Has anyone tried this Teflon coating? The dealer is trying to sell it to me. My research is as follows. If you have anythiing to add please do.:

To those with the eternal question: "To Teflon Coat or Not"

To give a slight insight to my knowledge on the subject, I have owned and operated an auto detailing company for the past 15 years. Needing to be competitive in the industry (and wanting to keep my personal vehicles in immaculate condition) I have stayed on top of many different products, procedures, and processes pertaining to the upkeep of ones automobiles.

Now understand that the companies claiming protection from the "TEFLON COATING" (usually applied by the dealers) is a tactic to increase their own bottom line. Understand that the dealer is there to make Money...and as much as possible whenever the opportunity arises. Not that I have a challenge with profit.

I have had several clients purchase new vehicles over the years, and have had the "TEFLON COATING" applied to their vehicle, thinking that the process would in fact not only maintain the beauty of their automobile, but would decrease the cost of upkeep over the life of the car. With personal, long term accounts of a "TEFLON COATED" automobile, I feel I can make an educated assessment of the procedure, and if it does indeed hold up better than a vehicle without.

Again, remember that I have a soft spot for that beautiful word "Profit" and feel that in this Great Nation we call America, that life would no longer exist without it (profit). That being said, if I could "TEFLON COAT" a car, AND it did what they (Dealers and Teflon Coating Companies) claim it does, I would find a company, or start one myself that actually performed the procedure to have the process done to all of the hundreds of cars I have direct ties to (not to mention my own collection of automobiles). I would charge the $300, $400, or even $500 that it cost to have this procedure done, make all of my maintenance profit in one day, maintain the "TEFLON COAT" ANNUALLY (which most companies will tell you is needed, and which cost another $500) to where I would never worry about the paint for the rest of the year (with the exceptional regular washing) and be a happy camper with much more "PROFIT"

In conclusion I feel the best and most effective way to maintain the beauty and over durability of you car is to wash it regularly (weekly). Wax it frequently (monthly). Most reputable companies in the automotive protection (wax) business make several good products.

 

I sold cars in the 70's. Back then they had a product called Polyglycoat. It was BS. It cost $18.00 (including labor) to do the car. They charged $300.00. It lasted about 3 mos. I NEVER recommended it to any of my clients. That's why I got out of sales in thev late 70's.

 

Hey, I had my 72 Pinto done with PolyGly coat. It still looks as good as the day I drive off the lot!


Except now the Polyglycoat has more residual value that the whole car.



April fools!.

Any way, I just bought my wife a new Toyota Highlander and after negotiating the price they then sent us in to talk to the finance manager (after the sale salesman). The dealers are still up to thier old tricks. They tried to sell me the paint protection and the interior protection for $500. I promptly said no thanks and he was shocked. "Well" he said, "you really live on the edge, huh?". I just laughed.

Some things never change.

 

it's a waste of money...

just wax it yourself...and save your money.

i owned a detailing company for over 10 years and it's a dealer profit scam. if it was that great of a product...it wouldn't need reapplied.

"never wax your car again!"

 

If I remember correctly, the price for this process is about $300-400 and there's NOOOOOOO way I'd go for it. For one, waxing your car is establishing a bond with your ride, so that's out of the question for most of us. Secondly, the price, it just isn't worth it when you consider how easy/cheap it is to wax your car 3-4 times a year using a premium product. May I suggest Mequiars NXT or Griots Garage Paint Sealant. Both of these products are under $20.00 and when you factor in a good microfiber towel for removal and extra foam pads, your waaaaay ahead!, not to mention that "bond" with your car!

 

My crossfire has a Teflon Coat.

 

My coat has a teflon.

 

i doubt anyone's car has a coat of teflon. chances are the teflon ended up being removed with the residual wax or polish. plus, if your car actually was covered in a coat of teflon it probably wouldn't look very glossy since teflon is a dull grey color.


