Tesla Paint is the most delicate automobile paint I've ever seen

[omarsultan]

I would agree that many folks end up scratching their car in the process of drying. To help reduce the risk, use a detailing spray when you dry, something like Griot's Speed Shine or Optimum Detailer, which will help provide additional lubrication and leave a great shine to boot.

Count me in as another person that has a standing "no wash" order with the SvC.

 

[sorka]

It's important to keep in mind that it's not just the washing process that potentially creates swirls and micro-scratches, but also drying. Any physical contact with the paint surface means risking microscopic grit to get smeared across the surface.

Most swirls are caused by drying. Not all, but most. At this stage, you don't have a soapy lubricant to act as a buffer to prevent scratching from a wash mitt. Any dust or dirt left on the car will swirl when you dry if you didn't get it all off. Using the wrong material for drying will cause swirls. A terri cloth towel will swirl even if it's brand new and the paint is completely dust free. Using any towel of any time will swirl if it's ever been used to wash or dry a wheel even if you wash it multiple times. That stuff gets embedded and never comes out.

 

[cryptyk]

I'm less worried about permanent swirls and etchings in the clear coat given the extra margin for error and slight elasticity with paint protection film.

...and most of the films today are self-healing with some warm water.

 

[3mp_kwh]

I'm looking to make the first "coating" choice, and just read this thread. Maybe all paints are softer, but Tesla's has a tacky softness that is in a league of its own (month 4). As others have used the term "release" the dirt, I think hardness is more the problem than drying. I mainly want to encourage those thinking Tesla's paint isn't thick, in terms of (judiciously selected) abrasives.

We gave up a pearl white, and I now have dark blue at home. The pearl had a bumper ding that cracked the paint in a spot. To touch that up properly, I needed to rough the sides of the crack. Even 600 wet grit took a fair amount of time/pressure. The swirls come easy either because dirt hangs around more stubbornly, or the clear's upper most top abrades more easily. Whichever, newer polishes like M105 have much better, fine, abrasives, that work. Many polishes have zero abrasives. Many people are too nervous to abrade. -Lots of cars have swirls. That's my impression of where things are. Just because your clear shows swirls, don't think you'll be killing it to try a polish, or compound, every 1-2yrs. I'm looking for a coating that adds hardness, more than anything else.

I agree black Volts are thin, but hard and easier to work with. The haze on the darker colored Tesla's, I think, accelerates the "is that black" syndrome.

 

[CHG-ON]

Hi Guys,

I've works on tons of Tesla's and the paint Tesla uses is not bad, Its actually the best paint you can use in California. Water born color, VOC Clear... The cure times are remarkably fast on this. The first run of tesla(sig cars, and one with out badges) Had ridiculously "soft" paint from my experience. By soft I mean you touch it with anything and it would leave light marring. The paint is easily 100 times better now than it was before. But its not because they changed the material its because they are learning and got better at the process which makes a big difference. The thing that remains true is the paint etches really easy with environmental impacts like bird poo, bug acid, enzymes, ect... The swirling most people experience is inflicted via bad washing practices. It's something I show people all the time, walk over to your car and rub your finger on it with mild pressure and look.... You'll see straight line marring there. Just because someone does a "hand wash" does not mean they are being careful. If I wash you car with a broom but its in my hands I think its not the same as me using ONR and grit guards, ect.. It can be very frustrating to keep swirls at bay but it is not rocket science. I show my customers all the time how to properly wash the car using rinse less techniques and you can be done 20-30 minutes with 3-4 gallons of water. To the OP I just want to stress because there is so much misinformation floating around about coatings, and wraps, ect... They are not forcefields, they will scratch, swirl, marr, ect... But they do a great job with protection from acids, enzymes, UV, and pretty much anything the environment can throw at it. Along with that they release dirt and fall out so well that it makes it much easier to clean the car and less likely to scratch but still can happen. Hope this helps

I will say that I got CQuarts Finest done 2 days after delivery (by Joe, of course) and 10 months later, there is not one swirl on my car. I am truly amazed. Though I have taken extra special care to keep her pristine. It really comes down to a thorough and very gentle touch when washing any car. I do think that the CQF did seem to give me a more robust finish- one that is much more resistant to scratching. But ultimately, I think it comes down to giving that "loving" touch.

