Chipped paint cleaning my car

[Glamisduner]

damm, you guys are using a pressure washer to get bugs off the car? I use it to clean my concrete driveway.

I just have an electric one, takes forever to clean concert with it, but with the right tip on a gas powered one it should still be safe so long as you don't get it too close.

 

[Johnii__82]

damm, you guys are using a pressure washer to get bugs off the car? I use it to clean my concrete driveway.

I've had Dodge Neon 2001 and Skoda superb 2011 paint could be washed with pressure washer without any probs.

 

[TyH2009]

damm, you guys are using a pressure washer to get bugs off the car? I use it to clean my concrete driveway.

Yes, with an Electric one (and Gas even) if you use a higher degree tip and some common sense you'll be fine.

 

[mswlogo]

*facepalm*

Why? you’ve been wasting your time with two buckets and power washer?

My cars look like new after 10 years. No problem at all. In fact I just sold my Model 3. Check out the buyers response. He could not believe it was a year old with 10K miles, it looked brand new. Never waxed or claybar’d or anything.

Some people just don’t know how to use one bucket I guess.

 

[TyH2009]

Why? you’ve been wasting your time with two buckets and power washer?

My cars look like new after 10 years. No problem at all. In fact I just sold my Model 3. Check out the buyers response. He could not believe it was a year old with 10K miles, it looked brand new. Never waxed or claybar’d or anything.

Some people just don’t know how to use one bucket I guess.[

Driving where there is salt and crap on the road, I don’t see how you wash your car with 1 bucket, every time you touch the mitt to the car and contaminate it with dirt, put it back in the bucket, it leaves that crap in there and then you retouch the car with a gritty/dirty wash mitt and now you have dirty water.

With a pressure washer you can at least easily and quickly spray off that top layer of grime, spray soap to let it start to break it up, and then touch the mitt to the car, dump it in a bucket with water, wash it off, wring it out, then put it back in the other bucket with soap and repeat.

Unless your car is only very slightly dusty, doing anything with 1 bucket is unacceptable and will leave scratching.

 

[Uncle Paul]

While I use a two bucket system, the one bucket usually has a grit guard in the bottom. Keeps larger particles from getting back on the mitt.

 

[camalaio]

I guess all those self-wash car washes with the pressure washers should go out of business then, because they're utterly pointless and only ruin vehicles? Jeez people.

And touchless washes ruin the paint?! Touchless is recommended in the owner's manual!

I will continue to pressure wash the bulk of the dirt of my car (how else, honestly?) then do a one-bucketed (gasp) wash with ONR. Zero scratches or swirls other than the ones it came with on a rear pillar from a shoddy wash. Also zero paint peeling.

@OP, Tesla paint is indeed weak and water-based versus the more durable oil-based paints of old. Tesla's is also known to be inconsistent, sometimes too thick and sometimes too thin. The impact (rock I'm guessing?) above that you were trying to wash away may have flexed the surface and resulted in the paint losing adhesion with the surface, thus easily being blown off. In this case, Tesla is right to say it was outside of their control. However, we're also right as owners to point out their paint is weaker than a $0.50 coffee.

 

[mswlogo]

Driving where there is salt and crap on the road, I don’t see how you wash your car with 1 bucket, every time you touch the mitt to the car and contaminate it with dirt, put it back in the bucket, it leaves that crap in there and then you retouch the car with a gritty/dirty wash mitt and now you have dirty water.

With a pressure washer you can at least easily and quickly spray off that top layer of grime, spray soap to let it start to break it up, and then touch the mitt to the car, dump it in a bucket with water, wash it off, wring it out, then put it back in the other bucket with soap and repeat.

Unless your car is only very slightly dusty, doing anything with 1 bucket is unacceptable and will leave scratching.

I still use a hose. I just don’t need 2000-3000 psi to rinse it.

Pressure wash is doing more damage than a single bucket does.

 

[ry-ballz]

I don’t see how you wash your car with 1 bucket

That's because you don't understand how modern polymer based soaps work.

 

[Johnii__82]

I still use a hose. I just don’t need 2000-3000 psi to rinse it.

Pressure wash is doing more damage than a single bucket does.

No. I have washed cars past 15-18 years with Kärcher 140-180 bar machines without any problems. Never had so shi**tt paint like Tesla has.

Pressure Washers for efficient cleaning | Kärcher International

 

[Johnii__82]

To get this info globally for people & to tesla to fix these defects ( put out better quality ).

Would you help us all? Gustavo is trying to find out why these issues happens all around the world.

Can you answer to gustavo?

He is very familiar regarding paint issues on model 3 and all the other issues.

Finnish Goods Inspection Finds Tesla Model 3 Paint Is Soft And Thin

Impressed By The Finnish Tesla Model 3 Paint Problems? Hold My Beer

Tesla Includes Rust Prevention In Updated Model 3 Owner's Manual

Tesla Model 3 Paint Issues – Electric Vehicle Wiki

Also i putted this same message to last post on here.

Model 3 paint wearing off


******

Dear Sir,

I work for InsideEVs and I am investigating the many cases of paint problems with the Model 3. Mostly because Tesla decided not to repair them for customers that never have had similar issues with other brands. And they cannot be punished for buying the car of their dreams, sometimes at a huge financial sacrifice.

That said, please get in touch with me at [email protected] if you would like me to tell your story of problems with the paint. Some have called these stories anecdotal because they would be too little to even consider as valid. Allowing people to see this is not restricted to a few units is important to make Tesla take measures to fix them. Or not produce them with the issue anymore, at least. Here follow my questions:

1 - Where do you live, what is your name and profession?

2 - When did you buy your Model 3?

3 - When did you notice it had paint issues?

4 - Did you talk to Tesla about that? What was the company's answer?

5 - With that in mind, how do you plan to solve this problem?

6 - After this experience, what would be your advice to people that want to buy a Model 3?

7 - And to the ones that are with the same problem you are having, what would you suggest?

I hope you can share your story with us. Despite what people may say, know that this a way to push Tesla to be better than other carmakers by acting right with its customers. At least that is the intention.

Best regards,

Gustavo

Thank you for the help,

Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
European Editor
InsideEVs.com

E [email protected]
5972.NE 4th.Avenue | Miami | FL 33137

**