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Car Polishing: Ceramic Coating vs Paint Protection Film

    Motorist takes a closer look at what car polishing, Ceramic Coating, and Car Paint Protection Film do for you, and sees if there's more to them than meets the eye.

    During the recent Circuit Breaker, many car owners were left wondering if they were permitted to wash their cars within HDB compounds. It is evident that we Singaporean drivers really pride ourselves in ensuring our vehicles look good despite not being able to leave our homes.

    A common method to give your car a lasting shine with minimal maintenance would be to send it to a car detailer for a good polish. When it comes to car polishing, most drivers would be familiar with the common terms like Ceramic Coating and Paint Protection Film (PPF). However, what drivers are unlikely to know is that giving your car a good polish does more for your car than simply enhancing its aesthetic features.

    Let’s take a closer look at what each of these applicants does for your car to see if there are more to them than meets the eye.

    Something all vehicle owners want is for their ride to look brand new and shiny - like it never left the showroom floor. This can be achieved with Ceramic Coating, a coating that only needs to be applied once, which bonds to the surface of your vehicle’s paint, greatly enhancing its ability to withstand the harsh weather and environmental conditions of Singapore’s roads.

    Additionally, Ceramic Coating reduces the effort needed in maintaining your car to look brand new, as it allows for easier cleaning while increasing your vehicle’s shine. Vehicle owners will know the dilemma of finding a minor scratch on their beloved vehicle, yet choose to put up with the ugliness as repairing it will cost a substantial amount. However, you will be pleased to find out that with a good quality Ceramic Coat, minor scratches may be removed with a thorough polish.

    Ceramic Coating, however, is not a full-proof solution for your car’s grooming needs as it does not improve your vehicles toughness to withstand more severe injuries like rock chips - very commonly faced by Singaporean drivers as we share the roads with big trucks.

    Paint Protection Film (PPF)

    If your goal is to protect your vehicle from scratches and rock chips - something Ceramic Coating is not capable of, then PPF is what you’re looking for. PPF, though costing slightly more than Ceramic Coating, is a military grade film that greatly enhances your vehicle's resistance to foreign objects, something Ceramic Coating is not capable of. Additionally, PPF has self-healing properties that protects your paint from rock chips, contaminants and scratches, as scars will dissipate over time with heat.

    PPF sadly reduces your vehicle’s shine however, and should only be applied by a professional as untrained application may potentially damage the body of your vehicle, which will be very costly to remedy. PPF application does not mean lower maintenance effort on the vehicle owner's part, as it is advised that PPF be replaced after a few years of usage.

    QMI ToughGuard Paint Protection Singapore

    It seems then that vehicle owners will constantly face a dilemma between making their car aesthetically pleasing and actually trying to protect their vehicles… well, you’re wrong!

    Quick to identify a solution to this problem back in 1998, QMI ToughGuard Paint Protection Singapore became the only detailer to introduce QMI's marine grade products which utilises Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) technology to our shores.

    Now, you may be wondering what PTFE, a chemical compound, is capable of doing for your vehicle. Since PTFE is highly durable, transparent and non-stick, it will result in the body of your vehicle being extremely smooth to the touch. Vehicle owners will additionally be able to say goodbye to rainwater stains as the hydrophobic quality of PTFE makes it a very effective water repellant, causing water droplets to simply flow off the body of your car!

    Once QMI's PTFE products are applied, ToughGuard Nano Surface Protection is applied as a final protective layer. This results in the formation of a protective layer over the body of your vehicle that is hard and transparent, creating a hardness that goes beyond the strength of 9H thickness coatings!

    QMI ToughGuard Paint Protection Singapore ensures your vehicle has a smooth surface that retains shine and resists environmental contaminants. This allows you to have a fuss-free maintenance regime for your vehicle as all you need to do is to wash your vehicle with water at least once a month and dirt can simply be wiped with a cloth!

    With forecasts of heavy downpour over the coming weeks, why not give them a try as your car will still look good despite the unpredictable weather of Singapore!

    5 Things Window Film Can Do For Your Building

    Large banks of windows are a popular building amenity, but the extra daylight can seem like a double-edged sword on sunny days.

    Plentiful daylight is generally healthy for occupants and can contribute to productivity, but can also result in distracting glare and an influx of heat that’s expensive to manage.

