Wiki Model S Delivery Update

[GassyBabyBlue]

So while I try to grasp the last few straws of my sanity, i thought i'd ask for advice, please.
my neighbor told me about a guy he knows, does the PPF in your garage, and has done a few of his cars before. great job. anyway, about $3,500 (which is a lot better than the $6k or so quoted otherwise in my area)
here come the questions:
ceramic for i think $800 - yay nor nay? I presently wash my benz at a local brushless wash, and i'm fine with it. yeah, some swirl marks, it's only a car.
i can take the S through the wash and be fine in my mind. not sure what happens with PPF. If i drop the $800 or so on ceramic, supposedly i can just hit it with a hose and call it a day.
then i was thinking of tinting. i presume if i do, i want ceramic tint, or something else? i'd like heat rejecting. NJ doesn't allow a windshield or front window tint (my benz was very dark from the factory, no issues) though a cop buddy told me they CAN use the tint as probable cause IF they want to pull you over. I've also read tint can be an excuse for them to downgrade and give you a ticket for that versus say, speeding.
I was thinking 70% or even 50% for windshield, and i don't remember what he did for his front and rear windows
lastly, that roof - anyone use heat rejection for the roof? when i test drove the 3 and Y in May the sun was strong and it was brutally hot -which did improve as i drove (i guess the wind helped cool, and i dropped the AC way down). if i get caught in stop and go NY traffic, i don't want to bake.
thanks for any advice!

I have 50% tint on my front windshield for the last 2 and half years. I haven't had a single issue with LE thankfully. I am going to go with 70% on my front windshield this time around as the 50% was just a tad too dark at night with low lighting. At 70% you can barely even tell there is a tint, you'd really really need to be looking close IMO. The 50% is fairly noticeable but no one seems to care about it. But I do agree it would be an easy reason to pull anyone over without any other cause.

 

[GassyBabyBlue]

PPF is personal decision. $3500 for an entire care (assuming its done right) is a good "deal" only as it relates to market pricing for PPF.
I personally have owned cars for many years/100k miles plus. And ended up 95% of the time selling them privately for the top of "private sale" price of KBB or higher. Those cars had no PPF.

I also wonder how easily PPF will come off after being on a car for many years, exposed to UV, etc. I hope it all comes off of all surfaces (especially plastic bumpers) without peeling off a single piece of paint with it..

As far as ceramic, whats your goal? I wash my cars by hand usually once a week (when weather is nice) and once a month I apply a spray on wax and hand buff for max gloss. Doing this keeps water beading small and tight and paint glossy. Once a year I'll break out the buffer and do a decontaminate process (spray on stuff) and then apply a one step cleaner wax. Easy, cheap, simple, effective. So no ceramic needed for me.

To comment on the point of it falling off, the shops I have spoken to all have between 7-10 year or lifetime warranties against that type of damage. I am planning on keeping this car for at minimum 5 years and having mine done at a reputable shop so I'm personally less concerned about it.

As for the ceramic coating, it's interesting some places lump it into the price of the PPF because in their words "it takes very little extra effort if we're already putting on PPF".

I'm paying 6k for Xpel Stealth PPF full wrap and ceramic coating, but after seeing the damage on my 3 and wife's Y I don't a third of my hood to be paint chips 2 years into ownership.

 

[uthatcher]

No man don't worry! @uthatcher we've got no ties right? Bring @jebinc along too!

Oh yeah, come one, come all!

 

[EndlessPlaid]

Oh yeah, come one, come all!

We don't discriminate in any way! Everyone invited!

 

[2101Guy]

To comment on the point of it falling off, the shops I have spoken to all have between 7-10 year or lifetime warranties against that type of damage. I am planning on keeping this car for at minimum 5 years and having mine done at a reputable shop so I'm personally less concerned about it.

As for the ceramic coating, it's interesting some places lump it into the price of the PPF because in their words "it takes very little extra effort if we're already putting on PPF".

I'm paying 6k for Xpel Stealth PPF full wrap and ceramic coating, but after seeing the damage on my 3 and wife's Y I don't a third of my hood to be paint chips 2 years into ownership.

That's a covert way of them charging several hundred more for the job. Ceramic is applied to the surface. Its literally the same amount of effort to apply to a car without PPF, or with PPF. I'd love to hear the backstory on how its less effort to apply ceramic at the time of PPF install.

 

[Ohmster]

I also wonder how easily PPF will come off after being on a car for many years, exposed to UV, etc. I hope it all comes off of all surfaces (especially plastic bumpers) without peeling off a single piece of paint with it..

Valid concern. Been using SunTek for almost 20 years. Removed on two cars after 6 and 8 years respectively. No issues....

 

[n2mb_racing]

I got an email to schedule "home delivery".. I was expecting to inspect myself at delivery location and then make a payment....Do I HAVE to take home delivery or it is just an option?

