I just got back from a road trip with my M3 and spent hours cleaning it up. Sure, it's been through dust storms, icy roads covered in salt, and much more during the trip, yet I find Model 3 very hard to clean.
Any tips, magical products or videos that would show me how to keep the car clean? Any advice is welcome.
I haven't received my car yet, so to be honest - I've been pretty OCD watching videos, reading up on car detailing etc. I'll share with you what i've learned so far.
Most expensive option: Get your entire car wrapped in protective film, something like XPEL - they say it lasts up to 10 years and is literally a tough urethane membrane wrapped around your car. It can range between 5-6K USD, and will protect your car from rock chips, UV, acid etc. Makes your car easy to clean because basically dust, iron, impurities cannot penetrate it.
Next most expensive: Ceramic coating won't do what a film does, but it provides a somewhat resilient polymer that resists scratches, protects against UV, acid (bird droppings), makes your car very shiny and easy to clean with minimal effort due to its hydrophobic properties (beads water). Ceramic coatings range from 1-3k I'd say...depending on detailer / product. Supposed to last 2-5 years depending on type.
Sealants: Sealants are synthetic products, some new products combine ceramic coating technology as well. The best ones out there are P&S Beadmaker, McGuiar's Ceramic Spray Wax, HydroSilex (a ceramic spray), Opti-Seal, . There are obviously many others, but these are the ones I've picked up. Supposed to last up to a 1 year.
Waxes: Most waxes are carnauba and therefore an organic product, they provide great shine but limited protection. So you have to clean your car often and re-apply waxes once a month.
Basically all the stuff above do more or less the same thing to different degrees, they "seal", and protect your paint and clear coat. If what's underneath is dirty, contaminated or contains swirl scratches then it'll seal that in it too.
So what I've learned is keeping your car super clean, and easy to clean after - depends on getting it washed properly, de-contaminated, and then sealed properly the first time - then the upkeep is easy, because you're essentially just washing dust, dirt whatever from the protection film.
I recently invested in a bunch of things for my own car:
- Power washer + MTTC Foam Cannon + Mr.Pink Chemical Guys shampoo
- Clay bar (Mother's - plan to do it every 6 months )
- High quality wash mitt ( Rag Company)
- Good quality microfibers (Rag Company) for wiping / drying
- Sealant (P+S Beadmaker) as a durable long-lasting sealant
- Optimum No Rinse ( For weekly maintenance)
Anyway, you might or might not know all or some of this. So I will leave you with this info.
For Youtube clips checkout videos by Obsessed Garage or Pan the Organizer - they have good videos on all the basics, products etc...