First, your paint
Car paint is built in layers: a primer on the metal, a coloured base coat, then a clear coat on top — usually thinner than a sheet of paper. That clear coat is what you see, what shines and what gets damaged. Everything below is about looking after it.
01 · Paint protection film
What is PPF?
PPF is a clear, flexible urethane film — roughly the thickness of a few sheets of paper — that's cut to shape and applied over your paint. You can't see it once it's on, but it's a physical barrier between the road and your car.
- Takes the hit from stone chips. The thick, soft film absorbs and spreads the impact, so stones don't crack through to your clear coat and colour.
- Heals light scratches. A self-healing top layer lets fine marks and swirls in the film disappear with warmth — sunshine or warm water.
- Blocks bug splatter, bird mess and UV. Acidic muck sits on the film instead of etching your paint, and the colour underneath is shielded from fading.
Choose the front end — bumper, bonnet edge, wings and mirrors, where most chips happen — or the full car.
With PPF, the film takes the hit. It flexes and spreads the impact so the clear coat and colour underneath stay perfect — and light marks in the top layer heal with warmth.
The coating fills those pores with a hard, slick glass layer. Water forms tight beads that roll off, and dirt can’t key in — a rinse takes most of it away.
02 · Ceramic coating
What is ceramic coating?
A ceramic coating is a liquid that's hand-applied to perfectly clean paint. It bonds to the clear coat and cures into an ultra-thin, glass-like layer — far thinner than PPF, but much harder and slicker than any wax.
- Water and dirt slide off. The surface is so smooth and water-repellent that rain beads and rolls away, taking dirt with it.
- Shields against the elements. It resists UV fading, road salt, tar, bird mess and harsh chemicals far better than bare paint or wax.
- Deep, lasting gloss. It locks in that just-detailed shine, and washing takes a fraction of the time.
Worth knowing: a coating is too thin to stop stone chips — that's what PPF is for. Many owners have both.
03 · Paint correction
What is paint correction?
Those spider-web swirls you see in sunlight are thousands of tiny scratches in the clear coat, mostly from washing. Paint correction uses machine polishers and abrasive compounds to level the clear coat so the scratches disappear — rather than just filling or hiding them.
- We measure first. A paint depth gauge shows how much clear coat there is, so we only take off what's safe.
- Cut, then refine. A heavier compound levels the defects, then finer polishes bring the surface to a crisp, haze-free finish.
- Why it shines. Scratches scatter light in every direction, which looks dull and hazy. A flat surface bounces light straight back to your eye — that's the deep, mirror-like gloss.
Swirls and scratches catch the light and bounce it in every direction, so the paint looks dull, hazy and covered in spider-webs.
Side by side
Which one do I need?
| What it does | PPF | Ceramic coating | Paint correction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stops stone chips | Yes — its main job | No | No |
| Self-heals light scratches | Yes, in the film | No | No |
| Removes existing swirls | No | No | Yes — its main job |
| Adds gloss | Some | Yes | Yes — the biggest boost |
| Water beading & easier washing | Some | Yes — its main job | No |
| UV, bird mess & chemical protection | Yes | Yes | No |
| From | £499 front · £2,199 full | £699 | £399 |