Will The Real Pacific Blue Please Stand Up

[MikeK]

Hello all,

From the photos in this thread I first thought that the Pacific Blue paint type just reflects blue sky illumination well, but now I wonder whether the UV component from sunlight might have something to do with it. It would be fun to take Tesla's PB paint sample panel out in the sunlight outside a Tesla showroom and see how it responds to direct sunlight vs. shade (but still allowing blue sky reflection for the latter).

Good to meet you today Mike K, thanks for providing useful info.

Oliver

Nice meeting you too, Oliver!

I took one of the painted samples outdoors at Menlo Park on an overcast day last week. I wish I had brought one out at the event to hold up to the car, but my strong suspicion is that the paint on the small showroom color samples is lighter than what is actually on the car. I could be wrong.

 

[Bardlebee]

Thank you guys, this pretty much solidifies the color I am getting.... which is blue.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Great color! But like black, it will require a lot of coddling to keep it looking at its best.

 

[MikeK]

Robert.Boston: Yes, that's my worry. Decisions, decisions.

 

[MikeK]

Okay, this is my last video upload from the event! (Whew!!)

One more shot of the blue. This time from the front, starting in the shade and driving out into the sun.

 

[Ravi]

Great work Mike, very helpful. Looks like the blue with the tan interior for me!

 

[KangarooAustralia]

Thanks, MikeK for the videos. I am really torn between the Blue and Black but leaning more towards Blue now after your posts. :love:
I agree with Robert.Boston re difficulty keeping both Black and Blue clean and looking their best but definately worth the effort.

 

[bbmertz]

Great work Mike, very helpful. Looks like the blue with the tan interior for me!

Great videos, Mike! Is that tan leather or actually the Signature white interior?

I'm still on the fence between black or blue exterior, and black or tan (non Sig, non-performance) leather interior.

 

[Norbert]

Great videos, Mike!

+1. And as a side-effect, they also help in understanding why the colors look different on photos with different lighting.

 

[MikeK]

Great videos, Mike! Is that tan leather or actually the Signature white interior?

I'm still on the fence between black or blue exterior, and black or tan (non Sig, non-performance) leather interior.

There was a photo posted elsewhere of the little cheat sheet that the Tesla folks had, showing VINs and configuration, and it was listed as Blue/Tan. I know what you mean, though, it does look very light.

Honestly, it's really hard to trust color accuracy on these cameras. Both video and still cameras were adjusting both exposure and white balance automatically with changing conditions. If I had thought to do it, I would have brought a calibration target or at least a grey card to do a manual white balance. The blue car did have a "Signature" badge on the back, which is obviously not an available configuration. I asked specifically about this and was told it was just a "marketing car" that showed various options. So, it could be that they threw in the white seats.

For what it's worth, I saw an Audi A8 in a very similar ultra-dark blue with obviously tan seats, and it looked great.

I'm seriously suffering over the color decision. I love the look of the Blue, but I'm scared of the maintenance.

 

[Kipernicus]

There was a photo posted elsewhere of the little cheat sheet that the Tesla folks had, showing VINs and configuration, and it was listed as Blue/Tan.

This is the pic:

I'm seriously suffering over the color decision. I love the look of the Blue, but I'm scared of the maintenance.

Mike aren't you running up to the 30 day mark?

 

[contaygious]

Mike go white! Don't look back! You'll be happier parking outside knowing it's still looking fresh and clean If you go blue you can't worry about little spots.

 

[strider]

I took one of the painted samples outdoors at Menlo Park on an overcast day last week. I wish I had brought one out at the event to hold up to the car, but my strong suspicion is that the paint on the small showroom color samples is lighter than what is actually on the car. I could be wrong.

The samples are absolutely lighter than the car. The samples look like the Roadster Twilight Blue while the car is much darker and IMO less metallic.

 

[MikeK]

Mike aren't you running up to the 30 day mark?

Indeed I am. I'm now in a day-for-day slip until I click Finalize.

 

[MikeK]

Mike go white! Don't look back! You'll be happier parking outside knowing it's still looking fresh and clean If you go blue you can't worry about little spots.

