Having picked the car up in late 2024, the owner of this Tesla Model 3 wanted to enhance the appearance of the paintwork, wheels and interior.
When the car arrived it wasn't too dirty, however we still carried out our safe wash routine to get the detail underway. After the wheels were thoroughly cleaned, we applied a pre-wash solution and snow foam over the top. This allows contaminants from the road to be softened.
After a rinse, we re-applied more foam so that we could agitate trim, nooks and crannies with our all purpose cleaner and a Detail Factory ultra-soft detailing brush.
This process dislodges any remaining grime before another rinse.
Having a hot water pressure washer helps massively. Our chemicals can perform better and road grime or residues come away from paintwork and arches more efficiently.
The Model 3 appeared to have some kind of mild paintwork protection already applied, as the rinse water started to bead. This was encouraging to know as our wash mitt would glide over the paintwork easier.
It was time to fill our wash buckets ready for the safe hand wash. As we've mentioned in our previous blogs, one bucket is for shampoo and the second bucket is dedicated to rinse water and a grit guard. If there's any remaining tiny pieces of dirt they get trapped in the rinse bucket, reducing the chance of fine scratches.
With our shampoo ready, we got the hand wash underway. Our media of choice was The Rag Company's Cyclone Ultra Wash Mitt, which is super soft and features a sponge core, so plenty of suds and water is transferred to paintwork and glass.
You can use the mitt with or without your hand inside, whichever suits you!
With the hand wash complete, it was time for another rinse prior to drying.
We like to use a combination of towel and blow drying. Our Liquid8r towel soaks up the majority of residual rinse water, while the blower gets into nooks and crannies so there's no after-drips that can cause water marks.
The Liquid8r is manufactured by The Rag Company and features a super soft, 1100GSM, 70/30 microfibre blend and has a twist loop design.
The towel quickly absorbs water while reducing the chance of fine scratches, which can be associated with towel drying.
We have a few blow dryers in our arsenal and they're really useful for dislodging water from around wing mirrors, plastic trim, etc.
With a few water drops left after using the blower, we use the towel again to soak those up.
It was then time to bring the Model 3 into our unit to start the single-stage paint correction. Upon inspection, there were some obvious defects including some scratches and swirl marks.
Out came our trusty Rupes HLR15 battery machine polisher, together with some P&S Rehab correction compound and a black finishing pad. This is a great combination as we're able to move around the car freely without having to worry power cable management.
Rehab also works really well while using different polishing pads. No matter which paint type you're working with (soft, medium, hard), Rehab makes it easy to find a 'combination' that works to remove paintwork defects.
Even when you find a combination that works on the car, you can always change the pad for slightly more cut and not have to worry about changing your compound; Rehab caters for all situations.
With the paintwork correction nearly complete, we went around all the windows to ensure they were crystal clear. The customer didn't want any glass coatings but we still like to make sure their visibility is as good as possible.
This time around, we opted for The Rag Company's FTW Glass Towel.
We also chose Bilt Hamber TRACE-LESS Glass Cleaner. With the FTW towel, this is an excellent combo of products to get streak-free finish... the TRACE-LESS smells great too.
With the paint correction now complete, we went around each panel with Panel Wipe to ensure all surfaces were free of oils or dust. We do this prior to installing ceramic coatings to ensure the bond is as good as possible, enhancing the performance of the chosen coating.
This time round, it was Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light; a 5-year coating that will lock-in the freshly polished paintwork. It's also designed to withstand mild abrasions, UV rays and environmental contamination.
Even though Crystal Serum Light is available to the general public to purchase and use, it's best to apply the coating indoors, in a controlled environment.
When the Crystal Serum Light starts to 'sweat', it's time to level the coating and buff it with a second towel. This ensures application consistency throughout each panel.
We like to use a mixture of The Rag Company's RIP N' RAG towels, which feature the same construction as the Pearls. Both towels lend themselves really well to coating application.
The Rag Company's Edgeless 245 is also a go-to towel for final buffing.
Crystal Serum Light is finished off with a coat of EXO V5. This is Gtechniq's 12-month, hydrophobic top-coat. It creates a slick surface that repels road grime, making maintenance washes really easy.
Similar to Crystal Serum Light, EXO V5 is best applied in a controlled environment. We really loving The Rag Company's No Soak Applicators. They feature a special membrane. This means that more of the coating is applied to the paintwork rather than being absorbed into the applicator itself.
EXO V5 also 'sweats' and is a sign that it's ready for levelling a buffing.
Out came The Rag Company's Pearl towels for levelling and buffing.
The next day, and after both coatings had fully cured, it was time to check our work and get some final photos.
We were really happy with how the car turned out! The single-stage paint correction brought out the best in the metallic paintwork and both coatings acted as the finishing touch.
The Gtechniq T1 tyre dressing really made the wheels pop, creating contrast with the paintwork. And with C5 Wheel Armour applied to the wheel faces, cleaning the wheels will be made easier as road grime is repelled.
With final checks complete it was time for the customer to collect the Model 3. Needless to say they were really happy with the final results... so much so that they decided to trust us with their Model Y as well! That will be in the next blog.
If you'd like your Tesla, other electric car or any other vehicle detailed to a high standard, talk to us today about a bespoke package to meet your needs and budget.
The Clean + Shiny Team.
