You may have heard the news story in which Elon Musk admitted that due to the speed at which Tesla was ramping up production around the end of 2020, the cars being sold had poor paint jobs, particularly the Model 3s and Model Ys.
Whether or not your particular model has paint job issues, it’s worthwhile to invest in paint protection for your Tesla. These are elegant cars that are also an investment; protecting your Tesla’s paint job before it experiences damage will preserve its appearance longer, maintain its resale value, and ultimately save you money on repairs and maintenance further down the road.
Choosing the Right Paint Protection for Your Tesla
There are two main types of paint protection available for your Tesla: paint protection film (PPF) and ceramic coating. Both treatments ultimately make your car’s paint look better for longer, but they also have different advantages. Many Tesla owners choose to combine the two treatments to achieve the best protection over time.
Paint Protection Film
PPF is what it sounds like: a transparent film that is applied over your car’s paint. It protects your Tesla’s paint from chips, fading, stains, swirl marks, hard water spots, and etching. One of the biggest benefits of paint protection film is its ability to “self heal.” This means that light scratches will not damage your car’s paint, only the film. When heat is applied, either by the sun or manually, scratches in the film will smooth themselves out and disappear.
Ceramic Coating
Like PPF, a ceramic coating protects your Tesla’s paint from chemical stains, etch marks, and fading from UV rays. A ceramic coating keeps your car’s paint looking newer for longer, enhances gloss, keeps contaminants from sticking to your car’s paint, and creates a hydrophobic surface that sheds water. However, it does not have PPF’s “self healing properties” and cannot protect your Tesla’s paint from scratches, chipping, or swirl marks.
Importance of High-Quality Paint Protection
Just as with any product, not all brands of paint protection film and ceramic coating have equal levels of quality. XPEL paint protection film is the industry leader, offering both a gloss and matte paint PPF option. XPEL was the first company to develop PPF with self-healing properties and still leads in this area.
There are two main types of ceramic coatings for cars: professional grade coatings and consumer grade coatings. Consumer grade coatings are easier to apply, but do not last as long or provide the same shine or protection as professional grade products. Professional products require multiple steps and precise application to form a hard ceramic coating. Gyeon is the leader in advanced ceramic coating technology and offers high-quality professional grade coatings that can protect your Tesla’s paint, make it easy to clean, and reduce the need for waxing, washing, and detailing.
How to Choose a Paint Protection Installer for Your Tesla
A ceramic coating or PPF (or a combination of the two) is an investment in the appearance and resale value of your Tesla. A good installation of PPF will look great and last for years, while a poor installation job won’t protect your paint like it should, and could result in bubbling or peeling. A poorly applied ceramic coating can cause hazing and streaking and may lack the promised hydrophobic qualities.
As a result, it’s crucial to choose an installer who is experienced in applying paint protection, won’t rush your job, uses high-quality products, and has experience working specifically on Tesla cars.
Peninsula Tint & Paint Protection Have Extensive Tesla Experience
If you’re going to invest in paint protection for your Tesla, get it done right the first time. Peninsula Tint & Paint Protection’s technicians are trained and experienced in installing paint protection on Teslas using high-quality XPEL Ultimate Plus (for a gloss PPF) and XPEL Stealth (PPF that turns gloss paint to matte). We use Gyeon Q2 Flash and Q2 Infinite ceramic coating, which are only available to professional certified applicators. Request a quote to find out more about protecting your Tesla from environmental damage.