We live in Atlanta Ga, and just took delivery of our new 2015 Model S. I would like to do something to protect the beautiful paint job. Does anyone have a recommendation on what the best product is to protect the cars finish. Also who is the best company in Atlanta Ga to do the installation. Finally by doing this do I effect the warranity on the vehicle. Thanks
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The best protection is full paint armour such as Xpel Ultimate or the SunTek equivalent (full means every painted surface, nose cone, and the strip between the windshield and the pano roof. It does not affect the vehicle warranty.
ArtInCT
Always Learning
SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
I wonder how heavy plastic body panels would have been.
It seemed like a good idea on Saturn If the panel is the same color all the way through then basically they do not show scratches
It seemed like a good idea on Saturn If the panel is the same color all the way through then basically they do not show scratches
ArtInCT
Always Learning
Well I suspect that the price varies according to region.... and I am hesitant to mention them but you asked....
A full Xpel Ultimate body wrap is as you would expect the most expensive.... with paint correction I have quotes of around $5K. In addition, I will need new rear insignias which would have to be ordered from my SC as they cannot wrap around them. The old ones come off and new ones go on.
A full front wrap of forward facing surfaces, full hood, bumper, mirrors, pillars, nosecone, headlamps with paint correction is about $1,900.
In addition, your car is going to be unavailable for 2 to 4 days while the wrapping is going on.
The quotes were for a brand new car, driven from the SC to the detailer when brand spankin' new.
After reading most of the threads on this topic, I intend to do paint correction, full Xpel Ultimate wrap, and OptiCoat Pro. Many people choose front only for the wrap, however, I also want protection against parking lot threats. Cost is very regionally dependent.
ArtInCT
Always Learning
HebrHmr:
I had the pleasure of walking around the rear lot of the Milford, CT Tesla Service Center a few day ago looking over their inventory of used Tesla's. I paid some critical attention to the finish on these used cars from 2012 and 2013. Here are my observations:
1) Most cars were not coated in any film, in fact only one was and that had a partial hood and bumper wrap.
2) The most wear I observed on paint was on the front bumper and hood in the form of tiny dings from pebbles etc.
3) Second most wear was right behind the wheels both front and rear and on the bulge in front of the rear wheels
4) Third most wear was on the rear hatch upper surface and driver's door handle area, probably rings or nails
5) Most swirls were on the sides of the car from brush style car washes and especially on the rear. I suspect the rear end holds dirt and grit and this gets rubbed when washed.
6) The black cars frankly just did not look well... black being a very hard color for wear. Second worst was the Dark Blue Metallic which really looks like a black car with blue highlights.
7) Silver and the early Dolphin Grey appeared the best. I did not see a brown or green turned in. No whites either and a few reds which on close inspection, had swirls.
Lesson to Myself....
a) Black is a pain in the butt color to maintain and with my personality type I just could not pull the trigger on another black car. Dark Blue Likewise.
b) It appear brush car washes are not Tesla's friends
c) Drivers Door takes wear near the door handle
d) Rear End of Tesla is prone to catching dirt and thus this dirt can scratch the paint
e) The Areas behind the wheel wells get abused
I had the pleasure of walking around the rear lot of the Milford, CT Tesla Service Center a few day ago looking over their inventory of used Tesla's. I paid some critical attention to the finish on these used cars from 2012 and 2013. Here are my observations:
1) Most cars were not coated in any film, in fact only one was and that had a partial hood and bumper wrap.
2) The most wear I observed on paint was on the front bumper and hood in the form of tiny dings from pebbles etc.
3) Second most wear was right behind the wheels both front and rear and on the bulge in front of the rear wheels
4) Third most wear was on the rear hatch upper surface and driver's door handle area, probably rings or nails
5) Most swirls were on the sides of the car from brush style car washes and especially on the rear. I suspect the rear end holds dirt and grit and this gets rubbed when washed.
