Frunk Dent (Frustrating...)

[Bill D]

After 3 weeks my frunk has a crease also , this is my second Model S no problem with the first one which I had for 8 months. Now after 3 weeks my new P85D has a crease. I checked with service center on delivery to see if it was still the same procedure 2 arms wide apart at the edge and push. With the new latch sytem more pressure is needed. Sure enough I now have a crease. On close examination it would appear the technique I was told to use is wrong. It would have been better to push down on the edge with my hands 6 -10 inches apart over the reinforced area. I wished I had been instructed correctly a the old latch caused me no problems on my first TESLA.

It's troubling to see that Tesla still hasn't solved this hood crease problem or eliminated the confusion about how to close hoods. Are you sure your P85D hood was always only closed by pressing on the far corners? Maybe a valet guy accidentally popped your hood and pressed it closed without your knowledge? Ever since I was on the factory tour and saw how Tesla factory employees were all closing hoods, I've believed closing by pressing on the far corners spread the force uniformly and never caused a crease (I figured those guys should know best). Now you have me doubting my belief.

 

[Chris TX]

I would gladly remove the power close mechanism from the hatch and move it to the frunk. The weight of the hatch closing almost always is enough to fully close it where it doesn't engage the electronic closer.

 

[brucet999]

I am certain that with this three-hand-three-microfiber method there will be no more dents.

Don't forget to remove any rings etc. from all three hands!

Is your real name Zaphod Beeblebrocks?

 

[Gizmotoy]

After 3 weeks my frunk has a crease also , this is my second Model S no problem with the first one which I had for 8 months. Now after 3 weeks my new P85D has a crease. I checked with service center on delivery to see if it was still the same procedure 2 arms wide apart at the edge and push. With the new latch sytem more pressure is needed. Sure enough I now have a crease. On close examination it would appear the technique I was told to use is wrong. It would have been better to push down on the edge with my hands 6 -10 inches apart over the reinforced area. I wished I had been instructed correctly a the old latch caused me no problems on my first TESLA.

Depending on what you mean by the at the edge part of your wide arm method, it sounds like you had been "instructed correctly" according to Tesla's latest guidelines. If you close it with your hands on the leading edge 6-10 inches apart and damage it Tesla considers it owner damage. They haven't recommended that closing method for quite awhile now.

That said, it seems pretty clear that no matter what method you use, Tesla tells you that's the wrong method and that you're to blame, so I'm not sure there's any way to win other than to never use the frunk.

We bought a stroller specifically so it would fit in the frunk, and it hasn't been in there a single time. It's not worth the risk.

 

[GregTexas]

First I read a thread about a frunk flying open and now this. Would adding expandable foam in the area help prevent a dent?

 

[Gizmotoy]

First I read a thread about a frunk flying open and now this. Would adding expandable foam in the area help prevent a dent?

There's already some in there, or at least there was. In 2013 sometime they added orange foam filler to the hood. They also slightly overfilled some of them so when it got hot the orange foam would ooze out. Maybe it's been removed since, but it was at least tried and didn't appear to work.

 

[Chris TX]

I've opened and closed the frunk well over a hundred times and have yet to experience a crease. Both hands placed about a foot away from cenver and giving it a quick push down works fine. This is how my Service Center showed us.

 

[Mayhemm]

I've opened and closed the frunk well over a hundred times and have yet to experience a crease. Both hands placed about a foot away from center and giving it a quick push down works fine. This is how my Service Center showed us.

I was under the impression that a quick push was a bad idea and more likely to result in damage due to the sudden application of force that can amplify the effects of incorrect hand position.

I think you're just supposed to ease the lid down with even pressure until it catches. Since there is less force applied over time, hand position is not as critical.

 

[green1]

I think you're just supposed to ease the lid down with even pressure until it catches. Since there is less force applied over time, hand position is not as critical.

From what I've read, it seems that this is the real culprit. Some vehicles take more force than others to close, and those that take the most, are most likely to get the dreaded crease. seems like a lot of it could be solved with some form of adjustment to the latch on those vehicles.

- - - Updated - - -

First I read a thread about a frunk flying open and now this.

There is a LOT of question as to whether that one is valid. This one however has been confirmed by many people.

