Model S Exterior: Paint Armor

[ModelS1079]

Has anyone seen it on a Silver Model S? Only the white had it at the Austin event and I was really put off by it. I plan on getting a silver car but I am now on the fence.

See MikeK's post on the Paint Protection thread re: Amour on Silver ("Looks Great").

 

[ryanjm]

I know that you will look at your Model S more than anyone else, but FWIW to the average person, Paint Armor is invisible. In the six years I've had it on my 2006 Infiniti, I can count the number of times someone has noticed it on one hand.

 

[MikeK]

Has anyone seen it on a Silver Model S? Only the white had it at the Austin event and I was really put off by it. I plan on getting a silver car but I am now on the fence.

Just to reinforce what ModelS1079 already said, I have seen the Silver Performance car with the paint film on it. I was surprised how invisible it is. In fact, I initially thought it had been removed from the hood, until I looked very closely and found that it was present.

The only two things I saw that were more visible were the edges of the film up on the mirrors, and the film near the back wheel.

The film on the mirrors was a little dirty with some sort of dark dirt, and therefore visible. I was able to just run my fingernail gently along the edge and then wipe with a fingertip to remove that dirt.

The film down by the wheel, I think, was slightly yellowed, or just not perfectly clear when viewed from that angle. So, it was a little bit darker than the surrounding paint.

If I had gotten the silver paint, I would absolutely have gotten the paint protection. I called a well-regarded local shop, and compared to their prices, Tesla's offering is a bargain.

It is not perfectly invisible, but it is quite innocuous and doesn't detract from the looks of the car in my opinion. I totally know what you mean about the white. That being said, I saw a very pretty white BMW M5 today, all tricked out and de-chromed. It had the paint protection on it. You could see it, but the car wasn't unattractive. It may be worth looking into a more focused application.

I think I would like, at a minimum, to get the edges of the doors done (where they might bump something when opened). Perhaps the areas behind the wheels too.

Or, if there's a different type of film that's not so apparent on white paint, I would consider a more complete aftermarket application.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Has anyone seen it on a Silver Model S? Only the white had it at the Austin event and I was really put off by it. I plan on getting a silver car but I am now on the fence.

Opinions vary.

I found the paint armor quite visible, but not unduly objectionable.

Posting #67

Larry

 

[chmod a+wrx]

I know that you will look at your Model S more than anyone else, but FWIW to the average person, Paint Armor is invisible. In the six years I've had it on my 2006 Infiniti, I can count the number of times someone has noticed it on one hand.

Or at least mentioned that they noticed it...:wink:

 

[jerry33]

My thought is that if you can see it when the car is new (and that's presumably when the paint armour looks the best), how is it going to look a year down the road?

 

[pguerra]

Has anyone seen it on a Silver Model S? Only the white had it at the Austin event and I was really put off by it. I plan on getting a silver car but I am now on the fence.

Here's a photo I took from the Mahwah Get Amped event. I too was highly concerned about the possibility of seeing the Paint Armor line across the hood. However, after seeing the Silver Perf at the Get Amped event, I decided to get the Paint Armor option b/c I just don't really notice the line unless it is close inspection.

B/c I value the paint protection more so than I am turned off by the minimally visible line on the hood (made even less noticeable when whizzing down the highway...), it was an easy decision for me. In addition, I figure at some point (if necessary) I can always replace just the hood Paint Armor with some 3rd party option - but at least the rest of the remaining Paint Armor will fit nicely by the manufacturer (i.e. Tesla).

 

[Larry Chanin]

Here's a photo of the pain amor on a Silver prototype.

Larry

 

[contaygious]

Not too bad on silver, but the dark colors are a no brainer to get the protection, only 2 people ever asked me about it on my black car since 2003. Now that I'm getting white I think I'll result to no protection and touch ups yearly.

 

[Brian H]

...
Here's a photo of the pain amor on a Silver prototype.

Larry

Ya, I can see it. But why does it love pain? :scared: (pain amor)?
:tongue::wink:

 

[NigelM]

You can buy Model S Paint Armor in the Tesla online store already......all you need is a Model S to apply it on.:wink:

Note: It is for the 2013 Model S though!

 

[Liz G]

I called the local high-end paint armor place today, and asked for an estimate over the phone. I described the areas covered by the standard Tesla package, and he then quoted me a figure for all the same areas, but with the coverage extending all the way up the hood and front fenders, wrapped around the edges. (The "full front quarter".) It was "high three thousands". :scared:

He said that the full front quarter is about $2500, and the remainder was all the other little bits.

Tesla's charge for the armor is sounding pretty good right about now.

MikeK, I would check some other shops. I got quotes for $1400 and $2000 from two different shops and it included everything Tesla was offering plus full hood and edges wrapped.

 

[MikeK]

Yes, I'm sure that it can be done for less. This happened to be the shop recommended by two friends and a highly-regarded detailer, though.

 

[rlawson4]

The paint armor has been my only struggle. One thing that concerns me is paint fading. For example, will the paint color age differently under the armor? So, after several years will the paint under the armor look different than the areas not covered? This is a particular concerns since the factory armor only covers some of the hood etc.

 

[contaygious]

My car looks the same under the armor since 03, but I have black. Not getting it on my white tms

 

[dsm363]

I have the paint armor on my white Roadster and can't tell any difference at this point but it's a little less than 2 years old though.

 

[strider]

The paint armor has been my only struggle. One thing that concerns me is paint fading. For example, will the paint color age differently under the armor? So, after several years will the paint under the armor look different than the areas not covered? This is a particular concerns since the factory armor only covers some of the hood etc.

In my experience w/ my 2005 Jeep Liberty and my 2006 Corvette there has not been any fading difference. Though the "wax" products I use (Zaino) do include UV protection so not sure if that had any effect.

 

[rlawson4]

In my experience w/ my 2005 Jeep Liberty and my 2006 Corvette there has not been any fading difference. Though the "wax" products I use (Zaino) do include UV protection so not sure if that had any effect.

So, you wax over the armor areas too? Also, which product do you use? Thanks.

 

[contaygious]

I did wax over it just like normal. I used zaino

 

[rlawson4]

Thanks.