Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms PPF and Ceramic -- opinions?

My car came with PPF from the factory when it was new in 2019 and I had it ceramic coated when I bought it last summer (despite swearing to myself that I would not be an obsessive owner -- I just wanted a low-maintenance solution). I've now heard from a, perhaps rather uncharitable, friend that both PPF and ceramic are a bad idea and it's better just to wax regularly and touch up stone chips as they appear. Opinions/experience on this?

Crap. I have used both & they work if done well. I did the ppf myself but am in awe of those who can go around corners etc

I have read elsewhere that having PPF can affect insurance pay out in the case of damage...

Because? That seems very odd

Adam, did your friend explain why he felt PPF was a bad idea?

I can give you pros and cons on both sides; however, understanding what the concerns voiced were would be a good start.

For instance PPF in 2009 is very different to professional grade PPF (XPEL, 3M, etc) in 2025. I had PPF installed on my Aeromax from new, by one of the Morgan dealers, who at the time was also the approved PPF provider to the factory. That PPF yellowed over time (a common issue of the day) and was also pretty poorly installed, in a few places. Scroll forward to 2020 and I had sections wrapped by a professional company, using XPEL, and five years later, those sections are still perfect. Add to that, I had an entire vehicle wrapped in PPF in 2024 and it was done perfectly and looks superb. As the modern films are ‘self healing’ there are no scratches or marks on it after nearly two years of regular (almost daily) use.

As an aside, you can still wax or ceramic coat on top of PPF and many people do. Personally I have not but if I felt it needed it, I would.

Only if undisclosed George. The reason being, they would be required to reinstate it post repair, hence increasing the cost. I declared mine (full car) and there was no increase in premium or issue.


It is a skill for sure. When I collected the cars I mentioned above, both done by the same company, I spent some time watching them work on other cars when I collected mine. Impressive to watch and certainly there are many processes, and tricks, the installers use to get it just right. On both occasions, I was asked to bring my car back after one to two weeks to have them check over the work and ensure they were pleased. On the full install, they were unhappy with one panel (I have an eye for detail and the issues they were unhappy with was minuscule) and they re did the panel.

Thanks Simon. My friend/nattering nabob of negativism raised three specific concerns: (i) PPF will peal and yellow with time and need to be replaced at significant cost; (ii) the PPF-covered portion of the paint will age differently than the rest of the paint, resulting in an uneven finish -- ditto ceramic-over-PPF; (iii) once you go with ceramic you are stuck with that as you "can't wax over ceramic". As my friend knew I already had PPF and ceramic I asked him what he had eaten for lunch (tuna sandwhich) and informed him that tuna was highly toxic and that his lunch would probably result in a slow and painful death.

Adam, I believe your friend is either basing his opinions on very outdated information or perhaps inexpensive, poorly installed, PPF.

Going back 26 years, it wasn't uncommon to see 911s, specifically Arctic Silver ones, with yellowing PPF sections. However, things have moved along a lot since then and as noted above, a professional installation of a reputable product, should not have issues of yellowing or peeling. Like most things in life, if you use a cheap product, chances are the longevity and quality will suffer; I'm sure you could purchase film that would yellow via the regular online shopping 'bazaars'. Chances are it will be shipped straight from across the world, the buyer will have paid $5.00 a roll and the quality will be as expected. The films professional - warranted - companies use is another level all together. I mentioned XPEL before and this film is now OEM fit to quite a few prestige auto makers; therefore, I can't see those manufacturers wanting to deal with warranty claims (generally 10-years on paint) due to film issues. XPEL also supply to the Marine and Aviation industries, so the durability has to stand up.

To me, where PPF makes less sense, is at the other end of the spectrum. I have a friend who paints and does bodywork on very high end vehicles and PPF is the bane of his existence. These vehicles come in, with damage, and he needs to strip the film, clean the panels and deal with the residue before he does anything else! The last time I visited his shop, there were two automotive icons in for work, both classics, both had full PPF. Neither had bodywork damage but both needed remedial paintwork due to age. As my friend said to me, 'PPF makes sense on something you use a lot but for these pampered cars, why bother.' He spent hours stripping film and residue off the panels prior to even starting to prep painting. From my side, having seen how intrusive an application of full PPF is, I'm not sure I'd want to subject a classic to that - chances are the trim you put back on would either get damaged when being stripped or reinstalled.

As for aging of panels, well, they are never going to age the same - which is why bonnets and roofs (of coupes) often look different to the doors and side panels. The weather is a beast, and sun in particular, will fade and change the paint and I'm yet to see it do it uniformly, for obvious reasons.

Lastly, sometimes people can be heavy handed and use a pressure washer to clean a car with PPF - I use one but don't get close. Without wishing to state the obvious, if you get too close, catch an edge, then there is always a chance it could lift; however, the same can be said for paint! I've watched someone catch a stone chip with a pressure washer and lift the paint in that section! With hand washing, using the right products, there isn't an issue and as discussed, you can ceramic coat and wax, should you wish (again using appropriate products).

On a new Morgan and if you're going to use, tour in, etc, ppf makes sense to me. The same for daily drivers or someone's pride and joy that they actually want to use and put miles on.

Each to their own but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to add it to a vehicle or take it off one I purchased with it on (as long as it was professionally installed and a good product).

Because allegedly It's an extra ???? when I had a claim after a no fault collision Admiral phoned me and said I would have to pay for the replacement PPF. I never paid it the other persons insurance company went bust and they never pursued it. It took 4 years for Admiral Law to get my £750 excess back from the MIB, I don't know if Admiral ever got their £24k back!

I wouldn't feel sorry for Admiral Keith, a recall seeing somewhere that last yr they doubled profits to circa £800 million !!