Car washes? No.

Hand washes? Yes, with care. It will pay off!

 

[cwerdna]

Disclaimer: I have no idea how OEM painting at the factory differs from a good body shop.

There's a brief look at ~4:40 of Tesla Model S (How Its Made Dream Cars) - YouTube.

At auto plants, they use an electrostatic process (as mentioned at Automotive Paint | J.D. Power and pretty much any documentary that covers auto assembly and a factory's paint shop). You can definitely find a bunch of other videos by searching on YouTube for factory tour paint shop.

 

[neroden]

The problem with a touchless car wash is that it's not thorough enough to get everything. It takes time for the pre-soak to work at freeing up dust and dirt on the paint surface.

Phooey, I'm just using it to get salt deposits off. It works well enough to go through the touchless car wash and then let it air-dry.

 

[smilepak]

http://m.carsdirect.com/car-maintenance/clear-coat-car-paint-understanding-the-pros-and-cons

However they are more sensitive to scratches and you should be careful not to use abrasive rubbing or polishing compounds on them.

 

[Joseph Torbati]

I will say that I got CQuarts Finest done 2 days after delivery (by Joe, of course) and 10 months later, there is not one swirl on my car. I am truly amazed. Though I have taken extra special care to keep her pristine. It really comes down to a thorough and very gentle touch when washing any car. I do think that the CQF did seem to give me a more robust finish- one that is much more resistant to scratching. But ultimately, I think it comes down to giving that "loving" touch.

Car washes? No.

Hand washes? Yes, with care. It will pay off!

I always say it. The coatings are not a magical forcefield... You can still swirl and scratch your car up. But what they do is release dirt and fall out with far greater ease than waxes or naked paint. This minimizes the chances of swirls and with some just basic care you'll end up with a generally swirl free finish for years(Well hoping the coating installer got all the swirls out first, like I know we do!). I've showed so many customers how to wash the car with rinse less ways I do and its literally 20-30 min process once you get the hang of. Forgive the reminder here but also would like to invite anyone who would like to come to my free car wash clinic on Sat August 22nd where we will be demonstrating proper washing using minimal amounts of water for everyone and anyone. This is the same way I keep my cars swirl free! And all my customers who go this route I see their cars a year later and they look great! Are they perfect? No because they get driven. But are they every bit 80% of what they were when they left YES! Looking forward to posting videos and hope it helps! Thanks for sharing Chg-on!

 

[Kickin]

6k miles in about a month, lots of highway driving, obviously. No swirls, I have never "washed" my car. Rinse with garden hose (light spray), with water filter, not in sun. Dry with microfiber towels, then "wash" with this:

Amazon.com: 64oz Dri Wash n Guard ULTRA-ION Waterless Car Wash: Automotive

and microfiber towels, I have a batch of 50 towels I use for a complete "wash" and touch-ups without rinsing first.

I apply on glass and wheels as well, full "detail" about 2 hours.

microfiber towels washed in clothes washer by themselves and dried in dryer after.

Looks like new...

 

[WestCoastP85D]

Yes, the paint is like butter. My phantom black Audi S6 (previous car) was just as bad.

We XPELd our P85D on week one, with full opticoat and it did the trick nicely. I have washed the car about 7 times, and I go over the surface inch-by-inch each time, and not a single scratch is on the surface even after 1500 miles and a few small rocks on the HWY. Yes, XPEL is expensive, yes Opticoat is expensive, but at the end of the day the finish directly correlates to my personal contentment with the car (Yes, I am OCD about it.) Personally, if I can keep a car flawless, I am just happy with my car...even as it ages. Once the paint starts to get beat up, I find myself almost angry about it.... and have known myself to trade out cars with the desire to "start over". Yes, I know... I have a problem. ;-)

We even did a wheels-off Opti-coat, and now I do not even have to use wheel cleaner/acid, just plain water and a micro-fiber brush to clean them.

