What does a Model S coating cost?
Per car, once the paint has been looked at under the lights and measured with a gauge. All three packages use graphene-ceramic; they differ in layer count, the polishing done first and how far past the paint the coating reaches.
| Package | Layers | Correction in the package | Surfaces coated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | One | Not part of the package | Paintwork |
| Performance | Two | Two-stage polish | Paintwork, wheel faces, glass |
| Signature | Four | Full correction | Paintwork, film, complete wheels, glass, trim |
Any of the three means one to three days at the shop. Once it’s home, give it a full day before rain or a hose touches it. How well the coating holds up depends on how the car is washed and kept.
Which paint does your Model S have?
One of three finishes in Tesla’s table: solid, metallic or tricoat metallic. The paint-code page in the 2021+ service manual covers Model S colours back to 2012, including shades Tesla dropped years ago.
| Finish in Tesla’s table | Model S colours listed |
|---|---|
| Tricoat metallic | Pearl White Multi-Coat, Red Multicoat, Signature Red, Garnet Red, Ultra Red |
| Metallic | Stealth Gray, Lunar Silver, Frost Blue Metallic, Diamond Black, Obsidian Black, Midnight Silver Metallic, Deep Blue Metallic, Silver, Titanium Silver (2015–2017), plus an early Blue (2012–2015) and Brown, Green and Gray (2012–2014) |
| Solid | Base White, Solid Black |
A coating bonds to the clear coat on top and doesn’t change any of these colours. Correction, on the other hand, removes a little clear coat, which is why the gauge reading comes before the polisher; how much clear coat correction removes puts numbers on that.
How carefully does Model S paint have to be polished?
With restraint, by Tesla’s own account. The Paint Defect Rectification procedure in the 2021+ manual is written for flat or near-flat panels with their original factory paint. On body lines, it says to sand inclusions by hand only, cut in 5-second bursts rather than 15, drop the buffer speed by 40 to 50% and keep heat down.
The same procedure sorts defects by risk. Swirls, holograms, overspray, solvent pop and light to medium scratches are low risk; off-colour inclusions and larger defects go to a body shop. That’s the order a coating job follows too: inspect, measure, correct what can safely be corrected, then coat. The paint correction page sets out the one-stage, two-stage and multi-stage options.
Which Model S wheels and trim can take a coating?
Wheel faces in Performance, entire wheels and trim in Signature. Tesla’s paint-code page also names the finish on each Model S wheel, so bring the name of yours:
| Build | Wheel | Finish name in Tesla’s table |
|---|---|---|
| 2021+ | Arachnid, 21-inch | Gunpowder |
| 2021+ | Zero-G, 20-inch | Zero-G Grey |
| 2021+ | Cardenio, 19-inch | Magneto Metallic |
| 2021+ | Tempest, 19-inch covers | High Gloss Black and Cinder Grey |
| 2025+ | Magnetite, 19-inch | Incognito, with Sierra Black aero inserts |
| 2025+ | Velarium, 21-inch | Incognito, with Armor Black aero inserts |
On the body, the bright trim framing the side windows is what Tesla’s manual calls the body side brightwork, and it falls under the trim that Signature covers. Wheel coating explains what each package does for the rims.
How do you book a Model S coating in Langley?
List the year, trim, paint name or code, which wheels the car wears, and whether film is on the car or planned. If PPF is coming, it goes on first; Model S PPF covers that side.
A coating changes the wash, not the need for one: road film and winter salt still have to come off, just with less effort. Washing a ceramic-coated car has the routine. The coating quote form takes requests, and 604 534 6433 handles calls and texts.