Model 3 Scratches All Over And What Tesla's Tech Said

[Saili]

I'm sorry to see that. How are you washing the car? That looks like it's been washed/dried with a rag that was sitting on the ground and dragged gravel and sand all over the car. Even if you're just drying with a cotton towel, you'll get marks like that all over the car.

Did the car go through a car wash with brushes?

"Touchless" car wash is preferred.

No never

 

[Saili]

A typical Montreal winter will cause a lot of damage like this, Just removing the ice and snow will result in a lot of scratches. Just imagine a block of ice sliding off the hood or the bristles of a snow brush passing over the paint.

definilty harsh weather around here

 

[EliteFinish]

I think this is the reason Tesla has chosen to switch the standard color to white, the paint itself is no more durable or high quality than the black, but people are less likely to see damage like this on a black car. I've seen Model 3s delivered in this kind of shape, usually not but you'd be surprised! Unfortunately their paint is one of the weakest points on the vehicle. Panel gaps seem to have improved drastically from when the model 3 was launched, even thought I still see cars with plenty of fitment issues, overall it's better. Paint hasn't changed a bit and judging by the the photos it looks like some of that damage is deep or all the way through your clearcoat. Paint correction and ceramic can can help, PPF can hide some, but it doesn't change the fact that Tesla paint, specifically solid paints like standard black, are very soft to begin with. Ceramic and PPF can only go so far and proper care is needed no matter how much protection a vehicle has.

If you're interested in having your paint's condition and appearance improved, bringing it to a local detailer in the Montreal for an assessment of what can and cannot be fixed would be a first step.

 

[MTL_HABS1909]

I have a black Model 3 that I got in October and I don’t have any scratches.

 

[Nocturnal]

This is not a paint problem, this is a care issue. How the heck are you washing your car? Do you use those stiff nylon brushes that the mud covered jeep used right before you?

If these scratches were noticed in the first few days Tesla probably would’ve taken care of it. Since it’s been months, it’s on the owner. Tesla paint isn’t worse than any other. Your black paint is the culprit. It shows any scratches and all swirlmarks. You need to take utmost care of it (no auto car washes) if you don’t want imperfections showing. The good news is all those scratches are just surface scratches and can be buffed out. A professional detailer can take care of it for you if you don’t have experience in detailing.

These aren't swirl marks, these are deep scratches. IDK what OP does to his poor car.​

 

[Johnii__82]

Guys. If you have not made pencil hardness test or tested the microns pls be quiet.

We have tested and we have proved that clearcoat has like 10 microns and hardness is like 1H ! In black and in multicoat it is like near 2H.

We can safely say that Tesla model 3 Paint sucks.

You can come in out facebook. We have a lot paint issues !

Tesla Model 3 owners worldwide with paint issues

And:

Coating Scratch Hardness - IGL Coatings Blog

 

[Dana1]

Guys. If you have not made pencil hardness test or tested the microns pls be quiet.

We have tested and we have proved that clearcoat has like 10 microns and hardness is like 1H ! In black and in multicoat it is like near 2H.

We can safely say that Tesla model 3 Paint sucks.

You can come in out facebook. We have a lot paint issues !

Tesla Model 3 owners worldwide with paint issues

And:

Coating Scratch Hardness - IGL Coatings Blog

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It’s always nice to hear someone’s opinion, but the numerous posts demonstrate that many of us have managed to care for our paint just fine. I agree with most of the posters here that OP probably has poor washing technique or is parking next to bushes. Doesn’t look like a warranty issue to me.

 

[sixela]

Guys. If you have not made pencil hardness test or tested the microns pls be quiet.

So, who gave you permission to order anyone around here?

If you ever engage in arbitration with Tesla, I would suggest another attitude than the one you constantly display over here, unless you particularly like your head being handed back to you.

 

[electronblue]

So, who gave you permission to order anyone around here?

If you ever engage in arbitration with Tesla, I would suggest another attitude than the one you constantly display over here, unless you particularly like your head being handed back to you.

I hope in arbitration the information presented matters more than attitudes though. Interesting info about the hardness of the Model 3 paint, no?

