In our previous blog we talked about the 2024 Tesla Model 3 that came in for a Gtechniq Enhancement detail. The customer was so impressed that they decided to have their Model Y pampered, too!
So, here we have a 2024 Tesla Model Y in the beautiful Midnight Cherry Red; a colour that shifts to multiple shades of red depending on the where the light hits it, absolutely stunning!
When the car arrived it was already being well-used, so the wheels and many other areas were covered in road grime.
It's actually better to give us a dirty vehicle as we can correctly remove all of the contamination prior to our safe hand-wash and further detailing.
As usual, the first port-of-call was to clean the wheels. These are the dirtiest parts of the car as they deal with tarmac, brake dust, road grime and environmental contaminants.
Our cleaner of choice was P&S Brake Buster. This is a great wheel cleaner and has a corrosion inhibitor in the solution, so it prevents brake discs from turning brown after you have finished washing the wheels.
We have all the tools for wheel cleaning. Our dedicated wheels bucket includes an EZ Detail Wheel Cleaning Brush, Detail Factory Ultra Soft Brush, Tyre Scrub Brush, Fender Well Brush and Carbon Collective Bucket Organiser.
We're able to safely remove all contaminants from the wheels and wheel arches prior to rinsing.
We use our Karcher Professional hot water pressure washer where possible as it helps massively when it comes to rinsing in colder weather. Hot water aids in dislodging residual contaminants from all surfaces, especially wheel arches.
Now that the wheels were clean, we applied some Gtechniq W5 Citrus All Purpose Cleaner to the lowers so the road grime could be safely removed.
As this was dwelling, we went over the top with snow foam. This adds extra cleaning time to the pre-wash and also lifts contaminants away from the paintwork, trim and glass.
After a first rinse, we went around the car again with more snow foam. This gives us an opportunity to safely agitate all trim, nooks and crannies with our Detail Factory Ultra Soft brush. This dislodges any remaining grime.
All areas were now pre-washed, so we could perform another rinse prior to our safe hand wash.
We thoroughly check all areas as we're rinsing to ensure nothing is missed.
Next up is our safe hand wash. We use one bucket filled with shampoo and another with rinse water. The rinse water also contains a Grit Guard to trap any remaining particles of dirt rather than it being transferred to other areas of the car.
After all areas were hand-washed, it was time for a final rinse.
Some panels appeared to have some kind of mild protection already installed as our rinse water started to bead.
The glass also had a good coating installed as rinse water consistency rolled off with ease.
Out came our trusty Liquid8r drying towel to soak up residual water. This is a soft and plush towel ideal for a car the size of the Model Y.
We also plugged in our Rokit R1 forced air dryer. This is used to dislodge water drops from around windows, wheels and trim. This prevents drips later on which can lead to water marks on the paintwork.
After the car was dry, some of the car's paintwork defects became very obvious. These would receive extra attention during the machine polishing stage.
We brought the Model Y into our unit to begin the detailing stage.
Our detailing lights highlighted the swirl marks that were present. This is the result of incorrect washing methods, such as those found at hand car washes; these services may save you time but they will damage your vehicle.
Out came our trusty Rupes HLR15 cordless machine polisher to begin the extensive paint correction. The Tesla only came in for a 'single stage' polish, however we did have to perform more work than anticipated to get the car up to our standard.
We used the smaller Rupes HLR75 cordless polisher and a softer pad to spot-treat some areas.
With our intensive 'single stage' paint correction now complete, it was time to panel wipe all areas and install Crystal Serum Light. This is Gtechniq's 5-year ceramic coating and is the perfect product to use on a lease car; it'll help to keep paintwork in the best possible condition up to the point where the car is handed back.
After application the coating gives us signs that it is ready to be levelled and buffed.
Each area is carefully wiped with The Rag Company's Ultra RIP N' RAG towels. They lend themselves really well to ceramic coating installation.
Gtechniq's EXO V5 perfectly complements Crystal Serum Light. This is a super hydrophobic top-coat designed to repel dirt and water. It's also really slick, so it makes future maintenance washes a breeze.
Similar to the CSL application, we opted for one of The Rag Company's ULTRA No Soak applicators.
Application of EXO V5 is a kind of tag-team effort. The first person (in this case, Bill) applies the coating...
...and when the EXO starts to 'sweat' this means it is ready to be levelled and buffed...
...by the second person (in this case, Josh). Once again, we like to use the RIP N' RAG towels for this.
The Model Y's coatings were then left to fully cure overnight. The next day, we took the car outside to get some final photos.
Needless to say the Tesla looked fantastic in the sun. The T1 tyre dressing makes tyres look great and creates superb contrast with the rest of the car.
The paint correction, Crystal Serum Light and EXO V5 had really brought the Midnight Cherry Red paintwork to life!
It really is a dynamic paint colour. No matter where you stand, you'll always get multiple shades of red.
Coatings are just one of our services. If you would like to avoid stone chips throughout the ownership of your new car, talk to us today about having PPF (Paint Protection Film) installed as part of your bespoke detailing package.
The most popular areas you may wish to cover with PPF include the front bumper, bonnet and wing mirrors. Should you incur any stone chips, the PPF can simply be peeled off revealing, in most cases, undamaged paintwork.
Otherwise, feel free to talk to us about any of our services - we're here to help you achieve the best results within your budget.
The Clean + Shiny Team.
