Take some footage or pics for us if you can when you do it. I'm curious to see before and after. I've thought about doing this then a clear wrap to preserve it.
I feel that way about the Cybertruck but painted cars are easy to scratch and you can't keep polishing them out or the clearcoat will be worn through. Of course, if you trade in your cars every couple of years it doesn't matter. But I get kind of attached to my cars and they stay new looking for a long time. Of course my F-150 got all kinds of scratches in the clearcoat from bushwhacking and it's stressful, but I don't have that problem with the Cybertruck. It's too easy to polish back to better than new whenever I feel like it.
Who told you that sanding was a pain-in-the-ass? I find it really rewarding. All you need is a sander and some pads, you can do it in your driveway. There is hardly any dust, but I still recommend using a vac on your tool, it helps the abrasives last longer.
Oh, come on! Like we are your personal "how to" videographers? It ain't rocket science if you can follow simple directions. I followed the directions in the Tesla Service manual (with a few variations of my own).
It’s challenging to photograph a reflective surface, but this shows the stripes:
are you using wet sand paper?It’s challenging to photograph a reflective surface, but this shows the stripes:
It looked perfect with the sun behind me, so it seems to be an inconsistent orientation of the scratch pattern. I resolved it with repeated passes at the higher (~800) grit and in different directions.
I didnt ask him to make a feature length documentary on the process, I asked him to show some before and after shots, why is this such a big deal? If he doesn't want to do that, then dont, if he wants to share, cool - id love to see it and im sure others might too.
It looks pretty good to me. I see what you were referring to with the lawnmower lines. Mine has areas like that too though and its factory but similar that you can only see it in different lights and angles.It’s challenging to photograph a reflective surface, but this shows the stripes:
It looked perfect with the sun behind me, so it seems to be an inconsistent orientation of the scratch pattern. I resolved it with repeated passes at the higher (~800) grit and in different directions.
I used abrasive pads (similar to a ScotchBrite pad) as called out in Tesla's Cybertruck Refinishing Guide. I couldn't find a true 5mm random-orbital that was not professional-grade (with a commensurate price) so I winged it with a DA polisher.
I think it takes a hell of a lot of effort to polish it to a mirror actually. I have made the mistake of starting a buffer without it being on the surface once - you will only make this mistake once. Cleaning the polishing compound off every surface known to man is a great motivational tool to not forget.I used abrasive pads (similar to a ScotchBrite pad) as called out in Tesla's Cybertruck Refinishing Guide. I couldn't find a true 5mm random-orbital that was not professional-grade (with a commensurate price) so I winged it with a DA polisher.
I was worried about taking too many passes and polishing it into a mirror lol, but the 800-grit pad maintained a factory-approximate finish. I even tried it with a polishing compound to smooth it out, but all that did was make a mess.
The problem wasn't the level of grit, it was the direction of the scratches; they're supposed to be in all directions with a random pattern so that the surface appears uniform from any direction.
I think I wasn't using enough downward pressure at first. The DA polisher will turn into a grinder if allowed to spin freely. PRO TIP: Never start the buffer before placing it on the work surface, ask me how I know
If I were actually going to refinish the entire truck, I'd bite the bullet and buy the pricey random-orbit polisher. Using the wrong tool for a job rarely saves money, and never saves time or effort.
I put clear ppf and ceramic on our x after a nice paint correction and it made all the difference in the world. For one, even Tesla people who own other ultra red’s notice it’s “somehow different” it’s subtly much better looking to the point of being noticeable but not identifiable. We get that question all the time. For another though, we beat the shit out of it and the self healing ppf does the rest. With our 2016 we pulled the ppf off before selling it and it literally looked like new paint.
Does the clear PPF start to yellow over time? Thats been one of my concerns. Is the ceramic coat even needed on a ppf?
No. It does not. Even after five or so years in Arizona. At least not with the quality flexishield stuff we have used. Can’t comment on others.
I wonder how well the ceramic coat would work on just the raw stainless without the PPF then. I want to find a solution to keep the raw stainless because I like it, but also keep it looking clean.