Teflon Coating

Hello All, This is a new area for me as I am not familiar with Teflon coatings. I have a client who purchased a 2016 Hellcat and opted to have the dealer apply a Teflon coating on purchase. In any event, he reached out to me to have it detailed. It`s been garage kept at all times and only has 2,000 miles on it. He asked if it would be worth removing the Teflon coating and apply a ceramic coat since the dealer claims the Teflon coating lasts 7 years. He has only washed it a few times, not with the wash that came with the coating. He usually just does a detail spray since it doesn`t get dirty. He said it is black and has no swirls, etc. and is in excellent shape.

From what I have researched, you shouldn`t wash a Teflon coating as this causes a breakdown in it. Not knowing much about the Teflon coating, and according to him, it still beads very well when he did wash and rinse it, I told him I would do some more research on it.

1. If it was washed, how much integrity can be lost by the wash?
2. If it appears to be protecting well, can I apply wax to top the Teflon to make up for any integrity loss due to washing?
3. I would ultimately recommend a ceramic coat, but for now, would it be more beneficial for him to opt for that now or to wait until the Teflon`s integrity is deminished to the point of needing a ceramic coating?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Street5927- Is this some newfangled Teflon or the old "TSP" or whatever it was (slogan: Protecting what moves you" or something like that) that dealers used to apply?

If the former I have nothing to offer, if the latter I`d just assume there`s nothing really on there to care about as it used to just be Dealership Snake Oil for practical purposes.

Note that Dupont is on record as saying that the whole "Teflon Car Care" thing is BS...but that was a while back and maybe there`ve been advances since then.

Heh heh, IMO you oughta lay eyes on it first. Have you *ever* seen a black car owned by anybody IRL (OK, anybody except an Auotpian) that`s remained marring-free despite being wiped down (or even washed) with anything? It wouldn`t surprise me if this were some major project where "what`s currently on it" isn`t much of a factor.

But hey, maybe it`ll be in great shape and a pleasant surprise :D

EDIT: Oh, I can`t resist....."can`t wash teflon"?!? I mean...really? Big Clue IMO. Sorry, sorry... :o Hope I`m wrong..

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Originally Posted by Accumulator

Street5927- Is this some newfangled Teflon or the old "TSP" or whatever it was (slogan: Protecting what moves you" or something like that) that dealers used to apply?

If the former I have nothing to offer, if the latter I`d just assume there`s nothing really on there to care about as it used to just be Dealership Snake Oil for practical purposes.

Note that Dupont is on record as saying that the whole "Teflon Car Care" thing is BS...but that was a while back and maybe there`ve been advances since then.

Heh heh, IMO you oughta lay eyes on it first. Have you *ever* seen a black car owned by anybody IRL (OK, anybody except an Auotpian) that`s remained marring-free despite being wiped down (or even washed) with anything? It wouldn`t surprise me if this were some major project where "what`s currently on it" isn`t much of a factor.

But hey, maybe it`ll be in great shape and a pleasant surprise :D

EDIT: Oh, I can`t resist....."can`t wash teflon"?!? I mean...really? Big Clue IMO. Sorry, sorry... :o Hope I`m wrong..

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Hey Accum....I hope you are correct in that I hope it is a pleasant surprise. This is what they applied. I also mentioned to him that I would be very skeptical of anything that claims to protect for 7 years.


Link to commercial retail site removed.

For ptfe to bond to the surface it needs a whole lot of heat (I forget what the actual number is) the paint would be burned off the car to bond it. I`m sure there`s ptfe in what ever paste or liquid they applied. It would be suspended in whatever the carrier is. It`s probably no different than fusso coat which has ptfe in it. It creates awesome water behavior for a few months to maybe a year. I`m with accumulator, the dealer making a killing off of snake oil, with crazy claims.

Wow. Read that whole front page of that website (since been removed from previous post) and I`m so glad to see that they clean all the way "through the paint and primer" before applying. And the warranty is backed by an "A+15 insurance company" (whatever that is).

Must be awesome to know it "is the only insured and certified vehicle paint protection that meets U.S. Department of Defense Salt Spray Test #202. (Oddly specific). And why is the department of defense interested in testing something like this anyway?

I dunno, looking at all of that it screams snake oil. I could be wrong, but too many things just throw red flags with all that. Not to mention you say it was dealer applied. Now the real question was did the dealer themselves apply it, or did they send it out to a 3rd party? Most dealerships aren`t interested in doing labor intensive stuff like is described on that page because it doesn`t help their bottom line at all.

I agree with accumulator, have a look at it in person.

Thanks for the input guys. I have scheduled a free consult tomorrow, so I will update this when I have more information.

I`m pretty sure more than - 50 - Years ago, Teflon automotive product sellers were saying the same thing..

And it was always met with the same thing as Coleroad said above in Post # 4.. You need very high heat for Teflon to actually - Bond - to surfaces, which rules out paintwork and much everything else..

All the Coating manufacturers today and from more than a decade ago do not use Teflon in their products for a reason..

Did the owner of that `16 Hellcat look at the car under sunlight AND good overhead and side lights ?

Good luck with this !
Dan F

I’m with the others here in saying this is dealership “snake oil”. If there was such a product we would know about it. Dealerships are not known for their detailing prowess, they sell cars and somewhat maintain them. I would love to be wrong and there is a secret product that lasts 7 years but I have serious doubts. I look forward to your follow up.

It`s hard for me to believe that anyone would take these Teflon (or any other "lasts 7 years") claims seriously. This crap has been around for 50 years, as a previous poster said. Do you know what the profitability margins are for the dealer when they can upset this junk? HUGE.

I`m not sure any detailing product can last more than a couple years unless garage kept on a daily basis.

Wasn`t Auto-Armour THE dealership-applied auto sealant ("Environmental Protection System", according to the old bottle I still have of the cleaner/renewer) with Teflon??
I would think a good paint-prep solvent like Kleen-Strip Prep All Wax & Grease Remover or 3M Prep Solvent 70 or DuPont Prep-Sol Cleaning Solvent 3919S would remove that

I have some Auto Armour but never bothered to use it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ShaneB

Must be awesome to know it "is the only insured and certified vehicle paint protection that meets U.S. Department of Defense Salt Spray Test #202. (Oddly specific). And why is the department of defense interested in testing something like this anyway?

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Heh heh, the DOD has some mighty good reasons to have Salt Spray Specs..consider all the, uhm...serious hardware...you wouldn`t want rusting out ;)