Model 3 paint wearing off

[Rachmaninov]

Here’s part of my Initial Tesla experience.
Springfield - My first attempt at buying a Tesla.
I refused the first car assigned to me at Springfield due to numerous body, paint, wear and mileage issues. When I questioned how they could offer me a car that was dirty and had obvious problems I was actually informed that their new car prep area had poor lighting and it was hard for their employees to see problems!
Springfield officially agreed In writing that there were paint issues and did offer to have at least the rear qtr and rear bumper resprayed sometime in the future, when it could be scheduled with their certified body shop. They couldn’t guarantee how well the pearl white paint repairs would match though and said all the body gaps etc were within “Tesla spec” but couldn’t / wouldn’t answer what those specs were.
The excess mileage was partly due to Springfield’s policy to use employees to drive new cars from out of state depots rather than using trailers. They explained that this was a cost savings issue. The energy chart on a car documents how it was driven. Care to guess if the energy chart showed that this car was driven normally or very aggressively?
Things actually went worse from that point. I’ll document fully after I hear back from Tesla headquarters.

Paramus -
Very positive experience and obviously completely different than Springfield in almost all respects. My delivery person was very knowledgeable, courteous, and took the time to go through all aspects of the car. He agreed and officially documented that there were some areas with missing / poor paint coverage and documented them for repair. Luckily these areas unlike the previous car were on areas such as door jambs, and rear trunk hinge area.
I brought the car to a well respected certified Tesla body shop. They were helpful but suggested that any attempted repair of those areas would most likely cause more problems than what they would resolve. I was also told that my Tesla was actually one of the better examples because at least it actually had paint in door jambs etc.

I reviewed some of the other Tesla cars there and decided to just live with the cosmetic issues.

My car is presently receiving a full front PPF and full body ceramic treatment at a local well respected detail shop.
This is not a minor expense but I am spending the funds to make my car the best it can be.

 

[pawsonkeyboard]

Anyone know if this cracking problem and accelerated degradation is due to the cold weather? I live on Maui and was wondering if it'd be more lenient in my area. I'm so worried about my paint that I've decided to try doing consumer ceramic coating on mine after a month or so of driving it.

Also, is this the right vinyl to buy if I wanted to put something on the rockers/lower end of car? And do I want to apply a ceramic coating under the vinyl or just have the vinyl contacting the clear coat?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXOPYQ4/
BTW, If I am putting this PPF listed above under the Basenor Mud flaps which wrap into the wheel well, do I only apply the 3m vinyl to the outside area of the car where the paint contacts under the mudflap or do I also apply 3m vinyl to the inside of the wheel well under the mudflap?
https://www.amazon.com/Tesla-Model-Flaps-Splash-Guards/dp/B07V36S77Y

 

[KenC]

Paint deg isn't due to cold weather, but when there's cold weather, there's sometimes snow/ice, which leads to communities putting down sand and/or chemicals. That leads to paint deg. In Hawai'i, you have to consider the road surfaces you drive on. Is there a lot of sand/pebbles/lava dust, or other debris that can hit your car?

3M scotchguard pro is one of the 3 PPF varieties you'll see mentioned. Suntek and Xpel are the two others. I have it on my car. My only comment is to measure what you want to cover, and be sure you get the right size. The rockers are quite long if you want it to be one piece. There are also pre-cut DIY kits that cost more than a roll, but then you have less to worry about. They not only cover the rocker, but also the arch flare by the rear wheel well, and the lower door panels. Check carprotectionpros.com. They have a complete kit for $200, 3M Scotchguard Pro, and you can pay more for Xpel. Also, you can go directly to Xpel's website and they'll sell you a similar rocker/lowerdoor kit.

I haven't read the complete mudflap thread, but some people have put PPF on the exterior where the flap wraps around, and some haven't because they don't think the flaps will move. The inner part of the wheel well, some people have put a piece of 3M adhesive tape to hold the upper part, I think. Not sure if anyone PPF'd the inner part. There's not much metal there to begin with, except at the bottom.

 

[pawsonkeyboard]

Paint deg isn't due to cold weather, but when there's cold weather, there's sometimes snow/ice, which leads to communities putting down sand and/or chemicals. That leads to paint deg. In Hawai'i, you have to consider the road surfaces you drive on. Is there a lot of sand/pebbles/lava dust, or other debris that can hit your car?

3M scotchguard pro is one of the 3 PPF varieties you'll see mentioned. Suntek and Xpel are the two others. I have it on my car. My only comment is to measure what you want to cover, and be sure you get the right size. The rockers are quite long if you want it to be one piece. There are also pre-cut DIY kits that cost more than a roll, but then you have less to worry about. They not only cover the rocker, but also the arch flare by the rear wheel well, and the lower door panels. Check carprotectionpros.com. They have a complete kit for $200, 3M Scotchguard Pro, and you can pay more for Xpel. Also, you can go directly to Xpel's website and they'll sell you a similar rocker/lowerdoor kit.

I haven't read the complete mudflap thread, but some people have put PPF on the exterior where the flap wraps around, and some haven't because they don't think the flaps will move. The inner part of the wheel well, some people have put a piece of 3M adhesive tape to hold the upper part, I think. Not sure if anyone PPF'd the inner part. There's not much metal there to begin with, except at the bottom.

Sand and pebbles but I was hoping the mud flap would take care of that.

I havent seen any damage on the flare by the rear wheel on photos on this forum yet, but I will definitely consider covering it too now. I think I'll probably just by another roll instead of the precut.

