Ceramic coating VS teflon based coating

[GrabThatBlue]

Alright guys, most of the time my feelings give me the answer already but I want to hear from experienced detailers.

I never ceramic coated my cars, always drove through carwashes. I have the same car for 13 years and the black color is still beautiful when washed.

Now I have this brand new Mustang that I want to give it a coat protection and I found this company close where I live that has very good reviews.. BUT..

When asking the guy what ceramic coating he is using, he told me they are using teflon based PTFE. No clue what that is so I used ChatGPT to find out and it says these coatings last just a few months to 1 year.

This detailer is claiming it can last at least 4 years to 8 years.

I asked him what product he is using and he never andwered my question what gave me a red flag.
Instead of answering my questions he told me he is one of the most famous detailers around and that he has a lot of returning clients etc.

Information that I didn't ask for. But he is right. He is the most famous detailer around, but not telling me what product he is using and instead of convincing me he is a good detailer just gives me negative feelings.

But he later stated that I' always welcome to his shop to see and because he does not know who I am, he told me he will show me the product if I come give him a visit.

If I give my car to someone, I want to know what product they are using. Is that really that hard to ask?

I want to know from detailers what they think about this so far and I will update you guys after I paid him a visit.

Update: I went to that location. It looks professional. The owner showed me the product he uses called Undr Dog PTFE coating.

He said it will cost me 1500 USD for the coating. That's a little too high I think for especially that brand. I'm not into the brands but I looked it up and compared it with other brands with ChatGPT. Ofcourse I can't have any opinion based on only ChatGPT and wonder what guys here think with their detailing experience.

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[Wiley Marmot]

It's been my experience if someone has to tell you how fill in the blank they are; they likely aren't.

PTFE is a family of plastics the most common of which is known as Teflon by DuPont.

Hopefully DFB5.0 will chip in on your question.

Good luck!

 

[SteveinKG]

Alright guys, most of the time my feelings give me the answer already but I want to hear from experienced detailers.

I never ceramic coated my cars, always drove through carwashes. I have the same car for 13 years and the black color is still beautiful when washed.

Now I have this brand new Mustang that I want to give it a coat protection and I found this company close where I live that has very good reviews.. BUT..

When asking the guy what ceramic coating he is using, he told me they are using teflon based PTFE. No clue what that is so I used ChatGPT to find out and it says these coatings last just a few months to 1 year.

This detailer is claiming it can last at least 4 years to 8 years.

I asked him what product he is using and he never andwered my question what gave me a red flag.
Instead of answering my questions he told me he is one of the most famous detailers around and that he has a lot of returning clients etc.

Information that I didn't ask for. But he is right. He is the most famous detailer around, but not telling me what product he is using and instead of convincing me he is a good detailer just gives me negative feelings.

But he later stated that I' always welcome to his shop to see and because he does not know who I am, he told me he will show me the product if I come give him a visit.

If I give my car to someone, I want to know what product they are using. Is that really that hard to ask?

I want to know from detailers what they think about this so far and I will update you guys after I paid him a visit.

I know this does not answer your inquiry, but you say you have been taking your car through a car wash and the black paint remains beautiful. Are these touchless car washes? If not, are these specific (brushes, etc) cars washes you visit? It has been my understanding cars should never be run through a full service (brushes, etc) car wash. I'm not implying you are making mistakes, just wondering how this is working out for you I suppose.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

I know this does not answer your inquiry, but you say you have been taking your car through a car wash and the black paint remains beautiful. Are these touchless car washes? If not, are these specific (brushes, etc) cars washes you visit? It has been my understanding cars should never be run through a full service (brushes, etc) car wash. I'm not implying you are making mistakes, just wondering how this is working out for you I suppose.

It's mostly touchless, only 1 section is getting touched, some sort of soft flaps hanging in the air waving while the car is going through.

It's a car wash street where you put your car in neutral and goes through all different sections.

Owner since 2011 and the black paint is absolutely perfect.

 

[DevilDog]

Hopefully DFB5.0 will chip in on your question.

Yup! I agree.

 

[Crew4991]

Hi OP, I usually go with the brand first and then the brand will usually tell you which installers will use their product.

