Frunk Dent Prevention Strategy

[Bill D]

I drape my fingers over the leading edge "red" zone with heels of hands in the lower half of the "green" zone, then lean slowly on the heels of my hands until the latch "clicks".

I grabbed this from Tesla's walk-through video. The heals of his hands look to be right where I've seen some cars have creases (about one inch from the leading edge).

Is this how you close your hood or are the heals of your hands further up into the green zones? I just checked again and those green zones feel very weak to me.

 

[Thumper]

Had a P85D for a loaner yesterday while our car was getting its 2 year check-up. While closing the frunk, I thought the hood seemed flexier than our older car. The latch seemed like it requires more push to engage also. It occurs to me that a simple precaution would be a shot of Great Stuff along the front lip of the frunk.

 

[caddieo]

I drape my fingers over the leading edge "red" zone with heels of hands in the lower half of the "green" zone, then lean slowly on the heels of my hands until the latch "clicks".

You have to take into consideration hand size and finger length. In my case, I find that when the proximal (first) joint creases of the fingers are resting on the edge, then my palms are in the right position. I do not "push" - since that implies a sudden increase of force - an "ooomph" if you will. Instead I slowly transfer my weight on to the hood by slowly and gradually leaning my body forward until the latch clicks. And you don't need much weight - I weigh only 150 lbs. and I don't use all of it.

 

[maddog1762]

I have a crease and I never even opened the trunk. Just got it today and you can see a crease. Not happy to say the least.

 

[kabirakhtar]

^^ that's a real drag, maddog, sorry to hear it.

i thought it was VERY informative when i picked my car up that during the walkthrough, they would not close the frunk. they made certain -i- was the one to close it.

 

[Bill D]

I have a crease and I never even opened the trunk. Just got it today and you can see a crease. Not happy to say the least.

It's disturbing that there still is a frunk crease problem in cars being delivered today. I have suspected that during the manufacturing process of the hood that something is wrong that results in some hoods having a weakness and susceptibility to creases and others not having that weakness. This would explain why some owners sincerely believe their closing technique has prevented a crease and others get creases no matter how they close their hood or even if they never close their hood, as you report. I was thinking the manufacturing process was being improved and this problem was going away, until I saw your post.

 

[Gizmotoy]

It's disturbing that there still is a frunk crease problem in cars being delivered today. I have suspected that during the manufacturing process of the hood that something is wrong that results in some hoods having a weakness and susceptibility to creases and others not having that weakness. This would explain why some owners sincerely believe their closing technique has prevented a crease and others get creases no matter how they close their hood or even if they never close their hood, as you report. I was thinking the manufacturing process was being improved and this problem was going away, until I saw your post.

There's been speculation on this for as long as I've had the car. Either the design of the hood, or the effort required to close the hood, is suspected. I've played a bit with every loaner I've had and my hood is easily the most difficult to close of the 5 cars I've had. I think there are definitely some differences in the force required to close the hood. That said, Tesla said mine's within tolerance, so I guess it's not considered too bad.

Don't accept a hood messed up from the factory, though. Get Tesla on the phone ASAP.

 

[TechPreacher]

Don't accept a hood messed up from the factory, though. Get Tesla on the phone ASAP.

Sorry to hear about your new car with a crease. Absolutely report it and have them fix it!
I, like others I have heard from, ended up not using the frunk, which is sad in a way...

 

[caddieo]

This is all great and good, BUT you/we shouldn't have to explain this to everyone that may put or take anything out of the frunk. What about a valet, or a neighbor, or a family member... late at night, early in the morning. If you have to explain to someone the "right" way to close a hood - trunk - or door, there's definitely a manufacturing defect in how it was constructed. This isn't a special piece of lab equipment or anything like that. It's a car. .

......only if you give the fob to somebody then walk away and leave them completely alone. And how often would you do that? Otherwise, with you holding the fob and within operating distance from the car, the situation is entirely under your control -if not physically, then at least vocally. You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of people to whom you would give the authority and/or opportunity to use the frunk (or the car) in your absence (at least I can :biggrin. I'm sure any of those five would need to be told only once. No different from giving driving instructions to those that you allow to drive your car and who have never driven an electric car before (including valets :crying.

 

[Mayhemm]

......only if you give the fob to somebody then walk away and leave them completely alone. And how often would you do that? Otherwise, with you holding the fob and within operating distance from the car, the situation is entirely under your control -if not physically, then at least vocally. You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of people to whom you would give the authority and/or opportunity to use the frunk (or the car) in your absence (at least I can :biggrin. I'm sure any of those five would need to be told only once. No different from giving driving instructions to those that you allow to drive your car and who have never driven an electric car before (including valets :crying.

You're mostly right, the opportunities someone would have to close the frunk improperly when you are nearby are few and far between. Still, Runs' point is also valid. You shouldn't need to stress over whether someone will close the frunk improperly in the 2 seconds you aren't watching it like a hawk.