See my thoughts on the matter here: Maintaining a dark paint job

 

[ModelS1079]

See my thoughts on the matter here: Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum

Mike - I could not get the link you note above to open. So, I have been flogging myself all day - all week about color. I am configured, and all that waits is click "Finalize". I have 13 days before the 30 days is up, but have given myself a 24 hour deadline - I click tomorrow. I was in my imaginary Black Tesla this morning (feeling like I ruled the world), but I was sure it was Blue two days ago and again tonight (felt like I was on top of the world). I was Dolphin Gray for a day this weekend (felt like I owned the world). And for a while this morning I was certain that Green was the way to go (felt I was One with the world). Saw your "Maintaining a Dark Color" post - helpful but, really - do you want to hesitate to go for the color you just like the most because it's harder to keep clean? A compromise could be the Dolphin Gray but I can't find too many pics of it. I did find this page in the Tesla Forum helpful - crank up the fidelity to 1080DPI resolution.

Walk-around videos of most colors | Forums | Tesla Motors

I click tomorrow. Thoughts welcome - Black, Blue, Green, or Dolphin Gray. Anyone able to point to really good pics to compare? Thanks.

 

[MikeK]

Oops! My bad, that link was broken. I've fixed it above, and here it is again. Looks like you found it anyway!

Maintaining a dark paint job

I guess my response to your question of whether I want to hesitate to go for the color I like because it's hard to keep clean is this: am I still going to like it if it's a pain in the butt, or am I going to resent it and grow to hate it?

If I knew of a great mobile detailer who could come to my office and clean the car without swirling it, I'd feel great about getting the blue.

Thanks for the pointer to the videos. As it happens, I shot those. Obviously didn't help quite enough.

 

[ModelS1079]

Oh that is funny that I directed you to a video...that you shot. That video (of yours) I helpfully linked - (you) to is great for comparing/contrasting Blue vs. Black vs. Green vs. Brown. Recommended for those also suffering "COLOROPATHY". Let me ask the Pro's out there - can I hire someone to professionally wax my (Pacific Blue?) Model S twice yearly and just run through a touchless wash (just a rinse) whenever the New England Grime threatens to settle? Mike your videos and single still pic are selling several of us on the Pacific Blue. Can you confirm you are certain that is Pacific Blue and not Metallic Blue? Thanks.

 

[MikeK]

Howdy,

I'm not sure what "Metallic Blue" is -- is that a Roadster color?

The car in the video was definitely in the color formerly known as "Pacific Blue" and now just called "Blue". It is a metallic paint. Ultra dark -- almost black. You can tell that it's blue when the light hits it right. I feel as if it might actually look a little darker in person than it does in the close-up walk-around videos, since the camera was probably trying to get a decent exposure. In the video where the car starts in the shade and then drives out into the sun, you can see that it really looks black while in shadow. Also, the still picture with half the car in sun and the other half in shade is a pretty good match to my memory of reality. It was really funny listening to people at the event when the cars were in the shade: "Oh, is that the blue?" "No, that's the green" "That one is black, right?" "No, that's the blue, the black is out driving."

Regarding periodic professional cleaning: I mentioned in the other thread about calling this detailer I heard about. They have over 100 reviews on Yelp, and I think two of them are less than 5 stars. Judging from user comments, a thorough exterior cleaning that people rave about as "better than new" at that shop is about $350, but my impression is that that is something you might do once a year if that. They have a follow-on cleaning for $100 that they recommend every three months. That's not much more than I spend on conventional car washes in that time with my regular car.

Two problems with that for me. First, they are in San Francisco, which is not at all convenient to my work or home. Second, what do I do in between those cleanings? I understand that the touchless washes use strong detergents to make up for the lack of physical contact, and those may be hard on a nice finish.

Surely there are small businesses who do a quality mobile hand washing that doesn't swirl up the paint for a reasonable fee? For sure there are mobile detailers. Back when I had a BMW, I used to use a guy who came to my office, took the car for several hours, and returned it looking spectacular inside and out. I can live without the interior detailing and so forth if I can just get the exterior done well.

I could do it myself, but I have oak trees overhanging my driveway, so I suspect I would end up with pollen on the car before it even dried!

 

[brianman]

I'm not sure what "Metallic Blue" is -- is that a Roadster color?

Model S Options and Pricing | Tesla Motors