Should I get my new MS detailed?

[Al Sherman]

MS is coming Tuesday. My "intention" is to try very hard to take care of the exterior of this car. I have no knowledge or practical history of doing this. I'm going to try though which actually amounts to taking it to a highly rated detailer in Cincinnati on a regular basis.

Question: Is there any reason to take it to him right after I get it? My Paint Armor is due bill. I spoke with the detailer and he said " as long as the Paint Armor guy Claybars the car before I should be OK and I should bring it to him before Winter unless I want it cleaned sooner for personal reasons.

Seems as though it wouldn't hurt to let him get the protectant (he uses Glare products exclusively which artsci is testing) on immediately.

Is the Paint Armor guy gonna just strip all that stuff off anyway? Should I take it to the detailer right after the Paint Armor cures?

Thoughts please.

 

[Electric1]

Based on my experience (n-1), having picked up my Model S yesterday from the Springfield, NJ delivery center, the car was perfectly detailed when I got it. That likely will hold you until the Paint Armor gets put on, and you are right that the PA guy will strip it off. IMHO, save your money and have it done after. The only thing that you might want to consider is getting some stain repellant put on the carpets ASAP. (If you have light seats, they come with a protectant already and artsci discusses in detail in another thread).

Good luck

 

[KKlabunde]

Tuesday? Fantastic! Is it coming to you, or are you headed to a service center to pick it up? Enjoy!

So I can't be accused of hijacking your thread...I wash mine by hand every other weekend (give or take) and am going to apply a little Meguiars polish this morning. I'd be afraid to take it to a detailer unless they had a ton of insurance and agreed to repaint if it came back with swirl marks or anything like that. The paint seems pretty soft to me, but I'm no expert...

The interior is cake to keep clean. I vacuum once a week and just wipe down the visible dirt on the door trim etc. with a barely damp cloth. Works well and car still looks brand new. Of course, I don't let my dogs in the S. Will you have the same luxury in your family?

 

[Al Sherman]

Tuesday? Fantastic! Is it coming to you, or are you headed to a service center to pick it up? Enjoy!

So I can't be accused of hijacking your thread...I wash mine by hand every other weekend (give or take) and am going to apply a little Meguiars polish this morning. I'd be afraid to take it to a detailer unless they had a ton of insurance and agreed to repaint if it came back with swirl marks or anything like that. The paint seems pretty soft to me, but I'm no expert...

The interior is cake to keep clean. I vacuum once a week and just wipe down the visible dirt on the door trim etc. with a barely damp cloth. Works well and car still looks brand new. Of course, I don't let my dogs in the S. Will you have the same luxury in your family?

It's coming to the house Kenneth. The "lead DS" in Chicago seemed very anxious to create space at the "secret" warehouses in Chicago and Columbus. I was gonna get it at Columbus but it became obvious that he wanted it delivered. Not sure why. It would have been out of the warehouse the same day. Might just be great customer service. What a concept!

As far as the dogs; I've already told all 4 of them that they aren't allowed within 5 feet of the MS. They all agreed except Fannie (aka: The Bad Girl) who i can already tell is scheming to scratch the doors and get muddy paw prints all over the interior. The boys were a little upset that I wont let them "christen" the tires as they did on yours when you stopped by.:smile:

 

[KKlabunde]

"christen" the tires as they did on yours when you stopped by

Ha! I totally forgot about that! To you original thread purpose... Meguiars All Wheel Cleaner will get anything off those rims.

What time is it coming? I am working at my home office that day and can stop by to take delivery pictures of you and your baby.

 

[shokunin]

Most ppf installers will look at the condition of the vehicle and determine whether a correction is needed. Honestly, most PPF installers are not really experienced in paint correction. They are like tint-shops, the specialize in film, but may have someone come in to do the detailing and paint correction.

So most likely they will do a quick surface prep using paint cleaners and solvents to remove any residual waxes and oils that may interfere with the adhesives.