The other difference is that the frunk flies open when you intentionally ignore many warnings, the frunk creases when you follow all Tesla's instructions to a "T"

 

[Cyclone]

Well, when the time comes and my MS arrives, I plan to put a ton of petroleum jelly on the latch in the hopes that helps. When working on the side mirrors on of our cars, I was told to use that where the clips latch to help prevent the mirror breaking when pushing it back into the latch.

 

[green1]

I don't think that will help, the problem doesn't appear to be latch lubrication, but more latch height.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Just for another data point, I've had no problem closing my frunk. I close it until the latch engages, and then press firmly with my palms on either side of the latch (about 6"-10" apart) and press down slowly and firmly until it latches. It's a gentle movement, not a forceful or quick one, and I never feel like the metal under my palms is going to bend or give way.

 

[sorka]

Geez. What a song and dance just to close a hood. Next thing you know they'll release instructions that you have to pray to the frunk gods and twirl around 3.5 times before closing it or you're to blame if it creases.


Has anyone gotten this fixed under warranty? How can they say it's the users fault. Nobody should be required to do it *JUST* right and just right for the type of latch. I suspect it has nothing to do with closing technique but rather the amount of stress applied where the latch latches as the car goes over bumps in the road.

I don't have the crease but maybe I should be saying I don't have it yet. I'm afraid to even open the thing.

 

[InTheShadows]

I really hope they make a power latch for it and soft close. Then you would never have to worry about it.

If the X does not have this I will be disappointed. I'm actually disappointed that the D doesn't have it yet either.

 

[green1]

Has anyone gotten this fixed under warranty?

nope, because:

How can they say it's the users fault. Nobody should be required to do it *JUST* right and just right for the type of latch.

They DO say it's the users fault.

They have offered multiple contradictory methods to close it, some people have even claimed the damage happened in Tesla service, but Tesla refuses to even admit to the problem let alone do anything about it.

 

[FlasherZ]

The problem is that it's really easy to create a dent/crease if you stuff the frunk too full and then attempt to use force. And in that case, it *is* the consumer's fault. I've caught my kids before getting ready to apply Popeye-the-Sailor-Man-Spinach-Mode force to the frunk to close it when they didn't put our cargo in it correctly.

At the same time, I use the frunk very regularly and I don't have dents or a crease. You need to ensure that you aren't creating too much leverage to create the front-lip crease, and you aren't doing too far back on the panel to put the dent in it.

And for those who say "there's a problem", I disagree. It's the nature of a hinged panel like this. Yes, it would be nice for Tesla to add a motorized latch, perhaps they'll be doing that in the future, but I don't think it's a design defect at all.

 

[green1]

And for those who say "there's a problem", I disagree. It's the nature of a hinged panel like this. Yes, it would be nice for Tesla to add a motorized latch, perhaps they'll be doing that in the future, but I don't think it's a design defect at all.

Many other vehicles have a "hinged panel like this" without this particular problem, I think the fact that nobody else has the problem, and many Teslas do, is somewhat the definition of a design defect (and before you say that it's because they have to because of aluminum, realize that many vehicles have aluminum hoods and trunks and have had for decades.)

If Tesla can't figure out how to make the aluminum stop denting there, maybe that should be Tesla's first CF component?

 

[beeeerock]

If owners have to be educated on how to do something as commonplace and mundane as closing their trunk, hood or frunk, I think there's a problem. I don't think I should have to worry about a valet or auto-detailer denting my car by doing something they do many times every day. I've never seen a laptop or fridge with instructions that say 'close only with fingers here and here or permanent damage will occur'.

Common sense says you shouldn't fling the door shut by grabbing the frameless glass... but a metal hood/trunk/frunk? If it's that big a concern, they should at least be putting a handle on it.

 

[Max*]

I think it's a design flaw too... the manufacturer needs to account for any reasonable way a consumer is going to use the end product.

 

[Andyw2100]

I'm very careful about how I treat my P85D, as I expect most of us are with our cars. After everything I've read here, I am afraid to use my frunk, and we've made a conscious decision not to use it. When I have to open the frunk hood to add wiper fluid, or if I've inadvertently opened it, I approach closing it with the care and caution most people would reserve for much more complicated and serious situations. In fact most of the time I try to have my wife around to "help", or I let her do it (mainly so that if she creases it I can blame her.)

Insane mode is not the only insane thing about my P85D.

So yes, I'd consider the current frunk hood design a design flaw. We shouldn't have to live in fear of damaging our cars.