 

[KenC]

I always give non-native speakers the benefit of the doubt, especially since English is also my 2nd language.

 

[MTL_HABS1909]

Guys. If you have not made pencil hardness test or tested the microns pls be quiet.

Yes boss *extreme sarcasm*

 

[sixela]

I hope in arbitration the information presented matters more than attitudes though.

You'd be surprised on how important it is to present a coherent argument -- and one without some extras that can be easily rebutted. Right now I see Johnii collect all kinds of "paint issues" and throwing them all on one big heap (while some have much more merit than others) to 'prove' that Tesla has issues. I don't happen to think that's a very productive attitude or way to present information, but of course to each their own.

Johnii, to give one example, is posting in a thread where it's pretty clear the paint was manhandled by the owner, and is spamming the thread with a lot of (in my opinion off topic) unrelated paint issues.

Interesting info about the hardness of the Model 3 paint, no?

Assuming it's true. I didn't exactly see details about the protocol used, and some of the other claims are clearly untrue for my vehicle, so colour me slightly skeptical. I'm at an age where I've gone well beyond "I read it on the internets so it must be true".

Also, if you wanted to turn it into a warranty issue, you'd better have something more solid than "the clearcoat is softer than on an Audi" if you want to prove the car isn't fit for purpose because of it...

 

[Lhshockey24]

I ignored your entire argument and largely your post because of the number of grammatical errors and typos. @Johnii__82
Many of us here have owned multiple Teslas over the years and haven’t experienced problems like these. I understand the rocker panel issue is real for others, but I can’t believe the OP’s scratches are still getting this much attention.

 

[Johnii__82]

So

Yes boss *extreme sarcasm*

Sorry i was not mention to be rude!

I have same issues what OP has. I do not have jewelery etc or car keys to out on model 3 door. We have tested the thickness & durability with the pencil hardness test and result was not so good.

Problem is that imo is that the clear coat is not thick enough and it does not withstand normal usage.

And we have investigated the the cars and if there are over 20 places where the base coat & primer is showing trough clear coat that is not good quality.

 

[electronblue]

You'd be surprised on how important it is to present a coherent argument

Of course my point wasn’t literal. I was just expressing the thinking that the underlying reality should matter more than presentation. In life there are certainly many situations where that is optimistic or unrealistic. But I would wish it in this thread for example. Getting caught on rudeness would be unfortunate. Assessing the point underneath seems more constructive (agree or disagree with it).

Johnii, to give one example, is posting in a thread where it's pretty clear the paint was manhandled by the owner, and is spamming the thread with a lot of (in my opinion off topic) unrelated paint issues.

How likely is it, though, that the OP had ”manhandled” the paint?

To me — with reports of Model 3 soft paint preceding it — that OP had been treating the car normally and was caught surprised by a paint that was softer than they had been used to. At least that seems like a realistic possibility to me, even if I’d agree we can’t know for sure of course.

 

[electronblue]

I ignored your entire argument and largely your post because of the number of grammatical errors and typos. @Johnii__82
Many of us here have owned multiple Teslas over the years and haven’t experienced problems like these.

Isn’t that beside the point though unless you have owned a Model 3 from late 2018 to early 2019 or around the timeframe of the reported issues?

I certainly agree that while Teslas paint isn’t great this isn’t the issue with my Model X or even early Model 3s. The cases are Model 3s made in the latter half of 2018 to the first half of 2019 and even then we don’t know how many of them might be suffering from the possible paint softness.

I understand the rocker panel issue is real for others, but I can’t believe the OP’s scratches are still getting this much attention.

The point there I think is, the rocker panel is the area where the issue has manifested itself in the most visible way, but at this point the suspected reason is the same: paint softness making it susceptible to unusual wear and tear.

I think the common speculation has been California regulations, water-based paint and Model 3 volume increase related issues (whatever they may have been) in the latter half of 2018 combining to cause paint quality issues that were not seen previously, in some of the cars.

 

[Lhshockey24]

Isn’t that beside the point though unless you have owned a Model 3 from late 2018 to early 2019 or around the timeframe of the reported issues?

