Car is always dirty ....?

[jebinc]

Pics of freshly cleaned cars don’t tell me much.

Example:

1 year, never waxed or coated 10K miles.
Sorry, but the wheels make it

3 years, never waxed or coated 40K miles.

0 years, 10 miles never waxed or coated

But they all get dirty fast. I’d only coat one if they truly stay cleaner

I think they do (stay cleaner longer). I've owned many "Medium Gray Metallic" cars over the years and found this one coated with a DIY Ceramic coating does stay cleaner longer - and I'm a bit "anal" when it comes to clean cars. Now, would I spend $2000+ to have someone else put the ceramic coating on, vs. $50 DYI? Well, no, not a chance.

 

[webbah]

How difficult are the Rally Armour flaps to install? I got the impression reading a few threads that they were not simple to install. Perhaps I misunderstood, however - as there are so many different flaps on the market.

You're right - your car has the typical dirt spray pattern on the bottom of the doors, but lower than usual. It doesn't seem to migrate to the top of the door - just below the handles. The back of the car is immaculate!

Given you are in Geneva, you likely have a lot of snow/melted snow to deal with. I don't think the Chinese flaps would break in the SF Bay Area, because we have no snow here. But the Rally Armor seem to do a good job. Not worth taking them off for summer, unless they are easy on/off as you seem to indicate. Thanks.

Mine broke from hitting speed bumps (very low to almost no speed). They don’t flex at all so if they touch they are likely to crack and break. Snow or rain wasn’t the issue. The rally armors do offer more protection though as they are longer and wider, but do flex perfectly as posted in the pics.

Here’s the installation manual:

http://www.rallyarmor.com/tesla_instructions/IMF62.pdf

 

[PACEMD]

Mine broke from hitting speed bumps (very low to almost no speed). They don’t flex at all so if they touch they are likely to crack and break. Snow or rain wasn’t the issue. The rally armors do offer more protection though as they are longer and wider, but do flex perfectly as posted in the pics.

Here’s the installation manual:

http://www.rallyarmor.com/tesla_instructions/IMF62.pdf

The myriad discussions here on TMC have echoed the same, the molded Chinese mudflaps breaking on speed bumps and such. That and the paint under molded recesses of the flap concerns, if you care. Of the flat/flexible flaps, the Rally Armor seems the best, in my review. There are other options.

 

[webbah]

The myriad discussions here on TMC have echoed the same, the molded Chinese mudflaps breaking on speed bumps and such. That and the paint under molded recesses of the flap concerns, if you care. Of the flat/flexible flaps, the Rally Armor seems the best, in my review. There are other options.

Yep, this is the issue. I have much more protection on the rocker panels with the carbon but the RA mud flaps really do the trick in winter.

 

[jonquiljo]

Yep, this is the issue. I have much more protection on the rocker panels with the carbon but the RA mud flaps really do the trick in winter.

I guess there is a big consensus.

I did notice when looking at my (partially) dirty car in the sun today - that the whole rear of the car - not just the sides, but the rear to the trunk and beyond - have mud spray from the rear wheels. I use as a comparison, our (2005) Mercedes E320 - which does not collect dirt at all. The car hasn't been washed in many months and looks fine. It's older, in decent condition and has that 2000's boxy styling that didn't let the car spray junk all over itself like the Tesla seems to do.

I think the Tesla design is not amenable to keeping itself clean. So, if we have to have mud flaps at all - better get the best. Rally Armour seems to be the first choice on that one. May be $200 - but will save lots of cleaning, coated or not.

With regard to coating, I am on the fence. I may stay that way for a while simply because I don't have the time to deal with that for a while. Frankly the Tesla paint job is not a first rate job. So, beyond a point, I don't think that the coating needs to be first rate. I'm still trying to identify interior rattles and vibrations. Let's say the car is great, but it is not put together like a rock!

So, IMO spending any more than $2K for a coating is pointless on a car that is far from flawless.

 

[webbah]

I guess there is a big consensus.

I did notice when looking at my (partially) dirty car in the sun today - that the whole rear of the car - not just the sides, but the rear to the trunk and beyond - have mud spray from the rear wheels. I use as a comparison, our (2005) Mercedes E320 - which does not collect dirt at all. The car hasn't been washed in many months and looks fine. It's older, in decent condition and has that 2000's boxy styling that didn't let the car spray junk all over itself like the Tesla seems to do.

