in an even circular motion while working in small sections.

After applying the product to the painted surface, continue to buff in the product with the applicator pad until it becomes relatively transparent. You may also use a random orbital polisher or dual-action polisher with a soft, clean foam pad to effectively buff the product into the surface. Once the product has been thoroughly worked in, gently dry buff the surface with a high-quality microfiber towel (preferably edgeless).

Waxes and sealants are generally the easiest automotive paint protection products to apply. They’re traditionally simple with no complicated measures to follow when using them.

Vinyl Wraps and Paint Protection Film

After the vehicle has been thoroughly washed and dried, proceed with a minimum one-step paint correction process (using two steps if needed) before plotting the paint protection film. If you are using vinyl wrap, you may skip the paint correction process and opt for clay-barring instead to remove embedded surface contaminants.

Using a water-based, light soap solution, regularly spray the solution underneath the PPF to effectively plot the film onto the painted surfaces. This will allow you to freely position the film before using a squeegee to remove the solution underneath. Upon completing the installation, allow the vehicle to cure for preferably 72 hours before releasing the vehicle to customer.

For vinyl wraps, ensure your painted surface has been effectively clay-barred and prepped with an isopropyl alcohol/water solution spray. Then, plot the wrap onto the surface. Using a heat gun, heat the wrap to remove any wrinkles or bubbles before tightening the wrap onto the painted surface. It’s important to remember that vinyl wraps MUST be installed dry.

Do not attempt to install a vinyl wrap wet. Ensure a smooth, bubble-free installation has been carried out.

Permagard Automotive and Ceramic Coatings

Once the vehicle has been thoroughly washed and dried, start with a dual-action polisher or random orbital polisher paired with a soft, clean foam pad if applying Permagard. For ceramic coatings, proceed with at minimum a one-step paint correction process (using two steps if needed). After you have completed the paint correction, ensure you have a foam applicator block paired with a suede cloth (or a microfiber applicator block if using a low silica-content ceramic coating) and also two very soft, plush microfiber towels (edgeless is recommended) folded into 4 square corners.

If applying Permagard, apply two small circles of Permagard coating onto the soft, clean foam pad. Then, starting the random orbital polisher or dual-action polisher at speed #1 or speed #2, spread the product out evenly across the painted surface section to ensure maximum coverage. Apply the product in a 20 inch x 20 inch painted surface section in a cross-hatch, checkerboard motion (up and down, left to right).

Once you have thoroughly worked in the Permagard coating until it becomes transparent or has reduced to a light haze, switch to another soft, clean foam pad to dry buff the treated surface. Finally, proceed with the final inspection buff with a soft, plush microfiber towel or microfiber bonnet to remove leftover residue. It’s that simple and easy to apply Permagard Automotive.

If applying a ceramic coating, prime the suede cloth on top of the foam applicator block by adding 4-6 drops of product onto the pad. You may apply more product if using a microfiber applicator block with a low silica-content ceramic coating. Create a 20 inch x 20 inch square outline of product onto the painted surface section WITHOUT lifting the applicator block from the surface. Lifting the applicator block from the surface before completing a motion can result in high spots.

Once you have created the square outline, fill in the rest of the painted surface area by applying the rest of the product in a cross-hatch, checkerboard motion (up and down, left to right) without lifting the applicator block. Once you have fully filled in the application square, remove the applicator block from the surface.

Finally, after you have waited until the product has properly flashed (rainbow effect has appeared and the product has begun to sweat), level the product with the first microfiber towel to remove the transfer solution. With the second microfiber towel, dry buff the treated surface to remove leftover residue.

As you can see, while Permagard Automotive and ceramic coatings are both in the same class of automotive paint protection, they are significantly different in their application standards. It’s important to remember to wear proper PPE when using ceramic coatings such as a rebreather mask, gloves, and a long-sleeve shirt. Permagard Automotive only requires gloves when working with its products.

Best Use Case

Considering what to expect out of automotive paint protection is another important aspect. Durability, gloss and shine, and other effects like surface slickness are all good reasons to receive automotive paint protection. But which ones excel in which areas?

If your best use case is durability, we recommend going with paint protection film, vinyl wrap, or an aviation-grade coating like Permagard Automotive. However, also ask yourself if it’s worth wrapping your vehicle in PPF or vinyl for 3-5 years. With Permagard Automotive, you still maintain your vehicle’s original paint specifications while building up on as much paint thickness available.

What about if you’re looking for a rich gloss and shine? You’ll definitely see a noticeable difference with a high-quality wax or sealant. But what about transforming your vehicle’s appearance? Enriching your paint’s colors, bringing out your vehicle’s depth of shine, and giving it that vivid gloss that only the “Permagard POP!” can provide. Well, Permagard Automotive is capable of doing that and more, including creating a smooth surface slickness that cannot be replicated by competitive products.

Because you’ll know when you’re admiring your vehicle’s appearance, transformed with the same coating used on $70+ million private luxury jets, you can rest easy knowing you made the best decision.

Vehicle Model

Your vehicle’s shape is a sensible factor when choosing the right protection for it. For waxes, sealants, and coatings, this is generally a non-issue. This is primarily due to these products being liquid-based. It’s much easier to apply a liquid to a vehicle’s painted surfaces as opposed to solid parts.

For paint protection film and vinyl wraps, this is arguably one of the biggest reasons to consider your vehicle’s model. PPF and vinyl wraps can be applied to specific areas on a vehicle. They can also be applied to the full car. That’s why it’s best to keep in mind how simple and cost-effective it would be to wrap a vehicle in PPF or vinyl. For example, wrapping a Denali may not be as worth it as spending that cost to wrap a valuable supercar, like a Bugatti or McLaren.

Personal Budget

Choosing the right protection for the right price will be the most important factor for a lot of customers.

Waxes and sealants are usually the most affordable but provide limited benefits to enjoy. Paint protection film and vinyl wraps can cost as much as $10,000 for a full vehicle install from a good, reputable installer. While this may be a non-issue for customers with Paganis, Bugattis, and McLarens, they are quite an expensive option for the average consumer.

This is why we recommend a high-quality automotive paint protection coating for the best value. You receive great durability, it can be applied to any vehicle with painted surfaces, it’s easier to repair, and it costs a fraction of what a full install costs for PPF or vinyl wraps.

Choosing a ceramic coating or the only aviation-grade coating option in Permagard Automotive will be well worth it in the long run to protect (or even increase) your vehicle’s overall resale value.

Contact
Permagard Automotive Headquarters Today

If you would like to learn more about automotive paint protection or how Permagard Automotive is one of the best protection solutions for your vehicle, contact our Permagard Automotive headquarters office today at (305) 662-5070 or email us info@permagard.com for more information.