Blog Post
Tesla Model 3 Protection
John Kleven • Dec 19, 2019
Driving the best car EVER!
Sitting in traffic Is no longer a stressful chore. Tesla Autopilot truly improved my quality of life. Zero emissions helps to justify my constant giggling at the full throttle acceleration from light to light. You really can't buy a better car. Tesla leads the way in battery tech, and awareness of going green when it comes to vehicle choice. BUT… They are very much infants when it comes building cars and it shows……
Delivery Day: What to expect?
It's NEW so it should be PERFECT right?
Paint has not been perfected by ANYONE. Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porsche, and Ferrari all can suffer from defects in their painted finishes. Tesla is not alone in this battle of using EPA friendly waterborne paint while combating degradation, erosion, corrosion, and still creating an aesthetically pleasing finish to our eyes. Waterborne paint is definitely the best finish to conserve our environment without harmful solvent emissions escaping into our atmosphere, but its durability is definitely not what would have come standard on a premium automobile in the '60s or '70s.
Inspecting your Tesla for defects in its delicate finish is critical as their 72-hour policy for reporting defects can quickly change from "Manufacturer's Defect" to "Wear and Tear." You don't want to try to argue wear and tear to a company that hasn't shown a consistent profit since it's Palo Alto founding in 2003. Paint scratches, debris in the paint, sanding scratches, poorly done after-the-fact paint repairs, unacceptable levels of orange peel in the finish, runs in the clearcoat, overspray, fisheyes, and many more defects -- I've seen them all..... Let's not get started on panel gaps; I could have sworn that someone had accidentally switched front and rear bumpers on one of the Model 3's I saw as the fitment was so far off. Check out this thread on Tesla Motors Club pertaining to Model 3 Paint Issues. All of these defects can be spotted during delivery with a comprehensive inspection done by yours truly. NO CHARGE
Why do we inspect new cars for free? You have a busy schedule, we have a busy schedule as well. If you want to have your Tesla's delicate paint protected when it's new you may have to wait for an opening in our calendar. If we find defects in Elon's finish, we may need to notify Tesla or possibly a body shop to try to get a repair made before protection is applied. This back and forth between our shop, a body shop and Tesla can cause weeks and even months of delays before you can truly enjoy your new Tesla.
Ceramic Coatings or Paint Protection Film?
Ceramic Nano Coatings
are a modern approach to properly protect your vehicle's finish from environmental staining, bird droppings, and bug etchings. Ceramic coatings out perform traditional paste waxes by a huge margin, they also look better so there is no need to keep wax products in our shops anymore. Ceramic coatings also make cleaning and maintaining your vehicle much easier and more rewarding with their ultra glossy finish and hydrophobic water shedding abilities. We recommend ceramic coatings on everything. Your paint is of course the obvious choice, but you may also consider making your wheels and brake calipers easy to clean with our high temp wheel coating, improve your visibility and safety with Glassparency
on your exterior glass and our interior protection packages protect your interior from stains and wear.
Do ceramic coatings need maintenance? You bet they do, they like to be clean. Ceramic coatings act like a germophobic barrier on your car's finish, they like to repel dirt, grime, and water like a non-stick frying pan but they have limitations. Road grime, tar, brake dust, oils and even car wax can clog your beautiful ceramic finish lessening its performance but a proper decontamination service can have your Tesla glowing again like itwas new with its hydrophobic properties returned.
Why would I want PPF if I have a ceramic coating? Ceramic coatings are typically about 2-4 microns thick and create a hard and durable membrane. STEK DYNOshield
PPF is an over 200 micron thick thermoplastic polyurethane material, a soft membrane that is great for absorbing shocks and deflecting debris kicked up from the roads and self-healing light swirls or scratches. STEK DYNOshield is also infused with a nano coating making it incredibly hydrophobic and easy to clean, very stain resistant, and glossy. When wrapping your entire Tesla, we do not offer a ceramic coating on top, but if you are wrapping the most critical parts of the car, we do recommend a ceramic for the rest of the car and for added gloss and protection on the DYNOshield film. If you had to have one, the PPF is by far the best protection you can apply but the price is many times more.
What happens if my paint protection film is damaged?
