Went to a local detailer today to inquire about paint correction (for swirls) and sealant. Below is what I learned. This location wrapped 43 Teslas last year and hundreds of cheaper detail efforts on Teslas so seems rather experienced.
- I asked why my 13 year old Volvo shows no scratch at all compared to this brand new Tesla. They said new cars use water based paint where as my 13 year old Volvo didn't. I guess the implication is water based paint is not as durable as oil?
- They said paint on the Porsche is really soft too. Some other Euro manufacturers have harder paint but also harder to work on to do paint corrections. I guess its a detailers view
- They suggested I use 22PLE (last about 2 years) rather than Opti-Coat (suppose to be permanent) for sealant. The reason they noted is our rainy pacific northwest weather makes it all but impossible to prevent scratches (unless its wrapped? he seem to hint that is a more permanent solution). The car will need to be polished for scratches and sealed again in 2 years time so the opti-coat would all need to come off again.
Anyhow, just sharing what I learned from a detailer today. Perhaps people who knows much more about paints can chime in.
- I asked why my 13 year old Volvo shows no scratch at all compared to this brand new Tesla. They said new cars use water based paint where as my 13 year old Volvo didn't. I guess the implication is water based paint is not as durable as oil?
- They said paint on the Porsche is really soft too. Some other Euro manufacturers have harder paint but also harder to work on to do paint corrections. I guess its a detailers view
- They suggested I use 22PLE (last about 2 years) rather than Opti-Coat (suppose to be permanent) for sealant. The reason they noted is our rainy pacific northwest weather makes it all but impossible to prevent scratches (unless its wrapped? he seem to hint that is a more permanent solution). The car will need to be polished for scratches and sealed again in 2 years time so the opti-coat would all need to come off again.
Anyhow, just sharing what I learned from a detailer today. Perhaps people who knows much more about paints can chime in.