Sorry, but how does someone come to the conclusion that lime green is a cool color for their car?
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Does anybody NOT wrap their cars?
- Thread starter rainforest
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- Model X
Sorry, but how does someone come to the conclusion that lime green is a cool color for their car?
jelloslug
Active Member
I've seen pink as well. Not sure which is more atrocious. Money cannot buy class.
Add me to the non-wrap group.
When I bought my MS P85 three years ago I promised myself this was not a show car (and I'm not OCD). I have three little kids and the car gets muddy, scuffed, etc every day. We took our MS mountain biking, camping, and hiking numerous times. Some may say that given that level of usage there is more of a reason to wrap it.
But the reality for me is that after a simple wash (hand wash or a quick run through the local brushless wash) the car looked fantastic even after three years. I never once had it professionally detailed. One day at work a month ago someone asked if I had my car repainted because it looked so good. Nope, I just washed it the day before. BTW, I live in Seattle...lots of rainy/dirty days here!
The very first rock chip I got was over the passenger front wheel well. I immediately bought the Tesla touch-up paint. I landed up never using it. Unless I was staring at my car up close, the rock chips just didn't register. In fact, in getting ready to trade in my MS last week I really looked and noticed a few nice rock chips on the hood. I mentioned them to my wife (who sees the hood every day in the garage) and she said "Really? Never noticed them." I hadn't either.
Lastly, when trading in my MS, I mentioned the rock chips and my DS said "that's normal, don't worry about it." Tesla asked for general pictures of the car but on trade-in day they never even went out to look at the car in the parking lot. Zero impact on trade-in.
So for me, I have a shiny new blue MX which will not get wrapped. It will get used and abused by my family of five and hopefully it will come out the other side looking as good as my MS did. If it does need detail/touch-up in the coming years, I figure the dollars not spent on a wrap easily cover that work.
BTW, attached is the picture I submitted to Tesla for my trade-in last week. Yup...there's rock chips. But still a darn good lookin' car and paint job!
When I bought my MS P85 three years ago I promised myself this was not a show car (and I'm not OCD). I have three little kids and the car gets muddy, scuffed, etc every day. We took our MS mountain biking, camping, and hiking numerous times. Some may say that given that level of usage there is more of a reason to wrap it.
But the reality for me is that after a simple wash (hand wash or a quick run through the local brushless wash) the car looked fantastic even after three years. I never once had it professionally detailed. One day at work a month ago someone asked if I had my car repainted because it looked so good. Nope, I just washed it the day before. BTW, I live in Seattle...lots of rainy/dirty days here!
The very first rock chip I got was over the passenger front wheel well. I immediately bought the Tesla touch-up paint. I landed up never using it. Unless I was staring at my car up close, the rock chips just didn't register. In fact, in getting ready to trade in my MS last week I really looked and noticed a few nice rock chips on the hood. I mentioned them to my wife (who sees the hood every day in the garage) and she said "Really? Never noticed them." I hadn't either.
Lastly, when trading in my MS, I mentioned the rock chips and my DS said "that's normal, don't worry about it." Tesla asked for general pictures of the car but on trade-in day they never even went out to look at the car in the parking lot. Zero impact on trade-in.
So for me, I have a shiny new blue MX which will not get wrapped. It will get used and abused by my family of five and hopefully it will come out the other side looking as good as my MS did. If it does need detail/touch-up in the coming years, I figure the dollars not spent on a wrap easily cover that work.
BTW, attached is the picture I submitted to Tesla for my trade-in last week. Yup...there's rock chips. But still a darn good lookin' car and paint job!
Attachments
I guess it comes down to OCD vs non- OCD personality. No one has to wrap the car of course. I was at the service center a few weeks ago and saw a few MXs being serviced. I saw one with dirty filthy leather, empty cups on the floor, scratches/dents everywhere, etc. I thought to myself- how can a car get like that in less than a year? It's safe to say this was not a OCD-type owner and would probably say dropping $5K on a wrap is crazy. To each its own.