BTW, I was going to use 3m Black Super Weatherstrip glue instead of the 3m adhesive tape to hold the upper part. I dont want to drill the upper hole. Do you think the 3m Black is strong enough?

 

[jkoya]

BTW, I was going to use 3m Black Super Weatherstrip glue instead of the 3m adhesive tape to hold the upper part. I dont want to drill the upper hole. Do you think the 3m Black is strong enough?

I have full exterior Xpel PPF with all edges wrapped and used 3M adhesive tape on the front mud flaps. I didn't drill into the fender liner as I need to buy a new drill. The tape is holding strong and the front flaps are on pretty solid.

 

[pawsonkeyboard]

I have full exterior Xpel PPF with all edges wrapped and used 3M adhesive tape on the front mud flaps. I didn't drill into the fender liner as I need to buy a new drill. The tape is holding strong and the front flaps are on pretty solid.

Will junk collect at a hastened rate under the flap when using the 3m tape? Any chance you can link me or name the exact 3m adhesive tape you are using? Please I'm really new to 3m products.

 

[jkoya]

Will junk collect at a hastened rate under the flap when using the 3m tape? Any chance you can link me or name the exact 3m adhesive tape you are using? Please I'm really new to 3m products.

It's possible, the double stick tape is attached to the inner lip of the fender well. Since the mud flaps cover a portion of the body, I think dust, dirt will accumulate regardless of whether or not the screw is used. I can take pics of what I'm talking about tomorrow if you are interested.

As for the 3M double stick tape, it was a freebee that came along with some Z shaped seals I ordered on Amazon. It's about a 1/4" thick..
I can send you the link for the seals if you want...

 

[pawsonkeyboard]

It's possible, the double stick tape is attached to the inner lip of the fender well. Since the mud flaps cover a portion of the body, I think dust, dirt will accumulate regardless of whether or not the screw is used. I can take pics of what I'm talking about tomorrow if you are interested.

As for the 3M double stick tape, it was a freebee that came along with some Z shaped seals I ordered on Amazon. It's about a 1/4" thick..
I can send you the link for the seals if you want...

Ah okay, I'll probably just take the mud flaps off twice a year or so and wash it underneath.

I'd love to see some photos if its not too big of an inconvenience!
And yes link please!
I found this one but not sure if its correct.
https://www.amazon.com/VHB-Adhesive-5952-Automotive-Industrial/dp/B00MAT2WZU/

 

[jkoya]

And yes link please!

I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFJJR47/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and it came with a free roll of actual 3M double stick tape in the correct width for the front mud flaps.

I'll take pics tomorrow for you.

 

[pawsonkeyboard]

Thanks!

 

[jkoya]

I'd love to see some photos if its not too big of an inconvenience!

Here is a pic of the mud flap installed. You can see the gap between the flap and the body panels where dirt, sand and dirty water can get in. The last 4 cars I had with OEM flaps installed by the dealer (Prelude, 350Z, Murano, Leaf) all fit this way. I did learn to periodically remove them to clean underneath.
Edit: The front fenders of my particular car aren't flush with the lower rocker panels, skirts. They are slightly inset, which makes the gap larger than normal. Can't complain since the flaps were only $18.00

 

[jkoya]

I'd love to see some photos if its not too big of an inconvenience!

Here's a pic of where the double stick tape is. I may put the screw on in the future after I get a new drill. If you don't want to drill into the plastic fender well liner, the double stick tape does hold pretty securely. Also, for the pic above with the gap, remember this is a close up. The gap isn't really that noticeable ...

 

[jebinc]

Here's a pic of where the double stick tape is. I may put the screw on in the future after I get a new drill. If you don't want to drill into the plastic fender well liner, the double stick tape does hold pretty securely. Also, for the pic above with the gap, remember this is a close up. The gap isn't really that noticeable ...
View attachment 446583

Re potential paint damage - there is less risk with tape and a gap than there is without tape and a moving flap.

 

[pdx_m3s]

Those mud flaps are going to destroy the paint that's underneath them.

 

[jkoya]

Those mud flaps are going to destroy the paint that's underneath them.

There is Xpel PPF underneath the flaps. I had full exterior Xpel PPF installed and all the edges are wrapped......but I agree, I would be nervous without the PPF.

 

[MP3Mike]

How long has Toyota been denying that they have paint problems? But they have finally announced that they are working on developing a fix for ~2 million cars dating back to 2008. The issue? The paint peels off of the cars. And not just in the high wear areas.

Yet there is very little in the news about it. Search and you can find plenty of forums with people complaining about the issue.

 

[jebinc]

Here is a pic of the mud flap installed. You can see the gap between the flap and the body panels where dirt, sand and dirty water can get in. The last 4 cars I had with OEM flaps installed by the dealer (Prelude, 350Z, Murano, Leaf) all fit this way. I did learn to periodically remove them to clean underneath.
Edit: The front fenders of my particular car aren't flush with the lower rocker panels, skirts. They are slightly inset, which makes the gap larger than normal. Can't complain since the flaps were only $18.00

View attachment 446582

@jkoya - Hmmm, no gap on mine... Perhaps you have a misaligned body panel?

 

[super20g]

I was actually informed that their new car prep area had poor lighting and it was hard for their employees to see problems!

LMFAO. I needed that.

 

[Johnii__82]

LMFAO. I needed that.

Me too....

 

[640k]

@jkoya - Hmmm, no gap on mine... Perhaps you have a misaligned body panel?

View attachment 446619

like someone else said above, unless you have film under there, expect a nice line down your paint, that follows the edge of that flap. this happened to me on my '02 RSX and i swore off OEM flaps after that.