How To Protect Your Tesla Before Getting Ceramic Coating
Preparation is key if you want to get the benefits of ceramic coating. To prepare your vehicle for ceramic coating, follow these four simple procedures.
Due to decreased clear coat application, or Tesla’s goal to conserve weight, more electric vehicle owners seek professional coatings or paint protection film to safeguard their investment. If this is the case, you may be wondering how to prepare your new Tesla S Plaid, Tesla Model Y, or Tesla Model 3 for a ceramic coating application.
It’s a smart financial move to buy a Tesla, whether it’s brand new or secondhand. As pollution standards and gasoline prices continue to climb, more people are beginning to realize the advantages of purchasing a Tesla or other electric car. When it comes to energy-efficient automobiles, paint jobs are the problem. The sensible Tesla owner is motivated by this to invest in expert ceramic coatings or PPF (often called clear bra). Preparation work performed by automobile detailing professionals before applying a ceramic coating yields superior results than any other paint protection solution.
What can you do to get your Tesla ready for a Ceramic Coating application? Is it better to hire a professional to apply the coating or do it yourself? How are coatings placed, and how can you be sure you’re getting what you paid for if you don’t have a professional installer like Ceramic Pro certified shops? Be sure to plan. When it comes to most projects, planning is the key. The most prepared one can only win a chess match. If you’re considering ceramic coating, start with the prep work. To prepare your vehicle for ceramic coating, you must first familiarise yourself with the many types of ceramic coating available.
Preparing Your Tesla For Ceramic Coating
The benefits of using ceramic coatings are numerous. Enhance the appearance of your vehicle and protect your paint, UV radiation, and dirt. The wonderful benefits of ceramic coating can only be realized if the necessary pre-work has been completed. We will check the preparing your automobile for ceramic coating in four easy steps.
Wash
When using the two-bucket approach (one bucket with soapy water, the other with clean water), be sure to use items devoid of wax and shine. To protect the sealant on your vehicle, you must thoroughly clean it. Don’t scrape too hard that you damage the paint on your automobile. Use a pH-neutral, wax-free solution to keep this from happening. As a last precaution, ensure that the washing is done in a shaded area and not in direct sunshine. You don’t want soap in your prep work since it will adhere to your paint.
Clay
If any particles remain after the initial wash, it is necessary to eliminate them. To avoid further harm, these contaminants must be removed since they will remain behind the ceramic coating if not done so properly. Using clay to eliminate iron is a common home remedy that can be found online.
Corrective painting
Even if your automobile is brand new, you may still require some polishing work for paint repair. So it’s not a simple thing to perform, but it can still be done with a lot of patience.
Panel Wipe
Panel cleaning is the final step in prepping your vehicle, and it eliminates any chemicals, oils, or other solutions that may have remained on the surface. All you have to do is spritz a microfiber cloth with the cleaning solution and wipe it clean. Use a dry, lint-free microfiber cloth to “buff” the surface for the last step. Ceramic coating is now ready for your automobile! However, if you find the four-step process too simple or time-consuming, professional options are still available.
Let the Experts Take Care of It!
Ceramic coating is the most long-lasting kind of paint and surface protection for your automobile. As frightening as the application procedure may appear at first glance, it is rather simple.
Why Buy Only A Brand New Tesla?
When your Tesla is exposed to the elements and other residues, it, too, can sustain cosmetic damage, including paint chips, scratches, and other blemishes.
It takes more than a wash and wax to keep your Tesla’s body and paint in good condition. A chemical bond envelops the paint in the ceramic coating, making it indestructible. Because automobile wax protects only the paint, it goes off in weeks.
How long can I drive my car after applying a ceramic coating?
It is possible to safeguard your Tesla in several ways. Car wax or a synthetic paint sealant is the point of entry. These have a short shelf life. The DIY spray-on ceramic coating is the second point. However, many devices are only warrantied for six months to a year. There are DIY nanocoatings, such as CarPro, that can last several years but do not come with a guarantee or warranty, and they can also endure for several years.
Licensed car detailing auto spas also apply Professional-grade nano-ceramic coating. Bird droppings, seawater, tree sap, and UV rays won’t harm your Tesla’s paint using these. With this, you can keep your electric vehicle looking good and increase its battery life.
Almost all ceramic paint coatings adhere to the surface within 24 hours, regardless of the type of paint coating you choose. The vehicle can now be operated without risk of injury or death. However, there are certain limitations to this.
Keeping it dry for a week or two is the first step. The best place to keep your Tesla is in a garage or under a carport in a rainy area. It takes a few weeks for the coating to fully harden, even though it has been glued down to the surface. Most professional ceramic coating firms recommend keeping the car in a garage or at the detailer’s shop for a few days.
Two weeks is a long time to go without washing your ceramic-coated Tesla. Car washes are still necessary, even if a ceramic coating is installed. For starters, follow the manufacturer’s washing instructions while washing your automobile. For the most part, we advise utilizing a hand wash system, a ceramic aftercare car soap, and a microfiber drying towel to dry the vehicle.
You can use a water-saving Rinseless wash if you live in a dry climate. These are meant to clean automobiles fast and without scratching, and they couldn’t be easier to use. Before drying the automobile, please wait for it to get wet again for two weeks. This can lead to the ceramic’s top layer being worn away or scratched.
