Disclaimer: I am not an auto paint expert, body shop owner, detailer, etc.
There is a substantial amount of discussion here at TMC and over at the official TM forums regarding the Model S paint quality/hardness (or lack thereof). I would like to offer a few observations (....in addition to my previous repeated observations/opinions regarding aftermarket coatings).
We know that there are basically 2 kinds of paints, solvent based and water based. We know that TM (and presumably other auto manufacturers) use water based paints. At the end of the day (...end of the paint process), we/they want the paint to be well cured and hard/protective. How long does it take for paint to cure, and how long is the time before you pick up your car?
If you are a US/North American buyer of an imported car (e.g. from Japan or EU), then one can try to estimate the time from when the car leaves the factory (paint shop), is transported to a staging area, loaded onto a car-carrying ship, crosses the ocean, get offloaded to another staging area, and transported to your dealer, who then presumably preps the car for delivery. Maybe no faster than 2 weeks, maybe up to a month? Obviously domestic auto production (e.g. GM/Ford/Chrysler and also Toyota/Nissan) have shorter transit times.
Once the car arrives at the dealership, how long does it sit before a customer accepts delivery? Days/weeks/months? How many of these vehicles are custom ordered?
Essentially all model S are built to order, usually for customers who are anxious to accept delivery. Some customers even make the pilgrimage to Fremont for factory delivery. Even those vehicles transported from Fremont to the East Coast are likely picked up pretty promptly. The time for paint cure on factory delivered Model S will be measured in a couple of days at the most. Likely the time from production to delivery of a Model S in general is the shortest/fastest of any auto manufacturer/make.
Once the Model S is delivered to the customer, now the fun begins. How is the car protected and maintained? Did it get an initial wash and wax, a careful prep by a detailer, a wrap or film, or a polymer coating (or none of the above)? Where is it parked? Pollution, acid rain, smog, soot, sand, bird droppings? If it was not 'protected', how was it washed? Commercial? Hand wash? 1 vs. 2 bucket? Wash mitt or maybe soft horsehair brush? If the paint is not fully cured, then even with proper wash techniques, damage can occur. Note that when I have had body work done, I have been told to not wash my car for 30 days to allow the paint to cure. How many of us have waited 3-4 weeks after getting our new Model S before having it washed?
Historically I have personally maintained my vehicles, using Griot's Garage products. My wife and I have driven a series of black Lexus vehicles since 1989. My current choice/approach is to have my detailing professional get my car ASAP, assess the paint/finish, 'perfect'/correct/prep/polish as needed (...very carefully), and apply a polymeric coating (for the May 2013 multi-coat red S85, he used OptiCoat Pro, for the June 2015 S70D Obsidian Black, cQuartz). We picked up the S70D at Fremont, and immediately dropped it off with him.
2 interesting side notes:
TM Factory Paint Shop--when TM bought the old NUMMI plant, they did remodel/update the paint shop. They are currently finishing up construction/debugging of the new and much larger and 'state-of-the-art paint shop in Fremont. We heard a talk at the recent TMC Connect from the VP of Production (military background, sharp and goal oriented). He said that they were beginning to paint some production vehicles on the new line, and expect to transition over the next few weeks to month, at which time they will decommission the old paint shop. The new shop is much larger, with far more robots, and the latest in painting technology. He did not discuss the actual paint or cure process.
When I was working with our TM DS on scheduling factory pickup of the S70D, I asked to not have the car detailed after painting, so that I could deliver a 'virgin' vehicle to my detailer. He could then go over the car, and possibly have far less work to correct any flaws created during factory vehicle prep, before applying cQuartz. The DS e-mailed me a relatively new TM legal release form to sign. Basically, if a Model S customer wishes to not have their car prepped, the customer signs away any right to claim any factory paint/finish defects. After reviewing this with my detailer, we agreed to let TM do the 'routine' prep, and accept delivery. Fortunately, the paint looked pretty good, so not too much correction needed. And, FWIW, even the aftermarket cQuartz needs time to cure (1 week before washing).
