I installed the Tesla paint protection film surely after collecting my Model 3. I had issues at the time I installed it : the instructions show that the upper and lower pieces should be installed against the change of angle and says that it should not over hang any edges.
The problem I had is that about 1cm below the change of angle is a panel seam that has a 1cm strip below the change of panel angle that is lower than the bottom part. What this meant was that the top 1cm of the lower piece of paint protection film didn’t stick properly because the film is too rigid and didn’t flex to fit the shape. I tried various positions, including having the top of the lower piece aligned with the seam rather than the angle change, but this led to the lower edge overhanging and it would stick to the curved lower edge (it wouldn’t conform to the curve). Also, moving the upper piece down to cover the change of angle and have its edge against the seam meant that the part below the change of angle didn’t stick.
I did consider cutting the lower piece smaller - but this would have meant a 1cm strip of exposed paint - plus I didn’t want to fail to follow the instructions.
A couple of weeks later and I’ve just washed my car - and it’s clear that direct is collecting under that lowered strip where the film isn’t sticking.
I emailed the Tesla Shop 3 days ago for advice (presumably need them to tell me the safest way to remove the film without damaging the paint, and thinking they really need to be aware of this issue and provide a replacement film at least for the lower section - with advice about whether to cut it smaller.
Anyone else had this issue? Do all model 3’s have this seam 1cm below the change of angle - it’s not shown in the product photo for the paint protection film.
The problem I had is that about 1cm below the change of angle is a panel seam that has a 1cm strip below the change of panel angle that is lower than the bottom part. What this meant was that the top 1cm of the lower piece of paint protection film didn’t stick properly because the film is too rigid and didn’t flex to fit the shape. I tried various positions, including having the top of the lower piece aligned with the seam rather than the angle change, but this led to the lower edge overhanging and it would stick to the curved lower edge (it wouldn’t conform to the curve). Also, moving the upper piece down to cover the change of angle and have its edge against the seam meant that the part below the change of angle didn’t stick.
I did consider cutting the lower piece smaller - but this would have meant a 1cm strip of exposed paint - plus I didn’t want to fail to follow the instructions.
A couple of weeks later and I’ve just washed my car - and it’s clear that direct is collecting under that lowered strip where the film isn’t sticking.
I emailed the Tesla Shop 3 days ago for advice (presumably need them to tell me the safest way to remove the film without damaging the paint, and thinking they really need to be aware of this issue and provide a replacement film at least for the lower section - with advice about whether to cut it smaller.
Anyone else had this issue? Do all model 3’s have this seam 1cm below the change of angle - it’s not shown in the product photo for the paint protection film.
