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Paint Protection Film

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Hi, I am going to get my first Model S next week and I am thinking about getting 3M film on the lower front of the car to protect from chips on our wonderful California roads. My questions are, how soon can I have it installed, since it will just be painted and any pros or cons from any one???

Thank you, Eric
 
Hi, I am going to get my first Model S next week and I am thinking about getting 3M film on the lower front of the car to protect from chips on our wonderful California roads. My questions are, how soon can I have it installed, since it will just be painted and any pros or cons from any one???

Thank you, Eric

I went with XPel rather than 3M, and drove my new S straight from my Fremont factory delivery event to a nearby shop that did a total wrap for me. I can warmly recommend their services if you want to message me (but you may not be in the area, or wanting XPel). Good luck!
 
We arranged in advance with our detailer to bring our new car to them as soon as we picked up. We went with Xpel but they are similar. Since the car is manufactured in California and the State has environmental rules on paints, the paint Tesla uses doesn't have the hardness of the ones manufactured elsewhere. We ran into this when we were looking for a paint based stain for our outdoor pergola. Adding a film to protect the paint will not only give you extra paint protection but Xpel (not sure about 3M's product) will self-heal any minor scratches on it or hits from pebbles.

Yeah the potholes with all the loose stones on the roads out here, especially after rainy season, is particularly hard on a car. BTW we went for a full body custom wrap figuring shopping carts, people walking by with their purses etc, and kids with toys were just as likely to impact our car over the years we'll have it. If you are planning on keeping your car for years, you might want to look into biting the bullet and making the full body investment.
 
The simple fact is the installer charges based on the condition of the paint, you will get charged more as you delay the process with a likelihood of having some damage that is harder to correct.

I would get it done asap if you have decided to go for it, but if undecided, just be ready to pay a bit more than the initial quote for a new car and wait a tad longer.
 
I did it the 2nd day after picking up from the fremont factory. I didn't wrap all the way (my budget was $1500), but full front (bumper & hood), rocker panels, and rear bumper. Felt great going for long trips knowing that I could clean this back into a beautiful white again, without any scary chips or scratches...so far, I am quite happy (6months ownership only).
 
I went with XPel rather than 3M, and drove my new S straight from my Fremont factory delivery event to a nearby shop that did a total wrap for me. I can warmly recommend their services if you want to message me (but you may not be in the area, or wanting XPel). Good luck!
In case anyone is interested, the firm that applied my Xpel wrap just posted a video of the process of wrapping my car:
"2017 Tesla S Xpel Ultimate clear bra All around."
 
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I keep hearing this about the soft paint and how it gets dinged easily. Is there anyone who has leased a car and elected to wrap it? Yes, I know it's $$ out of your pocket for something you'll return in 3 years but just wondering if this can even be done with a leased Tesla. Thanks for any advice!
 
I keep hearing this about the soft paint and how it gets dinged easily. Is there anyone who has leased a car and elected to wrap it? Yes, I know it's $$ out of your pocket for something you'll return in 3 years but just wondering if this can even be done with a leased Tesla. Thanks for any advice!
A rule of thumb my detailer recommends is to wrap only the front if you have a three year lease. Wrap the whole car if you will own it for longer.

As for paint quality and soft paint, I took my MX straight from delivery to the detailer. Under his lights they had to correct 23 imperfections caused by embedded grit and factory/SC caused swirls before a complete wrap and CQuartz. The smile on my face is still there since getting it back in January.
 
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A rule of thumb my detailer recommends is to wrap only the front if you have a three year lease. Wrap the whole car if you will own it for longer.

As for paint quality and soft paint, I took my MX straight from delivery to the detailer. Under his lights they had to correct 23 imperfections caused by embedded grit and factory/SC caused swirls before a complete wrap and CQuartz. The smile on my face is still there since getting it back in January.
Excellent advice - much appreciated HookBill, thank you. I'll have to do a search on here to see what the differences are in wraps - 3M, OptiCoat, XPEL, CQuartz, etc.
 
Picked my MS up from the service center and drove it 17 miles through rush hour traffic directly to the detail shop. Most stressful 17 miles I have ever driven, convinced someone was going to sideswipe me before I could even get the car protected.

I went with a full front wrap of Suntek, plus the rear bumper. The rest of the car was covered with Opti-coat pro. It is definitely worth the investment, and makes the car much easier to clean, especially those winged critters off the front bumper. You can not go wrong with either Xpel or Suntek. Both are self healing films so minor scratches just melt away. Pick a good installer and go with whatever film they are most experienced at installing, but do it as soon as you can after delivery. No reason to wait and get that first rock chip.
 
Excellent advice - much appreciated HookBill, thank you. I'll have to do a search on here to see what the differences are in wraps - 3M, OptiCoat, XPEL, CQuartz, etc.
As an FYI, 3M and XPEL are protective films and Opticoat and CQuartz are ceramic finishes. In my case the XPEL went on first to provide ding and scratch protection and the CQuartz was applied over that to prevent stain/bird dropping protection while providing that super shiny look.
 
Picked my MS up from the service center and drove it 17 miles through rush hour traffic directly to the detail shop. Most stressful 17 miles I have ever driven, convinced someone was going to sideswipe me before I could even get the car protected.

I went with a full front wrap of Suntek, plus the rear bumper. The rest of the car was covered with Opti-coat pro. It is definitely worth the investment, and makes the car much easier to clean, especially those winged critters off the front bumper. You can not go wrong with either Xpel or Suntek. Both are self healing films so minor scratches just melt away. Pick a good installer and go with whatever film they are most experienced at installing, but do it as soon as you can after delivery. No reason to wait and get that first rock chip.
And, if possible, have them perform any paint correction work before you wrap. If you don't correct first the flaws will remain under the wrap. Of course, all of this costs money so let your budget be your guide.
 
Picked my MS up from the service center and drove it 17 miles through rush hour traffic directly to the detail shop. Most stressful 17 miles I have ever driven, convinced someone was going to sideswipe me before I could even get the car
I hear ya. I only had 5 miles to go and they were the most nerve-wracking miles of my life. Well, outside of driving my pregnant wife rapidly to the hospital for the birth of our first child.
 
In case anyone is interested, the firm that applied my Xpel wrap just posted a video of the process of wrapping my car:
"2017 Tesla S Xpel Ultimate clear bra All around."

Hi, and thanks for your reply. Yes I went with the Xpel, full wrap, and it is wonderful. I picked up my S with 10 miles and went right to Appearance Solutions in Sacramento, and a really nice fellow named Mike. Model S had 45 miles on it when I got there. He had 3 Tesla's a Porsche, a vet and a McLaren, made me feel confident of his work. It took 2 weeks, oh and he also tinted all the windows, including windshield and sunroof, helps a lot with heat.

And for anyone else, when i checked out Xpel compared to 3M, I found a video on YouTube of Jay Leno getting one of his cars done with Xpel, good enough for him, good enough for me.

Thanks to everyone for the replies, drive safe and enjoy this beautiful and wonderful car, cars. S and X

Eric in pollock pines, ca
 
If I lease and wrap it, am I charged a fee when I turn the car in 3 years later?

If its a lease and you are not going to purchase at the end, don't bother. enjoy the car, it will get chips, but its their problem at lease end, save the money and buy yourself something else nice.

that said, i just had my car fully wrapped, but I purchased it. when done right you can't tell its on. i had mine wrapped in clearguard nano, i had xpel ultimate on my old tesla, this stuff is glossier and had much less orange peel than xpel, plus it has a ceramic coating in the film. very happy so far.

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