Would you buy a paintless Model S?

If $3-$4 discount.

Yes, but depends upon price and the quality of the wrap and workmanship.

Is the OP suggesting that the factory would perform the final wrap? I don't see that as even a remote possibility. Primed and protected with a sacrificial film designed to be peeled by a 3rd party wrapping detailer: sounds like a good option for some, especially if there was a discount compared to the factory paint.

My understanding is that the paint armour they install now isn't installed very well, so I'm not sure that a wrap installed there would be any better. However, having a primed-only car and then taking to the local wrapping shop at a discount would be good. The only problem I foresee is that it isn't likely to be a very big discount because everything but the final two coats are done. Also what about the areas that aren't wrapped? Inside of the trunk, door sills, etc. It would look kind of funny to have them primed only. Or am I missing something?

jerry33 said:

My understanding is that the paint armour they install now isn't installed very well,

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Tesla dropped the Paint Armor option several months ago.

There would have to be something done with the bits that don't usually get wrapped (or dipped) like the door frames and under hood...like paint them black or something. That's also not as easy as it sounds without painting the rest of the car...

If MC red wasn't an option and the other 6 colors were my only option. I would have bought a car with only primer on it (depending on price reduction of course). I would have found a shop to paint me a custom color.

bxr140 said:

There would have to be something done with the bits that don't usually get wrapped (or dipped) like the door frames and under hood...like paint them black or something. That's also not as easy as it sounds without painting the rest of the car...

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Tesla will already support custom paint -> New Factory Custom Painted Model S !, at a cost of course. George RR Martin (the Game of Thrones guy) had it done in purple. It's not too much of a stretch for Tesla to support 3rd party wrapping in some way, perhaps with a temporary sacrificial protecting film over the primer until the 3rd party wrapper gets it.

I took the factory tour when I picked my S up in November. When I read the topic on this thread it reminded me of my thoughts at the time that I would love to have a beautiful aluminum Tesla with nothing but a clear coat over the top of the brushed aluminum.

wraps look great at 20'. Any closer and you start to see their flaws; those only get worse over time and temperature changes....it would drive me crazy.

stevej119 said:

I took the factory tour when I picked my S up in November. When I read the topic on this thread it reminded me of my thoughts at the time that I would love to have a beautiful aluminum Tesla with nothing but a clear coat over the top of the brushed aluminum.

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this is what I'd want, not an actual wrap. might be a bit 'bright' though? maybe anodized in some cool color

Zextraterrestrial said:

this is what I'd want, not an actual wrap. might be a bit 'bright' though? maybe anodized in some cool color

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Anodized would be pretty awesome...if not expensive.

I originally thought bare aluminum too--perhaps more of a brushed look? Would pay homage(ish) to the Delorean...

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SteveS0353 said:

Tesla will already support custom paint...

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That sort of defeats the purpose, no? Might as well just go with base black (or white). I guess it's sort of academic anyway, as not paining a car could end up costing more than painting a car...

bxr140 said:

That sort of defeats the purpose, no? Might as well just go with base black (or white). I guess it's sort of academic anyway, as not paining a car could end up costing more than painting a car...

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Costs aside, my purpose in pointing out that Telsa will support a custom paint job at a 3rd party paint (the George R.R. Martin precedent) is that it might be possible that Tesla would support an unpainted car for wrapping too.

bxr140 said:

Anodized would be pretty awesome...if not expensive.
I originally thought bare aluminum too--perhaps more of a brushed look? Would pay homage(ish) to the Delorean...

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While certainly that car's signature feature, there's a reason it's never really been replicated save one-offs: it's an absolute nightmare. The tiniest dent or scratch is immediately apparent, and nearly impossible to repair. Trade in undamaged DeLorean sheetmetal is brisk. There's not much you can do to fix damage to the metal without it being extremely obvious, as both minor surface indentations and interruptions to the grain are very visible.

I think a brushed Model S would look pretty cool, but you'd probably need to put it in a museum and never drive it. Secondarily, there's a ton of repair that happens prior to painting that would never look right, especially on the big stampings like the rear quarter panel pieces that are repaired prior to painting rather than recycled. Painting covers a lot of blemishes in the raw aluminum.

A vehicle ready for wrapping seems plausible, though, if a tiny market. In that case you don't really care if the aluminum's been sanded down/patched. Given the push towards less customization I'm not sure how feasible it is. I guess if you dropped off enough cash they'd consider it. The problem are things like door jambs and such that aren't usually covered by wraps. What do you do with all that?