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Although Teflon® is an exceptional product when used as intended, it provides no benefit in a wax or polish. According to G.R. Ansul of DuPont's Car Care Products, Specialty Products Division, "The addition of a Teflon® flouropolymer resin does nothing to enhance the properties of a car wax. We have no data that indicates the use of Teflon® fluoropolymer resins is beneficial in car waxes, and we have not seen data from other people that supports this position." Manufacturers of gimmicky, over-hyped products sometimes claim that their products contain Teflon®, hoping that the consumer will believe there is something special about that product. Ansul also notes that, "Unless Teflon® is applied at 700 degrees F, it is not a viable ingredient, and is 100 percent useless in protecting the paint's finish." This is hot enough that your car's paint (let alone your car) wouldn't survive.

Teflon® is a registered trademark of Dupont.

(Source: Grisanti, Stephen, "The Truth About Teflon®", Professional Carwashing & Detailing, January, 1989.)

 

I think Teflon coating is great for summer but seriously, I've never tried it and still don't have plans on it. Car waxing is great and economical. oh btw, i was having hard time looking for a honda emblems, any idea?

 

My car is black, so if I had it Teflon coated I suppose I could fry an egg on the roof of it in the summer without fear of it sticking to the paint.

 

Excellent idea! Just think you could get rid of your oven/stove! think of the money you will save on energy.

 

Interesting and timely thread. I had my roadster treated by the dealer with the Great Lakes Paint Protection System, consisting of a "teflon flurocarbon resin". No clue what that really is, but this was the most expensive car I ever bought and since I planned on keeping it forever, I viewed it as cheap "insurance". The roadster is garaged/covered, hand washed and waxed regularly, and it does not see winter. Mileage: 33k. The paint is baby butt smooth with no swirls or marks -- if you run your hand over it, there are no little imperfections or roughness whatsoever. The top was also treated, and the one incident of seagull crap (on a vacation) washed right out, leaving no marks.

My SRT6 (same year, color) was purchased used and obviously driven in the winter. I have used Turtlewax Liquid Claybar and it has been repeatedly washed, then waxed with Mother's Carnauba-based wax. I can still see fine scratches in the clearcoat where the previous owner ran it thru carwashes, and when you run your hand over the paint it feels a little scratchy, not glossy smooth.

NOW for my question. I have never claybarred a car, but am prepared to go slowly and patiently if in the opinion of the experts, it will remove those "imperfections" and smooth out the SRT6 paint. I'll even go out and get some Meguiar's wax. (I have been "afraid" to claybar due to concerns about ruining the finish.) Opinions and recommendations welcome at this point.

 

Yep, the only place for Teflon is on frying pans...

Or inside your air intakes..

BTW, if you believe in the Teflon application, do it yourself for about $20. Just clay, remove all the swirls, polish your car first, them apply the Teflon application. Don't pay the dealer for that application.

 

Goldwing, claying a car is an incredibly simple, safe and effective process. So many people are afraid of the process, but we teach it almost every week at our detailing clinics here at work. Honestly, on a car the size of a Crossfire, it's a 20 minute job unless the car is horribly contaminated.

But if you think a simple wax job, no matter which wax you select, is going to get rid of the swirls, think again. The ONLY way to remove swirls is to level the surrounding paint - meaning you need a paint cleaner with some degree of abrasive in order to eliminate them. Scary as that sounds, when all you're doing is removing swirls you are taking off such a minute amount of paint that we can't even measure it. There are old school rubbing compounds on the market that will get rid of those swirls, but in the process they will haze the paint pretty badly. They are not designed to be "finishing" polishes or cleaners. Stay away from them. Far away.

Companies like Meguiar's, Menzerna, Poor Boys, Pinnacle, etc make the type of product you're looking for. The easiest to find locally is probably Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, and it's probably also among the easiest to use and most effective products of its type. You can use it by hand (though I dread the thought of correcting a vehicle entirely by hand) or with a good D/A buffer like the Porter Cable 7424XP or Meguiar's G110.