The beauty of paint protection film is that it's a sacrificial product designed to take the wear, abuse and damage before your factory-applied paint is touched. Many times have we seen a fender or a door get damaged from another driver or a parking pole that jumped out of nowhere causing non-repairable damage to the film, but a simple removal and replacement of a single panel is all that was necessary to get the car back on the road. No mixing paint and hoping to have the right color, no blending into adjacent panels to fool your eye that the color is indeed correct as applied at the factory. Major collisions, however, will of course require paintwork and film replacement.
I want paint protection film, but what should I cover?
Teslas suffer from soft paint? What does this mean? EPA-friendly paints chip and scratch easier so the need for paint protection film has never been greater. You wouldn't carry the latest smartphone without a screen protector, so why drive your $50K vehicle without protection?
Let's start with the obvious:
The full front end of the vehicle should be covered, this includes the full hood, the full fenders, front bumper, headlights, foglights, and the forward-facing side of the mirrors. These areas need coverage as stones and debris kicked up from other drivers will damage your beautiful finish. If you have a dual-motor Model 3, you will also damage the inner part of your front fenders from debris kicked up from your front tires.
A little less obvious: You WILL become addicted to the amazing, effortless and exhilarating acceleration of your Model 3. Trust me on this! Your rear tires will also kick up a bunch of debris causing chipping on your rear bumper as it wraps into the wheel wells. Covering the rear bumper is multi-functional as we wrap the film into the trunk jamb providing protection when you're loading and unloading your trunk if anything is drug across or dropped on the bumper cover.
What else?
The rocker panels and the lower sections on the Tesla get heavily chipped up over time. The problem, however, is that there is no CLEAN way to cover these without hugely visible and unsightly seams. If you want more coverage than the front and rear bumper, we recommend to wrap the whole car. Why wrap the whole car? This allows you to take full advantage of STEK DYNOshield's amazing hydrophobic performance and self healing function. Once you have a full-self healing car, you will likely never NOT have a full self-healing car, it's the only way to keep your car to an incredibly high standard without a visit to your detail shop twice a week.
What does paint protection film look like?
We go to great lengths to hide seams and edges. With over 300 Tesla full-body wraps under our belts, we can assure you that our custom-fitted installations are the cleanest, clearest and most durable available on the market ANYWHERE. STEK DYNOshield has industry-leading gloss and clarity to match your factory clearcoat so there is little distinguishable difference between a protected and unprotected panel.
Does my glass need protection?
Construction on 405 and 520 seem to be never ending. We offer two types of protection for glass.
- Windshield Protection Film
Windshield protection film is an actual film that is applied to the outside of your windshield to provide protection from rocks and debris that could potentially chip, pit or crack your windshield. Do I recommend this for a Tesla? 99% of the time I say NO. If you haven't noticed, it tends to rain here fairly frequently. This causes you to use your wipers to clear your vision. Wipers dragging across windshield protection film will cause marring and scratching that will eventually cause a lot of glare in your windshield. So why offer windshield protection film? Classic cars, exotic cars with uber expensive windshields need protection. On most of these cars, we could probably remove their windshield wipers since they are only used on sunny and dry days. If your Tesla is a daily driver like 99% of them are, we recommend Glassparency.
Glassparency is a safety product. By quickly shedding water from your vehicle's windows you will see clearer and have much less glare. It's also fun to watch the rain bead up into little pearls and fly off your windscreen when driving down the freeway at 60 mph. We found that Glassparency is also the only windshield product on the market that does not cause chatting wipers on the Model 3.
My Model 3 handles like a sports car.
This is definitely true. You know the drawback to this? Low sports cars don't handle steep driveways, parking curbs, or speed bumps like an SUV. For this, we can install Scrape Armor, a precision fit skid plate that protects your plastic bumper cover from curb rash and cracking.
How do I protect my vehicle's interior?