6) The black cars frankly just did not look well... black being a very hard color for wear. Second worst was the Dark Blue Metallic which really looks like a black car with blue highlights.
7) Silver and the early Dolphin Grey appeared the best. I did not see a brown or green turned in. No whites either and a few reds which on close inspection, had swirls.
Lesson to Myself....
a) Black is a pain in the butt color to maintain and with my personality type I just could not pull the trigger on another black car. Dark Blue Likewise.
b) It appear brush car washes are not Tesla's friends
c) Drivers Door takes wear near the door handle
d) Rear End of Tesla is prone to catching dirt and thus this dirt can scratch the paint
e) The Areas behind the wheel wells get abused
Bazerkly
Member
Personally I am "Old School" , I like about 3 coats of pure Carnuba wax and follow about every 6 months with another coat. If your car is out doors much of the time you may want to do it more often.
As for that plastic sealer... a friend got it on his BMW Z and it looks like crap. When it is installed there can not be any dust or it will show up. He had his removed and that process can not be good for your paint job.... Just an Old Guys Opinion!
As for that plastic sealer... a friend got it on his BMW Z and it looks like crap. When it is installed there can not be any dust or it will show up. He had his removed and that process can not be good for your paint job.... Just an Old Guys Opinion!
eye.surgeon
Active Member
Canuck
Well-Known Member
I used 22ple VX1 Pro right when I got my car, and again 6 months later. It's easier to apply than a wax, more durable, and really looks good...
WAX-IT - Do It Yourself - 22ple VX1 PRO Application - YouTube
WAX-IT - Do It Yourself - 22ple VX1 PRO Application - YouTube
MajesticSound
Up is LOUDER
What about door dings on the older ones? I really go out of my way to park in a safe spot. Would you say the older Tesla's had mor/less dings than steel body cars?
ArtInCT
Always Learning
Personally I am "Old School" , I like about 3 coats of pure Carnuba wax and follow about every 6 months with another coat. If your car is out doors much of the time you may want to do it more often.
As for that plastic sealer... a friend got it on his BMW Z and it looks like crap. When it is installed there can not be any dust or it will show up. He had his removed and that process can not be good for your paint job.... Just an Old Guys Opinion!
I too am old school.... just look at my sig.
However, recently I was at an Xpel installer in West Haven, CT and the results of the Xpel Ultimate are remarkable. They had a Maserati and a new Ferrari there awaiting pickup after full body wraps. Simply breathtaking.
There are some things that we old schooler's can learn from the new products and techniques.
However, I do get great joy from polishing and waxing my old cars.
I do not know if the new wraps will sooth that itch. I think you just leave them alone from what I can see.
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Yes there were a few dings and dents. Two cars especially. Others none that I could see. Actual dimples where something left a dent and scratch. Sad.
But again the wear marks and rash were in the areas I noted above. I am sure that parking away from others is by and far the best approach. A ounce of prevention....
I did not check under the front lip of the cars, most of these did NOT have the parking sensors as they appeared to be early examples of the S. I hope that the parking sensors and air suspension help thwart the inadvertent brush with immovable objects.
eye.surgeon
Active Member
Sounds like that affirms my desire to go with the full wrap. My only example is my 11 year old Mazda and short of the roof every surface has some level of damage despite being very well maintained over the years. I'm not "old" but I inherited my old man's old-school car maintenance approach. Regular waxing simply does cannot defend against the physical threats that a wrap does.
cmu5p
Member
I am going with Modesta. Local guy here does whole body for $800. Good reviews over Opticoat on TMC. I didn't have real choice as have very few options near my little town.
I'm fairly old school too, but back when I used to have time to detail my cars I was using Zaino Brothers polish. This was years ago, and Zaino is still around, and I still have a bottle of their Clear Seal which is super easy to work with and lasts a few months. They're probably a bit behind other polymer-based options now but I don't have time to agonize over every little nick or scratch in my cars any more. I'll keep some sort of wax or polish on it, and as long as it looks great from 10 feet away I'm happy.
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