Teflon Car Wax
The Great Pretender

Teflon car wax is one of the biggest misunderstandings in the car care industry. There has been no evidence to substantiate the claims of products using this ingredient. Teflon, DuPont's trade name for PFTE, gained notoriety as a non-stick surface from its use on frying pans. So someone got the brilliant idea that creating a Teflon wax for cars would keep bugs and dirt from sticking to the paint.

The fact that nothing sticks to Teflon is one of the biggest reasons why it is not effective in waxes. It will not stick to paint either!

In order for Teflon to stick to the cars paint, you would have to rough up the surface to create many microscopic scratches in the surface. Then the Teflon would have to be forced into those scratches with pressure and a temperature of greater than 572 degrees F. That's how the finish is applied to frying pans. Do you really want to do that to your paint? And would that achieve your desired result? In actual fact, calling most of these products Teflon car wax is a misnomer. There is only a small percentage of this ingredient added to the wax. Not enough to have any real impact on the effectiveness of the product. But clever marketing continues to keep it in demand. Another popular way to market Teflon is as an autommotive paint sealant. Dealers and detailers are charging as much as $500 or more to coat a vehicle with Teflon. They tell their customers this sealant will last for 5 years without anything but periodic washings to maintain the shine.

There is absolutely nothing that can be put on a vehicle finish for a long term maintenance free shine. The only way to keep you car looking great is with regular periodic cleaning and polishing.

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