Polymer Coating?

saurabhkum · 23rd October 2007, 17:06

I recently visited a car spa at one of the HP petrol pumps in Mumbai. They offered me Polymer coating for my Accent @ Rs 2500 with one year warranty. They adviced that polymer coating will help me get more gloss/shine and also it will protect the paint surface from bird droppings and other things. It's also supposed to give the car wet look.
I wanted to know is the polymer coating same as Teflon coating and also if polymer coating is worth Rs 2500.
The car in question is an Accent which is 6 years old,and the color of the car is dark grey.
Pls advice should i go for polymer coating or I should search for teflon coating?
Thanks
Saurabh

nitroxx · 23rd October 2007, 17:46

Have you painted the car recently? coz six years destroys the paint sometimes. If not then get a new paint job and then think of protection (for the paint that is

)

lordofgondor · 24th October 2007, 13:25

Hey Saurabh, I'd never recommend such kind of coatings to you anytime. They are just eyewashes and I believe all they do is wax your car. BTW, I believe Teflon itself is a polymer too. Anyways, if your car's paint is still in good shape I say you go for getting a good waxing job done at regular intervals, say every 3 months. Just remember to get a good polishing job done to remove all kinds of tar & other stains and minor scratches before waxing the car.
A good wax will always give your car's paint a wet and glossy look while protecting it from environmental pollutants.

androdev · 24th October 2007, 13:47

Polymer coating is a very generic term. The quality depends on the brand (such as 3M, Dupont, etc.) These are also called paint sealants. Your paint should be in a great condition to seal it with a polymer coat. Usually the cars are polished to improve the paint condition before applying the sealant. Some people wax on top of the sealant to make it shine.

It might protect your car from bird-droppings and other acidic deposits on the paint (not for long - just till your next wash) but it wont give you any gloss or shine because there is too much dust and pollution around. A couple of minutes in the traffic - your car immediately looks as if it has never been washed! So I wouldn't expect any gloss+shine solution that actually works in India. I mean something that keeps the shine/gloss after say 30 minutes of driving.

DirtyDan · 24th October 2007, 14:00

I lived for many years in the U.S. where they throw massive amounts of salt on the roads in the winter to melt ice. This destroys paint and causes rust very quickly. This is a severe condition not unlike seaside Mumbai. It is common for a car owner in the U.S. to apply teflon at vehicle purchase and then once a year before winter. Unlike wax which can deteriorate quickly with washings, hot soapy water and under the hot sun, teflon lasts at least a year. It is a superior rust preventitive compared to wax. Whether it is cost effective for you to get teflon is another question which I do not know the answer to as I do not know how much teflon costs in India. You can easily apply teflon yourself just like wax if you can find the product. There is no big mystery to it and you can not really make a mistake with it. You just need to keep it off your black rubber moldings and tires because it tends to chalk up on these into a grey-white color that does not look too good and is hard to remove but it will not damage them.

23rd October 2007, 17:06	#1
saurabhkum BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 479 Thanked: 115 Times	Polymer Coating? I recently visited a car spa at one of the HP petrol pumps in Mumbai. They offered me Polymer coating for my Accent @ Rs 2500 with one year warranty. They adviced that polymer coating will help me get more gloss/shine and also it will protect the paint surface from bird droppings and other things. It's also supposed to give the car wet look. I wanted to know is the polymer coating same as Teflon coating and also if polymer coating is worth Rs 2500. The car in question is an Accent which is 6 years old,and the color of the car is dark grey. Pls advice should i go for polymer coating or I should search for teflon coating? Thanks Saurabh
	() Thanks

23rd October 2007, 17:46	#2
nitroxx Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: DXB Posts: 816 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	Have you painted the car recently? coz six years destroys the paint sometimes. If not then get a new paint job and then think of protection (for the paint that is)
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 13:25	#3
lordofgondor BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: UP 16 Posts: 936 Thanked: 159 Times	Hey Saurabh, I'd never recommend such kind of coatings to you anytime. They are just eyewashes and I believe all they do is wax your car. BTW, I believe Teflon itself is a polymer too. Anyways, if your car's paint is still in good shape I say you go for getting a good waxing job done at regular intervals, say every 3 months. Just remember to get a good polishing job done to remove all kinds of tar & other stains and minor scratches before waxing the car. A good wax will always give your car's paint a wet and glossy look while protecting it from environmental pollutants.
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 13:47	#4
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,089 Thanked: 22,030 Times	Polymer coating is a very generic term. The quality depends on the brand (such as 3M, Dupont, etc.) These are also called paint sealants. Your paint should be in a great condition to seal it with a polymer coat. Usually the cars are polished to improve the paint condition before applying the sealant. Some people wax on top of the sealant to make it shine. It might protect your car from bird-droppings and other acidic deposits on the paint (not for long - just till your next wash) but it wont give you any gloss or shine because there is too much dust and pollution around. A couple of minutes in the traffic - your car immediately looks as if it has never been washed! So I wouldn't expect any gloss+shine solution that actually works in India. I mean something that keeps the shine/gloss after say 30 minutes of driving. Last edited by androdev : 24th October 2007 at 13:48.
	() Thanks

24th October 2007, 14:00	#5
DirtyDan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Dharamsala, H.P Posts: 2,075 Thanked: 1,563 Times	Teflon I lived for many years in the U.S. where they throw massive amounts of salt on the roads in the winter to melt ice. This destroys paint and causes rust very quickly. This is a severe condition not unlike seaside Mumbai. It is common for a car owner in the U.S. to apply teflon at vehicle purchase and then once a year before winter. Unlike wax which can deteriorate quickly with washings, hot soapy water and under the hot sun, teflon lasts at least a year. It is a superior rust preventitive compared to wax. Whether it is cost effective for you to get teflon is another question which I do not know the answer to as I do not know how much teflon costs in India. You can easily apply teflon yourself just like wax if you can find the product. There is no big mystery to it and you can not really make a mistake with it. You just need to keep it off your black rubber moldings and tires because it tends to chalk up on these into a grey-white color that does not look too good and is hard to remove but it will not damage them.
	(1) Thanks