Exterior Advice - Bunch of Questions

[Goatdan]

I have now completely overloaded myself with information about protecting the paint on our car and would really appreciate some advise. It seems the right answers to this is entirely dependent on so many factors, and I can't figure it out. Here goes:

I am getting a solid black 3 soon.

I want the car to look good and I intend to keep it as long as possible.

The car will be our families main driver. It will live in Wisconsin where it snows relatively often. My job also has me go through really busy times, where I won't be able to do much for it for sometimes a month at a time.

All this being said, I'm lost on how to keep it clean best and what, if any, protection to do.

Are any car washes okay to do with it? How is it best to wash?

Is ceramic coating worth it, or should I be looking to self wax myself semi regularly?

Does ceramic coating mean that I have to wash by hand with special solution? I don't exactly want to be out hand washing it in winter if I can avoid it.

Do the clear vinyl wrap things help protect from rust? (both of my previous cars got rust spots after about 7 years.)

With the ceramic coating, if there is an issue how much does it cost to remove it, fix it and restore it?

I am also budget conscious, and don't want to spend a ton of money. What might be the best bang for the buck?

Anything else I should be thinking of?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I know it's a ton of questions, but I've now basically read so much on the topic that I've made it so I have no idea what to do.

 

[hiroshiy]

Are any car washes okay to do with it? How is it best to wash?

Yeah, if you don't care about swirls or minor scratches, they are perfect. If you worry about them, eventually losing lust or glossy feel in summer and bright days, avoid car wash and hand wash only.

Is ceramic coating worth it, or should I be looking to self wax myself semi regularly?

It's a question of how you value your time. If you like to wax your car semi regularly like once a month, I don't think ceramic coating worth your investment. If you really don't want to wax it and instead just water wash and wipe it up, then ceramic coating keeps your car glossy for at least few years, without waxing.

Does ceramic coating mean that I have to wash by hand with special solution? I don't exactly want to be out hand washing it in winter if I can avoid it.

Nope, you are supposed to wash with water. depending on the type of coating, it is better to apply special protective solutions several times a year.

Do the clear vinyl wrap things help protect from rust? (both of my previous cars got rust spots after about 7 years.)

It will protect from the surface, but not from the back. Model 3's body panels are all aluminum I think, so no rust anyway.
BTW vinyl wraps has also other advantages. They literally cover paint surfaces so you can use car wash and not worry about it. It will also endure snow and ice. The cons of the wrap is the cost. It is really expensive, and it will lose some of the lust or glossy look, as vinyl wrap surface is not completely flat.

With the ceramic coating, if there is an issue how much does it cost to remove it, fix it and restore it?

Don't know. Need expert advice.

I am also budget conscious, and don't want to spend a ton of money. What might be the best bang for the buck?

Guess ceramic coating is the best, as it will save you some time to wax.

 

[AnarchyEOD]

Wrap the full front (bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors, A pillar, and ceramic coat the whole thing. If that’s too much.... wrap would be better... you can wax a car to keep it shiny, but you can’t wax out a paint chip no matter how hard you try. I did full front and ceramic coat. I couldn’t be any happier.

 

[Eno Deb]

Are any car washes okay to do with it? How is it best to wash?

Hand washing is better. Automated car washes either use brushes (which cause micro scratches) or aggressive chemicals ("touchless") which strip wax and other coatings over time.

Is ceramic coating worth it, or should I be looking to self wax myself semi regularly?

Up to you. I did get a single layer of ceramic coating (Ceramic Pro "bronze") on my car, mostly because I'm too lazy to wax. I consider it a long term wax (will probably last about 2 years in our mild California climate).

Does ceramic coating mean that I have to wash by hand with special solution? I don't exactly want to be out hand washing it in winter if I can avoid it.

No, you can wash it normally, but it'll wear off faster than if you carefully wash it by hand. Also, contrary to many claims, cars with ceramic coating can still scratch.

With the ceramic coating, if there is an issue how much does it cost to remove it, fix it and restore it?

Depends on the type. There are semi-permanent and permanent coatings. My coating is semi-permanent and uses a product called "Ceramic Pro Light" which can be polished off if necessary. The same goes for some of the DIY products you can buy such as CQuartz. But there are other variants that use multi-layer applications with increased hardness ("9H" or similar) that can only be removed by sanding. If you choose one of those, make sure that your paint is fully corrected before the coating is applied because paint correction is no longer possible afterwards. This can also be an issue e.g. if a bumper needs to be repainted and blended with the rest of the car.

I am also budget conscious, and don't want to spend a ton of money. What might be the best bang for the buck?

If you dont' want to invest a lot of your own time, the best bang for the buck is probably to take the car to a detailer twice a year. They can also buff out micro scratches that you might get from automatic car washes.

Generally, I wouldn't go overboard with the whole paint protection thing. Sooner or later the car will have imperfections anyway (rock chips and whatnot). It'll just give it personality.