Owners delivery stories, photos and first impressions

[kevincwelch]

Detailed my Model S today...

 

[sgblank]

Two months with my P85

Two months with my P85 and already they're all over Silicon Valley.

 

[Papafox]

Kevincwelch, if your car's paint is such a mirror that one can see the small details in the grain of the wood at the top of your garage, I would say you did a fine job of detailing the car.

 

[StephenM]

Kevincwelch, if your car's paint is such a mirror that one can see the small details in the grain of the wood at the top of your garage, I would say you did a fine job of detailing the car.

+1. That's an incredible shot of a mirror finish. Good job!

 

[JRP3]

Didn't know they were offering wood as an exterior finish on the car :wink: Beautiful job, and pics.

 

[kevincwelch]

Didn't know they were offering wood as an exterior finish on the car :wink: Beautiful job, and pics.

I gave it to Dr. Taras and instead of the brush steel vinyl wrap, he wrapped it in plywood vinyl!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I gave it to Dr. Taras and instead of the brush steel vinyl wrap, he wrapped it in plywood vinyl!

What products did you use to get that amazing finish?

 

[kevincwelch]

What products did you use to get that amazing finish?

Detailer's Xtreme Foam Forumla
Griot's Garage Wash
Clay
Rinse
Griot's Garage spray on wax
Blackfire wet diamond polymer spray
Meguiar's Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner

A lot of buffing with microfibers...Next time I will skip the spray on wax and sealant and do some minor correction and put a proper sealant on the car.

Anyone using Opti-Coat 2.0?

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Detailer's Xtreme Foam Forumla
Griot's Garage Wash
Clay
Rinse
Griot's Garage spray on wax
Blackfire wet diamond polymer spray
Meguiar's Perfect Clarity Glass Cleaner

A lot of buffing with microfibers...Next time I will skip the spray on wax and sealant and do some minor correction and put a proper sealant on the car.

Anyone using Opti-Coat 2.0?

I probably need to buff more...I used Zaino Z2 with ZFX and did 2 coats and iy looks great but...I'm sure I should have buffed it more. Thanks for breaking down your process and products!

 

[wstuff]

Hi Kevin, I had the detailer at Tampa tesla put the first application on , but he didn't do the wheels. I drove the car for about a month and I was amazed at how clean it stayed with OPTI- COAT 2. Even the back of the car is very clean. Here in Florida bugs are our big problem so I do use Mcguires quick detail and take the bugs off in spots after a long trip. I just purchases another application and did the wheels and the front clip again, what a difference, came back from Orlando today, about 180 miles total and hardly a bug, took about two min to detail, you will love OPTI-COAT, another S owner near me turned me on to a place to get it for about $62.00, think I paid $90 for my kit.Detailing Supply Specialists - Detail Supplies, Chemicals, Equipment, Accessories and more. FORGOT to mention, I'm sure you know there are a lot of youtube vids, about application.

 

[kevincwelch]

I've been seriously considering the Opti-Coat 2.0. Of course, time is one of the considerations. The time it takes to wash, clay, strip, polish, IPA and apply Opti-Coat is a little more than I have available at the moment. Since my MS is my daily driver, I can't really be down for the ideal amount of time required for Opti-Coat. However, the time I would save from having to regularly seal might be worth it .

 

[Merrill]

Is this something that anyone can do or does it need to be done by a professional? I feel a bit reluctant to polish and opti-coat a 2 week old car. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[kevincwelch]

Is this something that anyone can do or does it need to be done by a professional? I feel a bit reluctant to polish and opti-coat a 2 week old car. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

There's no big mystery to applying Opti-Coat 2.0. The liquid comes in a syringe and you apply a few drops to the pad. Then you wipe the material all over your car, including headlights, wheels, chrome, taillights -- everything except your actual glass. You can even it out with a microfiber if needed.

Anyone can purchase it, and just about anyone can apply it if you follow the directions.

I personally feel that the steps leading up to Opti-Coat 2.0 are what take the time and skill. You really need to have a flawless paint surface to maximize its bonding, appeal and protection. If you have swirls and scratches, it will show those scratches and swirls. So, if you feel like you can detail your car -- whether you do it by hand or by orbital polisher -- then go ahead. If you don't feel like you can completely detail your car or if you just don't have that kind of time, then have a professional do it.

I'm curious if others have just applied it and want to hear about their results.

Detailing is a bit of a hobby for me. I'm by now means an expert, and I just bought a DA polisher a few weeks ago. Up until now, I've done everything by hand. Not so much with my MS, but with my wife's Subaru, I find that there are some below surface defects that I just can't get out by hand. Maybe it's my aging shoulders...

In the words of Tim the Toolman Taylor: "More power!"

 

[GruvyS]

Our toy being delivered. 1k miles later, we are still "grinning".

 

[yobigd20]

Finally got my P85 spoiler and emblem applied on Tuesday. Luckily for me, the service center only had the older "glossy" spoilers. I did not think they had these anymore, as I know they did away with these due to supplier issues and their new standard supplier uses matte spoilers now. As I have a black car, IMO the matte would look out of place. I was planning on reselling it, or having it refinished to glossy black (non-cf) by an auto body shop. But anywho, back to my point, to my surprise, the SC in Norristown had the glossy CF spoilers (they didn't even have any of the matte ones) and I had them place it on top so I could look at it. If you're not right on top of the car, you can't even tell that it's CF. I thought the glossy CF looked really good on black, so I had them affix it. Looks great! very happy

 

[StephenM]

Finally got my P85 spoiler and emblem applied on Tuesday. Luckily for me, the service center only had the older "glossy" spoilers. I did not think they had these anymore, as I know they did away with these due to supplier issues and their new standard supplier uses matte spoilers now. As I have a black car, IMO the matte would look out of place. I was planning on reselling it, or having it refinished to glossy black (non-cf) by an auto body shop. But anywho, back to my point, to my surprise, the SC in Norristown had the glossy CF spoilers (they didn't even have any of the matte ones) and I had them place it on top so I could look at it. If you're not right on top of the car, you can't even tell that it's CF. I thought the glossy CF looked really good on black, so I had them affix it. Looks great! very happy

Same experience as me. They finally got the spoilers in, and they only had the glossy version which was fine with me. I opted not to put the P85 badge on, but I did take it with me in case I change my mind down the road. The spoiler looks great!

 

[Ven Rala]

I've had my S for 8 days and have taken probably taken over 20 people on test drives already. One person already reserved a Model X and have educated countless on all the amazing aspects of the Tesla. Owners are the best PR the company has. Many more people now see an electric car that is not only a great daily driver but BETTER than their ICE.

My impression: BEST CAR I EVER OWNED.

 

[wycolo]

High passes have been closed all winter so its like a 'first impression':

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Just to show a contrast in locales.
That's the St Petersburg Pier in the background...which sadly closes its doors forever this Friday.

 

[paracord]

Tint

Just to show a contrast in locales.
That's the St Petersburg Pier in the background...which sadly closes its doors forever this Friday.

Nice car :smile:, what % of tint is it your windows?