Tesla should do what it takes to beef up the frunk so that it can be safely closed without oversight. How much would the extra aluminum required add to the price of the car? $10? $100? I'm sure most owners would agree it's a worthwhile endeavor to not have to worry about it anymore.

 

[wayner]

View attachment 51595

Maybe things have changed in the last year or two but the heels of this persons hands appear to be in the red no-go zone according to the V6.0DAS Owner's Manual:

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I think the heels of his hands are straddling the red/green zone boundary. That's how I close my frunk as well and have not had any problems. If my arms are any wider apart, I lose leverage. If they are any higher up on the hood, the metal flexes beneath my hands. The only solid feeling area where I can get a smooth close is exactly where he put his hands.

 

[Larry93428]

I put talcum powder on the seals in hopes that some added slip might help.
Is this logic valid?
~Larry

 

[jerry33]

I put talcum powder on the seals in hopes that some added slip might help.
Is this logic valid?

It won't hurt anything, but the seal problem is compression force rather than sliding force, so I doubt it will do anything one way or the other.

- - - Updated - - -

I think the heels of his hands are straddling the red/green zone boundary. That's how I close my frunk as well and have not had any problems. If my arms are any wider apart, I lose leverage. If they are any higher up on the hood, the metal flexes beneath my hands. The only solid feeling area where I can get a smooth close is exactly where he put his hands.

That's been my approach too. The green zone feels as if it would cause the dent because you can feel the hood flex. Straddling it seems the best way as you don't feel anything flex. Hand size probably makes a difference too.

 

[garygid]

A new Setting (that should be included in all Driver Profiles, like Valet)
could be Front Trunk: Locked or Openable.
Then, unauthorized access to the Frunk would be more difficult...
oops, except for the "hidden" manual release.

Humm... Is there no way to lock any part of the Tesla S if somebody
has the Fob, like a Valet?
So, no security for even the Glove Box compartment?
No place for money, change, EVSE, adapters, ir the gun and amo?

I cannot turn my palms around and flex the palm backward enough to
have my fingers pointing forward. However, just pressing by leaning
body weight on the frunk lid, rather than any abrupt shove or push down
might be what they intend us to do?

Yes, the green areas seem too flexible to me also, in Nov 2014 S85.

 

[darthvdr]

It only takes one time for someone not knowing this procedure. We let our son take the car on a road trip with his family and received it back with the crease on the hood. It was my fault for not telling him, but I also think that this is a design flaw on Tesla's part. It only takes one lapse in memory of notifying someone driving your car and you will have a crease.

 

[caddieo]

That's been my approach too. The green zone feels as if it would cause the dent because you can feel the hood flex. Straddling it seems the best way as you don't feel anything flex. Hand size probably makes a difference too.

It does make a difference. Compared to the picture several posts ago, when the heels of my hands are in the right spot, the first joint creases of my fingers are at the hood edge.

 

[Bill D]

Tesla valet service just dropped off a P85D with only 900 miles on the odometer and it already has a nasty hood crease. I pointed it out so I wouldn't be blamed for causing it. He said everybody at the service center only closes hoods by putting their hands on the very corners of the hood. This is also how I personally saw hoods being closed at the Fremont factory and how I always close my own hood.

I should add that the P85D is, other than the hood crease, terrific. Hat's off to Tesla, again.

However, it's troubling that 1) this crease problem, whether it's with just some hoods or all hoods, still exists and 2) that Tesla's closing instructions are inconsistent and 3) that closing by the corners is very difficult for shorter folks (my wife can't do it, so she ignores the frunk).

Solving this hood crease problem seems to be on a par with solving the problem of landing a rocket on a barge.:smile:

 

[eye.surgeon]

I can tell you that mine had a VERY faint but noticeable hood crease a half inch from the front center edge after a week of ownership, picked up in Dec 2014. I was VERY careful in closing it perhaps 10 times. It's a design flaw and it persists to this day. Aluminum hoods are not new nor are they rare. There are LOTS of production cars with them including my F150 of all things. It's not inherent to aluminum hoods, it's a design problem.

 

[Bill D]

I can tell you that mine had a VERY faint but noticeable hood crease a half inch from the front center edge after a week of ownership, picked up in Dec 2014. I was VERY careful in closing it perhaps 10 times. It's a design flaw and it persists to this day. Aluminum hoods are not new nor are they rare. There are LOTS of production cars with them including my F150 of all things. It's not inherent to aluminum hoods, it's a design problem.

I agree. I believe it is caused by a locked-in stress that remains in the outer aluminum skin after variations in the stamping process. This leaves some hoods highly vulnerable and some not. As a result, some owners believe their closing technique has prevented creases but they really have just benefited from the "luck of the draw".