Model S Exterior: Paint Armor

[PhilBa]

I thought rocker panels were the part below the door. Regardless what you call them, I decided not to do the lower part of the door for precisely that reason even though it seems exposed to debris coming off the road. I think the seam would catch a lot of dirt and thus be more obvious than a few scratches.

 

[jerry33]

I thought rocker panels were the part below the door. Regardless what you call them, I decided not to do the lower part of the door for precisely that reason even though it seems exposed to debris coming off the road. I think the seam would catch a lot of dirt and thus be more obvious than a few scratches.

You can't do them anyway because they are plastic and the paint armour won't stick.

 

[spleen]

You can't do them anyway because they are plastic and the paint armour won't stick.

Isn't the Tesla paint armor (Avery Nano) applied to the nose cone (plastic)?

 

[jerry33]

Isn't the Tesla paint armor (Avery Nano) applied to the nose cone (plastic)?

The nose cone isn't textured plastic.

 

[roblab]

I thought rocker panels were the part below the door. Regardless what you call them, I decided not to do the lower part of the door for precisely that reason even though it seems exposed to debris coming off the road. I think the seam would catch a lot of dirt and thus be more obvious than a few scratches.

I think I've said this before, but I had a fair amount (I HAVE a fair amount) of paint damage on the bulge just in front of my rear tires, from sanded icy roads. Kicked up by my own tires. If I had it to do over, I would have a nicely contoured, rounded patch right in front of and on the bulge.

Don't know if this is the "rocker panel", but, my computer says that is the area under the doors, also known as sills.

 

[leilanimunter]

I think brianman in an earlier post in this thread said that a full wrap of Xpel Ultimate would be about $7500. Others have mentioned slightly lower prices but since there's a lot of variability in what "full" actually covers, this may be the reason for the difference in price.

I am getting my entire car wrapped in Xpel Ultimate in Charlotte at Pro Tint for $3500.

Do you think I should do opticoat first or just wrap it?

 

[JakeP]

I did Opticoat Pro on mine first, and then wrapped it. I only did that because at the time, I wasn't doing a full wrap, only the hood, front fenders, A-pillars and rocker panels. I have since wrapped everything except the rear deck lid, which I plan to do next. I think I would skip the Opticoat under the full wrap next time.

Do have your wheels Opticoated, however. It makes them much easier to clean, especially on the insides of the barrels.

 

[JPP]

If you do OptiCoat Pro your detailer can apply a heavier coat to impact areas as added protection. FWIW, I skipped a wrap.

 

[mandfunk]

It's been said before, but let me be one more to say that I have had 2 cars with this paint protection and have never had any problems with fading or otherwise.
It is very telling that pretty much everyone who has had this on a car says they would always put it on every car the purchase from then on.
We have all seen the beating our cars take from the onslaught of road grim and pebbles. I have frankly been amazed at the protection this small piece of plastic affords.
Yes you may see a slight line (depending on your paint color), but a faint geometric line is nothing compared to years of pits and chips.
My advice....do the paint protection

Very well said. Having it done at the factory is THE place to get it done...not after delivery when dirt and other contaminates have attached to your paint.

 

[gnelson]

Thats pretty terrible. Why would tesla even offer this as an option? It makes a beautiful car look like crap. They should be offering full XPEL Ultimate wraps and not that other junk they are using.

They shouldn't offer it because it is terrible. Another reason they should not offer it is Tesla Motors will NOT stand behind it!!!!

I replaced mine with Xpel.

 

[jerry33]

Very well said. Having it done at the factory is THE place to get it done...not after delivery when dirt and other contaminates have attached to your paint.

Unfortunately, the paint armour installed at the factory is not very good. It doesn't cover everything and there is an unsightly dirt line in the middle of the hood. Having had full paint armour put on and 25+K miles on the car, I can say there are a lot of places that would have been messed up with rocks and road debris had I had the factory paint armour. While I used Solartek rather than Xpel, it hasn't changed appearance in 15 months.

 

[MoeMistry]

I am getting my entire car wrapped in Xpel Ultimate in Charlotte at Pro Tint for $3500.

Do you think I should do opticoat first or just wrap it?

XPEL recommends NOT applying any coating prior to installation...it really serves no function IMHO...

From XPEL's Site:

XPEL Technologies Corp.: Frequently Asked Questions

"Can/should Opticoat or cQuartz be applied to the car before the film is installed?"

We do NOT recommend applying sealants such as Opticoat or cQuartz to the parts of the car that will be covered with film. The low surface energy of paint sealant products such as these will cause adhesion problems both during installation and over the life of the product. In addition, it is worth noting that there is really no benefit to applying sealant to the paint before the film anyway, since the film will provide far more environmental protection to the paint than a sealant ever could.

 

[mandfunk]

... if price is no object. Agree.

