Paint on my M3

[Daverh]

Something like Autoglym SuperResinPolish which contains a filler will mask any light swirls and scratches long enough to get you out of the door. That's probably what they're doing when they fix the issues on the spot. If I'm giving my car a good clean and wax treatment I'll use the filler first to hide the light scratches and wax over the top to keep it in place for a couple of months.

Your detailler will have used a cleanser designed to remove any coatings so that he's got a blank canvas to work from which is why they're all showing up. I hope Tesla rectify this for you as polishing everything out removes a layer from the clearcoat and leaves less room for corrections in future years.

 

[pdk42]

All these paint issues amaze me. The automotive world knows how to paint mass-produced cars. It's largely automated (for speed reasons) and the results are usually pretty consistent. I can't understand with all Tesla's investment in manufacturing plant that something as basic as painting is coming up with so many issues.

 

[phillcom3]

Someone posted it before somewhere. They use StarDust Eclat and a buffer IIRC.

That's deceitful and against the law I'm sure...

 

[DrJFoster]

A professional dealer would just cut the paint back slightly to remove the marks and then polish over, using a filler is outrageous really..

 

[squarepeg77]

Are Tesla actually worse at this than other cars at a similar price point (or below!)? Or are Tesla owners just more choosy?

 

[Roy W.]

All these paint issues amaze me. The automotive world knows how to paint mass-produced cars. It's largely automated (for speed reasons) and the results are usually pretty consistent. I can't understand with all Tesla's investment in manufacturing plant that something as basic as painting is coming up with so many issues.

I agree it’s not rocket science, but when I got my new Hyundai Kona electric a year ago I found almost 20 paint defects, and large areas on the sides of the car felt like sandpaper rather than a glossy finish. It was in the paint shop for a week having it all rectified. So not just Tesla.

 

[Durzel]

Just digging this up.. I've got a M3P on order currently.

I just spoke to the detailer I've used for all of my previous cars, who I trust 100%, with a view to booking the car in, and what he has said has scared me a bit

He has been saying that the paint he's seen on the ones he's detailed (3, S and X) have been universally bad. I don't know if that's "bad" in the detailer OCD sense, or actually bad, but it's worried me. He was quite vocal about it, which is a first, and he's detailed a £10k car of mine in the past.

I guess I'm looking for some reassurance from anyone who has had their 3 detailed, what their detailer said about the paintwork relative to other cars.

 

[spon88]

Just digging this up.. I've got a M3P on order currently.

I just spoke to the detailer I've used for all of my previous cars, who I trust 100%, with a view to booking the car in, and what he has said has scared me a bit

He has been saying that the paint he's seen on the ones he's detailed (3, S and X) have been universally bad. I don't know if that's "bad" in the detailer OCD sense, or actually bad, but it's worried me. He was quite vocal about it, which is a first, and he's detailed a £10k car of mine in the past.

I guess I'm looking for some reassurance from anyone who has had their 3 detailed, what their detailer said about the paintwork relative to other cars.

I had mine detailed and full PPF. The guy said it was pretty bad to be honest; worse than most he'd done. That said, it seems OK now but it is covered in £3k of cling-film and ceramic on top. I'm OK with it now and the drive and tech makes up for the bodywork being "average". I did the wrap mainly because of the adverse stuff you read about paint quality, in particular around the sill areas etc. Also to give a bit more reassurance in car parks etc. It may be OTT but gives me some peace of mind.

 

[Durzel]

Thanks. I'll be getting mine ceramic coated and PPF'd, but am fearful of defects that the detailer can't fix. I can spot obvious paint defects o collection but I won't know what is unfixable by a detailer really. I was a bit taken aback by his repeated use of "terrible"

 

[spon88]

Thanks. I'll be getting mine ceramic coated and PPF'd, but am fearful of defects that the detailer can't fix. I can spot obvious paint defects o collection but I won't know what is unfixable by a detailer really. I was a bit taken aback by his repeated use of "terrible"

Yes, our guy looked thoroughly perplexed when he was explaining - he also compared to other cars in his shop so I could see his concern was genuine. That said, the detailing guys are a bit OCD about it and so you have to bring a bit of balance. There was nothing that I felt couldn't be ironed out and/or covered up with the PPF. The bit that still worries me a little though, is the "roughness" of some of the panel edges where it was a struggle to get the wrapped-around bits of the PPF to actually stick. It will be interesting to see how those areas hold up over time. If there is an adhesion problem the PPF can be trimmed back flush, but then you lose some of the benefit

 

[Durzel]

Thanks, that's a bit reassuring at least.