Just had Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF installed on the front end of my 2023 TRD Off-Road and the shop is pushing ceramic coating on top for an extra $800. They're saying it'll make cleaning easier and add more gloss, but I'm wondering if it's just upselling.
The truck sees plenty of dirt roads here in Colorado (just hit the Alpine Loop last month) so protection is important, but I don't want to throw money away either. Anyone running this combo? How's the maintenance been?
I've got ceramic over Xpel on my '22 Sport and honestly, it's been totally worth it. The hydrophobic properties are insane - mud just slides right off after trail runs. Makes washing so much faster.
$800 sounds about right for a quality ceramic like Gtechniq or Ceramic Pro. Just make sure they're using a reputable brand and not some cheap stuff.
Been running this setup for 2 years on my Army Green TRD Pro. The ceramic definitely helps with water spotting which was a real issue with just the PPF alone. Plus the gloss is noticeably better.
Only downside is you still need to maintain the ceramic every 6 months or so with a spray coating.
Skip it man. I had ceramic over PPF and it started failing after 18 months. The ceramic coating actually made it harder to clean the PPF when it started degrading - left weird streaky marks.
Save the $800 and just use a good spray wax like Chemical Guys HydroSlick every few months. Gets you 80% of the benefits for way less money and hassle.
