OK, I talked to the Parts and Accessories people at my Ford Dealership about the paint and interior protection they offer. Here's what I got from them. The paint protection is Teflon and they put 5 coats of it on the exterior. It is unlimited warranty for 5 years and will protect against everything or they will repaint the damaged area. All it requires is a wax job once every 6 months. It will also protect against corrosion, so the problem with the bottom of the doors getting rusty from water pooling would be fixed under this plan. I asked them about that also, and they had not seen it on any F-150s in their shop. For the interior, they spray the rugs, leather and vinyl with a teflon spray and it is guaranteed to prevent stains or they will replace the rugs, seat, whatever.

Has anyone heard of this? The price is $299 for just exterior and $499 for exterior and interior treatment. They also offer a teflon undercoat for another $299. What do you think? Is anyone familiar with this teflon protectant? Would you recommend it for the price? I am thinking of just getting the exterior done (don't know about the undercoat, though.)

 

I think there is a corrosion/body perforation warranty from the factory.

I am from California, and I have never undercoated a vehicle, in fact, I don't know of anyone who has. I could maybe see doing it if you lived somewhere where they salted the roads.
Teflon is pretty amazing stuff, but it seems awful fragile, wonder how long it would last under the body?

Just my opinion, but it sounds like one of those things that dealers sell to improve the bottom line.

 

vtn98,

I recommend you take a few minutes and visit Detail City Auto Detailing and Care Care Forums and/or theAutopia Forums . Just perform a search for "Teflon" at either of these and you'll get almost unanimous negative feedback on the "5 year" teflon protections plans. They even point out quotes from DuPont (maker of Teflon) stating that:The addition of a Teflon® fluoropolymer resin does nothing to enhance the properties of any car wax, we have no data that indicates the use of Teflon® to be beneficial in car waxes”. Also Teflon requires a temperature of 600oF to enable cross-linking (bonding) to a surface...so don't expect it to just "stick" to the car's surface for very long.

I believe that the Teflon "protection" is a marketing gimmick that the dealer is using as an opportunity to make themselves some easy money. As far as the doors getting rusty goes, unless you drive in an extremely corrosive environment, that's not likely to happen within the 1st five years even if you do little to maintain your vehicles exterior.

IMHO, you're much better off saving your money and investing a small part of it in some quality wax/sealant and microfiber towels and waxing your truck yourself at least 3 to 4 times a year.

Ultimately, you should do what you think is best for you. If you need any advice on caring for your truck, visit the General Care forum here. Guys like RockPick, Boss_429 and others are really good when it comes to answering questions and sharing knowledge.

 

If the dealer applied Teflon treatment requires waxing every 6 months then it sounds kind of fishy to me. Automotive paint requires several weeks to totally cure out – yes it looks dry and you can rub on it and etc. but it is like concrete, it continues to dry long after you start using it. Applying a sealer, protectant, or wax product, prior to the paint curing will result in the paint forming a cloudy look, that you will never be able to correct, in two to three years, sometimes sooner. It also contributes to the clear coat cracking and failing – you have seen vehicles that this has happened to. My two cents says to let the paint cue for 60 to 90 in the Florida climate and then use a good quality product like Mothers, Zaino Brothers, Maguire’s or other premium quality product every 4 to 6 months. Use the dollars the dealer wants to charge for the Teflon application and buy yourself a good quality industrial strength low speed / high torque multi-orbital buffer. You will still probably have some coin left over. No 2 cents from me on the interior protection.

Screwdrive

 

Exterior protection is needed at different intervals for nearly every individual driver. Putting a number of months that you 'must' re-apply is bogus. In short, my typical cycle varies. Sometimes I'll go 3 months without re-application and other times, I'll go two weeks. It all depends on 1) the time I have to give to the job and 2) as it's needed.

Only you will know when it's time to reapply something like Meguiar's NXT or Zaino but, I can assure you that it'll vary from truck to truck and person to person.

Also, what JandD pointed out is exactly correct. Even the makers of the well-respected consumer product 'TEFLON' don't think it adds any additional benefit to surface protection. That should tell you something right there in my opinion. It seems to me that Dupont is 'bellying up to the bar' in that they're saying, "despite us being able to make a few bucks, we'll be honest and tell you how it is...".

Same scenario with Cheetos... FritoLay could put an advertisement out saying that you can eat Cheetos for every meal of your life and achieve proper nutrition and never gain a pound... obviously, we know that's a farst but, Dupont saying that it doesn't work... I listen to statements like that from a world-renowned company like them....

RP