Wow, I'm getting hooked!!

Thanks guys for all your advice on washing, treated a black Pathfinder!!!! After taking the Pathfinder up to the snow, I had to wash it (and no way was I going to take it to the local carwash!). I used all of your advice, and was still disappointed at seeing these spider web marks on the surface in the sun after washing. But then I pulled the car in, sent my wife and kids to the movies and applied Tutle Wax clear coat polish. It's suppose to have micro-clear coat resins to fill in any scratches. Wow! The car looked at least as good if not better than when I drove it off the dealer lot. 99.9% of the scratches were gone. I've decided I just have to keep it well polished and waxed, which I would do anyway and stop fretting so much about the clear coat. All I have to do is teach my kids how to do this! Another question though.... what about these silicon based products that the dealers push? My dad just had it done on his brand new Outback and it looks great. They are telling him he won't need to wax his car for years. Also what about power washers to wash the car (on low pressure!!!)? Sears sells them and have products to use for washing cars. Thanks again guys!

you may be talking about the "teflon sealant" products. these are offered by most dealerships. the idea is that you don't wax; you re-apply the sealant as a renewer every 6 months or so and this prolongs or renews the sealant. good stuff, but you can do the same with an over the counter sealant.(20dollar investment) also, read the warranty that comes with the product as it will probably only guarantee that the product will protect from fading-not acid rain,scratches birds etc. now this is a good plan for someone who doesn't want to clean the car every week or worry about it. we offered this through my d/ship and it was from 100-600 dollars. we applied it and gave the renewer kit. very few if any complaints. we would buff these cars if they were abused or or the customer didn't follow the maintenance schedule. the warranty company WOULD NOT RE-PAINT FOR ANYTHING!!! and would blame every paint or sealant related problem on "factory paint" or "act of god/nature." if they didn't sell this damn stuff and hype it up to be a miracle product, we would never have these problems. people honstly beleived that the paint was near bullet proof. btw, teflon is pretty much a gimmick and marketing buzzword and does nothing for protection.

if you talk to anyone who knows about teflon you will find out that it needs to be heated to i think 700 degrees to bond. i don't think you want this!
as for the products which contain a bunch of silicone ,this i have learned is probably the worst thing you can do to your paint! all you have to do is go to a body shop and ask a painter what they think,i think you will find you will get a hour speech on silicone. the problem is it soaks into the paint and reaks havoc and if the worst happens,the new paint will develope fish eyes and other problems. just stick with non silicone waxes and top name sealants as they are called.
also ,just so you know,my freind at a dealer told me that they make most of the profit on finance and paint sealers as well as fabric gaurd.
good luck,mike at the shine shop

In order for any substance to become a proper coating, it must be able to be changed to a liquid. Teflon (like Mike said) melts near 700 degrees...not a good thing for the rest of your car, you'd end up with a teflon coated cinder.

Silicone isn't ALL bad...unless you have to repaint, then the car must be completely stripped, and washed down in order for the new paint to work. It's not that big of a deal though, just more work than most paint shops want to do, most of them would prefer to do a basic prep (medium sanding) then paint the car. Less time & cost for them. (especially on an insurance repaint from an accident).



Don M
'02 Cavalier LSSC
2200 DOHC