Tesla Model S | Opti-Coat

imported_Rcrew · Nov 27, 2013

This Tesla came to us with just over 8000 miles and very extensive paint defects. The owner had heard about the benefits of Opti-Coat on the Tesla forums and sought out an installer in his area. When he called, I set up a time to inspect the car and found extensive scratches and swirl defects in the paint. After outlining the benefits of paint correction prior to application of a coating product, the owner was ready for me to dial this beauty in and then lock it down with Opti-Coat.

The decontamination process required a foam soak, 2-bucket wash, clay, iron neutralization and tar removal.

The correction process required some heavy artillery to level the clear coat down to a mirror like shine. Multiple levels of paint correction were used over the course of a few days. Paint thickness readings were healthy and right around 200, dropping closer to 100 the lower you went on the car.

The car received another decontamination foam soak, hand wash, and IPA wipedown prior to Optimum Pro Coatings being applied to painted surfaces, plastics and glass.
The pictures really tell the story, so letâ€™s get to them!

Upon arrival, general grime along with a nice bird bomb on the hood. Love the license plate though!

IMG_2857.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Wheels and arches looking quite nasty

IMG_2862.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Not anymore!

IMG_2872.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Canâ€™t forget the door jambs and underneath the â€œfrunkâ€�
Before

IMG_2866.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Dirt being transferred to the towel

IMG_2867.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


After

IMG_2868.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Here you can see the sheen of the tar removal product working on the paint.

IMG_2883.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Now that it is squeaky clean, we can begin the paint correction process. To really grasp the prevalence of the defects I was up against, imagine about 25% more defects than you see in these pictures. That is what I was seeing, but the camera didnâ€™t capture things accurately.

Close up on the hood
before

IMG_2900.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

after

IMG_2903.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Long shot of the driver side of the hood edge
before

IMG_2911.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After (Bit of a scratch remnant remained)

IMG_2913.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Driver front quarter, particularly deep cluster of scratches. Wetsanding was required to remedy this problem.

Before

IMG_2915.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After (not yet refined, just a tiny fraction of one of the scratches remained. No need to go after it and risk a strike through)

IMG_2918.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

50/50: Big difference made on the front plastic piece

IMG_2921.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Bit of work done on the passenger door
Before

IMG_2927.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After

IMG_2928.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Door Pull
Before

IMG_2929.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After

IMG_2930.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Passenger rear door 50/50

IMG_2932.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Lower section corrected

IMG_2933.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Couldnâ€™t resist- underside of side mirror with some grime remaining

IMG_2936.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After some TLC

IMG_2937.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


This is a â€œno-charge factory freebieâ€� courtesy of Tesla

IMG_2938.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After correction

IMG_2939.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

Plastic on the roof line
Before

IMG_2940.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After

IMG_2941.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Taillights needed attention too
Before

IMG_2942.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

After

IMG_2943.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


The best part of the day! Time to coat!

IMG_2948.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


Starting to get â€œthat Opti-Coat lookâ€�

IMG_2951.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

And after curing overnight, we pulled it out into the dingy, overcast morning. No matter, the car was still amazingly glossy! Thank you for taking the time to review my work. Questions and comments are welcome.

IMG_2980.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


IMG_2978.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr


IMG_2963.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr



IMG_2960.jpg by First City Auto Spa, on Flickr

imported_Rcrew · Nov 29, 2013

Hey...guys...would love to get some feedback on this one. Let me know.

David Fermani · Nov 29, 2013

Great improvement! Seems like every one of these cars has a terrible finish.

imported_Rcrew · Nov 29, 2013

Thanks David!

It does seem that way, plus the owner was using poor technique to wash and care for the finish.

lostdaytomorrow · Nov 30, 2013

What polish, pads, and machine were used?

Scottwax · Nov 30, 2013

David Fermani said:
Great improvement! Seems like every one of these cars has a terrible finish.

The paint is on the soft side, so its very easy to induce marring into the finish with typical dealer/car wash techniques. The earlier you can get to them after delivery, the better. Did one yesterday that had some damage to the rear trunk lid. Looks like to me someone opened it up and it hit something above the car. Then someone took a rotary to try and remove the damage. So typical.

Nice job cleaning up the paint, looks terrific after the paint correction and Optimum Coating.

imported_Rcrew · Nov 30, 2013

Thanks Scott!

8000 miles had left a lot of defects on the paint, camera was catching maybe 50%.

I would classify the paint on this one as medium hardness.

Tesla Model S | Opti-Coat

imported_Rcrew

New member

imported_Rcrew

New member

David Fermani

Forza Auto Salon

imported_Rcrew

New member

lostdaytomorrow

New member

Scottwax

New member

imported_Rcrew

New member

Forum statistics

Share this page