[ChrisH]

There seem to be a number of products based on P.T.F.E. that advertise 5 or more years of paint protection with a single hand application as an alternative to waxing. Does anyone have any first hand experience with them, and how do they compare to synthetics like Zaino or Carnubas? Do they live up to their claims? Naturally they advertise long endurance, great protection against the elements and other road grim (e.g., tree sap), withstand over 150 washes, deep reflective shine, etc.

Examples:
http://www.5starshine.com/
http://www.toughguard.com/new/index.html
http://www.paintprotection.co.uk/

 

[Ground Loop]

It's an extraordinary claim, and needs extraordinary evidence before I would trust my car finish to something like that.

Five years is a lot of "sandblasting" on any finish that moves at 80MPH. I wouldn't expect any polymer coat or otherwise to be able to live through it. A tempered glass windshield shows some wear too.

The paint has a clearcoat to protect the color. The wax/polish is to give it that front-surface shine and make things easier to clean off the clearcoat. I think it's more 'sacraficial' than impervious.

 

[Stan]

There are no 5 year waxes. The longest lasting waxes are the synthetics which can make it to about 6-9 months.

New cars that are kept clean will look great for years even if you don't wax them. They just won't look as good as those that were waxed, and their finish will degrade more quickly.

 

[ChrisH]

I am also skeptical of the claims made by these paint protection products, but technology does sometimes advance (after all, I am in the technology advancement business).

Hence, I am interested in someone who has actual experience with these products. Maybe it doesn't last 5 years, but, maybe it really is better than other synthetic coatings as claimed.

 

[Stan]

>>>I am also skeptical of the claims made by these paint protection products, but technology does sometimes advance (after all, I am in the technology advancement business). <<<

"Lifetime" waxes have been advertised since I could first read...so why stop at 5 years? None has ever panned out. The Guru Reports tested a gazillion waxes over a long period of time and none of the one year, five year or lifetime waxes lasted as well as synthetics such Zaino and others. Those make it past 6 months in some cases on some parts of the car. It can get hard to "call" the end of a waxes useful life since they fade out and gloss and water beading gradually ease off. Paint clear coats last for years...some used to claim that cars never needed to be waxed again when they first came out. Not sure why you need such long life...it's not that hard to keep up the finish.

 

[ConeFusion]

I have no idea if it works, but it sounds like this is very different from wax. Teflon lasts a long time in your frying pan under extreme condition, so it doesn't seem impossible that it could hold up much longer than any kind of wax.

 

[Vantage]

Teflon coatings are merely marketing terms. If I'm not mistaken, telfon needs to be bonded at a temperature that would cause your paint to melt.

I would really follow Stan's advice here. These products are just clever marketing for people that don't take care of their cars finish anyway. Even if you did minimal things like washing and a coat of wax here and there, your paint will still look pretty good for years.

Many of the discussions until now have shown lengthy processes in order to achieve a very high level of shine. If you are only interested in the protection aspect, then you don't need to go through all of it. Stick to basics. Hand car washes and periodic waxings will go a long way and not take up much time.

Still, I'm not sure what is wrong with a synthetic that lasts for 6-12 months! Mine is still going well after 9 months.

 

[Vantage]

Here is some more specific information, if you require it:

per DuPont tech bulletin XG-50 issued in the early 80's, this is a shortened, but understandable version of the bulletin

The resin in liquid form must be applied to the surface with a minimum application thickness of 2 mil wet.

The entire part must then be heated to 250 F to release the carrier solvents. This temperature must be maintained for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes.

Once the solvents have been evaporated from the Teflon resin, the heat is to be increased to 640 F and maintained for 30 to 45 minutes in order to create "sintering" of the Teflon material.

Now, judging by this info, I don't think it's possible to reasonably apply teflon to your paint's surface.

 

[Goose]

I remember reading an official blurb from DuPont saying, in so many words, that adding Teflon to wax makes no difference in the wax's performance.

 

[ChrisH]

The patent on these sealants claims to be able to make the compound bond without heating. I didn't try to analyze it.

 

[Goose]

Here's the quote I was talking about:

"The addition of a Teflon fluoropolymer resin does nothing to enhance the properties of a car wax. We have no data that indicates the use of Teflon is beneficial in car waxes."

This statement was quoted by Meguiar's some time ago (obviously, Meguiar's doesn't sell a Teflon-fortified product). I can't find this statement on the Meguiar's website anymore. I wonder if DuPont has changed their position based on all the money they can make licensing the "Teflon" name to wax marketers?

Just forwarding what I've heard...

 

[TimMullen]

We once bought a Honda that had a dealer installed (add-on) "paint protection" product. No need to wax your car for at least five years.

You simply had to add a "freshing" coat of the "sealant" every six months or so to kept the protection intact. Apply it, let it haze, and buff it off. I sure was glad I didn't have to "wax" any more...:huh:

We didn't pay extra for it. The dealer insisted that we had to pay for it since it was already "installed", but we told them to "un-install" it since we we weren't paying for it.:no: I used regular wax on the car instead...

 

[DetailersParadise]

Right. Teflon needs very high temps to bond. There is no way to make it bond to your paint without setting your car on fire. What some companies claim to have devised is a way to suspend Teflon, or connect, it to other chemicals. These chemicals then loosely bond to your paint to provide the "protection."

The bottom line is a five year wax is snake oil. The friction of day-to-day driving is enough to remove even the toughest wax-type products. As TimMullen pointed out, you need to "refresh" your five year protection. In other words, you need to rewax.

 

[Ridgemanron]

DuPont is now selling Teflon Wax products. Their TV commercial has Jeff
Gordon sitting in a parked car, then noticing a garbage truck approaching
that will soon be splashing curbside water on his car. He then alerts his
pit crew, sitting conveniently in his trunk, and they wax the car in moments
before jumping back into the trunk. After the splash of water and mud,
Gordon's car shakes off the stuff like a dog would after being drenched.
Like magic, the car is spotless again. P.S. - The only other person I know
who has a pit crew in the trunk is Heidi. She snaps her fingers and out
they come to charge her battery....or whatever else she needs.

 

[Allan Gibbs]

The only other person I know who has a pit crew in the trunk is Heidi. She snaps her fingers and out they come to charge her battery....or whatever else she needs.

Yeesss.

 

[Ridgemanron]

Yeesss.

I believe, if we were to examine his back, we would see the words
'Heidi's Helpers'.