Hey, d!
You're right — I've been remiss! In these Plague Times, I seem to spend twice as much time getting half as much done... but, finally, here's my report.
The punchline: I am one very happy camper!
The details: I did get my Model X coated as scheduled, by
Bay Area Detail. I was exceptionally happy with both the service and the quality of the work. Taylor Griffith offered to come do the job in my garage (a great idea in these times of sheltering-in-place) but my garage wasn't big enough for him to work around the car, so I drove the car down to his.
He turned the job around the same day, including coating the windows, claying and overcoating the wheels, and lacquering the tires. He told me it was safe to drive it the 15 miles to home, and it was getting past dinnertime, so I didn't do a detailed inspection there, but he said to give him a call or drop him an email if there was anything that needed touching up.
I got the car home, gave it a more careful walk-around, and found several spots where the overcoat was a little blemished. He said he'd be out the next day to fix them. He was, and he did, and he found a few I'd missed. He also left me with a small bottle of the overcoat solution and several of his favorite microfiber cloths and instructions on how I could touch up any additional blemishes should they occur. (Although he said he'd be happy to come out and do them if need be.)
In every respect, top-notch service and top-notch quality, which is why I'm giving him this shout-out here (he doesn't know I'm doing it... yet). I don't know how large his work radius is, but if you're in the San Francisco Peninsula and want your car spiffed up drop him a line and ask.
Taylor told me to let it cure for at least two days in the garage and it would be safe to drive anywhere after that, but he said it would continue hardening for up to seven days. I didn't need to be anywhere, so I left it sheltered for the full week.
How does it look? Amazing. Everyone who says it's better-than-new is right. I loved the paint job straight from the factory, but this practically glows. It seems to have a new level of depth, and it feels like silk to the touch. Honestly, I love feeling it.
Sorry, but there's no point in posting pictures — it just looks like a new midnight blue Tesla. You have to be there to see it.
How about its performance? I've got to say that super-hydrophobic coating is an amazing thing. A few days after the one week mark I drove 75 miles down to Santa Cruz to see my sweetie there. Her house is up in the forest, so after weekend the car is covered with a layer of yellow pine pollen, assorted other tree droppings, and a spattering of sap spots. Between that and highway grime the car always needs washing when I get back home.
When I got the car home, after 75 miles at California freeway speed, 95% of the crud on the car had blown off. Honestly, it didn't really need washing, unless you're the kind of fanatic who washes their car every day (some people do). I was impressed as hell.
The sap didn't blow off (oh, surprise) but a spritz of Griot's Speed Shine and a microfiber cloth took it right off.
I hit the car with a spray hose, no soaping or anything, and the minimal residual stuff just sluiced off. The water barely stuck — it ran right off the sides, leaving only trails of very fine droplets. The same on the frunk and the windshield-roof, below the angle of repose. Above that, it beaded up into little convex ovoids, just like in the photographs I'd seen. Catching the light, it looked like I'd bedazzled the car!
I was about to take microfiber cloths to it to remove the remaining water and avoid spotting when I got a notion. Hopped back into the car, drove onto the nearby 50 mile-per-hour divided road (Highway 35), took her down to the stoplight and back (about a mile). Perfectly blow-dried and spotless! Faster and easier than wiping, fur shure. The only place that needed a wipe down was on the rear near the spoiler.
Taylor says that since I'm keeping the car garaged and I don't drive it every day (even when not playing hide and go seek with a virus), he expects the coating will last a lot longer than the warranty. But even if I have to get it renewed every four years, it's still going to cost me less than a new paint job every ten-twelve.
And if it doesn't, it's still totally worth it for the beauty and the convenience. I am so glad I had this done. Understatement.
- pax \ Ctein
[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]
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