Why do so many Tesla owners wrap their cars?

[Mr. Big]

I've noticed that compared to owners on other forums I follow (BMW, Porsche, Corvette), Tesla owners are far more likely to wrap their cars in a different color. Is it because Tesla only offers 5 colors as opposed up to a dozen or more for some of the other manufacturers? Or is it because there are so many on the road that owners want their cars to be different?

 

[techmagnetic]

I thought that mostly it was for protection (PPF) with a bonus of changing the color / finish. At least that's why I was looking at it. (haven't yet pulled the trigger because $$)

 

[The_Observer]

Tesla paint is considerably weaker, so protection is one of the factors for wrapping. Perhaps some people just want a different color for their own, particularly if owners want a satin color.

 

[nobznss]

I've wondered the same thing. Sure, Tesla paint is "weak" but I guess that's all relative. There are plenty of other soft paints out there in the market. I've never seen the kind of adoption of wrap/PPF as I've seen with Tesla owners. I personally really like the colors especially the pearl white and red (I've got one of each). I understand the concept of making your vehicle unique, but I have a hard time wanting to spend 4-5K on a wrap that will only last 5 years. That's 1K per year and you'd be surprised how much you can repaint for that. I've done fenders and bumpers for less than that in the past. All that said, to each their own - I've seen some pretty sweet wrapped S, 3's and X's but for me, the cost just isn't worth it. I'd rather spend it on coilovers, body additions, wheels, etc than have a stock car with a wrap.

 

[joebruin77]

Everyone has different tastes. I personally chose to do a whole-car PPF the day after I took delivery. Yes, it cost about $5K to do the entire car, but PPF offers a level of protection unlike any other product on the market. It has self healing properties. So if someone scratches your car, or if you get some swirls at the car wash, the heat of the sun makes the scratches and swirls magically disappear. I plan on keeping my car for 8 to 10 years, so to me the PPF is worth the cost. And Xpel PPF comes with a 10-year warranty.

Vinyl wraps are different. They are used more for cosmetic changes, such as having a unique color or finish. They are not quite as expensive as PPF, but they also are thinner and do not have self-healing properties. They will not last nearly as long as PPF.

If you want a unique look and still have the protection of PPF, you can get a satin PPF such as Xpel Stealth. That doesn't change the base color, but it does the car a very unique satin look. I am more of a gloss and shine guy, so that is why I went with the normal PPF.

 

[KenC]

I've noticed that compared to owners on other forums I follow (BMW, Porsche, Corvette), Tesla owners are far more likely to wrap their cars in a different color. Is it because Tesla only offers 5 colors as opposed up to a dozen or more for some of the other manufacturers? Or is it because there are so many on the road that owners want their cars to be different?

I'd say yes and yes. Also, those cars, BMW, Porsche, and to a lesser extent the Corvette, have iconic colors associated with the brand, so there's less of a desire to wrap the vehicle in a unique color.

 

[MODEL+]

It's trendy.

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Pathetic paint
Too few available colors
So many Tesla's that you can't go off color when trying to find your car unless you get a wrap.

You add those up and wrap isn't a bad idea.

I say this as someone who hasn't gotten a wrap, and I probably won't.

 

[Mr. Big]

So many Tesla's that you can't go off color when trying to find your car unless you get a wrap.

Ain't that the truth. I was at an ACE Hardware parking lot and upon returning to my car I noticed Sentry Mode had been triggered. When I looked at the footage a saw a guy trying to open my door and then walk away to his identically-colored car a few stalls away.

 

[UncertainTimes]

Vanity and narcissism

 

[Silicon Desert]

Ain't that the truth. I was at an ACE Hardware parking lot and upon returning to my car I noticed Sentry Mode had been triggered. When I looked at the footage a saw a guy trying to open my door and then walk away to his identically-colored car a few stalls away.

ha, I guess he didn't look at his license plate. That's what I do.
I only did a partial wrap (clear one) on parts of the car most easily damaged by rocks. While some people seems to report paint problems, I'm going on 5 years now on my X without a single issue. In fact, not a single nick in the car either. Guess I am lucky.

 

[SSonnentag]

Many people comment on inferior paint, but I have not seen any Teslas with peeling, faded, oxidized or otherwise damaged paint. I say the inferior paint idea is a myth.

 

[leonar40]

My 2018 TM3 with 41K miles has great paint, no rock ships or anything really. The other thing I don't get is that you could re-paint your entire car for less than it would cost to do a wrap. How many things in life do you spend more to protect than it would just take to replace it (the paint I mean)? Doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Spacep0d]

Here's why I plan to wrap my car and why others might as well;

1. Stand out. I love my white Stealth but it would be fun to have 3M gloss flip deep space too. Or, maybe metallic green or copper.

2. Cosmetic wrap is not PPF but it's a bit of paint protection.

3. PPF. Good paint protection if you like one of the PPF colors offered.

What other reasons are needed?

 

[Dre78]

I seriously considered PPF for protection when having tint installed. But after 2 years of owning, the small chips are part of the weathering that lets my vehicle tell it's unique story.

If I were planning to sell or trade-in, I'd definitely get the front wrapped at least. But I'm planning to own this car for its lifetime, so I can't let little scratches bother me too much, else I'd be scared to drive it on a road trip, or drive when the roads are heavily salted, or park it on the street.

 

[hydro 481]

IMO, BMW and Porsche has some of the best colors out there. I wish Tesla would offer more bold or unique colors.

I have a satin dark gray wrap and I love it. I live in So Cal where Teslas are a dime a dozen so standing out a bit makes me feel like a special little unicorn

Tesla is supposedly offering a vinyl wrap option for the Cybertruck so I'm interested to see how that'll play out.

 

[Massive Attack]

Because there are so few factory colors to choose from. I picked blue, which I rarely see, when compared to the "free white", then gray, then black, then red, followed by blue, then silver. Not saying blue is some rare color like silver, I'm just thinking of all the cars I see regularly, I can only think of seeing a handful of blue Model 3s in last year. I would guess white is probably more popular than all the other colors combined, around me.

Soft paint is also a Tesla thing.

 

[Gasaraki]

I've noticed that compared to owners on other forums I follow (BMW, Porsche, Corvette), Tesla owners are far more likely to wrap their cars in a different color. Is it because Tesla only offers 5 colors as opposed up to a dozen or more for some of the other manufacturers? Or is it because there are so many on the road that owners want their cars to be different?

The paint is thin on Teslas.

 

[Nichigo]

It's because we can't blow all our money on other things like forced induction and other airflow mods

 

[XLR82XS]

The paint is thin on Teslas.

F**cking terrible! I'm so glad I have extensive PPF - the film is taking a beating (doing it's job)