Laziness is winning, about to go to touchless automatic wash

[acarney]

My car is dirty, it’s crazy hot out right now, I don’t want to deal with washing it today and didn’t last week it… laziness is winning and I’m thinking of hitting an automatic touchless wash. In addition I have no winter solution that I like (I’m not a fan of “waterless” in the garage when it’s still ~30 degrees in the garage). I think I have my black trim ceramic coated… I kinda feel like when I got PPF and ceramic I had my detailer cover all the black trim in ceramic and it’s been about 10 months since then. In addition I think I’ve also personally used a retail ceramic to go over it during a hand washing in the last couple months… but I could be misremembering.

In the case the auto wash does screw up my trim and I now have rainbow stained black trim, is it a part that mobile service can replace and does anyone know the cost of the trim parts and a non-warranty mobile visit?

My closest Tesla store is ~2 hours away, if my laziness costs me a repair it’s so much easier if I can do it via mobile service…

Also, had anyone seen reports of lower door/window trim being affected and door handles, or is it just that top window long trim piece?

Wish me luck…

 

[JohnCE]

I have been using a touch less car wash since the spring and no issues on my Y. Not sure if Tesla did something to correct the issue or the wash place I use doesn’t use the type of soap that causes the problem or not but so far so good.

 

[acarney]

I have been using a touch less car wash since the spring and no issues on my Y. Not sure if Tesla did something to correct the issue or the wash place I use doesn’t use the type of soap that causes the problem or not but so far so good.

Mine is an Oct 2020

 

[pwtjax]

Don't say you're lazy. Say you're too busy. Makes you sound more like a baller.

 

[jcanoe]

When my Model Y needs to be washed I'll look at the weather forecast for the following week. If there is rain forecast anytime in the next 5 days that's a good excuse to put off washing the Model Y.

There is so much glass on the Model Y that sometimes I just wash the glass. I'll to use Windex and paper towels for the first pass followed by Invisible Glass and microfiber cloth for the second pass. Sometimes I wash the glass roof this way too.

The exterior parts of the Model Y that are not glass get cleaned with Optimum No Rinse (ONR) and a cross cut sponge. If I am washing the whole Model Y I will use the ONR to wash the glass too.

 

[acarney]

God damnit…. Absolutely DESTROYED IT. Like this is way worse that any others I’ve seen!

And I had a couple who own an X drive right over to me to check out the Y because they’re thinking about buying one! Was so embarrassed how bad mine looked…

Lets see if I can get Tesla mobile service to cover this as warranty…

 

[Firocity]

God damnit…. Absolutely DESTROYED IT. Like this is way worse that any others I’ve seen!

And I had a couple who own an X drive right over to me to check out the Y because they’re thinking about buying one! Was so embarrassed how bad mine looked…

Lets see if I can get Tesla mobile service to cover this as warranty…

Dang that’s from a touchless car wash? Why are Tesla’s sensitive to them?

 

[acarney]

Dang that’s from a touchless car wash? Why are Tesla’s sensitive to them?

Yep, touchless… pictures were literally 30 seconds after pulling out. “Elephant Car Wash” in Richland, WA. I’ll probably email them and see if they’ll cover this if Tesla won’t… or at least get the SDS for the chemicals they use…

 

[pt19713]

Dang that’s from a touchless car wash? Why are Tesla’s sensitive to them?

Most companies use black rubber trim. Tesla uses black anodized aluminum. Touchless washes dump hot alkaline fluid (around 10-11 pH level), then an acidic solution. The two mix for a chemical reaction to loosen the dirt.

The black anodized aluminum doesn't like the alkaline solution.

 

[acarney]

I wonder why new vehicles don’t seem to have as much of an issue… If Tesla coated the trim or something…

Also, curious if anyone has done a chrome delete on the black trim to make washing feasible, lol

Put a service request in with Tesla and mobile service doesn’t seem to be an option… once I message someone I’ll see if I can get mobile service assigned to this…

Very friendly couple I spoke with… totally forgot to pitch my referral code though! They absolutely noticed my trim immediately too, had to explain what happened… that also got us down the line of body panel alignment issues and I pointed mine out. I wonder if Tesla realizes how much stuff like this gets communicated between customers when someone asks an existing owner questions or inquiries about a recommendation on the vehicle…

 

[czbuckeye]

Have you guys tried just rubbing it off with your hand? I just take my hand and buff off the rainbow color after a touchless wash. Takes a few minutes but it does come off by buffing it with my fingers. I took pictures of before and after I buffed a small section.

 

[acarney]

I immediately tried cleaning it with a non-ammonia window wipe and it didn’t do anything. As you can imagine I’m pretty annoyed with this on a $60k car (even if I did know this was a chance) and will have the trim replaced, hopefully by Tesla as a courtesy. There should at least be a TSB pushed by Tesla via the app to owners that might be susceptible to this. I’m sure they could even track if owners have read it or not or put a little “I understand and agree” button that must be checked to move on.

Elon loves rolling changes but never contacts or even posts VIN cut offs when things changed. If new trim is more robust, he owes it to existing owners to at least notify.

 

[czbuckeye]

I have tried using different cleaners and a sponge, nothing works better than my bare hand My build date is in January and have only used touchless car washes, and every time it takes about 5 minutes to clear off the rainbow color.

 

[acarney]

I have tried using different cleaners and a sponge, nothing works better than my bare hand My build date is in January and have only used touchless car washes, and every time it takes about 5 minutes to clear off the rainbow color.

Does it come back if you wash it by hand or after a week or two?

 

[Pianewman]

88xxx, Dec. 2020 build, 3 times through touchless car wash. No issues with black trim.

 

[czbuckeye]

Does it come back if you wash it by hand or after a week or two?

It has not come back unless I go through touchless car wash, which is about every two weeks. I have never washed the car by hand.

 

[Pianewman]

Wouldn't it help to have VINs reported, or month of manufacture? Aren't we trying to determine when Tesla changed the trim coating?

 

[acarney]

059377 here, built in Oct 2020 I believe because I missed end of quarter by like 6 days…

 

[jcanoe]

The latest Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_y_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

Page 172 - Cleaning the Exterior

CAUTION: If washing in an automatic car wash, use touchless car washes only. These car washes have no parts (brushes, etc.) that touch the surfaces of Model Y. Some touchless car washes use caustic solutions that, over time, can cause discoloration of decorative exterior trim. Avoid exposure to soaps and chemicals above pH 13. If unsure, check the product label or ask the staff at the car wash.

Damage caused by improper washing is not covered by the warranty

 

[jcanoe]

This product may help:

The guy used WD-40 to remove the residue from the trim: