Door Scratches

[JehuWarrior]

Hi Everyone,

Last night my wife let our German Shep puppy outside and she ended up chasing a cat that jumped on top of my car. Needless to say, the damage was heartbreaking this morning (See in the pic below).

Are these scratches repairable with a paint repair pen, should I find a detailer to polish them out or will these require a new paint job? Thanks everyone in advance for all of your advice!

 

[JehuWarrior]

Also, I'm located in Southern California (Long Beach). If anyone knows of any shops or good detailers, please let me know!

 

[jjrandorin]

I would start with a good detailer, and see how it comes out with them seeing if they can buff them out.

 

[jmaddr]

Ouch, I had that happen with my boxer on a black Audi. Mine went down to prime so I just wore it a badge of dog ownership (but it wasn't as bad as yours). However, most of that doesn't look tooooo deep and as long as it's not down to the primer, could be easily made "tolerable". Take it to a detailer as mentioned (not a paint shop as they will steer you towards a spray right away) or just go pick up some Meguir's #2 and #9 and see what you can do yourself.

 

[JehuWarrior]

Ouch, I had that happen with my boxer on a black Audi. Mine went down to prime so I just wore it a badge of dog ownership (but it wasn't as bad as yours). However, most of that doesn't look tooooo deep and as long as it's not down to the primer, could be easily made "tolerable". Take it to a detailer as mentioned (not a paint shop as they will steer you towards a spray right away) or just go pick up some Meguir's #2 and #9 and see what you can do yourself.

Thank you so much, I'll do that. I've calmed down a bit but I think I may need to buy a cover so she won't do this again

 

[heavyD]

The bad news is that Tesla paint is ultra-soft so it scratches very easily. The good news is that Tesla paint is ultra-soft so it's pretty easy to polish out scratches and correct. As long as the scratches aren't past the clear coat a good detailer will be able to remove most of them. Depending on how deep they are the detailer may be hesitant to try and get them all out as Tesla paint isn't very thick so it comes down to how deep the scratches are ultimately. If you aren't experienced with polishing I would use only a mild compound because it won't take much to burn through the clear coat if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[ay221]

My vehicle out the lot had much less noticeable scratches, but they didn't buff out so it went to the paint shop on their dime of course.

 

[JehuWarrior]

The bad news is that Tesla paint is ultra-soft so it scratches very easily. The good news is that Tesla paint is ultra-soft so it's pretty easy to polish out scratches and correct. As long as the scratches aren't past the clear coat a good detailer will be able to remove most of them. Depending on how deep they are the detailer may be hesitant to try and get them all out as Tesla paint isn't very thick so it comes down to how deep the scratches are ultimately. If you aren't experienced with polishing I would use only a mild compound because it won't take much to burn through the clear coat if you don't know what you are doing.

I was thinking of buying the repair kit and giving it a go but I rinsed it down and it doesn't look like it's past the clear coat, so they are buff-able. Im going to try to find a detailer this weekend who can do it.

 

[heavyD]

I was thinking of buying the repair kit and giving it a go but I rinsed it down and it doesn't look like it's past the clear coat, so they are buff-able. Im going to try to find a detailer this weekend who can do it.

Don't mess with repair kits as you have too many scratches for that. Take it to a reputable detailer and let them have a go at it.

 

[JehuWarrior]

Don't mess with repair kits as you have too many scratches for that. Take it to a reputable detailer and let them have a go at it.

Will do. Thanks HeavyD!

 

[thesmokingman]

 

[P3dStealth]

That's mostly the clear coat. You will get it pretty close to gone with a good polishing.

 

[CreoUCLA]

If you

Also, I'm located in Southern California (Long Beach). If anyone knows of any shops or good detailers, please let me know!

I've had good experiences in the past through Eric at Envious Detailing (and they work on a lot of Teslas);

Envious Detailing - Luxury New Car Protection & Enhancement

Envious Detailing is Orange, CA's 5-star new car protection facility specializing in Paint Protection Film, Ceramic Coatings, Tinting, & more.

www.enviousdetailing.com

 

[JehuWarrior]

If you


I've had good experiences in the past through Eric at Envious Detailing (and they work on a lot of Teslas);

Envious Detailing - Luxury New Car Protection & Enhancement

Envious Detailing is Orange, CA's 5-star new car protection facility specializing in Paint Protection Film, Ceramic Coatings, Tinting, & more.

www.enviousdetailing.com

I will be giving them a call this weekend. Thank you!

 

[Adam3]

Eric is awesome, he has detailed a couple of my cars. Does great work and super friendly.

A two-stage polish will hopefully make them invisible.