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Detailing of car before delivery

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I have a question. My car will be delivered at the end of September. I am planning to have the car OptiCoated the next day. My detailer requested to not have Tesla detail the car as it makes more work for him. I requested that to my Delivery Specialist but she said that it can't be done.

"Regarding your request to decline detail, unfortunately, we cannot deliver cars without going through this step. It is the last stage in the production process and is integral to making sure the vehicle is perfect when we hand it over to you."

I'm OK with that but I was just wondering if anyone else had made that request and got an answer in the affirmative. It's a very minor thing and doesn't do anything to temper my excitement about picking up my car. I have a list of family and friends that want to see it and drive it. With the 8 year unlimited warranty on the battery and drivetrain they are more than welcome to put the petal to the metal.

Thanks,
Gary
 
I have a question. My car will be delivered at the end of September. I am planning to have the car OptiCoated the next day. My detailer requested to not have Tesla detail the car as it makes more work for him. I requested that to my Delivery Specialist but she said that it can't be done.

"Regarding your request to decline detail, unfortunately, we cannot deliver cars without going through this step. It is the last stage in the production process and is integral to making sure the vehicle is perfect when we hand it over to you."

I'm OK with that but I was just wondering if anyone else had made that request and got an answer in the affirmative. It's a very minor thing and doesn't do anything to temper my excitement about picking up my car. I have a list of family and friends that want to see it and drive it. With the 8 year unlimited warranty on the battery and drivetrain they are more than welcome to put the petal to the metal.

Thanks,
Gary

My detailer (Joe at Orinda Auto Detail) has done well over 200 Model S (detail/OptiCoat Pro). he and I had this exact discussion about getting a new S fresh from paint without a pre-delivery detail. AFAIK he has never been able to accomplish this with any S he has worked on. Not a real surprise for me at all.

BTW if you want to contact him, e-mail him at:

joe (at) orindamotors (dot) com.
 
When I placed my order a month ago, I specifically asked that prior to delivery that they not wash or wax the car. My DS indicated that she would put that request in, which seems to imply that they would honor it. I explained my reasoning regarding the follow-up paint correction work immediately after I take delivery and that the detailer would strip off any waxes, etc. anyway.
 
I have a question. My car will be delivered at the end of September. I am planning to have the car OptiCoated the next day. My detailer requested to not have Tesla detail the car as it makes more work for him. I requested that to my Delivery Specialist but she said that it can't be done.

"Regarding your request to decline detail, unfortunately, we cannot deliver cars without going through this step. It is the last stage in the production process and is integral to making sure the vehicle is perfect when we hand it over to you."

I'm OK with that but I was just wondering if anyone else had made that request and got an answer in the affirmative. It's a very minor thing and doesn't do anything to temper my excitement about picking up my car. I have a list of family and friends that want to see it and drive it. With the 8 year unlimited warranty on the battery and drivetrain they are more than welcome to put the petal to the metal.

Thanks,
Gary

What does the OptiCOAT do?
 
What does the OptiCOAT do?

Gary,
It protects the paint. Prior to the application, they should correct the paint so there are no swirls or contaminants on the car. Opticoat Pro is what you should get from a detailer. You can buy Opticoat 2.0. It's a bit pricey. Probably in the $850 - $900 range, but you wouldn't have to wax the car. Some say for the life of the paint.
I learned of this product along with PPF and the type of tint from this forum. Do a search on Opticoat, Spectra Photosync and Xpel or Suntek PPF. You will find a lot of info. Good luck.
 
Unlike waxes and sealants, Opti-Coat (only available through professional detailers as opposed to Opti-Coat 2.0 which is a consumer version but needs re-application periodically) is essentially a permanent ceramic coating that goes on top of the factory clear coat. It's supposed to be an additional protection layer which helps the car retain hydrophobic/water-repelling properties and helps resist scratches and chemical etching (think bird bombs) better as well as make car washing much easier since dirt doesn't stick as easily. Since it's a permanent layer that doesn't erode off unlike waxes and sealants, the only way to get it off is via machine compounding or polishing. The marketing of the product makes it sound like some miracle shield, but it's not a replacement for paint protection film, nor do I think it's going to make your car scratch-immune so one still needs to care for the delicate surface and use a proper car wash regimen.

As soon as I take delivery of my car, I'm driving one mile up the road from the factory and getting final paint correction done (because factories can never afford to spend the additional time to completely finish down the paint to a defect-free condition), then getting it wrapped in film, then getting it Opti-Coated. This is my first "expensive" car, and over the years I started doing my own detailing on my current car involving a lot of washing, claying, multi-step paint correction, trim restoration, and the like. With the new car, I'd rather reduce that effort as much as I can so the less I need to touch the paint during a wash, the better.

Most people don't notice these small details, but once you start developing an eye for it (especially the swirls in the paint), you can't help but keep worrying about it. There's a whole industry dedicated to car care, automotive detailing, and paint maintenance.
 
