Do you let your Tesla service center wash your car?

clx · Oct 4, 2015

Hi - Do you guys let your Tesla service center wash your car when you bring it into service? I'm going to the Costa Mesa, CA service center to have something done soon and they said they will offer a car wash for my car. Does anyone have experience with Costa Mesa service center washing their car, or any other service center car washing in general? I know that some service center (non-tesla) just run it through an automatic car wash machine and call it a day, but since I'm hoping Tesla service center are better than most other brand, they will be more careful washing the car.

Thanks for any input in advance!

jordanthompson · Oct 4, 2015

Every time! (I'm lazy that way :biggrin

liuping · Oct 4, 2015

If it's White/silver or wrapped in Xpel, then there is no problem. I did not Xpel the whole car the first time, and they added a lot of swirl mark to the back roof area. You can't really see swirls on pearl white, so even the unXpel white parts looked fine.

That was a long time ago, and it probably varies a lot from service center to service center. If you have unprotected dark paint I'd make sure they are careful, ask how they do the wash, what they use, etc.

hipringles · Oct 4, 2015

Yeah I'm too lazy to turn down the free car wash. They don't really do a good, or bad job, kinda somewhere in between.

I am 90% sure they do not take it through an automagic wash though

jerry33 · Oct 4, 2015

They smeared the interior windshield last time, but other than that I don't have any issues. Silver and full coverage Suntek.

Olle · Oct 4, 2015

I have swirl marks from the service center wash. I was there once (New York) when they did it. They used a real bucket with grit separator but unfortunately the same rag from the gritty lower parts of the car all the way up is so swirl marks were inevitable. The guy was very nice, but no car washing pro. I have never found a car washing place that washes any better than SC did (most are worse IMO) so I try to wash my cars myself when I have a chance.

MsElectric · Oct 4, 2015

Another reason why I like silver as an exterior color. It hides swirls like magic. I bet with the exception of a few enthusiasts, 90+% of Model S owners have the car washed at the Tesla Service Center and really as long as they take basic precautions, they can wash the car without swirling it up, and I hope the people who wash the cars are shown how to wash the cars properly.

kevincwelch · Oct 4, 2015

No.

I hang this on my mirror every time. I also leave explicit instructions to not wash. I don't care if the exterior is filthy when they finish.

AmpedRealtor · Oct 4, 2015

Absolutely! Why not? They do a great job and it's less work for me.

Max* · Oct 4, 2015

Yep. I also use the brushed (? Non brushless) automatic car washes. Gasp!

EarlyAdopter · Oct 4, 2015

Yes, but I'm all Xpel'ed up so pretty much impervious to swirls.

At our service center in Bellevue, they wash by hand - no power washer - so I don't have to worry about them blasting a corner of the paint film loose.

andrewket · Oct 4, 2015

I ask my SC not to wash my car.

TES-E · Oct 4, 2015

Yes... they wash it and do a decent job.

Bonlaw · Oct 4, 2015

Only the inside. No one but me washes the exterior. But then the S is rarely at the SC.

Patrick W · Oct 4, 2015

I would but my service center (SLC) does not have a wash rack. Hopefully they'll have a bigger building with washing facilities eventually.

But first priority is getting it legal to sell Teslas here in Utah.

NorCalSJ · Oct 4, 2015

The detailer I use and did my XPel told me NOT to have Tesla wash my car when it's in for service....I take his advise...

AMPd · Oct 4, 2015

When I took mine in they weren't allowed to wash it due to the drought.
Im ok with that, I'll suffer through the pain of driving a dusty car if it means saving water.

AmpedRealtor · Oct 5, 2015

Good lord, it's a car - not a museum piece.

Morristhecat · Oct 5, 2015

I wish they would wash my car. The past few times I have been there they were too busy to get to it. [emoji107]

MoeMistry · Oct 5, 2015

It comes down to personal choice. The fact is, unless you know how to properly wash a car with tesla paint, you'll most likely induce microsctaches, and sometimes, deeper swirls and scratches.

If your point of view is "it's just a car and I want it to be clean" you'd be fine to have service center to wash it. Convenient, immediate gratification, and free.

If you are concerned about properly washing the finish and preserving a swirl-free finish, then you'd be best to request no wash or wipe down.

No right or wrong answer here, IMHO...just personal choice.

Do you let your Tesla service center wash your car?

Member

2018 P100D Model X

Active Member

Member

(S85-3/2/13 traded in) X LR: F2611##-3/27/20

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Charging

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Former Vendor

Similar threads