This thread should have been a poll! Maybe four choices:
- au naturel
- ceramic coating
- wrap (partial or full)
- wrap w/ceramic coating (the full monty, or as I like to call it: I've run out of money)
muleferg
Active Member
I was always OCD about my things, but it never used to be this bad. I think it's because it's the nicest car I've ever purchased. Tried to buff out a scratch on the bumper, and I just made it worse which really bothers me! Put XPEL over it, and it still shows a bit. But I think if I paid anybody money, they still wouldn't be able to find it.
If it's a classic, appreciating, or exotic car I understand the wrap. If it's a Tesla (which will be outdated in 3 years and sold to the highest bidder) I don't understand spending $5k on a wrap. I'd wrap it on a car I plan to keep forever. To me, my Tesla is like my iPhone. I'm going to upgrade every few years.
I think part of the problem is, the first time you buy one, you don't believe it. You will keep it until the battery dies, because it costs so much. Hence the $5K for total wrap.
Then three years later, it's a classic 'take my money' for a new one with the current bells and whistles... I think the mathematical formula for this was mentioned upthread....
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Taking it to the extreme to prove a point never proves the point.
I put 22ple on my car the day I got it, and every six months since. It's now over three years old and there's no paint swirls and it looks good as new -- actually better since the glass coating gives it a shine that looks better than when it came from the factory, and not dulling like a plastic wrap.
I still remember getting in my grandparent's car as a kid and there was plastic wrap on the seats. That's what a wrap reminds me of. I like to ride bare... (get your minds out of the gutter).
Canuck
Well-Known Member
It's a glass coating and really easy to apply yourself. Just make sure you first do an IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) wipe down. Use a mixture of 50% Isopropyl Alcohol with 50% distilled water. I also use a clay bar for any areas that need extra cleaning, then the IPA wipe down.
I bought it from here with the applicator pads (shipped to my mailbox in Blaine, WA) but you can find it a number of places:
22ple VX Pro Glass Coating - 50 ml | Free Shipping Available - Detailed Image
$160 for 50 ml (that will do 2 applications at least - about 20 ml for a Model S).
22ple Glass Coat Applicator (Double Sided) | Free Shipping Available - Detailed Image
$6 per pad - you throw it out because it becomes hard as a rock. So buy a few. But you do get two treatments with each pad since it is double sided. Then you just need microfiber towels that you can buy anywhere.
Here's the full instructions from the link above. You can also watch the Youtube instructions in the link in my prior post:
22ple Application Instructions:
- Ensure the surface is cleaned & polished.
- Remove all oil/polishes on the surface by doing an IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) wipe down. Use a mixture of 50% Isopropyl Alcohol with 50% distilled water.
- Please make sure the surfaces are cool and TOTALLY dry before applying the glass coat.
- Pour a small amount of glass coat liquid onto the 22ple Glass Coat Applicator (Double Sided) and apply in a straight line motion. Do not over-apply as it does not give you additional benefit, but it might make it difficult to remove.
- Make sure ALL surfaces are covered. You should then buff off the coating with a clean, lint-free microfiber towel within 3-5 minutes in normal room temperature. Should you encounter any dried coating, simply reapply another layer over it and buff. If an area becomes dry / tacky, then it's a sign that you allowed it to sit on the surface too long. We like to use 2 towels for removal. The first for main product removal, and then immediately go over it again with the second towel to ensure that you have completely removed all residue. As a good rule of thumb, apply 22ple to just 2 panels / sections at a time, and then proceed with residue removal. If you extend any more than this, the coating will dry too much and can become tacky.
- Cure time - Do not wash your car or expose the car to open weather element,rain, snow etc for around 8-12 hours.
- After this initial curing time, the car can be washed or driven per normal.
- The full curing time is about 5 days, at which time the full layer of the coat will be hardened and the surface will look its best.
- Do not reuse any applicator pads used to apply this coating. 22ple will dry and harden these applicator pads and if used again they could potentially mar the paint.
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Tim@adonisdetail
Former Vendor
Clearly, there are a ton of differing opinions out there in regards to choose to protect or not to protect their Tesla's. Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to work on well over 300 Tesla's all getting a varying degree of protection. The vehicles that did not choose to protect from the start ended up receiving varying levels of Restoration to reverse much of the normal wear and tear vehicle surfaces will see.