The overall healing time might be between two and three weeks. Aside from avoiding hazardous driving circumstances, you should aim to keep your Tesla parked indoors if at all possible during this period. When the weather is unpredictable, such as in the winter, it needs additional dry time. Detailers and do-it-yourselfers have employed infrared curing lights to speed up the drying time of their paint jobs.
First, let’s look at the most often asked issue on Tesla forums: how are coatings installed and preserve the paint? A microfiber applicator cloth is used to apply a small quantity of liquid polymer coating to a nano-ceramic coating. Afterward, the installer will wipe it off the vehicle’s surface and allow it to bind and flash before wiping it clean immediately.
The first curing time of the coating is around 24 hours. The car is now completely shielded from the sun’s rays and other contaminants, and it takes on a slippery or hydrophobic appearance.
Nano-ceramic coatings that DIY enthusiasts or mobile detailers may apply are also available. This is an issue since they don’t hold up very well, and if you make a mistake when putting them, you might end up with uneven layers of gray paint.
A skilled detailer can help you determine how much ceramic coating will cost and the best way to apply it. Because paint correction is required to remove the ceramic coating, it necessitates a higher level of expertise. Skilled touch is required to create the proper aesthetic and protective effect upon application because ceramic coatings fade over time.
Before having your Tesla’s paint coated by a professional detailer, you may prepare the paint by sanding and cleaning it. What should they expect for those who prefer to DIY the ceramic coating on their Model X or any new vehicle?
How is a Tesla Ceramic Coated by a Professional?
Before applying the ceramic coating, it is necessary to clean the paint, glass, wheels, and other inside and exterior surfaces of the car.
There are several separate steps involved here, including:
Dedicated shampoos or rinseless washes will be used by a professional to remove all traces of dirt, debris, and old wax from the vehicle (in some instances).
The clear layer of automotive paint might contain tiny ferrous-based elements that must be removed in the second stage. In this case, an Iron Remover will be needed (which is a chemical spray that dissolves about 85 percent of these contaminants in a few minutes). Skilled detailers can finish the fallout removal process without harming the paint with a clay bar.
Tesla owners have the option of a full paint repair when this work is completed. Whether you recently purchased a Model 3 or a Model S Plaid, the paint should be restored to a mirror-shine finish.
So, what is paint correction, and how does it work?
Correcting paint on a Tesla requires using a compound or polish, pads, and an electric buffer or polisher. You see, the coating amplifies the hard layer of protection behind the ceramic coating. These defects will make the paint job seem worse if there are any swirl marks or blemishes in the paint. When the coating is applied over paint that already has a deep, glossy sheen, the result is a work of art.
Installers utilize a surface prep spray to remove any oils and particles behind the polishing chemicals, ensuring that the coating adheres flawlessly to the vehicle’s paintwork.
To prevent the Tesla ceramic coating from hardening the fabric, the detailer will start with one vehicle region and work reasonably. Having a smooth, even coating of ceramic applied to all of our vehicle’s exposed surfaces will be the goal of a professional detailer.
For Ceramic Coating, What Should I Do First?
A wide variety of ceramic coating businesses are available nowadays. Many of them are excellent, but a few aren’t quite up to snuff. Then some are ahead of the pack. For Tesla vehicles, Ceramic Pro is the most reliable and long-lasting ceramic coating you’ll discover.
A variety of options are available from Ceramic Pro’s installation professionals. However, does your Tesla require the best of the best? Rock chip damage and car impacts are not protected by a ceramic coating, even though it can minimize scratching.
The front of your Tesla is a good place to put a self-healing paint protection layer, and your Tesla would benefit from ceramic coating elsewhere. It is possible to have your car inspected by a Certified Ceramic Pro installer in your area, discuss your requirements with them, and come to a firm conclusion by scheduling a consultation.
You must employ high-quality aftercare materials and practices if you’re going to invest several thousand dollars on a protective coating for your Tesla. Through our partnership with premier auto care business Americana Global, we’ve created an array of Tesla ceramic coating aftercare solutions.
Is a Tesla's Ceramic Coating Resistant to High-Pressure Cleaning?
Yes, you very certainly can. The ceramic coating makes pressure washing easier since water does not adhere to the surface and runs off with any dirt or muck that may be present on the paint.
First, don’t get too near with the pressure washer. The coating and paint might be prematurely worn out by close pressure washing.
You’ll need a foam cannon if you’re going to pressure wash, and you’ll need a vehicle shampoo that is high-sudsing, wax-free, and pH-neutral. The filth and grime that has clung to the surface will be easier to remove if you use a two-bucket hand wash approach every few months instead of pressure washing the entire vehicle. Hire a professional detailer if you don’t have the time to do this yourself. Hand washing aids in the preservation of the ceramic finish.
Using a microfiber drying towel is a great way to speed up the drying process. Water stains will be less noticeable.
Conclusion
Ceramic Coatings offer the best combination of long-term durability and high levels of protection currently offered in the market. As frightening as it may appear, applying this high-tech coating is rather straightforward if you follow the abovementioned methods. Remember that the quality of your coating is just as excellent as the surface you’re going to cover, which is a vital professional tip to keep in mind. Following these procedures will ensure that you have the best protection available in today’s market..At PAD we offer top of the line car detailing service. If you’re interested in getting your car detailed you can view our services HERE. Check out our other blog articles to get updates and learn more about car detailing