For example, I like Feynlab self healing ceramic coatings and then I go through them to find an installer near me that will use their product. Can't say this is what all brands do, but certainly a brand you like might have recommendations in your area.

Here is the link to Feynlab's website for reference. The brand will tell you all about their product and on the main page usually they will have something about finding an installer that uses their product.
https://www.feynlab.com/

I personally wouldn't go the opposite way where the installer picks the brand but it really depends on the reputation of the installer. They should absolutely be able to tell you all about the product they use or will use on your car before you sign anything/pay to have it done.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

Hi OP, I usually go with the brand first and then the brand will usually tell you which installers will use their product.

For example, I like Feynlab self healing ceramic coatings and then I go through them to find an installer near me that will use their product. Can't say this is what all brands do, but certainly a brand you like might have recommendations in your area.

Here is the link to Feynlab's website. The brand will tell you all about their product and on the main page usually they will have something about finding an installer that uses their product.
https://www.feynlab.com/

Thank for the tip. Unfortunately it doesn't apply for where I'm at. I'm in Africa working for a couple of months and move back to Europe.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

Update: I went to that location and everything looks clean and professional.

I talked to the owner and he showed me the product he is using called Undr Dog.

I compared this product with other products with ChatGPT and learned that this is a easy and budget product to use, mostly used by DIY'ers that does a good job but lasts less then the more famous brands like Glassparency.

He told me he will do the car and the wheels for 1500 USD. That's sounds quite expensive or am I wrong?

Unfortunately there is not many other detailers around.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

I had my Focus RS (considerably smaller than our GTs) detailed (included paint correction and polymer based sealant/wax/whatever) detailed inside and out for $300. in July of 2023.

Hard to compare pricing from here (rural agricultural area) to "Europe" though. That $1500 sounds pretty darn high to me for a "not ceramic" exterior detailing. If detailers are the rare beast in your area you say they are; your choice seems pretty simple. You do business with him or don't.

Good luck!

 

[GrabThatBlue]

I had my Focus RS (considerably smaller than our GTs) detailed (included paint correction and polymer based sealant/wax/whatever) detailed inside and out for $300. in July of 2023.

Hard to compare pricing from here (rural agricultural area) to "Europe" though. That $1500 sounds pretty darn high to me for a "not ceramic" exterior detailing. If detailers are the rare beast in your area you say they are; your choice seems pretty simple. You do business with him or don't.

Good luck!

That's exactly what I'm trying to find out here in the forum before doing or not doing business with them.

 

[GT-24]

if you go to the top right side of the mustang7g.com site, in search, DFB5.0, a list of to his posts will show up. There is a post of all the products he suggests.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

if you go to the top right side of the mustang7g.com site, in search, DFB5.0, a list of to his posts will show up. There is a post of all the products he suggests.

Yeah, but where I am, all detailers use the same thing. Nobody has the real ceramic coating and they all use Undr Dog.

 

[Decible]

@db

Update: I went to that location and everything looks clean and professional.

I talked to the owner and he showed me the product he is using called Undr Dog.

I compared this product with other products with ChatGPT and learned that this is a easy and budget product to use, mostly used by DIY'ers that does a good job but lasts less then the more famous brands like Glassparency.

He told me he will do the car and the wheels for 1500 USD. That's sounds quite expensive or am I wrong?

Unfortunately there is not many other detailers around.

That seems high, in my area it’s about 1100.00 for xpels FUSION PLUS Premium 8 yr coating. @DFB5.0 your thoughts?

 

[GrabThatBlue]

@db

That seems high, in my area it’s about 1100.00 for xpels FUSION PLUS Premium 8 yr coating. @DFB5.0 your thoughts?

I asked him in his own topic and he said it's reasonable..

 

[DFB5.0]

@db

That seems high, in my area it’s about 1100.00 for xpels FUSION PLUS Premium 8 yr coating. @DFB5.0 your thoughts?

I asked him in his own topic and he said it's reasonable..

Considering they are coating the wheels as well, I'd say the price is in the ballpark. Coating wheels is time consuming and requires the wheels to be removed from the vehicle to coat the barrels. This also allows for them to coat the calipers while they are in there.

Just make sure they are coating the barrels and not just the wheel face. Coating the face only is almost a pointless exercise as its the barrels that are harder to clean, so having them coated is highly beneficial.

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