Snould I have a TEFLON service for a new car or wax it instead?

vter_67vter_67 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Mercedes-Benz
Should I go for a TEFLON instead of WAX for a new car?

Comments

  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    There is a good chance that the "kids" the dealer has doing any clean up or detailing work on the new car will place sider web scratches on the finish etc. Just take it home and clean it and wax it yourself. Their wax is no better then yours.

    Seriously look into Zaino Bros Polish and look at the board here on Edmuds for Zaino and for other wax products. I have used most of them. Zaino is by far the most durable and great finish others are very good also. Dealer prep is huge rip off.
  • pjyoungpjyoung Member Posts: 885
    'Cause teflon works great for cookware, but it really doesn't work at all as a car wax. I agree with the other poster - just do it yourself, using whatever product you want (I'm a zainoite, but any wax will work better than dealer applied teflon). If you opt for the $500 teflon job, you'll end up waxing the car within a year anyhow...there's no product that will protect your cars finish for a year or more.
  • mrdetailermrdetailer Member Posts: 1,118
    Now while it sounds good to put slippery Teflon on a finish it's bogus. Teflon is so slippery precisely because it DOES NOT adhere readily to surfaces. It bonds to pans because it is heated hundreds of degrees.

    Imagine the result if you did that to the paint surface of your car.

    Unless you know that your car dealer is using a clay bar to remove pollutants from your vehicle I would specifically request that they do nothing more than remove any plastic on the exterior. Quite often they scratch the finish with a hard brush, and don't do anything to remove the microscopic iron filings that get onto every new car transported by rail, or silicon and tar from the roads.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You know, I never wax my cars much less put teflon on them. Anytime you rub heavily onto or buff a painted finish you are subtlely degrading it, whether its wax or teflon or whatever.

    I just wash my cars religiously and keep them protected from sun and weather and they always look great.

    About all wax does is make it a bit shinier, and if your paint has dulled for some reason, by all means shine it up and wax it.

    But if it's a new car with a new car finish, I'd just wash it a lot and cover it and see how it goes. You should see my Benz. I haven't waxed it for almost three years and it looks great. Stays outside a lot, too. But no grit or grime is ever allowed to stay on it for very long.

    If you live in acid rain country or in a rugged climate with salted roads, I don't think wax or teflon is going to prevent the worst, sad to say.
    But washing a lot will delay the inevitable.
  • adc100adc100 Member Posts: 1,521
    But you know-I gotta agree. Since I retired I have become interested in learning a little about detailing and better car care products, including polish and waxes. I have a '94 Toy truck and I hit it with some Imperial Hand Glaze and some #26 and it looks like a jewel.

    But the main point I'm trying to make is that it hasnt been waxed in 5 years Really speaks volumes about the true need to constantly clay/polish/wax/detail spray, etc.
  • odd1odd1 Member Posts: 227
    You two are out of the OCD club now.
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    well, it doesn't hurt - a good paste wax will help protect your car's finish from UV rays and acid rain and stuff - but I think washing it regularly is far more important - wax is not necessary to keep the shine on today's cars - I was at the drycleaners one day and saw a man pull up in the most beautiful black car - he came inside and I asked him what kind of wax he used - he told me that he had never waxed his car - just washed it once a week with Turtle Wax car wash -
  • fwatsonfwatson Member Posts: 639
    Quote britton2 "- just washed it once a week with Turtle Wax car wash -"

    And ALWAYS wash and/or wax in straight line motions. NEVER in a circular motion.
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    yes - good point - also, I forgot to mention - he told me that his car was 4 years old!
  • phillyguy3phillyguy3 Member Posts: 88
    My wife's 99 red Accord had a few scratches on it, so I used a little compound which worked. Then I applied some turtle wax to get the shine back. However, you can still see where the compound was,although not as severe. Any suggestions on how to "blend" in?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, you see,that's the problem right there. Any time you polish, wax or even rub hard you are affecting the surface of the paint or the clearcoat probably in your case.

    My good friend Keven is a professional car painter (owns his own shop in northern California) and he does truly beautiful work. He told me to trust him about not waxing my Benz after he repaired the nose (again). The subject came up when I had admitted to him, guiltily, that I never wax my cars and "would he have trouble matching the paint because of that". He told me my paint looked fine, that he would match the factory paintjob, and that I shouldn't wax over his work, ever---BUT that I had to keep the car very very clean and wash it carefully.