It didn't work. I asked my DS for a release form that I could sign to not have any detailing done to the car. I got my answer back a couple of days later. "Regarding your request to forego detail, I ran this request by my service manager. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate this request. Detailing is the last step in the production process and is used to give a full inspection of your vehicle. It is the step that allows our detail team to look over your vehicle with a fine tooth comb make sure your vehicle will be perfect when you pick it up. "

It's not a big deal with me, I just thought it would make my detailer's job a little easier and save me a few bucks. But I guess Tesla doesn't like to skip the detail process, although, apparently it has been done before.

The DS also told me my delivery will be at least a week late. I expected that. VIN 53743 and now due the week of 13 October. (hopefully)
 
Once a car, almost all cars, comes out of the paint booth, they need sanding/compounding/polishing to truly bring out the paint's luster. It's in this step that things like buffer marks, sanding marks, hologramming, etc. are put into the paint and will require a skilled detailer's hands to remove. I don't think this step can be avoided, and for good reason. You don't want to see your paint fresh out of the oven...it needs further refinement that few detailers are able to achieve properly.

We have received several Model S that didn't require any paint correction, but client specifically requested DC not to wash, wax, detail the new vehicle. As some have mentioned, it's not necessary if you, or your detailer, will be doing a more in-depth detail service post delivery.

As for opti-coat, you may want to consider other options as well. They recently terminated their lifetime warranty for new applications, it's now 5 years. Good product, but IMHO, was very misleading in the "lifetime" warranty. Glad they've listened to their installers and critics, and offered a more true and realistic warranty. But this doesn't mean you don't have to care for the paint on a routine basis. You'll still need to decontaminate and "revive" the coating 1 -2 X per year. That goes for any coating.
 
It didn't work. I asked my DS for a release form that I could sign to not have any detailing done to the car. I got my answer back a couple of days later. "Regarding your request to forego detail, I ran this request by my service manager. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate this request. Detailing is the last step in the production process and is used to give a full inspection of your vehicle. It is the step that allows our detail team to look over your vehicle with a fine tooth comb make sure your vehicle will be perfect when you pick it up. "

It's not a big deal with me, I just thought it would make my detailer's job a little easier and save me a few bucks. But I guess Tesla doesn't like to skip the detail process, although, apparently it has been done before.

The DS also told me my delivery will be at least a week late. I expected that. VIN 53743 and now due the week of 13 October. (hopefully)

I think any new car delivery MUST include a PDI, pre-delivery inspection. This assures electronics function, the vehicle drives like it should, etc. The detailing part is optional. You can visually inspect for dents, scratches, etc. during the PDI, without washing and waxing a car.
 
Here's my personel experience - I received my car in late May this year and was going to get it immediately xpel and opticoated right from the delivery center to the detailer. The detailer also preferred to have the car "untouched" (i.e. no wax) as they were going to have to strip the wax off anyway. I inquired at the SC and they produced a corporate Tesla form essentially absolving them of any issues that would have come up if they didnt detail the car (i.e. swirl marks, chips, etc). I spoke to the detailer whose main concern was that when they buff out the car that the buffer was hitting the lower "black matte" portions of the car and making them "shiny". I elected to tell Tesla SC to prep the car, but to make sure the buffer does not go anywhere near the lower portions of the car where the black matte pieces are. At then end it all worked out - so my recommendation is to have them prep the car, but to be careful around the matt black areas.
 
Keep in mind that the waiver piece is relatively new and you should be aware of what you are signing away before you just go blindly signing a document. This waiver voids your paint warranty on your car. So if you do this don't ever expect to make a warranty claim against your paint. If you are fine with this then go ahead and sign it away.

My detailer was griping about how even still they do not do even painting of the cars they are leaving with sanding marks and swirls "holograms" etc. Hopefully when they install the new paint shop at the factory this will all change... But for now, the paint on the car strongly resembles the work you would get on a high end low run vehicle like a lambo or Ferrari.

About alternative coatings, I actually had mine put Modesta on the car. It ran me 900$ vice the 450$ he would have charged for the Opi-Coat. Just another brand to consider.
 
Keep in mind that the waiver piece is relatively new and you should be aware of what you are signing away before you just go blindly signing a document. This waiver voids your paint warranty on your car. So if you do this don't ever expect to make a warranty claim against your paint. If you are fine with this then go ahead and sign it away.

My detailer was griping about how even still they do not do even painting of the cars they are leaving with sanding marks and swirls "holograms" etc. Hopefully when they install the new paint shop at the factory this will all change... But for now, the paint on the car strongly resembles the work you would get on a high end low run vehicle like a lambo or Ferrari.

About alternative coatings, I actually had mine put Modesta on the car. It ran me 900$ vice the 450$ he would have charged for the Opi-Coat. Just another brand to consider.

Why'd you choose Modesta over OptiCoat?