 

[Tony Lin]

will opti coat prevent xpel getting yellow through time?

 

[WestCoastP85D]

XPEL has a warranty against yellowing which covers labor. Let's not forget the real beauty is that it can be removed to reveal your perfect paint below.... considering the XPEL a sacrificial layer...covered by another sacrificial layer (Opticoat).

 

[Joseph Torbati]

Sorry for the late response. Here is the video as promised of proper washing!

Proper Rinseless Car washing!

 

[Terra117]

Do you guys seriously think Tesla uses an inferior paint.....give me a break!! If so, show me a hardness test to prove it.

Every vehicle-specific forum I've tracked over the last 15+ years was full of similar complaints.

I don't know what cars people have owned previously. Maybe cheap (<$40k) cars have rock hard paint.

The fact of the matter is that the people complaining don't have a clue how to care for a car properly.

 

[Mark Z]

The cost of microfiber drying towels is low compared with the cost of a standard full car wash. I have shifted to using a new towel for light drying tasks on painted surfaces to prevent dirt in a towel that isn't washed out in the washing machine. The older washed towels are perfect for other tasks. Getting car wash instructions from a professional company is highly recommended. In SoCal I have attended instruction at Glistening Perfection and never brought the three year old Model S to a standard car wash. http://glisteningperfection.com

Using DI (deionized) water at home worked nicely with a pressure washer. However, the cost of resin can be more costly than dropping dollar coins at a manual touchless wash wand location where a DI water rinse is available. The gas station touchless works good if I pre-rinse using a touchless wand first. The problem with the automated touchless devices is the possible wheel rash that occurs if you are not extremely careful with the guide rails, especially with 21" wheels.

Through the years I have attempted to touch the paint as little as possible. Quality products from the detailer have helped provide maximum satisfaction. Knowing what to do and what not to do is important. I agree with those who do NOT have the Service Center wash the Tesla vehicle. One look at their loaner Model S paint will give you an idea of what may occur.

Tesla Motors had protective film installed on my Model S over half the hood as a factory option. It isn't enough to prevent some rock damage. Cover the entire hood! Lesson learned.

 

[calisnow]

This is frustrating on a 100K car - Mercedes has been using ceramic particles in their clear since 2006 to provide increased resistance to scratches and swirls. Maybe this butter paint on the Teslas is a sign of cost cutting?

 

[Old Man Mike]

Anyone using Zaino and their recommended technique? I've used the Z2/Z6 combination for the last decade and find it hard to believe that using their technique could result in any swirls. In fact, for the my last two new cars I asked the dealer not to wash it when the cars arrived so that I could start Zaino as the first layer protection. You know you have it perfect when a dry towel will slide off of any inclined surface of the car.

 

[calisnow]

I have never used Zaino myself Old Man Mike but a friend of mine back in the day when we were young and running around in turbo Japanese imports used it on his Nissan Z32 Twin Turbo and swore by it - the guy was anal.

 

[wdolson]

This is frustrating on a 100K car - Mercedes has been using ceramic particles in their clear since 2006 to provide increased resistance to scratches and swirls. Maybe this butter paint on the Teslas is a sign of cost cutting?

I suspect it has much more to do with California law. CA has the strictest laws about the contents of paint and I believe some of the solvent used by other automakers to make their finishes harder are illegal to use there.

My SO was recently managing a major renovation of her office and the paint had a lot of problems with streaking and generally poor coverage. When she went back to Home Depot they told her that all the Home Depots in this region (we're in the Portland area) stock California approved paints which don't cover as well as they used to, so the whole building required an extra coat.

Tesla probably could use ceramic particles, which would outgas, but other components Mercedes probably use are banned.