What Paint Protection Does a New Car Need?
3 Answers
New cars require the following paint protection: coating and crystal coating. Crystal coating provides a reliable sealing technology for the car paint, offering efficient and long-lasting protection to prevent environmental factors from affecting the paint color. The concept of car paint crystal coating is introduced to differentiate it from waxing and sealing, and it can last for about six months. The steps for crystal coating are: 1. Clean and remove dirt from the car body; 2. Protect parts of the car body that are not painted to avoid grinding damage; 3. Polish and restore the paint surface; 4. After polishing, remove the protective coverings, rinse off surface wax residues to avoid any leftovers; 5. Degrease to remove the oil film on the paint surface.
When I first bought my new car, I was also concerned about paint protection. Later, I found that the most hassle-free solution is to apply a paint protection film (PPF). It's like putting a transparent protective suit on your car—minor scratches from branches or daily wear won't damage the original paint. I opted for a TPU-based PPF, and even after several rock chips from highway driving, the paint underneath remained flawless when I peeled back the film. Although it costs around 10,000 to 20,000 RMB, the thought of revealing factory-fresh paint gloss five years later makes it far more cost-effective than frequent visits to detailing shops. Especially for owners of dark-colored cars, the PPF's effectiveness against sun swirls is particularly noticeable.
I got my car ceramic coated right on the day of delivery, and after three years the paint still shines like it's in the showroom. Ceramic coating forms a glass-crystal layer on the paint surface - when acid rain or bird droppings fall on it, they bead up and roll off. The application process takes 5-6 hours: after thorough paint polishing, three layers of liquid crystal are applied, finally achieving 9H pencil hardness. Washing is effortless now - just a pressure washer rinse and it's clean, saving me lots of detailing costs. Remember not to expose it to rain during the first week after application, as the coating needs full curing time to reach optimal performance.
