MY Door Trim Discoloration

[RocDeef]

Stainless steel cleaner did it for me. I don't have as much free time as those saying to wash by hand so car wash it is. It only seems to happen occasionally and is usually only one side or the other which is weird.
A quick wipe of Weiman stainless steel cleaner fixed it pretty quick.

 

[TomServo]

I have COPD and have to rely on car washes in the winter, I hope Tesla finds an easy fix to this.

 

[VeggieOz]

I have a 10 week old MY, and the black trim is starting to show rainbows and almost a rust in some places.
Assuming this is from chemicals in a touchless car wash.

Thoughts on restoring it, then protecting it?
View attachment 550064 View attachment 550066 View attachment 550065

I have the same problem. The first time in to warranty they replaced the trim, the minute I went through a touchless wash the streaks appeared again. This is a 60K car and should it should not have this problem. They make anodized aluminum windows and you don't have to apply a special product to take the streaks out, they don't streak! The acid argument is an excuse. What are you going to do?

 

[VeggieOz]

I would just take it back for warranty and get them replaced. Ceramic coat the new ones.

Shouldn't Tesla Ceramic Coat? This is an expensive car, why would you have to protect something that should not be affected by the environment? I don't know of any other vehicle that places the responsibility of the owner to insure that the finish is not damage the minute you run through a car wash!

 

[MP3Mike]

They make anodized aluminum windows and you don't have to apply a special product to take the streaks out, they don't streak!

When is the last time you took your house through a drive-thru wash with harsh chemicals?

Not every drive-thru wash causes it, and not every hand wash is safe either. It ask depends on the chemicals used.

 

[VeggieOz]

When is the last time you took your house through a drive-thru wash with harsh chemicals?

Not every drive-thru wash causes it, and not every hand wash is safe either. It ask depends on the chemicals used.

That is not the point. Car washes are not going to use chemicals that destroy paint finishes. What make of car do you know where the finish is ruined by going through a car wash?.

 

[VeggieOz]

Stainless steel cleaner did it for me. I don't have as much free time as those saying to wash by hand so car wash it is. It only seems to happen occasionally and is usually only one side or the other which is weird.
A quick wipe of Weiman stainless steel cleaner fixed it pretty quick.

My experience exactly. Thanks for the tip, we had some stainless cleaner/polish hanging around and it worked like a charm!

 

[RH1N0]

I had the same issue on mine as well and I can confirm WD40 works instantly. I sprayed a small amount on a microfiber towel and it wiped right off. See image of wiped section vs not.

 

[Freewheeler]

Mine came back after a while and I did notice the "V" shaped piece at the rear window doesn't experience this issue at all, but the top and bottom door trims do. I wonder what the difference is between the two. Pic below.

I did try the stainless steel cleaner @RocDeef mentioned and we'll see how it holds up (and I was able to tuck that little rubber seal in along the top at the same time!). I find that time reveals whether a solution was permanent or just a mask. I can still see the ghost image of the streaks in the right light at the right angle but looks perfect from 3 feet away which is good. Hope it holds up.

 

[rxlawdude]

Among the issues at delivery and other issues a month into owning this POS, time will only tell the other problems 1-2 years into owning. Anyway by no means are most MYs even close to being decent considering the price and the panel gaps, different colored door panels/bumpers, and the general fit/finish.

Wow. Your MY is a POS? I hope you don't suffer with it too long and find a vehicle that isn't a POS.

As to the highlighted part of your quote: just plain wrong. Unless you have inspected most MYs in existence. Did you?

 

[rxlawdude]

Mine came back after a while and I did notice the "V" shaped piece at the rear window doesn't experience this issue at all, but the top and bottom door trims do. I wonder what the difference is between the two. Pic below.

I did try the stainless steel cleaner @RocDeef mentioned and we'll see how it holds up (and I was able to tuck that little rubber seal in along the top at the same time!). I find that time reveals whether a solution was permanent or just a mask. I can still see the ghost image of the streaks in the right light at the right angle but looks perfect from 3 feet away which is good. Hope it holds up.

View attachment 586423

One thing many of the pics have in common are patterns that look like finger/hand prints from people using that to enter/exit the MY. I'm thinking this is an interaction with skin oils, the trim composition, and chemicals used.

 

[TMYToday]

Wow. Your MY is a POS? I hope you don't suffer with it too long and find a vehicle that isn't a POS.

As to the highlighted part of your quote: just plain wrong. Unless you have inspected most MYs in existence. Did you?

Not saying that he’s right, but there certainly are still many issues that Tesla hasn’t fixed. Mismatched bumper is still a huge issue for white MYs.

 

[jmatero]

The mismatched paint, panel gaps, etc are not unique to the model Y. I have a new 2020 M3 with all the same issues and this car is approaching its 4th year of production. Not sure how the same issues on the Y will be fixed anytime soon.

 

[jmatero]

So you can’t take a MY to a car wash? Uh...?

 

[rxlawdude]

Not saying that he’s right, but there certainly are still many issues that Tesla hasn’t fixed. Mismatched bumper is still a huge issue for white MYs.

Many does not equal most. That was the point of my challenge to his overbroad statement.

The issues with white paint mismatches is significant and one Tesla should happily resolve for affected owners.

 

[TMYToday]

So you can’t take a MY to a car wash? Uh...?

You just need a cloth and some WD40 to buff it right out, not too big of an issue.

Many does not equal most. That was the point of my challenge to his overbroad statement.

The issues with white paint mismatches is significant and one Tesla should happily resolve for affected owners.

He looked at about 20 cars on the lot and they all had blatant issues. That’s a problem.

 

[rxlawdude]

He looked at about 20 cars on the lot and they all had blatant issues. That’s a problem.

20 cars. "Blatant" issues.

Yup, that proves that the entire fleet of MYs must be falling apart from blatant issues!

 

[Callahan27]

I have been to the local SC 4 times in the past 2 months test driving and making final decisions. The cars back in July were pretty good I thought. Today I was there and looked at probably 20 M3 and 15MY. Saw very few noticeable problems on the M3. The MY didn’t see any rear alignment issues. Out of the 15 MY I saw roughly 5 with a door, fender or frunk that we’re off a bit but nothing that I would refuse delivery on. Now I just need to make a decision on what to order

 

[Callahan27]

Wanted to add one more comment. The issues I saw were on the ones that were not prepped for delivery. The ones prepped for delivery I couldn’t see any noticeable issues. I spoke to my SA in length about quality issues last month and he says they correct everything they see in the pre delivery process. I didn’t believe him initially but what I saw today proves they seem to correct the noticeable issues.

 

[MYMY]

Wow. Your MY is a POS? I hope you don't suffer with it too long and find a vehicle that isn't a POS.

As to the highlighted part of your quote: just plain wrong. Unless you have inspected most MYs in existence. Did you?

The various posts on this forum, YouTube reviews, EV publications, phone app delivery checklists, etc. detailing the numerous issues are a good indication that a very high % of MYs have paint, fit/finish issues and now trim discoloration problems. I can easily say the majority of white MYs have paint issues when you consider the door panel and bumper color mismatch issue. Consider yourself lucky if you did not have a paint and/or trim issue with your Tesla. IMHO owners being concerned about bringing a $60k car to a carwash because the trim may discolor is not a common issue with other brands. Also if you think the suggested discoloration "repairs" in this thread are permanent and not just hiding the problem you're kidding yourself.