musings on the car whilst washing it

[angelman]

I often think that the best way to know a car is to wash it. It is only when you was the car yourself by hand that you feel the lines of the car, the change in form and see little design details.
First off washing the Tesla is so much easier than many other cars. The very simple smooth body makes it a breeze. There is no oil to deal with so it stays pretty clean except for LA smog and dust. Cleaning the wheels is just a quick wipe down mostly since there is little brake dust and oil deposits to deal with. Because so much of the car is glass, that makes it easier and less vulnerable to scratching.
I also noticed just how dust free the interior is, maybe it's related to the air filters? Compared to my Volvo the flat area of the dash is almost completely dust free after months, whereas the Volvo collects plenty of dust there. many of the surfaces on the interior are simple and clean and easy to just wipe down. Elon Musk is often criticised for his flights of fancy like the falcon wing doors but I disagree. One of the standout features of the Model S was how practical it was. It was designed for a family, even with the two (admittedly impractical) jump seats in the back. Everything about the car to me says keep it simple. Simple to manufacture, simple to maintain, etc. I do think they could work on making the interior materials a bit more resilient to wear, I am concerned about the ability of the interior to withstand long term use.
Anyway, go and wash your car by hand.. it really can be done very quickly. Just start at the roof and work your way down.

 

[BOBEDIGITL]

@angelman I have PPF and ceramic coating on the car and it makes it that much easier. Got it delivered July of last year and I've never taken it to a car wash. I've never enjoyed washing a car until now. I just pop in my AirPods and catch up on some podcasts or listen to the Yankees game. The glass roof makes it so much easier! I carefully use a squeegee to get the excess water off after using the blower. Easily cuts 15-20 mins of drying. Glad i'm not the only one who enjoys washing their car!

 

[angelman]

@angelman I have PPF and ceramic coating on the car and it makes it that much easier. Got it delivered July of last year and I've never taken it to a car wash. I've never enjoyed washing a car until now. I just pop in my AirPods and catch up on some podcasts or listen to the Yankees game. The glass roof makes it so much easier! I carefully use a squeegee to get the excess water off after using the blower. Easily cuts 15-20 mins of drying. Glad i'm not the only one who enjoys washing their car!

For sure the coating would be really helpful.. I just can't afford it at this time.. already pushed my budget way out to buy the car in the first place, but it would be great to have.

 

[derotam]

For sure the coating would be really helpful.. I just can't afford it at this time.. already pushed my budget way out to buy the car in the first place, but it would be great to have.

Just remember if you decide to get it in the future to add in to the budget for any necessary paint correction before the PFF goes on.

 

[BOBEDIGITL]

For sure the coating would be really helpful.. I just can't afford it at this time.. already pushed my budget way out to buy the car in the first place, but it would be great to have.

I hear you, it definitely isn't cheap. Especially not out here in SoCal. I too stretched myself thin to purchase the car but I figured with the rebate I was getting back from the state, I would invest a little more into the protection of the car especially considering I plan on keeping it for a very long time. Obvious it isn't necessary, end of the day it's just a car. But if you do plan on maybe doing the ceramic or ppf later, I would try and do my best in protecting the paint as much as possible during the washing process. Two bucket method, good quality soaps/wash mits, washing in straight lines, etc. You want to eliminate of the chances of swirls and all that.

As @derotam mentioned, you'll have to include paint correction if you end up doing ceramic or ppf later on, proper washing techniques can hopefully only cause you to have minor levels of paint correction vs major levels. The more paint correction that is needed, the more money you're going to be spending.