Well, I finally did it. I sold my old Outback (was looking at some major repairs looming in the near future) and bought a new Legacy sedan. As we were closing the deal yesterday, I was asked if I wanted the paint protection package. I declined because my gut instinct is that many of these types of things are only ways for the dealerships to make money - not really necessary.
I was told that due to the new EPA rules that went into effect in 2010, car paints cannot have teflon in them. Instead, they were offering me the option of getting a special treatment which would involved application of a layer of teflon followed by another layer of clearcoat to seal it in. When I said that I suspected that regular washing and waxing of my car would take care of that, the saleslady told me that waxing would have to be regular hardcoat waxing (not the liquid spray or included in the soap) like Turtlewax and it should be applied 2-3 times a year.
I don’t have a problem with waxing the car - planned to do that anyway. What I’d like to know from folks here, is would that extra treatment they were trying to sell me really protect the paint that much better? Have auto paint formulations changed that much? I couldn’t find as much info as I’d like on the web - thanks so much for your answers.
Buy a clay bar and wax kit from your local auto supply shop. Every six months or so, wash it, dry it, clay bar the paint, then wax it. I’ve been doing this ever since I got my 1998 BMW 328 and the paint looks as good today as it did when new.
Don’t park your car in direct sun – sun will fade paint and crack leather seats pretty quick.
All new cars have clear-coat over the paint layer. This adds a level of protection that paint alone can’t provide. Don’t pay dealers for “special treatments” or any other over-priced pure profit add-ons.
It’s amazing how many different lines of BS they come up with. Now it’s ‘teflon’ in the paint. That is a pure lie. You did the right thing. Any decent wax you use will be just as good as what they were trying to sell you.
As texases stated, this is pure, unadulterated Male Bovine Excrement.
The newer auto paints stand up very well, as long as they are waxed at least once a year. It is your choice whether to have the dealer do that first wax job (and that is all it is, no matter what they tell you) for…probably at least $300…or whether you choose to do it yourself for about $10 plus a couple of hours of your own labor.
Just be sure that the first time you wax the car, you do not use a “cleaner wax”, as it contains mild abrasives that are not necessary on new paint. Use just pure wax, from a known brand, such as Mother’s, McGuire’s, or Turtle Wax.
What a load of BS!! Paint never had Teflon in ever! If did it would not stick to the car. Most cars today are painted with a waterborne type of paint. Its done in this order 1- car body is dipped in a epoxy type paint for rust protection 2- A base-coat of color is spayed on 3- A clear coat of waterborne urathane is spayed on.
Any clear coat that a dealer puts on comes out of can or bottle. It’s over priced and done by detail people in the back room in about 30-45 min’s. Oh for fabric protection just so you know. When I worked at the dealer, it came in a 5 gal pal. It was mixed with water at a 1 part FP to 10 parts water. That pal would last over a year and only cost $50.00. The fist one they got free with a steam cleaner. Before that what they used came in a spay can. I wont tell the name but you can buy the same can any were for a few bucks. One thing you should know too. Always check the date of manufacture,it’s on the door tag. If your car was made less than 30 days ago don’t wax it. The paint may not be fully cured. Also cars are sometimes painted at the dealership. They wont tell you this. Two tone paint can be a big seller and they will add it if it will sell that car. Oh then there are the dents from shipping. I would always wait 30 days to make sure.
Oh my gosh - even worse than I suspected. But, I’m laughing - they were very creative, weren’t they? If you had seen the “paint wear strip” they showed me, I think you’d agree that they probably convince a lot of folks to go this route. Note that I got a really good price on the car, and I’m really happy with the new car. I can’t blame them for trying to make some extra $$.
The other thing they tried to sell me - nitrogen for the tires…
Given the way they treated you when you bought the car, I would not ever take the car back unless a warranty issue shows up. Get your maintenance work done anywhere but there.
Ahhh - well, I’m a chemist and I told them no to the Nitrogen offer. When they asked why, I said there was no chemical reason to suggest it would be significantly superior to just regular air. When they said it prevent rust, I pointed out that the wheels are aluminum alloy and don’t rust. (I’m evil, yes?)
Note that I don’t blame them for the usual BS either. And, sadly for them, I rejected their offer of the coupon book for future service. When the sales manager asked why I wasn’t interested in that (it was free) I told them I had a really good mechanic, and I didn’t want my buying a new car to cost him business. (of course, he won’t be getting quite as much business as he was with my old car…) The salesman later told me that they really wanted to do the service business because that was how they made up for the low prices on the cars they sold. I suspect that is partially true, but I also know that they made some money on my deal - just not as much as they were hoping.