I assume you could still inspect at your home before signing the documents and giving the last payment. I inspected mine for over 2 hours before making the last payment and signing the documents.

 

[jebinc]

X- post from issues thread…

“Team TMC: I plan to take the vibration matter to social media (Twitter), in attempts to get some influencers to shed light on this issue. Will post tweets here in hopes those afflicted with the same issue will like it reply/retweet. Should have something started by the end of the day. Thanks for your support!”

 

[2101Guy]

To comment on the point of it falling off, the shops I have spoken to all have between 7-10 year or lifetime warranties against that type of damage. I am planning on keeping this car for at minimum 5 years and having mine done at a reputable shop so I'm personally less concerned about it.

As for the ceramic coating, it's interesting some places lump it into the price of the PPF because in their words "it takes very little extra effort if we're already putting on PPF".

I'm paying 6k for Xpel Stealth PPF full wrap and ceramic coating, but after seeing the damage on my 3 and wife's Y I don't a third of my hood to be paint chips 2 years into ownership.

Totally understood on bolded part. And is why I am setting aside $500 in an account for a hood respray if needed, 6 years from now.

 

[Avmax]

I assume you could still inspect at your home before signing the documents and giving the last payment. I inspected mine for over 2 hours before making the last payment and signing the documents.

Thats great to know.. so I assume the person dropping off the vehicle will wait for me to complete the inspection? Are they still accpeting cashier's check or only online transfer (after the inspection is done)?

 

[n2mb_racing]

Thats great to know.. so I assume the person dropping off the vehicle will wait for me to complete the inspection? Are they still accpeting cashier's check or only online transfer (after the inspection is done)?

I think the site says cashiers checks are fine. They seem to no longer be accepting personal checks. I used personal checks for all my past purchases. They turned my personal check into an ACH, though. The "plaid" payment service they use is suspicious. It wants your bank account login and password, then it goes into your account to access it, and they download all your transaction history and sell it to third parties.

 

[Draketurner]

I think the site says cashiers checks are fine. They seem to no longer be accepting personal checks. I used personal checks for all my past purchases. They turned my personal check into an ACH, though. The "plaid" payment service they use is suspicious. It wants your bank account login and password, then it goes into your account to access it, and they download all your transaction history and sell it to third parties.

Plaids terms of service specifically says "We do not sell or rent personal information that we collect." Ive used them several times in the past with no issues.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Plaids terms of service specifically says "We do not sell or rent personal information that we collect." Ive used them several times in the past with no issues.

I'd read this thread:

Is Plaid, a service which collects user’s banking login information, safe to use?

I recently signed up for Privacy.com, which uses a service called Plaid to link a bank account. To do this, it requires the user to provide their banking username and password to a webpage from Pl...

security.stackexchange.com

 

[Avmax]

I'd read this thread:

Is Plaid, a service which collects user’s banking login information, safe to use?

I recently signed up for Privacy.com, which uses a service called Plaid to link a bank account. To do this, it requires the user to provide their banking username and password to a webpage from Pl...

security.stackexchange.com

Plaids terms of service specifically says "We do not sell or rent personal information that we collect." Ive used them several times in the past with no issues.

good that you didn't get into any issues so far.. but I am not comfortable in sharing bank login dtls

 

[2101Guy]

im not pro nor against Plaid banking service, but just pointing out that article is from over 2 years ago. In the world of tech, 2 years is about 2 lifetimes...

 

[chrisdh79]

good that you didn't get into any issues so far.. but I am not comfortable in sharing bank login dtls

My credit union (NFCU), along with many online major retailors utilize Plaid as a form of payment. You have nothing to worry about if you decide to use it. "Not financial advice"

 

[nwd89]

Any other Canadians out there?

RN 1151 with original delivery window in Sept. After many bumps, now looking at mid-Dec. I'm just worried about the luxury tax that may come into play January 1, 2022 which will add another $20k to the car.

I'm in a similar situation, Order Aug 2, RN 1154 with a date of Dec 12-31.
I'm having a small anxiety attack thinking about the Lux tax lol

 

[Avmax]

My credit union (NFCU), along with many online major retailors utilize Plaid as a form of payment. You have nothing to worry about if you decide to use it. "Not financial advice"

ok.. got it... thanks chrisdh79

 

[GassyBabyBlue]

That's a covert way of them charging several hundred more for the job. Ceramic is applied to the surface. Its literally the same amount of effort to apply to a car without PPF, or with PPF. I'd love to hear the backstory on how its less effort to apply ceramic at the time of PPF install.

I am sure they just meant they've already prepped the surface and rest, and it's an easy application. I'm just relaying what I heard from calling around 20 different shops and getting the rundown of their service.

 

[aerodyne]

my opinion. Plaid is possibly the dumbest name ever for a sports car. Or any car.

Not a sports car...a premium sedan that happens to beat all production sport cars...

But, I get your point. Probably seem kinda dated in a few years.