How to Clean a Tesla?

Tesla cleaning can be a fun way to spend your Sunday afternoon, but cleaning it the right way prevents unintended car damage. So, here’s our guide to cleaning a Tesla.

Prerequisites of Cleaning a Tesla

1. Put your Tesla in the Car Wash Mode: Whether you wash your Tesla yourself or take it to the car wash, always put the vehicle in the Car Wash Mode. You can find the exact settings to enable the mode in your owner’s manual under ‘Cleaning’, but almost every model follows the same settings.

All you need to do is: 

Touch Controls on your screen > Tap on Service > Enable the Car Wash Mode. 

Car Wash Mode doesn’t show up if you tap the same settings in a moving vehicle and it auto disables if your car speed is over 9 mph.

Enabling Car Wash Mode ensures that:

• All windows are closed 
• The charge port is locked 
• Windshield wipers, Sentry Mode, walk-away door locking, and parking sensor chimes are disabled

Tesla warns owners that not enabling the Car Wash Mode can damage your car, including the charge port and windshield wipers, which aren’t covered by warranty. Therefore, never start washing your Tesla without enabling the Car Wash Mode.

Folding mirrors is recommended when you are taking your Tesla through a tight-spaced car wash to avoid mirror damage.

2. Enable Free Roll: If you are taking your car to an automatic car wash, you also need to enable Free Roll. This setting should not be enabled while manually washing a Tesla.

Enabling the Free Roll puts your car in neutral without you having to adjust the stalks. This allows your car to roll freely on its own through the automatic wash. You don’t need to press the accelerator or even be seated in the driver’s seat while your car goes through the wash.

You can manually put the stalk into neutral too to get the same result, but enabling the setting is much easier and fail-proof.

All you have to do is press the brake pedal and shift to D to enable free roll.

3. Supplies you’ll need to clean your Tesla: While some of these supplies are optional, and can be replaced with other supplies, you do need the rest of them: 

• 2 x water buckets with clean warm water
• Car Shampoo
• Snow Cannon (optional)
• 2 x Microfiber cleaning cloth
• 1 x Microfiber mop (or a larger microfiber cloth)
• Power washer (or a hose)
• 1 x Windscreen wiper

In the case of the Touchless Method, you will only need the Power washer, the Snow Cannon, the Car Shampoo, and the large Microfiber Cloth. But if you intend to thoroughly clean your Tesla, you will need almost all of these. 

Steps to cleaning your Tesla at Home

When you are giving your Tesla its regular bath you can use the Touchless Method. It is a quick clean for less dirty cars. However, if you have just returned from a week-long road trip and need to make your Tesla sparkling like new again, it is better to thoroughly hand-wash it. So, here is how you can do both.

Touchless Method to Cleaning Your Tesla

This is a quick rinse method that you should do every few days or at least once a week to avoid getting stubborn stains on your car that can spoil the paintwork. Steps for this method include:

1. Put your car in the Car Wash Mode & do not enable the Free Roll
2. Use a hose or a power washer to quickly rinse the car first
3. Use a snow cannon to blanket the car with shampoo
4. Leave the car blanketed in shampoo for 10-15 mins to dampen and loosen the tough stains. 
5. Rinse the car again with the hose or the power washer and let it dry. You can even use the long microfiber cloth to dry the car.

Thorough Clean Method for Extra Dirty Cars

In this method, you need a lot more supplies compared to the Touchless Method, but it makes your Tesla shine like new. So investing in equipment once is worth it. Here are the steps for this method:

1. Put your car in the Car Wash Mode & do not enable the Free Roll
2. Use a hose or a power washer to quickly rinse the car first
3. Take the 2 buckets 1 with warm water and mix some car shampoo in it. The second one should have warm clean water for rinsing off the shampoo.
4. You should divide cleaning the Tesla into three phases and go through them in that order:

i. Cleaning the windows, glass sunroof, windshield, and the rear glass
ii. Cleaning the car panels
iii. Cleaning the tires

You need to clean your Tesla in this order so that you clean it from top to bottom and whatever dirt falls from the top is cleaned up when you clean the tires in the end.

Caution: Always use a separate Microfiber cloth for the panels, tires, and glasses. You can use a microfiber mop for the glasses or a long cloth, depending on the supplies available. 

The most important reason to use Microfiber cleaning gear is that it protects the car’s paintwork. Jowua’s Microfiber Cloth pack is specially designed for cleaning Tesla and suits sensitive skin. It prevents leaving any rashes on your skin while you clean your car.

Phase I: Cleaning the Car Glasses 

After you rinse your car once with the power washer or a hose, gently scrub the windows and other glasses with soap water, using the microfiber mop. 

Then wipe the glasses with clean water.

Phase II: Cleaning the Car Panels

Use the Microfiber cloth to sponge the panels, first with soapy water and then with clean water. 

Most times, the front bumper is the dirtiest part of the car, so put in some extra scrubbing effort while cleaning that. 

Rinse the car, so that the soap from the glasses and panels falls to the tires and on the ground. 

Phase III: Cleaning the Car Tires

In the end, use a separate Microfiber cloth for the tires and clean them first with soap water and then with clean water. Tires are the dirtiest part of the car, therefore, you should always use a separate cloth to clean it. Never use that cloth for the car panels or glasses. 

Finally, rinse the tires and give your car the final rinse. 

In the end, dry the glass roof and windows with a large microfiber cloth or a windshield wiper and then use it on the rest of the body.

Your Tesla will be sparkling clean!

FAQ

1. Which fabric to use while hand washing a Tesla?

Always use a clean soft cloth or a microfiber cloth to clean your car. 

2. What should be the ideal water temperature?

It’s best to use slightly cold or lukewarm water while cleaning your Tesla, but never use extremely hot water.

3. Which car shampoo should be used?

Always use a mild but high-quality car shampoo that doesn’t spoil the paintwork. 

4. How to clean corrosive substances from my Tesla? 

Immediately remove the tar spots and stubborn grease stains using denatured alcohol and wash the specific areas with water and mild, non-detergent soap. You should not wait till you do the complete wash to remove these stains.

5. Why keep the exterior cameras clean?

According to Tesla Owner’s Manual, external cameras should be kept free of dirt, condensation, or obstructions. These substances lead to unclear pictures and interfere with Autopilot and other safety features or even prevent them from working.