Other than cleaning the paint they will not likely clay bar the car. Claying takes time and can introduce new small marring in the finish. The marring can be easily polished out, but again it's more labor. Depending on who's doing the PPF install and how much they are charging you want to know exactly what they will be doing to your paint.

My model S came with a bunch of swirls, so I did a full paint correction followed up with 2 layers Optimum's Opti-Coat 2.0. Then I had the paint armor applied over the opti-coat. I have not opti-coated the paint armor as I'm unsure how that would affect the self-healing properties of Xpel's Ultimate film. I made sure my installer knew that I did not need nor want any claying, polishing, etc as I had already done that.

I'd highly recommend some protection like Glare on the un-armored parts.

 

[Al Sherman]

Interesting. My detailer guy said clearly that he wouldn't put the PA on unless the car was clabar'd. I wonder if Tesla does this at the factory?

 

[shokunin]

The paint is brand new, so the factory would not need to clay. Clay bar is to remove embedded surface contaminants from the clear. Theoretically there should be no contaminants at the factory. Likewise if the car is in an enclosed trailer during shipment and has a car cover during transport the paint should be clean.

That doesn't mean the paint won't have scratches or marring. Ideally, I'd want the car pristine and detailed prior to paint armor. I know opti-coat is fine under the paint armor and typically fine over the paint amor as well. I'm not sure about other products. Your detailer should know if the products they use are fine underneath the armor.

 

[jay o]

Most ppf installers will look at the condition of the vehicle and determine whether a correction is needed. Honestly, most PPF installers are not really experienced in paint correction. They are like tint-shops, the specialize in film, but may have someone come in to do the detailing and paint correction.

So most likely they will do a quick surface prep using paint cleaners and solvents to remove any residual waxes and oils that may interfere with the adhesives.

Other than cleaning the paint they will not likely clay bar the car. Claying takes time and can introduce new small marring in the finish. The marring can be easily polished out, but again it's more labor. Depending on who's doing the PPF install and how much they are charging you want to know exactly what they will be doing to your paint.

My model S came with a bunch of swirls, so I did a full paint correction followed up with 2 layers Optimum's Opti-Coat 2.0. Then I had the paint armor applied over the opti-coat. I have not opti-coated the paint armor as I'm unsure how that would affect the self-healing properties of Xpel's Ultimate film. I made sure my installer knew that I did not need nor want any claying, polishing, etc as I had already done that.

I'd highly recommend some protection like Glare on the un-armored parts.

you shouldnt have to put anything on OC if you got it done. and if your syringe came with 60cc's you should have done more than 2 coats. Most warranty programs w OC require 10ccs. None the less your 2 coats should be sufficient.

 

[shokunin]

you shouldnt have to put anything on OC if you got it done. and if your syringe came with 60cc's you should have done more than 2 coats. Most warranty programs w OC require 10ccs. None the less your 2 coats should be sufficient.

While OC is great it's not a shield to protect from chips, stones and other road debri. That is why I had Xpel Ultimate installed on top of OC on the hood, fenders, head/fog lights, bumper and full rear bumper.

I used the consumer version Opti-Coat 2.0, only Opti-Guard comes in 60cc's for pro use. There is no real warranty with Opti-Coat unless you get the new warranty card packaging and single use vial from Optimum. I have several vials (before the price increase) and plenty left for my next Tesla. So far I've OC'd eight cars and they are all looking good.

 

[jay o]

While OC is great it's not a shield to protect from chips, stones and other road debri. That is why I had Xpel Ultimate installed on top of OC on the hood, fenders, head/fog lights, bumper and full rear bumper.

I used the consumer version Opti-Coat 2.0, only Opti-Guard comes in 60cc's for pro use. There is no real warranty with Opti-Coat unless you get the new warranty card packaging and single use vial from Optimum. I have several vials (before the price increase) and plenty left for my next Tesla. So far I've OC'd eight cars and they are all looking good.

Thats good to know. Im all to familiar w OC, im an Authorized installer