What the Heck Are Polymers and Do I Want Them on My Car?
By Gregg Hall
When shopping for car care products for your vehicle’s finish you will often see the term “polymers” included in many car waxes and other finish products. Many people have no idea what this is, so here’s description for you. Polymer actually means many units, basically any chemical that is comprised of constantly repeating identical chemical units.
Included in this group of chemical car care products are such materials as polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE), and polyisocyanate. So, for example poly-ethylene would be many units of ethylene. The term “polymer” is thrown around in the car care product industry to the point of being abusive, so take care and read what the ingredients actually are.
The existence of polymers in a car care product can increase the quality of automobile finish products. One of the important criteria that makes polymers better than waxes or silicones is the chemical reaction called “cross linking”, which means that each of these long chain polymers must be able to connect together. By cross linking, the polymer creates a shield over the painted surface.
Another product that we see often in the car care product industry is Silicone fluid, which is a short chain polymer known as polydimethyl siloxane. Silicone is typically a much thinner product than many of the other polymers on the market.
Yet another ingredient in many car care products is resin. Resin is another very over used term that is used to describe a broad range of products. Basically, a resin is a polymer that melts in specific solvents. In a lot of cases the term “resin”, is actually a type of plastic. A lot of times, the term is included in the list of ingredients as a term to enhance marketing.
In review, the PTFE product has been found to be one of the most protective coatings known to man. This material is a protectorant against many chemical attacks on auto mobile finishes and actually repels most dirt from sticking to your car’s paint keeping your vehicle clean even between washings. PTFE has been shown to be so slick that even water doesn’t stick to it! You can actually just rinse the PTFE treated vehicle with a water hose in between washings.
The PTFE product available from Car Care Wizards is the ONLY paint protection system to be awarded a US Patent. Beware of imitators - always look for Patent 5,081,171 on the bottle.
This product can be found at http://www.CarCareWizards.com
Gregg Hall has been involved in the automotive industry for over 20 years.
He has managed several large dealerships as well as owning specialty and classic car
detailing operations. He currently resides in Navarre Florida. You may contact him at
targetniches@yahoo.com
