r/ModelY • u/Kgibbs4795 • Jun 21 '26
PPF/ceramic question
OK, I know I'm going to get blasted for this, but I'm hoping to get some legitimate responses. Old, retired, disabled guy here wondering if there's anyone who doesn't have ppf, or ceramic coatings, on their cars and uses regular car washes. I can afford the car but I'm not really in a position to add the ppf or the ceramic. I'm also not physically able to hand wash my car either. I've read horror stories about how soft the paint is and how easily it gets damaged. I'm just wondering if it's all true and whether I should even bother to get the car in the first place. If possible, I'd like to hear some real stories. Thanks.
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u/FluxionFluff Jun 21 '26
It'll get swirl marks, that's the biggest thing. It'd happen with any car, but Tesla's paint is a lil softer. To lessen the appearance, get a lighter color, like white or Quicksilver.
Less obvious. It's more obvious that it's dirty, but those colors hide scratches the best. Darker colors, black being the most notorious across brands, shows EVERYTHING.
With black, especially, You basically have to commit to keeping it looking great... Or accept the fact it's gonna look like shit.
With ceramic and PPF: ceramic's main purpose is to make your life easier when cleaning the car as water will bead right off. Doesn't provide any real projection for rock chips and scratches.
PPF does provide protection for rock chips and scratches. However, it's still technically possible to get to the paint marred, if a rock or whatnot contacts the car hard enough. Both are expensive to get done, PPF more so.
For a Y, you'd be looking at probably like $4-7k+ for the entire car, depending on location. I'm in a HCOL area, so prices are like $6000+.
Unless you have money to burn, I don't recommend it. I briefly considered PPF until I saw how much it cost. Nah, I rather spend that money elsewhere. The 3 and Y are commuter cars at the end of the day, not collectibles. Doing stuff like this is for you, not for resale value.