Whats the deal with silicone?

[Nath Jones]

Whats the deal with silicone?


Hey Guys,

I hear a lot of talk about silicone in this industry. Don't use it, use it??.

It is all very confusing

Anyone that can help would be appreciated

[Murr1525]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

Silicones and other compounds can cause trouble in a body shop/ fresh paint environment, by not letting new paint and other coatings adhere properly to the surface.

Other than that, the rest is nonsense.

[christian6984]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

If we are talking of bodyshop work, yes silicones are bad as they will affect paint adhering process, but more than that my dad is a plumber so uses silicones (edges of baths or something? i dont know what is for) but his mate who does car repairs for many years and his knowledge is phenomenal told us that even if you have been using it, gets onto your clothes it can spread to the environment you are in, hence bodyshops have to wipe panels down and use clean overalls.

Not sure about it in the context of waxes prob good for protection?

Hope this helps.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

Here's something from our FAQ

Are products that contain silicone bad for my car's finish?


No. In fact, automotive paints worldwide contain silicone as an ingredient to help the paint to spray and flow more smoothly.

Most of the concerns people have about silicones and products that contain silicones stem from the problems associated with them in the early 1950's. Back then, 40 and 50 years ago, if the surface wasn’t properly prepared, residual silicones on the surface or in the shop environment, could cause surface adhesion problems. The most common among them is a defect referred to Fish Eyes in the paint.

Fish Eyes are a small, circular craters that appear in the finish where the paint piles up in a circle surrounding a point on the surface that contains some type of contaminant that creates high surface tension, usually some type of wax, grease or silicone. The reason freshly sprayed paint does this is because contaminants like wax and silicone tend to create high surface tension and do not allow the freshly applied paint to stick or adhere properly. Instead of laying down flat over the top of these contaminants, the paint moves away from these contaminants, forming a ring around them that has the visual appearance of what is historically described as a "fish eye".

Knowledge of chemistry, as well as most other technologies have evolved and grown substantially since the 1950's (just look at modern cars and personal computers as two very visible, common examples of how technology has progressed). The problems painters encountered 50 years ago are more easily addressed with today's modern paint prepping chemicals, shop environments, paint additives, and most importantly, education. Back in the 1950's, there were no formal training programs available for young men and women entering the automotive repair industry. Most of the time, a person would start out at the bottom, sweeping and cleaning up, and slowly move up the ladder through knowledge gained by on-the-job training. Today there are hundreds of certified schools that specialize in formal education for the automotive industry. This includes paint manufacturers, who provide in-depth training for anyone who uses their paint systems.

Most professionals in the refinishing industry understand that a majority of the paintwork they do, day-in and day-out, is on cars that have been waxed using products that contain both wax and silicone.

Professionals in the body shop industry always perform the necessary preparation work required to insure that "fish eyes" are not a problem. This includes using special degreasers, wax and silicone removers that effectively remove these substances from the surface or chemically alter their molecular structure in such a way to insure they pose no problems. If there is ever any question or doubt about the surface to which new paint is going to be applied, painters will include a Fish Eye Eliminator into the paint, which insures a finish free from fish eyes. Interestingly enough, Fish Eye Eliminator is typically a special silicone additive.

There are many kinds of silicones available for use in car care products, the one thing all silicones have in common is they are completely inert. This means they do not react in either a negative or a positive manner with any substance they come into contact with, including your car's paint.


Silicones are primarily used to modify or enhance a specific characteristic of another ingredient in a Meguiar's formula. If the silicones Meguiar's relies on didn't offer some type of positive benefit to the product, or the end-user and the results they are trying to achieve, Meguiar's wouldn't include them in their formulas.

For example: The use of some types of silicone in a formula acts to make the product easier to both spread and wipe-off, thus reducing the effort required to apply and remove the product, which then helps to reduce the potential for application or wipe-off inflicted scratches. That’s a benefit to you.

Meguiar's has been the leader in creating paintable, body shop safe products because of our history and continuing leadership in creating state-of-the-art formulas for use by new car manufacturers as well as the collision repair and custom painting industries. Because of our expertise in creating wax and silicone-free products for fresh paint environments, you will find many of our paint cleaners and polishes are paintable and body shop safe.


Because Meguiar's is a major supplier to the automotive finishing industry, both to OEM (factory level) and the re-finishing industry (collision repair, body shops and custom paint shops), Meguiar's can offer you a complete selection of paintable products including at least one polish that contains a paintable polymer for increased protection.

The fear and confusion surrounding this single ingredient, silicone, is an ongoing problem people run into when they get caught up in the hype and misinformation spread from person to person, generation to generation and now-a-days, on the Internet, which exaggerates the problems surrounding the use of silicones in car care products.

There are some sources that even go so far to say that silicones are harmful to paint. This is not only dishonest; it calls into question the credibility of that resource and any and all claims they make. Silicone is inert. It cannot harm paint, let alone anything else it is formulated into, or sitting on top of, especially in the form of a coating of wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

Some more info...


Should I use a non-silicone product to maintain my car’s finish?

If you always want to insure your finish is wax and silicone free, just in case you decide to repaint it, or in case you are in an accident and you want to do everything possible to make repainting your car as easy as it can be for your painter, then yes, you could use non-silicone products to maintain your finish.

If however, you are like the 99.9% of the population, and are more concerned with protecting your car's finish with a long lasting durable coating of wax, or a synthetic protectant, then the use of products that contain silicone will pose no problems to your finish, and in fact will improve both application and removal of products as well as help increase shine and protection.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

Here's another one...

