This video states that if you purchased your new Tesla vehicle before the warranty change effective January 2020 then Tesla will replace the trim. January 2020 is pretty much before Tesla started shipping the Model Y. For Tesla vehicles sold after the warranty change replacing the trim is at Tesla's discretion.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Laziness is winning, about to go to touchless automatic wash
- Thread starter acarney
- Start date
use a pH balanced soap and hand wash. If you can't, make sure you put a wax/ceramic/graphene coating over it so the surface is hydrophobic and the chemicals won't react with the aluminum the next time you go through a touchless wash. You'll need to reapply it often since those touchless washes are going to wear down the protective coatings fairly quick.
You can use a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution to clean off the discolored trim, then cover it with a protective coating, otherwise it'll reappear again.
You can use a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution to clean off the discolored trim, then cover it with a protective coating, otherwise it'll reappear again.
Was Tesla shipping a vehicle with black trim before January 2020? I thought it showed up on the Y and then found it’s way back to 3 and finally S (and one would assume new X).
Last edited:
ucsdsig
Member
You’re correct. Model Y was the first vehicle with the “chrome delete” straight from factory.
Timdoggg85
Member
Sorry about your experience OP. I'm a little lost here and hoping I can get some clarity from the community.
The cause of the rainbow effect is the harsh chemicals correct?
Also, is the effect the same on newer models that have black trim instead of chrome?
The cause of the rainbow effect is the harsh chemicals correct?
Also, is the effect the same on newer models that have black trim instead of chrome?
PackMan730
Member
I worry about this the most. I can't pay 40 50 dollars for a car wash and can't wash myself so thinking about the touch car wash that's 8 dollars.
If you live someplace where they don't use salt on the roads in winter you can take care of most car washing with a rinseless wash. The original rinseless car wash is probably Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine (ONR). If you watch some videos you will learn how you can wash your car anywhere with ONR using just 1 bucket and two gallons of water with no rinsing.
Inside my garage, there is no wind. If I wear kitchen gloves I can wash my Model Y using ONR when the temperature in the garage is 38F or above. The garage is generally 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.
As with rain followed by freezing temperatures when you take your Tesla vehicle to a car wash the window seal at the point where the window goes down into the door will get wet, can later freeze to the glass. It can take several days for the window seals to dry out. When I wash my Model Y using ONR the window seals don't get soaked, won't freeze to the window glass. (A frozen window seal, not the door gasket, is the reason the door and window on Tesla vehicles can get stuck shut in freezing temperatures.)
Last edited:
Yep, the soap and rinse water is both acid and alkaline (they both do different things, help dissolve bugs and road tar, aid in drying, aid in removing dust/dirt, etc). It’s not just normal water out of a hose.
Ya, I actually experienced that driving to the store once last year where we were getting mixed rain/freezing rain and the 35 mph I was driving was enough for a wind chill to freeze the glass to the sealing surface, lol
I’ll certainly have to do something else this winter. Last winter I didn’t touch it from Dec to February and there was enough road salt that even with my PPF I didn’t feel comfortable how hard I had to wash to get it cleaned off and it still didn’t fully disappear until a second wash.
It was just so easy when I had my Model 3 to hit the touchless wash in the afternoon before swinging by the grocery store on a Saturday and it would be like 38F out plus some sun. I never seen to actually have an hour I can set aside until like 5 or 6pm or later and of course it’s dark and cold(er) then. My garage is usually a bit warmer, but it’s completely un-insulated (very old house) so if its 28F out it’s like 35 in the garage, and by 6pm it often is like that.
Very curious about just coughing up the money for a chrome delete on the black trim… wonder how the durability is with that and the press a touchless uses… if I could get ~5 years it might be worth $500 to $700 to get done…
(actually especially if I have to pay out of pocket for this trim… could just cover it up… hmmm)
One thing regarding salt damaging a vehicle is that the colder the temperature, the slower the chemical reaction. This includes corrosion from salt. If the temperature is at, below, or close to 32F you don't have to worry about washing off the salt right away. When the temperature warms up a bit then it would be a good idea to wash off the salt as soon as you can. If you don't want to use an automated car wash then using one of the self-service wash bays and the pressure hose is a good way to wash off the salt, at least until you can do a proper hand wash.
Most won't spend the extra money, but I'm installing a mini-split. My garage faces the west so it gets a lot of sun in the afternoon. Even with insulation, it hits 88-92F in the summer. With the mini-split, I'll be able to air condition it in the summer and heat it in the winter for the times I'm working in the garage. It costs about $900 for the non-DYI kits and about $1300-1500 for the DYI kits for the size I need (525 sq ft), which is 18K BTU. I did a garage makeover this year and this is the last thing on the list. I'll do some testing in the winter, but I think I'll keep my garage at around 50F so that the Teslas don't have to precondition itself before charging the battery. My garage is typically 8-10F warmer than the ambient temps in the winter, so it's usually around 40-42F in the winter time. At around 50F, it won't be as freezing cold to do the rinseless washes.
I live by the motto, "the easy way is the hard way." Unfortunately, that will be a lot more fun that you want trying to get Tesla to replace the trim, and you're going to get spend a lot more time, effort and emotions than it would have taken to do a rinseless hand wash.
I have the 3 ton Mr Cool. It's been amazing for the last 3 summers. I was using it yesterday while repairing one of my other cars. It get's as cold as I want it. Definitely spend the extra money for a larger unit so you don't need to insulate the garage and can cool it down quickly, even if you drive in a hot car.
Wolfhausen
Member
Peelz
Budding EV fanatic.
yep this. Ours looks like that right now.
My wife takes hers to wash it a LOT. she loves the car. And Im not going to stop her such a pretty car. ! besides, I dont have time to hand wash cars anymore. So, I usually wipe with either a polish or the stainless steel wipes after she does, or we go together. non issue.
Similar threads
