Softest. Paint. EVER!

[brettka7]

Solid black (non-metallic, gloss) Tesla Model S. I've tried everything available. 3M line, HD line, Menzerna, Chemical Guys, Mothers Professional, Sonax, and Meguiars Mirror Glaze. I have the full line of pads for large throw pads from: 3M, 3D, HD, Meguairs (foam and microfibre), Chemical Guys, and Rupes.

My best process as of now is:

Makita rotary (cant remember model #)
Rupes LHR 21ES with washer mod

Wool pad + M105 to remove heavy etching
Green Rupes pad + M105 to level
Yellow Rupes pad + M105 to further level (as green pad to white pad is too large of a step for this soft paint)
White Rupes pad + M205 to finish out paint.

I must clean the white pad out every *section* to avoid marring. I've taken alcohol and lacquer thinner to Tesla paint is the past because the paint always seems to revert to trashed in a hurry.

I sealed this car with Blackfire Wet Diamond and let it sit in our back lot for a *week*. A WEEK!

Not only did the first wash marr the paint so badly in back-and-forth motions that my paint correction would be ruined regardless, but the whole car is etched from morning dew piling on outside.

Here are my results. In one photo, it appears there are holograms, however, it is simply the result of me washing the hood front-to-back and then removing water streaks side-to-side with a slightly damp, fluffy, seamless microfibre towel.

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx25/blubrett/image3_zps5mpg3z3s.png (http://s738.photobucket.com/user/blubrett/media/image3_zps5mpg3z3s.png.html)

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx25/blubrett/image2_zpsnndaztvc.png (http://s738.photobucket.com/user/blubrett/media/image2_zpsnndaztvc.png.html)

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx25/blubrett/image4_zpsdvok4qhl.png (http://s738.photobucket.com/user/blubrett/media/image4_zpsdvok4qhl.png.html)

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx25/blubrett/image1_zpslflspogg.jpg (http://s738.photobucket.com/user/blubrett/media/image1_zpslflspogg.jpg.html)

Any tips for a sealant more resistant to etching or an even finer ultra finishing polish?

[kevincwelch]

I'll be the first to admit that Tesla Model S cars have soft clear coat, but I can't say that I've had a lot of trouble correcting the paint. I've had a lot of success using m105/205, FG400/SF4000, and HD Speed or HD Polish. I feel like the Menzerna team has been my most consistent players, but I am liking HD Polish and want to try HD Adapt. I have some CarPro Essence that I may try as well.

I typically use the Rupes pads with my Rupes 15 and the LC hybrid pads with my Flex. I haven't felt the need to clean my finishing pads as often as you seem to have required, but I do switch them out every panel to let them cool down and be cleaned.

I've used BF Wet Diamond, WG DPGS 3.0 as well as Menzerna PowerLock. These work well, but I think the best last step product on Teslas is a coating. I've been most impressed by Gtechniq C1/EXO, somewhat impressed with 22PLE and I'm going to try Mohs or Wolfgang on the next run.

Tesla's require really gentle washing care. I've stopped doing waterless washes on them. Any rinseless wash has to be done with a generous pre-soak with D114 or WGURW, UWW+ or BF WW. If it's winter time, a trip to the coin op to blast the salt and grime off is a must. 840 GSM MF towels that are soaking wet.

I'm starting to like interval 2BM washes in the spring/summer/fall Bathe+ or foaming with HydroFoam.

It's delicate paint, but one can maintain it with care and still achieve a mirror shine.

[brettka7]

I'll be the first to admit that Tesla Model S cars have soft clear coat, but I can't say that I've had a lot of trouble correcting the paint. I've had a lot of success using m105/205, FG400/SF4000, and HD Speed or HD Polish. I feel like the Menzerna team has been my most consistent players, but I am liking HD Polish and want to try HD Adapt. I have some CarPro Essence that I may try as well.

I typically use the Rupes pads with my Rupes 15 and the LC hybrid pads with my Flex. I haven't felt the need to clean my finishing pads as often as you seem to have required, but I do switch them out every panel to let them cool down and be cleaned.

I've used BF Wet Diamond, WG DPGS 3.0 as well as Menzerna PowerLock. These work well, but I think the best last step product on Teslas is a coating. I've been most impressed by Gtechniq C1/EXO, somewhat impressed with 22PLE and I'm going to try Mohs or Wolfgang on the next run.

Tesla's require really gentle washing care. I've stopped doing waterless washes on them. Any rinseless wash has to be done with a generous pre-soak with D114 or WGURW, UWW+ or BF WW. If it's winter time, a trip to the coin op to blast the salt and grime off is a must. 840 GSM MF towels that are soaking wet.

I'm starting to like interval 2BM washes in the spring/summer/fall Bathe+ or foaming with HydroFoam.

