With the ability to activate “Dog Mode”, Teslas are one of the most pet-friendly vehicles available today. Making it easy to always bring them along for the ride. Especially when they give you the guilt eyes as you’re trying to walk out the door. It also creates the need to protect your Tesla from dirt/mud, pet hair, scratches, stains, and drooling.
Protecting Interior Panels
There are several options for protecting the interior panels of a vehicle. The top three include paint protection film, vinyl wrap, and press-on coverings. Each option offers some level of customization in addition to protection.
Tesla owners also have a wide range of coverage choices. You can protect air vents, cup-holder surrounds, hard plastic door trims, and the wooden dash panel. These coverings come in various colors and finishes, with white, black, red, and carbon-fiber patterns being the most popular.
Most coverings use synthetic leather or ABS plastic. They are not completely scratch- or tear-resistant, but they take the damage instead of your car’s factory finish. Some even outperform the factory finish in durability. Your furry friend’s nails, for example, are very unlikely to penetrate the material and harm the panel underneath.
Another benefit is easier cleaning. Hard ABS plastic covers usually attach with double-sided tape. If you decide to remove them, do so carefully to avoid harming the surface below.
With vinyl wraps, you get a wealth of additional color and finish options; however, you also run the risk of sharp pet nails still damaging your interior. While vinyl wrap will still protect the interior panels somewhat, it will scratch and tear easily, and the damage can go through to the panel since vinyl wrap is relatively thin at about 3.2mils thick. You are also limited in what you can wrap, in that vinyl wrap cannot be applied to the vegan leather material of Teslas.
Vinyl does offer a far wider range of customization options and some additional protection to plastic or metal interior surfaces. But does come with some downsides as well. Though it probably won’t hold up well to pet nails, it can make wiping off drool and dirt easier.
Paint protection film has two options when it comes to protecting the interior surfaces: gloss or stealth (aka Satin PPF). Similar to a vinyl wrap, paint protection film cannot be applied to all surfaces, such as the vegan leather interior or certain types/textures of plastic materials. But of the film choices, it does offer better protection than a vinyl wrap would.
Xpel paint protection film is an 8-mil-thick multilayered polyurethane film with a topcoat that can “heal” itself from light scratches when heated. It also has the benefit of adding UV protection to the surfaces it covers. Typically used for the outside of the vehicle, many don’t realize that it can also be applied to vehicle interiors, especially those with high-gloss finishes.
Protecting the Paint
Speaking of paint protection film, it is one of the best ways to guard paint from pet damage. Wrapping the entire car ensures complete coverage and leaves no exposed areas. If you don’t mind a slight line, you can install film only on certain sections, such as below the windows or around the trunk opening. You can also apply it panel by panel, depending on preference.
Paint protection film includes a 10-year warranty against peeling, bubbling, and delaminating. This guarantee covers manufacturer issues but excludes damage caused by normal wear and tear.
Ceramic coating is another strong option for protecting paint. Our graphene ceramic coating offers 10H hardness, the highest available, and seals the paint under a protective layer. A well-maintained coating usually lasts three to four years. These coatings increase scratch resistance and add extra durability. If scratches appear, they polish out of the coating instead of the factory clear coat. In most cases, scratches will not cut through the coating to reach the paint.
Protecting the Vegan Interior
Hands down, the best way to protect your seats when you have pets is by using seat and door covers. These covers come in many forms, from thick canvas to softer quilted materials, and even fitted faux leather that can look as good as or better than factory seats. Naturally, prices vary, with fitted covers running into the hundreds per seat.
When choosing a cover, focus on how easy it is to clean and remove. With pets, you need something that can be quickly taken off, washed, and put back on. Tesla sells an official rear-seat pet liner that fits by securing straps around the headrests. This liner keeps pets in the rear with a mesh divider that attaches to the front seats, protecting both the seat backs and the center console. It even includes separate panels for the doors.
If you don’t want to spend $145 on Tesla’s official liner, you can find cheaper options on Amazon. Many of these are nearly identical, including individual door covers that slide into place with small plastic tabs between the window and door panel. They are easy to install and remove, while still allowing access to the seat. Most full rear-seat covers secure in a similar way and offer common features such as seatbelt access.
For smaller pets, a booster bucket seat offers another solution. This option not only secures your pet with a buckle during sudden stops but also gives them a clear view out the window. They can enjoy the ride without needing to step on the window panel or scratch the interior surfaces.
Protecting the Carpet
One of your only options is really to invest in some floor mats. Rubber ones would be the best option for pet owners, or those with kids, to best handle wet and dry messes, as well as being easier to clean off. You don’t have to worry about any water or other liquids seeping through fiber mats and still managing to stain or damage the factory carpeting.
Another option would be to Scotch-Guard the carpet to make it more liquid and stain-repellent. Allowing you more time to mop anything up before it soaks in. But it needs to be periodically reapplied, and you would still have to clean out any dirt or mud from the carpet.