    Retrofitting your existing windows with window film can help you achieve your energy, aesthetic and productivity goals at a fraction of the cost of a window replacement, according to Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association.

    Investigate these five ways window film could benefit your building.

    1) Less Glare and Lower Bills

    Some window films can block different parts of the solar spectrum to minimize glare, heat and dangerous UV rays, Smith explains.

    Sunlight contains three parts:

            Ultraviolet radiation – the part that contributes to skin cancer and fades interiors. This section makes up about 3 percent of the sunlight spectrum, according to Smith.

            Visible light – literally, the part that you see. This section is about 44 percent of the total and is responsible for causing glare.

            Near infrared light – which is invisible but contributes to heat gain. This makes up the other 53 percent of the spectrum.

    Understanding the difference between these qualities is key to selecting the right window film if solar control is a priority, Smith explains.

    “Products today will block 65 percent of the heat and allow 65 percent visibility,” Smith says. “Think of the windshield of a car. They’re equipped with factory-tinted glass that looks almost clear, and by law that can’t be darker than 70 percent visibility. This window film is almost that light but would block 65 percent of the heat coming through because it has high infrared reflectance.”

    Large banks of windows are a popular building amenity, but the extra daylight can seem like a double-edged sword on sunny days.

    Plentiful daylight is generally healthy for occupants and can contribute to productivity, but can also result in distracting glare and an influx of heat that’s expensive to manage.

    Retrofitting your existing windows with window film can help you achieve your energy, aesthetic and productivity goals at a fraction of the cost of a window replacement, according to Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association.

    Investigate these five ways window film could benefit your building.

    1) Less Glare and Lower Bills

    Some window films can block different parts of the solar spectrum to minimize glare, heat and dangerous UV rays, Smith explains.

    Sunlight contains three parts:

            Ultraviolet radiation – the part that contributes to skin cancer and fades interiors. This section makes up about 3 percent of the sunlight spectrum, according to Smith.

            Visible light – literally, the part that you see. This section is about 44 percent of the total and is responsible for causing glare.

            Near infrared light – which is invisible but contributes to heat gain. This makes up the other 53 percent of the spectrum.

    Understanding the difference between these qualities is key to selecting the right window film if solar control is a priority, Smith explains.

    “Products today will block 65 percent of the heat and allow 65 percent visibility,” Smith says. “Think of the windshield of a car. They’re equipped with factory-tinted glass that looks almost clear, and by law that can’t be darker than 70 percent visibility. This window film is almost that light but would block 65 percent of the heat coming through because it has high infrared reflectance.”

    Films with high insulating values keep heat in your building in the winter and seal in air conditioning in the summer so that you’re not paying to condition the whole neighborhood. Some can also reflect infrared light back into the room to help heat it, giving you additional winter savings.

    “Standard window film products still make up the majority of window films sold,” says Smith. “There’s a lot of single-pane or clear dual-pane glass that was installed 20 to 40 years ago that needs better energy control or an aesthetic upgrade. Just by tinting that window, you can save as much as 30 percent in the summer months.”

    2) Customized Reflection and Transmission

    Dual reflective films have made a big splash in the last five years thanks to the flexibility they offer building occupants, Smith explains.

    “On the outside of the building, you may want a reflective bronze look, but people on the inside of the building looking out may not want to see a bronze color,” Smith says. “The interior may be blues or grays. Manufacturers can change the reflectance and transmission values so that you see different colors depending on which side of the glass you’re on.”

    3) Aesthetic Benefits and Branding

    Window film with decorative patterns is growing in both variety and popularity, Smith says.

    “You can now get window films that look like frosted or stained glass or that has a bamboo-style pattern. Some patterns are actually screen-printed into the film itself to accent a window. Those same films can be specified with or without energy control or in a thick version that holds glass together whenever the glass breaks.”

    In my country, the pace of architectural film started relatively late, and the intensity of development is not very strong, but with the continuous improvement of the economy, this trend is constantly approaching. In fact, architectural film has become a common product in the construction industry abroad, and its application has become universal. However, due to economic constraints, my country’s acceptance of it was relatively late. It was not introduced until the late 1980s to the early 1990s. At the beginning, its development speed was relatively slow, until the energy began to light up. At that time, people began to have a new understanding of architectural membranes, and it was at this time that it began to be applied to buildings, coupled with its unique characteristics such as: individual performance can be adapted to the different needs of different people , Which can better reflect the needs of people.