If price is no object, I'd just get a new paint job when the damage becomes too obvious. $5000-$7500 for a quality full wrap goes goes a good way towards paying for all new paint! Besides, paint armor will show dings too... I think the factory paint armor takes care of most of what most people need. And you are getting protection before the car leaves the factory, done by Tesla. I think a lot of people would prefer Tesla armor over after market because its done by Tesla at the factory. Many are not keen on risking a $100,000 car to some vehicle wrap place, no matter what their reputation (how many undetectable razor nicks did they do to your paint during the trimming process?). And after market body wraps may actually decrease the value of a car because future buyers have no idea what materials were used and how well the job was done, even if you show them a receipt. Lastly, paint armor done beyond the factory coverage is really starting to give diminished returns for your money. The issue over the line from the partial covering of the hood is WAY over blown. As has been noted elsewhere, Tesla elected to not cover the whole hood because it makes the whole hood color look slightly different than the rest of the car. By doing the only the lower and mostly curved area of the hood, the color change is less noticeable than covering the whole hood. The subtle change in color and albedo in curved areas is less obvious...the same reason there's been few complaints about the lines on other covered areas of the car.

 

[yobigd20]

Besides, paint armor will show dings too... I think the factory paint armor takes care of most of what most people need. And you are getting protection before the car leaves the factory, done by Tesla. I think a lot of people would prefer Tesla armor over after market because its done by Tesla at the factory.

wrong. the quality of the paint armor and that quality of the install of the paint armor that Tesla uses at factory is complete crap.

Many are not keen on risking a $100,000 car to some vehicle wrap place, no matter what their reputation (how many undetectable razor nicks did they do to your paint during the trimming process?).

wrong. a lot of these are precut templates for many of the pieces. they have giant rolls of film that go through machines using templates provided by the film manufacturer and the are cut exactly to fit the pieces. so no razors for cutting. for places that do full wraps (not using templates), if its a very reputable shop working on $100k+ cars only daily, these guys are pros. they don't screw up and leave razor marks. they know what they are doing.

And after market body wraps may actually decrease the value of a car because future buyers have no idea what materials were used and how well the job was done, even if you show them a receipt.

wrong. by protecting the paint, the value of the car goes up, not down.

The issue over the line from the partial covering of the hood is WAY over blown.

you must have never seen a car with the half film hood. its complete and utter $hit. why anyone would choose to have their car look like this is beyond me. its quite horrific looking.

As has been noted elsewhere, Tesla elected to not cover the whole hood because it makes the whole hood color look slightly different than the rest of the car.

back to point #1, that's because the film that Tesla uses is complete crap. I have XPEL Ultimate on the full front of my car and you cannot tell what pieces have film and what pieces don't. its so clear you cannot see it unless I point it out. this is completely different than the crap film that Tesla uses where you can easily see discoloration and the edges.

By doing the only the lower and mostly curved area of the hood, the color change is less noticeable than covering the whole hood. The subtle change in color and albedo in curved areas is less obvious...the same reason there's been few complaints about the lines on other covered areas of the car.

I don't know where you got this info from. again you must never have seen a tesla with the factory PPF. you can spot it a mile away. its far from subtle. looks more like vandalism and having a giant key mark straight across the hood.

BTW I don't know where you are getting the $5k-$7k numbers from. that must be from full wraps on the west coast. you can get that out here for half the price. and if you only do like I did (full front), it's basically down to almost the same price as from the factory, except using much higher quality film (XPEL Ultimate) and also having the full hood covered. and get a coating for the rest of the car (opticoat, 22ple, etc).

I would stay very far away from the factory PPF. bad film. and the installers seem amateurish as well leaving stretch marks and everything. much better to go aftermarket. besides, you're probably going to need a paint correction done anyway as soon as you get the car and you can't do that if you have factory PPF on

 

[jerry33]

Yobigd20 has pretty much nailed it. The paint armour from the factory isn't nearly as good as aftermarket. This shouldn't be the case, but it is. I'm using Suntek and it's also very clear. The stone and road debris chips tend to either be right at the lip of the frunk or close to the windshield. A half job won't do it. And when it gets to looking ratty, it's easy to just redo the hood.

 

[mandfunk]

Yobigd20, didn't mean to get you all bent out of shape, and I certainly wasn't trying to personally offend you over your or anyone else's choice. Everything I mentioned that you state is wrong, someone else in this thread has mentioned in this very thread (including the estimate for $7500 for a full wrap). I never claimed the paint armor Tesla uses is the best either. I have seen several MS with factory paint armor, and I didn't think it that bad (except white, or when wax is improperly left on the seam). And apparently the people that designed and built our cars feel the same way, or Tesla wouldn't even offer the option. I don't have the factory Tesla paint armor, but there are lot of folks I know who do and are happy with it. And, many didn't buy aftermarket for the reasons outlined above (again, some state this on this very thread). However, I'm sure there are some very good wraps out there, and yours very well might just be the best on planet earth. I just think saying things like "why anyone would choose to have their car look like this is beyond me" is not very constructive, considering there are thousands of very smart and satisfied people out there with Tesla paint armor who have more important things to worry about.

 

[dsm363]

XPEL ultimate at the two best shops in Seattle is $7,000-8,500 so it does matter where you live.