    He recommended to "float the dirt off" with a hose first, no rubbing, no detergent, no nothing. Once the major grit was softened and floated away, then wash the car and avoid any hard rubbing. Then dry off with a chamois cloth or equivalent synthetic.

    So far, so good. Haven't touched his new paintjob with wax in 6 months or the entire car in 3 years, and if you're ever in the San Francisco area, let me know I'll show it to you. And this car is not garaged! (my other one is, also never waxed).
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    the chamois part. After using the CA Wiper Blade there is no comparison. Chamois scratch and rub etc.,etc. the wiper blade is so quick, so effective and with a cotten cloth/towel for the remaining drops this is by far the easiest way to wash a car.
  • mrdetailermrdetailer Member Posts: 1,118
    Shifty -- Not fair. I doubt your SF climate exhibits that many extremes. I'm sure you don't have to go for a month or 2 where you can't wash because of cold, or snow. Where we have 4 honest seasons waxes are needed for protection.

    My Subaru was 7 years old when I purchased it. The prior owner was from the bay area. Frankly its finish was the best maintained I have had on a used car.

    My Mazda also came from California -- central valley. Oxydized. This is the worst finish I've had to deal with. Definitely needs wax for protection.

    Hey, let the sun, pollutants, dust, bird droppings, acid rain, sand, etc. get on a coat of wax, not the clear coat. You'd have to wash almost every day in my climate to keep it perfect without waxing.
  • pjyoungpjyoung Member Posts: 885
    Here in the heartland, you can go for MONTHS without a decent day to wash. Even if you get a nice day, or brave the elements and stand in an ice covered bay at a coin operated wash, you will still get salt/road junk and whatever else thrown back up on the body of the car. During the summer months, a strong sun and 100 degree days will also put your paint to the test. I put a good coat of "protection" on in late fall and hope for the best. This year I was lucky enough to get a nice enough day to Z my car in January. Come spring and summer, it's pretty much a monthly thing to detail the car. Trust me - it's easy to spot the cars here that have never been waxed.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, sure, no argument. If you can't wash your car a lot, then you have to do something else.

    Bay Area is a seaside environment, don't forget, and cold and wet. It's not so benign here.

    Pollutants take time to work on paint, so you don't give them any time. Yeah, it's time consuming, and maybe a bit wasteful of water, but if you are thrifty and well organized, you don't need to use very much.

    I agree, you need to be careful with chamois. I clean them very well before use.
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    for the lurkers - have a look at microfiber towels. They are softer than cotton terry but have a nap that chamois' do not. I'm totally hooked on them for drying, polishing, wipe downs, everything. I now only use cotton terry towels for the grimey jobs.

    I can understand Shifty's painter's viewpoint. Having worked in a body shop and knowing pro painters, many do not like anything that masks or alters their artwork. Especially since so many waxes and polishes contain solvents and silicones that will dry out the paint over time. I agree that if a car is washed very frequently and kept garaged or protected, there may not be a serious need to wax.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It's not a program for everyone bretfraz, all I'm saying is that it works for me. And if you want to repair damaged paint, of course you need the best polishes and waxes.
  • zr2randozr2rando Member Posts: 391
    just kidding, but seriously,,,
    New paint does not need much but older paint can really use some help. Any body remember the Autofom product...best thing I ever saw for new paint, has a consistency like thick milk, does NOT clean or polish but DOES do some kind of antistatic thing...dust/pollen kindof blows right off it.It is GREAT for a new paint job probably for about first 3 years...after that I definitely start using some polish, everyone has their own favorite...I like the "NU-FINISH" myself...
    In particular during the spring and fall the pollen/tree sap/bugs/birds and water spots can leave prints on paint..
    The drying products mentioned above help with the water spots very good and make a huge difference, but you still need to polish out the other stuff.
    Think of it like putting a thin layer of polyurethane/wax on the paint that you just replace once or twice a year..that way the paint is actually exposed to the "stuff" only minimally, and the layer takes the abuse and then gets replaced....instead of the paint itself..
    good luck!
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Just finished prepping my fibreglass sailboat for the '02 season. Last year as a test we used Meguiars boat wax on one side, Nu-Finish on the other. The Nu-Finish side was much easier to clean off a season's worth of steel mill fallout and residue from a polluted harbour.
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