I think the Tesla design is not amenable to keeping itself clean. So, if we have to have mud flaps at all - better get the best. Rally Armour seems to be the first choice on that one. May be $200 - but will save lots of cleaning, coated or not.

With regard to coating, I am on the fence. I may stay that way for a while simply because I don't have the time to deal with that for a while. Frankly the Tesla paint job is not a first rate job. So, beyond a point, I don't think that the coating needs to be first rate. I'm still trying to identify interior rattles and vibrations. Let's say the car is great, but it is not put together like a rock!

So, IMO spending any more than $2K for a coating is pointless on a car that is far from flawless.

I think the aerodynamics of the car, combined with a completely flat bottom compared to ICE cars causes the air flow to circulate in the rear of the car at highway speeds. Eliminating the water and dirt at the source (tires) with the RA mud flaps does a lot to help but won’t eliminate all of it. But it definitely allowed me to go to the car wash less often and in Switzerland that is saving me about $60 a month in washes.

 

[r1200gs4ok]

Sounds like a ceramic coating would best for you. Make sure the installer does a thorough paint polishing/correction if needed prior to the application of the ceramic coating. Some ceramic coatings last several years.

yep....did my wife blue M3 with full front PPF and ceramic coating......great for repelling rains and dirt......especially the windshield......the back end does get the most because I did not PPF it

 

[r1200gs4ok]

This is what I use on my Pearl White Model 3 and it works great! However, the car DOES seem to get dirty again pretty quickly, though I still believe the Pearl White shows dirt less than any of the other available Tesla colors.

+1

 

[AC2DC]

I installed these, I think they look good and protect well.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y7RV5VY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mswlogo]

This is what I use on my Pearl White Model 3 and it works great! However, the car DOES seem to get dirty again pretty quickly, though I still believe the Pearl White shows dirt less than any of the other available Tesla colors.

Disagree. Midnight Silver is the best for dirt. I will never buy another white car again.

These were both washed about 2 weeks ago and they both do the same commute (no highway) except the Tesla has done a few more errands (several on the highway).

The Tesla is just as dirty, it just doesn't show it so much.

Tesla Pearl isn't Pearl in my opinion, it's just white. But the Volt below is a slightly brighter white than Tesla's.

This is what I call Pearl

 

[Mayonayze]

+1 for midnight silver!

 

[KG2V]

Is this dirt/dust black when you wipe it off? If so, check your alignment, as that could be your tires all over your bumper.

Nope,Salt grey, and when I used to go through this one construction area that always spread dirt/concrete dust across the highway, concrete/dirt mix. To me, it is pretty obvious what I'm seeing. It is an aerodynamic low pressure area around the vertical surfaces on the rear (and a bit on the lower sides in the rear) and it collects dust. To me, it is a sign that the aerodynamics are working for lowest drag, but it gets dirty (you can see the same effect on race cars)

 

[KG2V]

As for colors that don't show dirt, my truck was what Nissan called "Granite" - Picture a brown/grey metallic clear coat. Truck just did NOT show dirt, because the color of the truck was basically, well, dirt

 

[kkillebrew]

This tread seems to make no sense but I will say that I had wanted a Tesla for a year before I bought one and one reason was all the M3's in Austin - they are EVERYWHERE - looked dirty and dull and not much better than your standard Corolla.

Then I saw a shiny new 2018 MS and was hooked. When supercharging I began to nice some of the newer M3's where beautiful cars and suddenly I changed my mind on them.

As far as brake dust goes nothing compares to the voluminous build up I would experience on my previous XJ Jags.

 

[postersw]

Mud flaps WILL make a big difference! I recommend that you do that first. Don't overthink them, for heaven sakes. I recommend the $40 BASENOR ones on Amazon. They are quick to install, fit well, and will absolutely keep your car cleaner. (Just look at how wide your front wheels are - every revolution of that wheel throws road dirt up onto the body side panels). I did my front wheels first and immediately noticed a huge difference. But the rear ones help also.

 

[TheTonester]

I, too, had my X coated with Modesta ceramic, and I'm going on 24K miles/2 years and it works as beautifully as the day it was new! I love to keep my beauty clean, and dirt just rolls off this coating! Many times I'll drive through some cruddy/muddy areas and just hit it for a few seconds with my electric pressure washer when I get home and it looks like I spent an hour washing it. WELL worth the money, in my case!

Professionally done... I had absolutely no interest in DIY'ing.

Does Modesta have a guarantee/warranty? If so, are there upkeep/maintenance requirements?