I do not think the sales people and the service department are connected - but I really do prefer my own mechanic. He’s been a tremendous asset in years past, and I know he’s the reason that my old car ran so well for so many years.
texases, it’s a short hop from selling nitrogen for tires to selling fuel injector cleaning at 30,000 miles. If a dealership uses deceit to sell products in one arm, why wouldn’t they use it everywhere?
I got good sales experience, but horrid service experience from the Mazda dealership I bought my car from. F
irst the guy didn’t log the appointment I made with him via email(we had traded a few emails prior to that, so I knew he was getting them), but got me in anyways. Then he takes a look at my mileage and says they recommend 6 months for oil changes, I told him I was just going by the owner’s manual(4 months). I get the paper work for the oil change and it says 5w20(oil cap and manual clearly says 5w30) and they added some “graphite lubricant” to the oil when the manual says not to use any additives.
I try emailing him about it(I had went home rather than look at the paper work before I left and it’s an hour drive one way) and he never emailed me back. I get some online survey and fill it out, THEN he calls me and goes off about how good the additive was and that they add it to every car that gets an oil change there. He also says he talked to the guy who done the change and the tech said he used 5w30 and that it was some clerical error that caused my receipt to say 5w20.
Needless to say, that was the last time I was there for anything
They’re going to add a layer of Teflon? Polimerized tetraflourethelyn? PTFE? And then paint (clearcoat) over it?
Man, I’ve heard some “tall ones”, but this one takes the prize. How does one get PTFE to bond to the paint? How does one get paint to bond to PTFE?
Definitely bovine excrement. And this one doesn;t even make any sense.
I’ll tell you what does work; routinely washing and occasionally waxiing the car, and immediately touching up any chips. All daily drivers get chips and dings occasionally. I’ve kept the original paint looking great on numerous vehicles for a long as 17 years just by doing that. And that was on vehicles that spent 100% of their lives outdoors.
That’s how they make their money. $80 plastic hub caps, unnecessary service and option packages. Built in to every car is the long term profit potential in terms of parts and service and warranties. Cars are designed to make a profit for their entire life expectancy. How people can say they “love” these money pits is beyond me.
It’s up to the consumer to work his way through the maze of scams. No different then electronics, fast food and healthcare. It’s call capitalism. I wouldn’t be surprised if the amount we get scammed is inversely proportional to our reading comprehension level.
Owning a car is not an investment; it’s a matter of getting the "shortest " shaft possible.
"How do they get it to bond? The same way pushing a button makes a car heavier; troll science! "
bscar has a very good memory!
He is referring to an incident that I described in this forum on a couple of occasions.
It seems that my brother and SIL were car-shopping, sometime back in the early-mid '90s.
In one of the showrooms, my brother spotted a “traction control” button on the dashboard of a luxury model. While he knew the essential science behind traction control, he decided to use this device to test the knowledge of the car salesman, who already seemed like a true dullard.
So–he asked the salesman, "What does traction control do?"
The salesman’s response was…“Oh–when you push that button, it makes the car heavier!”
My brother replied something along the lines of, “I’m really impressed that the manufacturer has figured out how to defy the laws of physics with the mere press of a button”, and then he and his wife exited the showroom while trying to stifle their laughter at the idiot salesman’s explanation of traction control. They then sought intelligent life in another car showroom, and did find it.
The moral of the story is to be very skeptical of any technical information spouted by car sales people. Many of these folks know very little about the cars that they are selling, and they know even less about maintenance and technology in general.
They’re going to add a layer of Teflon? Polimerized tetraflourethelyn? PTFE? And then paint (clearcoat) over it?
Man, I’ve heard some “tall ones”, but this one takes the prize. How does one get PTFE to bond to the paint? How does one get paint to bond to PTFE?
They’re following the Slick-50 model…How do you get Teflon to stick to cylinder walls??? It was so obviously stupid that after a few years Dupont (the company that owns the rights to the name Teflon) and told Slick-50 they had to remove the name Teflon from their product. Dupont doesn’t mind companies using the name Teflon since it’s good for their business. But when a product like Slick-50 makes these outrageous claims…Dupont didn’t want their name associated with obvious scam product. That’s why Slick-50 now says their product contains PTFE (which is the chemical name for Teflon).