Paint Protectant

[elliotgb]

Just wondering if anyone ever heard of TST.
It's supposed to be as described:

T Gloss, a revolutionary new paint enhancement system from TST. Unlike a wipe on - wipe off polish, Special T Gloss is a multi-stage professionally applied system that is designed to last literally for years. The secret lies in the way in which it permanently bonds a layer of Teflon into the surface of your car's paintwork, forming a protective coating with a high gloss finish that looks and feels like glass. The difference is, that unlike a temporary wax polish T Gloss will last, your car will appear as though it has just been polished, wash after wash after wash...

My wife is getting a Saab 9-5 Aero, Black in color and the saleguy is recommending this treatment. At $400 it seems kinda steep, but I am just gathering opinions right now.

Thanks!

[SIM]

F&Is have been pushing expensive "lifetime" waxes, usually accompanied with a little plastic bottle that is not a wax "but has to be applied as a wax to your car once a month in order to preserve the sealant properties"...

Teflon has been widely used as a miracle additive since it is well known that it is very slippery. Tufoil uses it in an oil additive that ends up binding with the bottom of you oil pan after a few minutes, while possibly ruining your filter on its way down. Teflon molecules are too big and heavy to bind to anything properly and no frying pan has never lasted more than a few meals with the Teflon coating intact. It coats because of a very specific process occuring in a controlled environment, although the coating is very fragile. But I doubt first that they can bring your car paint to such temperatures without ruining it. And if they don't, I don't see Teflon binding to your car's clearcoat anytime soon.

I would personnally ask 3M (the maker of the Teflon molecule) if it is possible that it is any good for such use. I know that 3M issued a very explicit warning about Teflon never being intended to be used in an engine and the possible damages to such an engine if it was. Tufoil almost died after this testimonial from the molecule's makers. I did not see them Tufoil bottles anywhere since a few years now.

As I said to one of my trucker friend, who swears that only Prolab is good for your engine, additives, paint sealants, etc... exists more to help you sleep better than to really do good for your car. I believe in synthetic oils because I have studied them for years with real results from real life experiences. I have a Civic who was fed Amsoil 5W30 since its 1st oil change, and that now shows 400,000 km on the dial, needing only half a liter between oil changes (every 6 months or 30,000 km).

[DerosaET]

You might want to try Zaino Brothers. www.zainobros.com
I have tried just about everything out there and this is without a doubt the absolute best. It's not a lot of work and is very easy to use. The results will blow you away. I picked up my MO on a Saturday afternoon, drove it straight home and put 5 coats of wax on by Sunday Evening. It is gorgeous!!! A complete kit will run you about $100 but you should be able to get 10-15 + coats out of it.

[Halo]

I second the Zaino.

In general, stuff the 'closers' try to sell you after a car purchase are a total waste of money. Makes no financial sense whatsoever.

The paint sealants they sell with their 'guaranteed not to fade' ... BS. Ask them, what are they going to do if the paint does fade? Repaint he entire car? Who's going to be doing that?

At the risk of being redundant... stay away from after sale garbage the dealer tries to sell you.