Teflon Coating on new car?

[OZD 35]

My girlfriend just purchased a '10 Mazda 3. The dealership told her they put a "teflon" coating on the paint and that she wouldn't need to ever wax it. I've never heard of this before and I have a hard time believing it. I was wondering if this is legit or not?:dunno:

[CEE DOG]

You were right. Scam- Sorry for the bad luck man.

Heres a thread that is similar: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/813-teflon-coating.html

Another one: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/673-teflon-sealant-same-thing.html

And another good one: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/792-dupont.html

[detailjohn]

When they say you never need to "WAX" they mean that you still have to use a polymer paint sealant, but it still has to be reapplied. We install Matrix Micro Coatings in my shop and it is completely permanent. No question about it. I coated two of my loaner vehicles 4 years ago, and they're still super shiny, and beading water like fresh wax.


John

[OZD 35]

You were right. Scam- Sorry for the bad luck man.

Well the good news is they didn't charge her for it!

[CEE DOG]

Well the good news is they didn't charge her for it!

Oh! I shouldn't have assumed... In that case terrific! where do I sign :)

[CEE DOG]

Here's some more info I found from various people that I don't know

Hi,
I have been curious about the Teflon coating stuff too, and here in India, every auto dealer offers to do it. Be it a 4-wheeler, or a 2-wheeler. It costs about 0.5 to 1% of the cost of the vehicle itself. I resisted getting it done for my car, but on a recent purchase of a 2-wheeler, I decided to try it out.
I was lucky to witness the coating process itself, at the dealer's workshop. The guy came with a compound, which looked very much like the auto-wax, applied it over the vehicle, and left it for some 20 minutes. Then he wiped it with a cloth, and that's it. I asked him if I could get hold of one such tin myself and do it for my car. He said that there might be compounds available in the market, but not the same "quality" as what he used. Whatever that means...
I really am not sure if this is worth it. The general belief here seems to be that the coating prevents minor scratches on the surface, and adds shine. This is surely debatable.
- Bangalore, India
In my past research, I know several things about Teflon. One, as a product particle, it hates every other particle around it and is constantly in motion (so to speak) trying to get away. Why do you think it takes unimaginable heat and pressure to get it onto your frying pan? In a car coating, it is nearly worthless and the big firms are just cashing in on the name Teflon. Having Teflon in your coating makes it much easier to apply (the ball-bearing effect), but it won't stay on your car without baking it on at incredible heat, at temperatures that would easily melt your vehicle to a slag heap.
The real thing is almost here folks, trust me
- Canada

[olbear1962]

Sounds like a typical "stealership" scam to me...

[OZD 35]

Well, I guess I'll just keep on eye on the beading when it rains. When it stops, if it ever does, I'll be sure to put some wax on it.

[CEE DOG]

Pretty sure it's just a sealant that will last 3-9 months.

[detailjohn]

Teflon is probably PTFE which is in Swissvax Shield Swissvax.us: Shield with non-stick PTFE, 200ml (separate wax) (http://www.swissvax.us/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=swissvax&Product_Code=SE1015110&Category_Code=WAXES) Unfortunately, Teflon needs to be heated much higher than the vehicle's bodywork can handle to form an actual teflon.
Six Basic Types of DuPont™ Teflon® Coatings (http://www2.dupont.com/Teflon_Industrial/en_US/products/selection_guides/coatings.html)

So basically unless you're waxing your car in 500 degree heat, the teflon isn't working.

John

[OZD 35]

Obviously it won't hurt to wax it but what about later on down the road with polishing?

[Rsurfer]

When they say you never need to "WAX" they mean that you still have to use a polymer paint sealant, but it still has to be reapplied. We install Matrix Micro Coatings in my shop and it is completely permanent. No question about it. I coated two of my loaner vehicles 4 years ago, and they're still super shiny, and beading water like fresh wax.


JohnBut its full of scratches and marring. So, if you have to polish it out you just defeated the purpose of a permanent coating.

[trencher7]

I still have an old bottle (half full) of Black Magic's "Paint Protectant with Teflon". I assume it's just a gimmick. I don't see any products these days that advertise having teflon in them anymore.

[C. Charles Hahn]

But its full of scratches and marring. So, if you have to polish it out you just defeated the purpose of a permanent coating.

Bingo. That's exactly why I don't buy into permanent coatings of any kind. If there's EVER a defect needing correction, the coating is destroyed.

[Bobby B.]

When they say you never need to "WAX" they mean that you still have to use a polymer paint sealant, but it still has to be reapplied. We install Matrix Micro Coatings in my shop and it is completely permanent. No question about it. I coated two of my loaner vehicles 4 years ago, and they're still super shiny, and beading water like fresh wax.


John


I applied the Matrix Micro Coating on my truck when I first bought it. The Matrix Micro Coating is very durable and glossy but it only lasted 1 year down here in sunny south Florida. This product is not the easiest to work with that is for sure and I would not recommend every smelling this stuff it will make you vomit. I'm stuck on the Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant and the Fusion Estate Wax. The Wolfgang products are truly amazing.