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18seeds
Member
I’m going with a satin silver with gloss black chrome delete. Was gonna go with xpel stealth but i could justify the cost. I don’t need 10 years of pint protection.
That's exactly my thought. The price of xpel stealth is equivalent to 2 color wraps. Guess I am going with Satin Dark Grey and some kind of delete. Does gloss look good with satin wrap?
eyedrop
Member
No offense, but I find wraps, wheels, lowering kits, etc, to be tacky looking and immature. It implies that your a young kid that smokes e-cigs. Tesla engineers designed a car that is beautiful and elegant right off the showroom floor.
I do have respect for a nicely done modification and appreciate the hard work people put into customizing their cars. But it just seems like indirectly flipping the bird at the engineers...
I say just keep it 100% original and keep the car paint corrected and detailed. Make it a clean original example rather than ricing it out...
I do have respect for a nicely done modification and appreciate the hard work people put into customizing their cars. But it just seems like indirectly flipping the bird at the engineers...
I say just keep it 100% original and keep the car paint corrected and detailed. Make it a clean original example rather than ricing it out...
Acho
Member
I do agree with keeping the M3 as original as it comes. I don't plan to change the suspensions or wheels size. But the color and chrome delete is mostly personal preference. I plan to put PPI to protect the car anyways, why not have some fun with it. Just my 2c.
ℬête Noire
Active Member
Just remember that for levels of protection of the surface the degree of protection covers a wide range, from most to least:
- clear PPF (paint protection films) are very thick, rubbery, durable, they are hard to damage at all and you really have to work at it to damage the paint underneath; they tend to last 5+ years
- vinyl colour wraps, they are thinner than PPF so don't have as much cushion but provide ok rock protection from the first hit in a given spot, the rock is likely to leave a visible mark in it though; these last 2-4 years, depending on how much you leave them out in the sun, and if you use it as a daily driver over a long commute you'll start seeing dings building up on the front facing surfaces within the first year
- "Plasti-dip" and other spray-on films, they are spongy compared to the vinyl wrap but unless you apply a lot of coats tend to be thinner, they also last about 1/2 as long as the vinyl wraps, environmental considerations being the same
- "ceramic" coatings, which are basically just really durable waxes, they provide very little physical protection, mostly they're good for allowing easier washing and protection from things that would otherwise cause light swirl marks (someone brushes your car when it's dusty), but they tend to last 3-5 years (if you're sold more years than that, like "lifetime", you're paying for a reapplication and also the appliers hope that you'll sell the car to someone else in a few years)
The cost for these also roughly follows the same list, although with the PPF a lot of people will just do the bumpers, the hood, and backside of the front mirrors as these or the places most likely to take direct, physical hits. A partial PPF + ceramic on the rest of the car (along with a paint correction prior to application, which you definitely want a pro to do first, because otherwise any flaws will get sealed in place) will be similar to the cost of a colour wrap.
18seeds
Member
I think the contrast will looks great.
I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this but a satin silver wrap will look identical to an xpel stealth wrap to the normal eye an it still provides some layer of protection from my daughters
I do agree that some of these modifications tend to ricer out the car. My thoughts on satin silver is that it will look like the prototype we all saw at the reveal. The way the engineers wanted it. Although i really don’t care what they think
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I'm in a similar situation. I pickup my car on Sunday. I was thinking about the Avery Carmine Red. Anyone know how close it is to the Tesla multi-coat red? The car is blue, but was thinking i wanted it to stand out for a couple of years before I peel it off and then i'd have a fresh blue car. About the same cost as doing front PPF. I know it's not a thick. But honestly I'm not sure how durable the color vinyl is and how it will wear.
As you can tell, I'm on the fence.
As you can tell, I'm on the fence.
NeverFollow
Active Member
I just saw a Model 3 today in Berkeley, CA with an unusual color,
I didn't have time to take a picture because the car was at a traffic light
but think that it might be 'Metalic Gold' which looked great.
I found on the Internet a picture of a car (not the Tesla I saw) with a similar color to give you an idea.
I didn't have time to take a picture because the car was at a traffic light
but think that it might be 'Metalic Gold' which looked great.
I found on the Internet a picture of a car (not the Tesla I saw) with a similar color to give you an idea.
forkee
Member
It's funny because my wife agrees 100% with you on this. She was afraid that I was going to make my 3 look like a "toy car", referring to my ricer days when I was blowing through my wallet and did everything imaginable to my '97 celica.
After getting the 3 wrapped and doing a few exterior changes like tint and spoiler, she was actually satisfied with the way it turned out. I wanted my 3 to stand out and be unique, not tooo much, but just enough for someone to think "hey, this person is a car enthusiast". i'm fine with the stock wheels under the aero caps. the only reason i got 17's for my ricer car is that it came with 14's.
wraps allow you to customize the color to whatever you want, beyond the 5 stock colors you can pick from. it can be anywhere from extravagant chrome or brushed metallic, to stock colors (so bland, a normal passerby wouldn't even know it's wrapped) either glossy, satin, or matte. hell, now you can wrap your entire car to make it look like it has a carbon fiber shell. it's better than repainting your car, and you keep the original paint intact underneath.
living in a car congested area such as LA/OC, it's become the norm to want to do something different than everyone else (unless you want to blend in), that's just our car culture here. Making your car all detailed might be fine if you're only taking your car to shows, but just isn't an option when facing dust, smog, dirt, sand, ocean mist flying all directions on your daily commute. plus, there's nothing wrong with a little tint? adds some privacy plus shades little ones in the back. also, can you blame anyone for wanting to lower it if you can fit your fist in the wheel well? personally, i'm leaving mine alone for now because i love not bottoming out or scraping.
sounds more like you have disdain for the stereotypical ricer driver, rather than the actual car.
you don't think this is too bad, right? i'd hate to still be considered a ricer....
vinyl wraps are not durable at all and require very meticulous care. it really is just for color change. i run mine through the automatic car wash every 4 days to keep it clean and rinse off dust and bee poop (those small yellow drops that come from who knows where).
also, most wrap places will not wrap all the metal. when you flip your frunk, you will see the original color underneath. when you open your door, you will see the original color in the foot sill area. best "base" color is black. red/blue will look...interesting..in those areas where the colors meet.
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forkee
Member
forkee
Member
exterior wise, from what you see: the wrap was 2500, chrome delete another 400. spoiler 230. headlight tint 70. tint 400.
monarck
Member
forkee
Member
Want to update you all with the color combo. Let me know what you all think.
ℬête Noire
Active Member
That orange accenting looks very sharp, pops but not overstated, great choice on that body colour.
Colour name details?
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