A few comments from my experience:
1. If you don't mind getting swirl marks, then an automatic wash is fine. The dirt left in the brushes from other cars is what causes it, and there's nothing that can be done. This doesn't have anything to do with Tesla's paint, they will swirl mark any car. Dark colors will show the swirl marks far worse than lighter colors.
2. In an automatic wash, I'd be more worried about the wheel track damaging rims as others have said, especially with the larger 21" wheels.
3. Ceramic coatings like Opticoat, C.Quartz, Modesta, etc. cannot prevent the swirl marks. They only help with making dirt easier to remove. This allows the "touchless" washes that just use a water spray to be more effective.
4. "Touchless" automatic washes that use just a water spray, detergent, and wax will not cause swirl marks and will not damage the paint or coatings. Even manual "pay-and-spray" washes are safer than automatic washes with brushes, as long as the water is filtered (most of the more modern pay-and-spray places are).
5. If you have a ceramic coating, it can also make hand washing the car easier and safer because you won't have to go over each area more than once. A single wipe with a clean micro fiber will remove all dirt.
6. The only for sure swirl mark prevention if you're going to use automatic washes is a full film wrap like XPel, 3M Scotchgard Pro, Nano Fusion, etc. Most of these films are "self-healing" and any swirl marks that get put into them will eventually disappear.
7. Not all hand washes are created equal. Dirt from other cars (or your own car) left on the towel is what causes the swirl marks. If the guy doing the hand wash doesn't religiously use a clean face of the micro fiber towel on every stroke, then he just sanded your paint. This applies while washing and drying. Hand wash ≠ safe.
For me, I have wanted to keep the paint looking pristine. I do the following:
- C.Quartz coating applied right after I took delivery.
- I use the touchless spray washes once a week. Most of the time I use the automatic ones, but occasionally I use a pay-and-spray for a more thorough cleaning.
- I have a mini-detail done about every 6 weeks. Vive-Houston does this for around $55 and it's a thorough hand wash and interior clean. The car looks like it's off the showroom floor afterwards.
