The following paragraphs are an excerpt from an interesting article that
appeared in Road Rider Magazine (a motorcycle publication) concerning the
use of Slick 50 and related products in lubricating oils.  You can read the
entire article at http://www2.bmwscruz.com/tech/tech003.html

Though they have gained rather wide acceptance among the motoring public,
oil additives containing PTFE have also garnered their share of critics
among experts in the field of lubrication. By far the most damning
testimonial against these products originally came from the DuPont Chemical
Corporation, inventor of PTFE and holder of the patents and trademarks for
Teflon. In a statement issued about ten years ago, DuPont's Fluoropolymers
Division Product Specialist, J.F. Imbalzano said, "Teflon is not useful as
an ingredient in oil additives or oils used for internal combustion
engines."

At the time, DuPont threatened legal action against anyone who used the name
"Teflon" on any oil product destined for use in an internal combustion
engine, and refused to sell its PTFE powders to any one who intended to use
them for such purposes.

After a flurry of lawsuits from oil additive makers, claiming DuPont could
not prove that PTFE was harmful to engines, DuPont was forced to once again
begin selling their PTFE to the additive producers. The additive makers like
to claim this is some kind of "proof' that their products work, when in fact
it is nothing more than proof that the American legal ethic of "innocent
until proven guilty" is still alive and well. The decision against DuPont
involved what is called "restraint of trade." You can't refuse to sell a
product to someone just because there is a possibility they might use it for
a purpose other than what you intended it for.

Mike Snow
Camp Pendleton, California