CERAMIC COATING VS PAINT PROTECTION FILM

Learn the difference between the two types of paint protection. Protect your car with Auto Complex.

Call: 0438 781 448

What is Paint Protection?

Paint protection shields your car's clearcoat from the elements. There are two main methods of paint protection: a chemical coating that cures into a hard, slick layer when applied, and a protective film that’s laid over the panel, thick enough to absorb an impact. 

We call these ceramic coating and paint protection film. 

Your car’s paint has multiple layers, and the topmost layer is your clearcoat. It is a transparent layer that gives your car its gloss and is roughly as thick as a fingernail. Paint protection shields your car from stone chips, swirls, scratches, and degradation from the sun. 

Paint Protection?

Our Paint Protection Services

Ceramic Coating 

A hard, chemically bonded surface applied over your paint. We fit Detailers Lab and Gtechniq Ultra, both with a 10-year warranty.

  ➜  
Ceramic Coating
Paint Protection Film 

A clear film over the panels that takes stone chips and light scratches instead of your paint, and self-heals minor marks.

  ➜  
Paint Protection Film
Paint Correction 

Removing existing swirls, scratches and dullness from the clearcoat. We restore your paint to what it was.

  ➜  
Paint Correction
Ceramic Maintenance 

Expand your ceramic coating's lifespan with a decontamination wash that reduces dirt buildup and erosion.

  ➜  
Ceramic Maintenance

Ceramic Coating Vs Paint Protection Film

Know the key difference between both types of paint protection. 


Ceramic Coating
Paint Protection Film
What it is
A chemical layer that bonds to the paint
A physical layer laid over the paint
Protects
against
• Contaminants bonding in
• UV fading
• Bird mess and sap etching
• Water spotting
• Stone chips
• Light scratches and scuffs
• Road debris
• Car park knocks
Choose it if
• You commute on sealed roads
• The car is garaged or under cover
• You want washing to be easier
• Gloss and beading matter to you
• You drive on gravel or unsealed roads
• You tow, or load the car up
• You do long highway distances
• You plan to resell and want the paint untouched
The upside
• Easier to keep clean, week to week
• Covers the whole car affordably
• Self-heals minor marks
• Maintains your car’s paint for years
• Takes the damage so the paint doesn't
The downside
• Needs maintaining or it wears out
• No help at all against gravel
• Costs more
• Usually fitted to selected panels rather than the whole car


Why Choose Auto Complex?

 Personal rather than cookie-cutter

Joint developers of Detailers Lab ceramic protection

 Personal rather than cookie-cutter

30 years' experience with paint protection

 Personal rather than cookie-cutter

Honest and transparent pricing

 Personal rather than cookie-cutter

Paint protection warranties available

5 Stars on Google

←
→
★★★★★

"Nat is amazing when it comes to explaining everything, from making sure you understand what you are purchasing. To top it off, it was all done perfectly. Couldn't recommend enough."

C
Clarisa
★★★★★

"The most professional all-round detailing, fitting, panel, paint and tint in Vic, hands down."

T
Tyson
★★★★★

"Incredible experience having my windows tinted here. The team performed an exceptional job. Nat, the owner, is a true professional—accommodating, friendly, and helpful. I recommend them completely and will certainly be returning. Thank you to the whole crew!"

D
Declan

Not Sure Which Paint Protection is 
Right For Your Car?

Contact our team and tell us the make and model 
of your car and how it's used. 


Open Mon to Fri, 8 am to 4 pm. Saturdays by appointment.
 120 Bayfield Road East, Bayswater North, VIC 3153. 

Frequently Asked Questions

car

Paint protection is anything applied to a vehicle to shield its clearcoat, which is the transparent top layer of the paint. It’s available in either ceramic coating or paint protection film. Paint protection is highly common among car owners who want to protect their investment from chips, scratches, and bird droppings.

Ceramic coating is chemical, and paint protection film is physical. A coating makes the surface slick so water beads off and contamination struggles to bond, which makes the car easier to keep clean and helps it hold its gloss. It offers no protection against impact. Film is a physical layer that takes stone chips and light scratches instead of the paint, and it self-heals minor marks. 

Both paint protection film and ceramic coatings can last up to 10 years. However, paint protection needs to be maintained. A coating that's never maintained accumulates contamination and acidic fallout, which erodes the layer over time, and that's wear rather than a fault.

It depends on how you use the car. The advantage of doing it early is that the paint is undamaged, so there's little or no correction needed first, and you're preserving its factory finish. If you’ve just bought a new car that's about to spend its life on gravel roads, consider a paint protection film. Ceramic coating is more suitable for cars that commute on sealed city roads.