Paint protection film, ceramic coating and vinyl wrap get discussed together and sold together, and they do almost entirely different things. Knowing which problem each one solves is what stops somebody spending on the wrong one and being disappointed for entirely reasonable reasons.
Paint protection film
A clear urethane film, applied to the paint, thick enough to take a physical hit. This is the only one of the three that meaningfully stops stone chips, and most modern films are self-healing, meaning light scratches in the film close up with heat.
It is usually applied where the damage happens: the front bumper, the leading edge of the bonnet, the mirrors, the A-pillars and the rocker panels, which is often called a partial or a front end. Full-car coverage exists and costs accordingly.
The thing to ask about is edges. Film wrapped around a panel edge lasts and looks invisible; film cut short of the edge leaves a line that collects dirt and eventually lifts.
Ceramic coating
A chemical layer that bonds to the paint and cures hard. It makes the surface slippery and strongly water-repellent, which makes the car dramatically easier to wash and keeps it clean for longer. It adds gloss, and it resists the chemical etching that bird droppings, tree sap and hard-water spots cause when they sit on paint.
It does not stop a stone chip, and it does not make paint scratch-proof. A coating is measured in microns; a stone is not interested.
Vinyl wrap
A coloured or printed film applied over the paint, chosen to change how the car looks. It offers some protection simply by being a layer, and materially less than PPF, which is engineered for impact rather than appearance.
Its real advantage is reversibility. A wrap comes off, and the paint underneath is the paint the car was sold with, which matters at resale in a way a respray does not.
The order they go in
Correction first, then film, then coating. Paint has to be corrected before anything is sealed over it, because a coating or a film applied over swirl marks locks those swirls in for the life of the product. A shop that offers to coat a car without looking at the paint first is selling a product rather than a result.
Coating on top of PPF is normal and useful: the coating makes the film easier to clean and helps it stay clear.
What to ask before booking
Which film or coating specifically, what the warranty covers and who honours it, whether paint correction is included or extra, whether edges are wrapped, and how long the car will be there. A shop that answers all five plainly is a shop that has done this before.
What none of them replace
Washing the car correctly. Most of the light scratching on a car's paint is put there by the way it is cleaned, and no product on this page changes that. Two buckets, a clean mitt, and not the brush at the fuel station.
