2014 Tesla Model S - Paint Correction & Opti-Coat Pro by Mr. Sparkle Detailing - Long Island, NY

Gurge

Gurge

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Recently was booked for a correction and Opti-Coat Pro application on a new Tesla Model S. The dealer was instructed by the client not to wash or wax the car. When the vehicle arrived it had about 100 miles on the clock. Doesn't get much newer than that.

The car was black so I figured any defects would be obvious in direct sun. The car was dropped off with the sun shining. I could see some light defects. And then I said it. I shouldn't have said it. and may never say it again

"Doesn't look that bad"

I mean I was looking at raw paint, right? No wax or fillers because the car wasn't detailed. Great.

Got to work washing the car and the water was beading like crazy. Ok maybe quick detailed or spray waxed prior to pickup. Got to the lower trim on the rear bumper while washing the car and stopped dead in my tracks






Stained trim? Yeah. You know where this is headed. Decided definitely NOT to clay this car until getting it dried and inspected.

Foamed the vehicle with a mix of CG citrus wash gloss, OPC and dawn. Followed that up with CarPro TRIX. Water was flat as a pancake after all that. So whatever wax / glaze / filler was gone

Brought it inside. Total mess. Swirls everywhere, deeper random scratches, the stained trim I mentioned. Couldn't tell if it was machine waxed or hand waxed as I could kinda see depressions from 4 fingers in certain areas.

Here's 1 of the hood to start us off





It was pretty much that all over the car


First things first. Clean that trim. 15% IPA and an old MF towel. Took about 6 rounds of letting the alcohol soak and scrubbing





Taped off all of the trim at that point because I don't want to be 'that guy' (see above)








Did some test spots. Settled on Menz FG400 with Optimum MF pads followed by Menz SF4000 and LC white


Trunk lid before










The hood before






hood after





Mr. Sparkle live on the Rupes polisher








A real nasty spot on the hood that had it all including those possible finger marks I mentioned.













After the correction was complete, time to apply Opti-Glass Pro and Opti-Coat Pro





Looking like it deserves to look!










the 'possibly too many hours in the shop' photo












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Great job on the Tesla, it has really grown on me! I'd love to have one all black someday :drool:

When it comes to coatings, is it the Optimum that does not make the paint feel "slick"? Or is that another product i am confusing it with?

Thanks!
 
Doesnt necassarily mean the dealership did that. Couldve been done in the pre delivery stage. Either way good work.
 
6LS2 said:
Doesnt necassarily mean the dealership did that. Couldve been done in the pre delivery stage. Either way good work.
Click to expand...

I don't think I've seen a thread with a Tesla that wasn't like this. Either the factory doesn't take care of the cars, or the paint used swirls when you look at it.
 
GenesisCoupe said:
Great job on the Tesla, it has really grown on me! I'd love to have one all black someday :drool:

When it comes to coatings, is it the Optimum that does not make the paint feel "slick"? Or is that another product i am confusing it with?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
He did do a great job. I like the Tesla, too. I think it is one of the most significant cars ever made, and being the safest car ever, that is nice, too. Excellent performance and always having the car ready to go at home, never needing to stop for gas is phenomenal. No oil or plug changes is great as well. However, I don't think this car looks best in black. Black is a color for a car with lots of shape, and not just an overall nice silhouette.

A black car should have lots of angles to allow the black paint to show the shape better because of black's high contrast.
Black only looks good clean, and if I'm going to keep a black car meticulously, I want to have the reward of a phenomenal shape. It simply is not that sensual.
I think it looks great in white. Best in white. Metallic blue or another metallic is great, too, because then you see the sparkle of the paint instead of so much of the shape of the car. Metallic is great for plain styled cars.

Point is, if I had a large collection pf cars, they would be different colors, each car with a color that best suited it's styling, and this one wouldn't be black.
 
Thanks for the comments guys!

paint was definitely soft but not terribly soft.
 
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