The Tesla Model 3 has a LOT of glass. This means UV and infrared are entering the vehicle like a greenhouse. UV will cause your interior to fade in color and infrared light creates a lot of heat inside the vehicle. Both wavelengths are harmful to your skin so blocking them is of great benefit to the vehicle, your vehicle's range and yourself. We offer a few different lines of film, but our STEK NEXseries
film stands out as the true performance winner. STEK NEXseries not only offers amazing optical clarity but also class leading heat and UV protection for your Tesla's cabin. NEX is the only film on the market using graphene. This is an ultra-fast thermal conductor which keeps your interior cool even when you choose a light shade. Dark films and heat protection don't go hand in hand when it comes to highly advanced films, so your Tesla doesn't need to look like a limousine to stay cool.
The center console on the Model 3 is a whole other issue. Its simple yet elegant design just screams modern and functional. The piano black finish, however, can be quite cumbersome to maintain. For this, we install STEK paint protection film. You can keep the gloss finish and have a self-healing finish or we can swap it out for a more toned down matte finish which makes fingerprints and smudges much less visible. If you prefer a high-performance look we also offer carbon fiber finishes for that sporty touch and feeling. Whichever style you choose, you will definitely appreciate the clean and easy to maintain film on your console.
If you want to protect your seats and carpets from spills or stains, we have an answer for that. Your Model 3's vegan leather is actually infused with a coating from the manufacturer. Just like other coatings, it will wear. Your driver's seat is probably the area of your car that is abraded the most with constant getting in and out of your vehicle and moving around to get comfortable. We expect the factory coating to wear away in about 6 months and we recommend to bring the car in for interior protection at that time. We can, however, treat the carpets if you like but you also really can't go wrong with a set of 3D MAXpider mats. You can find those on Amazon.
Can I finally drive my car?
YES! You waited for your car when you ordered it, as soon as it arrived you sent it to us to get protected and the day is finally here to enjoy your car. You have one of the world's best forms of transportation and now that it's wearing the very best protection on the market. It's ready to enjoy.
I have a Tesla Model 3 Performance myself and after just over a year it has traveled over 18K miles and counting. I can say without a doubt in my mind that you have made the best decision ever to get a Model 3 and you'll never look back. If you haven't ordered a Model 3 yet and enjoyed my article, please use my referral code
when ordering and get a bonus from Tesla.
John Kleven
Author and Tesla Model 3 Performance Owner
Mercedes AMG E63 S Final Edition - Full Body DYNOmatte
Hand washing is valued because it is gentle to the finish. Some people believe that hand washing is a great excuse to give your car a great scrubbing. However, this isn't the reason why car enthusiasts hand wash their vehicles. Think about it this way, an automated wash is a one size fits all solution that rarely fits where as hand washing is specific to your vehicle.
Get premium auto detailing services in Bellevue, Redmond, and Seattle area. Call 425.233.6068 for paint correction and more.
At a quick glance, it looks kind of like a Model 3 and a Model X had a baby. The Model Y actually shares about 75% of it's components with the Model 3. This creates a lot of cost savings for Tesla and puts the Model Y at a very fair price. With 316 miles of range and a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds. All of this in an SUV package with gobs of storage space, a full glass roof and soon will be available in 3 rows of seating. I think the new Model Y will handily outsell the Model 3 simply based on it's usability. America loves it's SUV's!
While , modern paint protection films have become so clear and glossy they literally look like they disappear onto the paint when they're applied correctly. You can get a clear bra that's fast and cheap, or you can pay a proper price for a good installation to get something that lasts. Many installers choose to use a computer templated pattern that is designed to easily "fit" on whichever vehicle you choose. This is the fastest way to have film installed. However, this does not offer any real level of hand tailored design or installation and the edges of the film, however, are also different story. Paint protection film is a three-dimensional object, although thin and transparent, you will still notice edges. How can an installation be so much different? It's much like how a properly hand-fitted suit will, of course, fit light-years better than something ordered online with hopes that it follows your exact body shape. I always recommend to have precision fit protection! So, if you like how your car looks like when it's new, you'll definitely appreciate a clear bra when it's old. Paint protection film is truly the only way to have a barrier of protection where nothing actually touches your paint.
Premium auto detailing and nano coating services in Bellevue, Redmond, and Seattle. Protect your new car with Clear Bra and Window Tint. Call 425.233.6068 today!
Learn the benefits of ceramic coatings for your car at Metropolitan Detail. Find out how they protect your vehicle's paint and more in Redmond.
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