By now, everyone is familiar with Tesla's Model S techno-marvel. It's quite unlike anything else currently on the road, and these cars are becoming increasingly popular. With massive amounts of luxury, technology and integration, the Model S is setting standards that many automakers will be following in the years to come. New owners of these gorgeous EVs are especially interested in protecting their investment, and are seeking out detailers to apply Opti-Coat Pro to shield their car's paint from environmental damage, while making cleaning and maintenance easier. I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a few of these cars, and would like to share some pics.


This summer, I was also lucky enough to be invited to Michigan to work alongside a highly accomplished detailer, and one whose work I've admired for quite some time....Marc Harris of AutoLavish, based in Detroit, Michigan. Marc's resume as a detailer is impressive, and his level of craftsmanship is well-known, so it's no surprise that he stays busy. When he called asking if I had time to travel to help him knock out some cars, I jumped at the chance. Isn't this what vacation days are for anyway? So I took some time off from my full-time job, loaded the Mazda and headed north for a week!

The first car was a beautiful grey Model S. Working together, Marc and I washed, IronX'd, and prepped this car for a light polish and Opti Coat Pro application.




We started by cleaning the wheels and tires.



Next came the wheel wells.





Marc then foamed the car down prior to washing, to break down remaining waxes and also lift off heavier debris.*









After foaming, the car was rinsed, hand-washed carefully, and rinsed again.





Here I'm polishing with HD Advanced Polish on a Buff and Shine green pad with the Rupes 21. This light combo was perfect for this particular paint.






The pillars were much softer, so a black B&S pad was used here.






No swirls!!
























After this Tesla, Marc and I worked to prep a Porsche GT3 RS for the Concours D'Elegance of America at St. John's. This beautiful car received a thorough cleaning and light polishing to get it ready.





Marc doing a final wipedown with Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical






The owner and his massive torque wrench tightening the center locks.





Afterward, the owner took each of us for a spin in his Ariel Atom. To say this was an intense ride would be beyond understatement. It probably took years off my life...






Once I returned to Charlotte, I had another couple of Teslas wanting polishing and Opti-Coat Pro. One silver and one black, these couldn't be more polar opposites as far as condition. Factory sanding marks were everywhere on the black one, most under the clear where polishing can't fix them. The silver one had a couple in the clear, but those were easily remedied.*





Foaming once again.






Here you can see the IronX runoff after it has dissolved the iron contaminants in the car's paint.





Too busy this time for many in-process pictures.















This last Tesla was done with the help of David Strum, a semi-retired detailer (busiest retired detailer I've ever seen!) from Charlotte that some of you know as weekendwarrior on several detailing forums. Thanks for the help as always David!
















Thanks for looking!

 

Was a great time and I'm glad you made it up! Couldn't have knocked the three cars out that we worked on in three days without your help.

 

wonderful work n beautiful cars...

 

yes thanks for posting. How long do you let the foam sit on the car before you rinse?

 

Awesome to see this in progress. Hope you enjoyed the fine state of MI #GoBlue

 

OUTSTANDING!

 

I had a blast man! It was great to finally meet you in person, and the experience was definitely worthwhile. Stay busy bro, I have more vacation days to burn!

Thank you very much!

Thanks. The foam tends to run off on its own, once it's barely clinging I'll begin to rinse.

I had a great time. Aside from how the media portrays Detroit, there's a lot of history there and my eyes were opened that it's more than just industrial decay that they show on TV and online....the roads will murder your suspension though!

Thanks Ron!

 

Now about those Tesla fires
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/nhtsa...ng-tesla-fires

 

There are over 150,000 vehicle fires per year, so having a few Teslas in that group isn't really a concern IMHO. When you factor in the Model S having the best crash test rating ever, I'd say you're in pretty safe hands.

 

I take no responsibility for those.....


^^^What he said!

 

The pic with the red iron contamination is very interesting. I wonder how my cars would fare in that instance? It would look like a crime scene. Lol