I certainly agree that while Teslas paint isn’t great this isn’t the issue with my Model X or even early Model 3s. The cases are Model 3s made in the latter half of 2018 to the first half of 2019 and even then we don’t know how many of them might be suffering from the possible paint softness.



The point there I think is, the rocker panel is the area where the issue has manifested itself in the most visible way, but at this point the suspected reason is the same: paint softness making it susceptible to unusual wear and tear.

I think the common speculation has been California regulations, water-based paint and Model 3 volume increase related issues (whatever they may have been) in the latter half of 2018 combining to cause paint quality issues that were not seen previously, in some of the cars.

It’s clear from the few examples that some cars did have paint issues around the rocker panel. I have gone through one Sierra mountain winter with an early 2019 build and the paint is fine so far. I still believe this is being blown WAY out of proportion. Tesla has delivered hundreds of thousands of model 3s at this point. We’re talking about an issue with .0003% of cars delivered. A vocal minority of a minority of a minority.

 

[raptor5244]

Looks like a cat lives in the neighborhood. Those are the kind of scratches they leave when jumping on and off cars at night when they sleep.

 

[electronblue]

It’s clear from the few examples that some cars did have paint issues around the rocker panel. I have gone through one Sierra mountain winter with an early 2019 build and the paint is fine so far. I still believe this is being blown WAY out of proportion. Tesla has delivered hundreds of thousands of model 3s at this point. We’re talking about an issue with .0003% of cars delivered. A vocal minority of a minority of a minority.

The point I was trying to make: soft paint might be the reason OP @Saili ’s car got scratched and it is useful to consider that possibility in this particular case.

I made no claims about how widespread or not this issue might be only that there seems to have been an issue with some Model 3s in that timeframe. Maybe something happened with the painting of a subset of cars for example. Some of these clearly expand beyond the rocker panels as the paint softness seems to relate to the overall car paint, just exhibits first in the rocker panels that take most heat from the road... Interestingly Tesla says this is normal so Tesla has not identified this paint as abnormal.

I believe the Facebook group for Model 3 paint issues has like 400+ members now. Given that not all will find their way there and not all will see the paint issue immediately if it exists (meaning that if we now have 400 cases, it is not unfathomable to think the real number is at least 10x that), it seems more than a nonexistent question.

So something to consider in OP’s case.

Not saying it affects all cars at all — and of course if people have protected their paint that would mitigate it too.

 

[Johnii__82]

The point I was trying to make: soft paint might be the reason OP @Saili ’s car got scratched and it is useful to consider that possibility in this particular case.

I made no claims about how widespread or not this issue might be only that there seems to have been an issue with some Model 3s in that timeframe. Maybe something happened with the painting of a subset of cars for example. Some of these clearly expand beyond the rocker panels as the paint softness seems to relate to the overall car paint, just exhibits first in the rocker panels that take most heat from the road... Interestingly Tesla says this is normal so Tesla has not identified this paint as abnormal.

I believe the Facebook group for Model 3 paint issues has like 400+ members now. Given that not all will find their way there and not all will see the paint issue immediately if it exists (meaning that if we now have 400 cases, it is not unfathomable to think the real number is at least 10x that), it seems more than a nonexistent question.

So something to consider in OP’s case.

Not saying it affects all cars at all — and of course if people have protected their paint that would mitigate it too.

Just verify we have Finnish friends living in states and they have driven 25.000-30.000km without any abnormal paint wearing off. Produced early 2018.

I can also verify that in Quebec there is now about 115-120 model 3 owners who has same problems with soft paint. Produced late 2018 ( after august ).

I can also verify that in Finland there is atleast 10-15 % procent for all model 3:s what are in the country are afftected with this this problem. Situation was @ 29.5.2019. We got our first model 3:s in finland on feb 2019. I got my @ 29.3.2019 and noticed the issues on 29.4.2019 @ 1300 miles.

We all have same problems with the paintinga these people are just gathered from Facebook.

Link for list in Finland:
Tesla Model 3 epänormaalia kulumaa maalipinnassa