 

[S4Life]

wrong. the quality of the paint armor and that quality of the install of the paint armor that Tesla uses at factory is complete crap.



wrong. a lot of these are precut templates for many of the pieces. they have giant rolls of film that go through machines using templates provided by the film manufacturer and the are cut exactly to fit the pieces. so no razors for cutting. for places that do full wraps (not using templates), if its a very reputable shop working on $100k+ cars only daily, these guys are pros. they don't screw up and leave razor marks. they know what they are doing.



wrong. by protecting the paint, the value of the car goes up, not down.



you must have never seen a car with the half film hood. its complete and utter $hit. why anyone would choose to have their car look like this is beyond me. its quite horrific looking.



back to point #1, that's because the film that Tesla uses is complete crap. I have XPEL Ultimate on the full front of my car and you cannot tell what pieces have film and what pieces don't. its so clear you cannot see it unless I point it out. this is completely different than the crap film that Tesla uses where you can easily see discoloration and the edges.



I don't know where you got this info from. again you must never have seen a tesla with the factory PPF. you can spot it a mile away. its far from subtle. looks more like vandalism and having a giant key mark straight across the hood.

BTW I don't know where you are getting the $5k-$7k numbers from. that must be from full wraps on the west coast. you can get that out here for half the price. and if you only do like I did (full front), it's basically down to almost the same price as from the factory, except using much higher quality film (XPEL Ultimate) and also having the full hood covered. and get a coating for the rest of the car (opticoat, 22ple, etc).

I would stay very far away from the factory PPF. bad film. and the installers seem amateurish as well leaving stretch marks and everything. much better to go aftermarket. besides, you're probably going to need a paint correction done anyway as soon as you get the car and you can't do that if you have factory PPF on

+1

Yobigd20 has pretty much nailed it. The paint armour from the factory isn't nearly as good as aftermarket. This shouldn't be the case, but it is. I'm using Suntek and it's also very clear. The stone and road debris chips tend to either be right at the lip of the frunk or close to the windshield. A half job won't do it. And when it gets to looking ratty, it's easy to just redo the hood.

+1

XPEL ultimate at the two best shops in Seattle is $7,000-8,500 so it does matter where you live.

Thats price is for a full car. NWAS being one of those I am sure as they do outstanding work, I have seen it with my own eyes. No way Tesla can match that level of work. I do believe Tesla outsources their installs anyway so they technically offer paint armor but do not perform the work themselves.

- - - Updated - - -

XPEL recommends NOT applying any coating prior to installation...it really serves no function IMHO...

From XPEL's Site:

XPEL Technologies Corp.: Frequently Asked Questions

"Can/should Opticoat or cQuartz be applied to the car before the film is installed?"

We do NOT recommend applying sealants such as Opticoat or cQuartz to the parts of the car that will be covered with film. The low surface energy of paint sealant products such as these will cause adhesion problems both during installation and over the life of the product. In addition, it is worth noting that there is really no benefit to applying sealant to the paint before the film anyway, since the film will provide far more environmental protection to the paint than a sealant ever could.

Yep, no reason to do it before. IMO its overkill to do it after too. Go with one or the other but not both. I would though wrap the car and use Opticoat on other portions of the car not covered with PPF, and trim, wheels, etc.

 

[gnelson]

Yobigd20, didn't mean to get you all bent out of shape, and I certainly wasn't trying to personally offend you over your or anyone else's choice. Everything I mentioned that you state is wrong, someone else in this thread has mentioned in this very thread (including the estimate for $7500 for a full wrap). I never claimed the paint armor Tesla uses is the best either. I have seen several MS with factory paint armor, and I didn't think it that bad (except white, or when wax is improperly left on the seam). And apparently the people that designed and built our cars feel the same way, or Tesla wouldn't even offer the option. I don't have the factory Tesla paint armor, but there are lot of folks I know who do and are happy with it. And, many didn't buy aftermarket for the reasons outlined above (again, some state this on this very thread). However, I'm sure there are some very good wraps out there, and yours very well might just be the best on planet earth. I just think saying things like "why anyone would choose to have their car look like this is beyond me" is not very constructive, considering there are thousands of very smart and satisfied people out there with Tesla paint armor who have more important things to worry about.

I haven't talked with anybody who is satisfied with the factory paint armor. I didn't receive a quality product that I thought I would get when I ordered my P85+. I had multiple holes in the film from rock chips. The front of my car looked horrible with the ugly crap that Tesla put on my car.The Tesla SC in Houston would not reimburse me for the terrible product or for replacement of it with Xpel. The shop that did my replacement has replaced Paint Armor on other Model S. I am not happy with the Houston SC or with Tesla Motors for charging me for an inferior product that required replacement.

- - - Updated - - -

I have no clue why Tesla Motors still sells that crap after incurring many complaints.

 

[MoeMistry]

In Tesla's defense of Paint Armor, we've only had one client that had it done and we redid it. For a pre-cut kit, I was impressed what was done at the factory level. The film itself was pretty clear and the edges matched up nicely.

So, for being the only manufacturer to offer this as an option, they've done pretty good.

But, now that most of you have seen a proper clear bra installation where the entire front end can be covered with a quality film and excellent warranty, I personally don't see the VALUE in getting Paint Armor from factory.