Now, whether it is worth it to spend thousands of dollars on your vehicle to provide protection you "May or may not" see a direct return on every day is up to you. But much like Insurance, it pays for itself well over when you really need it. Protective films and coatings when properly installed, pay dividends each time you drive the car, or even each time you park it! These solutions can prevent frustrating and very costly repairs over the ownership of your vehicle.
Does this mean they're "PERFECT" and "FLAWLESS" solutions? Heck no, there are definitely potential downsides to these services. The largest downside being cost. Because each installation of film or coatings vary greatly on the installer, film of choice or installation area, prices can fall all over the spectrum.
As of 2017, modern films and coatings have now been around long enough to show long term benefits and real life expectations. To decide whether to live with wear and tear on your vehicles surfaces is a decision that is completely up to you. There is no real easy justification to say whether you are a candidate to spend thousands on protective films or wraps. In my experience, our clients that receive one of our protective services for the first time, end up getting it on their next vehicle or even come back for more coverage later on. I think where MOST of the confusion and uncertainty comes from in the marketplace is a lack of proper education on the pluses and minuses of these services. It WONT be for everyone, if you aren't bother by rock chips or other wear and tear then it may not be worth your time or money. But do know that reversing this damage will cost you much much more in the long run than the initial up front cost of protecting these surfaces from the start.
Hope that helps all!
-Tim Coats
Adonis Detail, Inc.
Now, whether it is worth it to spend thousands of dollars on your vehicle to provide protection you "May or may not" see a direct return on every day is up to you. But much like Insurance, it pays for itself well over when you really need it. Protective films and coatings when properly installed, pay dividends each time you drive the car, or even each time you park it! These solutions can prevent frustrating and very costly repairs over the ownership of your vehicle.
Does this mean they're "PERFECT" and "FLAWLESS" solutions? Heck no, there are definitely potential downsides to these services. The largest downside being cost. Because each installation of film or coatings vary greatly on the installer, film of choice or installation area, prices can fall all over the spectrum.
As of 2017, modern films and coatings have now been around long enough to show long term benefits and real life expectations. To decide whether to live with wear and tear on your vehicles surfaces is a decision that is completely up to you. There is no real easy justification to say whether you are a candidate to spend thousands on protective films or wraps. In my experience, our clients that receive one of our protective services for the first time, end up getting it on their next vehicle or even come back for more coverage later on. I think where MOST of the confusion and uncertainty comes from in the marketplace is a lack of proper education on the pluses and minuses of these services. It WONT be for everyone, if you aren't bother by rock chips or other wear and tear then it may not be worth your time or money. But do know that reversing this damage will cost you much much more in the long run than the initial up front cost of protecting these surfaces from the start.
Hope that helps all!
-Tim Coats
Adonis Detail, Inc.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
It's not snake oil. You can't get rid of swirl marks and have rain beading months after application with snake oil. Read the reviews:
22ple VX Pro Glass Coating Product Reviews - Detailed Image
You can also watch the Youtube video I posted above to see how it looks before/after.
I looked into a number of glass coating products before deciding on this one. This thread convinced me to try it and I'm glad I did:
This product is a game changer! - 22ple VX1 Pro Coating
To 3M or Not 3M a White Car - beyond.ca car forums community for automotive enthusiasts
Clear bra - yellowing? - 6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource
I'm not convinced that any clear plastic, regardless of what it is made of, can remain perfectly clear after being on a car that is exposed to the elements for years. That's probably why most wraps come with a 5 year warranty.
That's assuming you pay to reverse it. If you sell your car in 5 years a yellowish wrap could be more costly than a few paint chips but in most cases you just sell or trade-in your car and don't incur the costs to repair paint chips in any event.
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EV-lutioin
Active Member
You may want to look at my photos in this thread and reconsider not wrapping your car. My car was consistently waxed and the paint is badly chipped on all unwrapped surfaces simply from normal road wash. I guess I can't speak for all Tesla's, but the paint on my car is pathetically soft.
FWIW, I remember my Porsches I had had a small piece of clear film behind the doors where the fenders flared out, presumably to defend against sand/rocks hitting that part of the car, which was pretty exposed.
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