The Role Silicone Plays in Car Care Products

One of the most frequent comments I hear when I go to car club meetings and events is that silicone is bad for your car. It’s a common myth, from years gone by, that the mere presence of silicone near a car will cause the paint to shrivel up and fall off or prevent it from ever being repainted. These myths are false, but the latter is based on factual problems painters once experienced. The fact is that all modern automotive paints contain silicone as an ingredient to help the paint to spray and flow smoothly.

Most of the concerns people have about silicones and products that contain silicones stem from the days when lacquers were used as the primary car finish. Back then, if the surface wasn't properly prepared, residual silicones on the bodywork or in the shop environment would cause paint defects. The most common silicone induced problem is a small defect referred to as “fish eyes”.

Fish eyes are small craters that form in the paint finish. Fish eye defects form where the paint piles up in a circle surrounding a point on the surface that contains a contaminant. The reason freshly sprayed paint does this is because contaminants like wax and silicone tend to create high surface tension and do not allow the paint to properly flow and self-level. Instead of laying down flat, paint moves away from these ingredients, forming a ring around them that has the visual appearance of what is historically described as a fish eye. In severe cases, where the painter does not properly prepare the bodywork for painting, contamination from wax, oils and silicones can cause paint adhesion problems.

Knowledge of paint and other automotive finishes have evolved and grown substantially since the 1950's. The problems painters encountered 50 years ago are more easily addressed with today's modern paint formulas and prepping chemicals. Likewise, the modern paint facility has evolved into a high-tech environment (primarily due to environmental regulations), and paint additives help overcome common flaws. More importantly, modern paint technicians are educated in their craft. Until the 1970’s, there were very few formal training programs available for young men and women entering the automotive repair industry. Today there are certified schools that specialize in formal education for the automotive industry. This includes paint manufacturers, who provide in-depth training for anyone who uses their paint systems.

All professional body shops understand that the cars they repair have been maintained using products that contain waxes, oils and silicone. For this reason, all professional repair facilities perform the necessary preparation work required to insure that the paintwork is free of contaminates before they begin their work. In so doing, the dreaded "fish eyes" will not be a problem. The preparation work includes using special degreasers and silicone removers that effectively remove these substances from the surface or chemically alter their molecular structure in such a way to insure they pose no problems. If there is ever any question or doubt about the surface to which new paint is going to be applied, painters will use a paint additive to eliminate fish eyes. Interestingly enough, the paint additive that eliminates fish eyes is typically a special silicone additive.

SILICONES USED IN CAR CARE PRODUCTS
There are many kinds of silicones available for use in car care products. They vary in form and functionality. Car care chemists select the best performing silicones to create a desired finish for each kind of car surface.

Silicones are primarily used to modify or enhance a specific characteristic of another ingredient in a polish, wax or protectant formula. Silicones are not used for any characteristic they offer in and of themselves. There are some functions in a car care formula that only silicone can produce or no other ingredient can perform better.

One of the most commonly used features of silicone is its ability to lubricate (improve slip). The use of some types of silicone in a formula acts to make the product easier to apply and buff off. In this way, silicone lubrication helps reduce surface marring (scratches and swirl marks) induced from wiping with bad toweling or applicators. That's a benefit to you.

Chemists also use silicones to create water-in-oil emulsions, reduce emulsion particle size, to stabilize emulsions, and to improve spreading and coverage of wax products. Most modern silicone formulas are water soluble (no oil or petroleum), and are completely inert. The best way to describe most forms of silicone is to think of it as a man-made wax ester. Silicone is created by the reaction generated when you combine fatty acids with polydimethylsiloxane (or other derivatives of the compound).

The fear and confusion surrounding this single ingredient, silicone, is an ongoing problem. Some small car care chemical manufactures create fear, uncertainty and doubt in people’s minds by claiming their products contain “no harmful silicones,” suggesting that silicone is harmful to the paint. This product hype and misinformation spread from person to person, generation to generation, and now-a-days on the Internet, exaggerates the myth that silicones in car care products are harmful. The fact is that the largest and most respected names in the paint and body shop industry, which include 3M and Meguiar’s, use silicones in their car care products to make them better.

The facts are indisputable. Silicone is part of the protective system in paint and helps the paint look better and last longer. Silicone cannot harm paint, let alone anything else it is formulated into, or sitting on top of, especially in the form of a coating of wax. Without properly blended silicones, waxes would be difficult to apply and would not have the high gloss and radiance we enjoy.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Whats the go with silicone

And a comment...

Meguiar's has been in the car polish business as long as anyone and in most cases longer. Our chemists are top notch at what they do. We started out making silicone-free furniture cleaners and polishes and then moved into the automotive side and started making silicone-free car paint cleaners and polishes.

Point is we've been making products WITHOUT silicone as long or longer than anyone in this business when the purpose of the product requires it to be silicone-free and technically, free of any ingredient that could cause surface adhesion problems where the product is intended and formulated to be used. It's not just silicone that can be a problem for refinishing, actually any ingredient that causes surface tension or causes water to bead up could be a problem.

If you read a post on some other forum where a person is trying to convince you that Brand X wax is bad because it contains silicone, BUT the product they recommend makes water bead up, then even if this product doesn't contain silicone, it's going to cause the same problem silicone would cause and that's a surface tension problem. Make sense?) So their logic is convoluted, i.e. they're all mixed up.

Some of our products do contain silicone and if they do, it's for one of two reasons and usually both,

• It's a benefit to the process
• It's a benefit to the user

So if our chemist include silicone into any of our products it's because it's the right ingredient for the process and to help you get the best results from your time, money and energy, otherwise they wouldn't include it in the formula as we've already demonstrated for over 100 years that we know how to make products without silicones.

There's a lot of fear mongering on discussion forums about the topic of silicone, so just try to wade through it and use some common sense as to whether the information a person is posting about silicone is factual or fear mongering.