It's delicate paint, but one can maintain it with care and still achieve a mirror shine.

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but in my honest opinion, HD paint correction supplies have a lot of resilient non-silicone fillers in them. I can "correct" solid black paint and then get a rotary and a foam cutting pad and heat the panel up, and all the etching and sanding marks reappear. Menzerna is the opposite. Heat makes it look better but cold temperatures and time reveal defects that never went away.

Meguiars I haven't been able to prove has durable fillers, and the M205 polish finishes out just fine if I keep the pad fresh. It's the least temperamental polish on this paint that I've found.

My main issue is the environment destroys this paint so fast. Unfortunately I don't believe licensed coatings will be an option... I'm looking for more of a sealant we can apply via air DA and then remove after an hour or two.

Also, if you have the HD line I suggest looking on your bottles; you'll notice the Speed is not body shop safe which typically means silicone fillers. I had a really bad time with that product on my personal vehicle. The "paint correction" was null and void in 3 weeks.

HD Adapt was my go-to for many months until I started noticing defects coming back in the exact same spot sitting in the back lot after correction.

[ww2717]

Hello. Question have you tried a Kevin Brown technique for extremely soft paint. You take a 32 ounce spray bottle fill it with distilled water ans then add 12 drops of m205 to it. This seems to work well on soft paints. Kevin has an article on his Web site about the usage of this. You might want to read the article for reference to see if it might apply to your situation. Thank you.

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[MandaMarza]

Hello. Question have you tried a Kevin Brown technique for extremely soft paint. You take a 32 ounce spray bottle fill it with distilled water ans then add 12 drops of m205 to it. This seems to work well on soft paints. Kevin has an article on his Web site about the usage of this. You might want to read the article for reference to see if it might apply to your situation. Thank you.

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Do you still use m205 on the pad, or only use the spray on the pad? Or use straight m205 on the pad like normal then spray the panel during polishing with the water polish mix?

[ww2717]

You spray a mf or foam pad with the m205 mixture from the spray bottle.

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[RaskyR1]

I've done a couple black ones now and didn't find the paint to be that challenging. I didn't get any marring from my towels either, not even during solvent wipe-downs. That being said, paint can vary from car to car regardless of it being the same make and color.

[mbkite]

I am a fan of jsmooth in the sister forum Ck out some of his work and get u some of the black fire finishing polish

[StephenK]

If the paint was as soft as you say it was why did you use such an aggressive approach? Wool pad, rotary, and 105 that can correct on hard paint. Personally i think that was complete over kill.

[BMW435]

Check out the video below that Larry from AmmoNYC posted not long ago about polishing very soft paint. It might help, good luck.

http://youtu.be/XR7FjbCDWlU

[brettka7]

I've done a couple black ones now and didn't find the paint to be that challenging. I didn't get any marring from my towels either, not even during solvent wipe-downs. That being said, paint can vary from car to car regardless of it being the same make and color.

Was it solid black? Because solid black takes about 50% more work to polish than Tesla's metallic Obsidian black, and it's always tempermental.


If the paint was as soft as you say it was why did you use such an aggressive approach? Wool pad, rotary, and 105 that can correct on hard paint. Personally i think that was complete over kill.

Because these paints get so badly etched. The scratches come out quickly with a not-too-aggressive approach, but the etching gets so deep I can't remove it unless I go really aggressive.


Check out the video below that Larry from AmmoNYC posted not long ago about polishing very soft paint. It might help, good luck.

http://youtu.be/XR7FjbCDWlU

Thank you.

I appreciate everyone telling me their polishes they like to use because I'm always willing to try what could be a better product, but what I'd like the most is to stop how quickly this paint gets destroyed. I shouldn't have paint so etched it has to be re-corrected a week after polishing and not being touched.

[ww2717]

You should read Kevin Brown's article on using m205 mixed with water

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[RaskyR1]

Was it solid black? Because solid black takes about 50% more work to polish than Tesla's metallic Obsidian black, and it's always tempermental.


Yes, both were solid black, I've done some of the other colors too. Where are you located?

This one was finished with HD Polish+
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/100566-tesla-model-s-paint-correction-cquartz-finest-coating-wheels-off-coating.html


I didn't do a write up on this one but it was finished with Optimum Hyper Polish or Primer polish since it was coated with Gloss-Coat.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/Tesla%20Black/20141020-DSC_3710.jpg (http://s75.photobucket.com/user/Raskyr1/media/Tesla%20Black/20141020-DSC_3710.jpg.html)

[ww2717]

Hello Brettka7. Kevin Brown recommended that you try the m205 twelve drops to 32oz of distilled water. He recommended that you use less product than stated in his article to help reduce the chance of Micro marring.

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[ww2717]

Application of a hard glass coating after paint correction might your next best step to reduce chance of more marring.

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