Oh No, My Paint!!!

[GregKo]

Thankfully I invested in complete expel wrap on both my cars. As for the black molding parts, its my understanding that they can be replace for a fairly reasonable amount of money. Due to their texture they cannot be wrapped.

 

[EV-lutioin]

I drove 50-60 km/h on a dirt road this weekend with the suspension in high mode and the doors have the same kind of paint damages. The problem is not the paint, the front wheels are spraying the FWDs with small stones when the car is highered. The plastic trim looks terrible. Visited the SC today and reported the problem as a design/engineering issue. Have a friend at Volvo Cars and he confirm that there are always discussions between the designers and engineers how to handle this problem.

Crazy stuff... and mine came from paved roads only. How about some mud flaps behind the front wheels, would that solve the problem?

 

[Johanb]

Splash guards are mounted and it got a lot better than I thought. It looks more than ok, the color matchning is almost perfect. I have been driving around the whole day and cannot hear any additional wind noise. The fit could have been more precise but there are already 5 mm gaps between the trim pieces so you cannot tell the difference between the mod and the Tesla mountings. ;-) Scandinavians find the them at Stänkskydd Universal Small - Hova.com

 

[EV-lutioin]

Splash guards are mounted and it got a lot better than I thought. It looks more than ok, the color matchning is almost perfect. I have been driving around the whole day and cannot hear any additional wind noise. The fit could have been more precise but there are already 5 mm gaps between the trim pieces so you cannot tell the difference between the mod and the Tesla mountings. ;-) Scandinavians find the them at Stänkskydd Universal Small - Hova.com
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Fantastic solution, thanks for the information. Do you think they have any affect on range?

 

[Yinn]

Fantastic solution, thanks for the information. Do you think they have any affect on range?

I couldn't remember where, but I do remember reading that those have a significant affect on aero.

As for the OP, I drive on gravel roads with some regularity. The car is not wrapped and this is what it generally looks like on any given day:

I don't have any of the scratches you do. A good wash returns it to like new condition with no lasting marks. Either the dirt is protecting the car, the red paint is more resistant, or...I can't think of much else.

 

[Tim@adonisdetail]

As frustrating as it maybe to see this on your beautiful Tesla there are many ways to prevent this. Due to the shape of the vehicle and the angle of front wheels to this portion of the vehicle, the damage seen here is due to rocks and debris picked up from the road. This is not Tesla paint defects causing this, but rather common wear and tear caused by normal use of the vehicle. This damage may seem more than other vehicles you have owned for several reasons, but most notable the main difference being the shape and angle of the panels affected and their proximity to impacts from road debris. Most sport cars have this same problem in the lower rear portions, Porsche for example even includes a "stone guard" that covers a section on their rear fenders.

The best way to prevent this damage is to have it protected. Wrapping the full door in film is currently the only option to prevent damage of this kind.

I'm currently working on a design to have a consumer ready solution which will cover these high impact areas of your Model X's for a reasonable price. If anyone is interested in more details please let me know!

 

[BLKMDL3]

As frustrating as it maybe to see this on your beautiful Tesla there are many ways to prevent this. Due to the shape of the vehicle and the angle of front wheels to this portion of the vehicle, the damage seen here is due to rocks and debris picked up from the road. This is not Tesla paint defects causing this, but rather common wear and tear caused by normal use of the vehicle. This damage may seem more than other vehicles you have owned for several reasons, but most notable the main difference being the shape and angle of the panels affected and their proximity to impacts from road debris. Most sport cars have this same problem in the lower rear portions, Porsche for example even includes a "stone guard" that covers a section on their rear fenders.

The best way to prevent this damage is to have it protected. Wrapping the full door in film is currently the only option to prevent damage of this kind.

I'm currently working on a design to have a consumer ready solution which will cover these high impact areas of your Model X's for a reasonable price. If anyone is interested in more details please let me know!

Intrested.

 

[EV-lutioin]

Update: My Tesla Service Center took one look at the thousands paint chips on my FWD's and front doors caused by regular paved highway driving and offered to repaint the doors and quarter panels, no charge. They picked up my car and delivered a MS loaner. Fantastic service! I am a bit nervous about the aftermarket paint job, but they assured me that they use a certified vendor who has extensive experience with MX's. Fingers crossed.

 

[EV-lutioin]

Intrested.

Unfortunately, the chips on my MX were not only on the flared portions of the FW doors, but also on the front doors... top to bottom. Basically, the chips were everywhere along the side of the vehicle and concentrated on the lower half of the doors. See my update from the Service Center in the post above. I agree that a full wrap is a good idea, and I feel like the paint job should be stout enough that wrapping is not required to maintain a reasonable level of paint quality on the sides of a car over time.

 

[Tim@adonisdetail]

One must also take into consideration EPA regulations for the type of paint used at Tesla's Fremont factory, they have much stricter standards on the type of chemicals and solids in the paint due to outgassing after the paint process. This results in a thinner or less durable finish as well.

 

[rainforest]

Unfortunately, the chips on my MX were not only on the flared portions of the FW doors, but also on the front doors... top to bottom. Basically, the chips were everywhere along the side of the vehicle and concentrated on the lower half of the doors. See my update from the Service Center in the post above. I agree that a full wrap is a good idea, and I feel like the paint job should be stout enough that wrapping is not required to maintain a reasonable level of paint quality on the sides of a car over time.

That's great news that they offered to paint the panels!

 

[rainforest]

My FWD are now starting to show these same chips. Disappointed. I'm surprised more owners haven't reported this problem.

 

[EV-lutioin]

My FWD are now starting to show these same chips. Disappointed. I'm surprised more owners haven't reported this problem.

What is your VIN? Word has it that it was a paint flaw with the first 3,000 MX's.

 

[rainforest]

What is your VIN? Word has it that it was a paint flaw with the first 3,000 MX's.

Around 30,000

 

[EV-lutioin]

Around 30,000

Interesting... can you share some photos?

 

[rainforest]

That's gonna be tricky. It's pretty small, but I'll try to take some photos in the next couple of days. It's nowhere near the other photos that were posted.

 

[Hans Allis]

Think I've got the same on my 25xxx VIN. I'll post pics when I have the car available, probably tomorrow.

 

[rainforest]

I can’t take photos unless my car is super clean. Will be a while, but it’s basically same as what already has been posted.

 

[Xcellent]

I looked at your photos you linked to. I'm not blaming you for all that paint damage, but your photo shows your car on a gravel surface and yet you posted "I haven't driven in any gravel". Which I find confusing.

Your paint damage certainly does seem unusual. The only solution I see is to repaint the entire door and then put film over it.

So my question is, are there any ultrasonic sensors in the X front doors and will covering them with a film interfere with their operation?

My entire X is wrapped w Xpel and falcon door sensors work normally. I had the same concern!

 

[rainforest]

Well my P90DL in black has all of the same plus more paint damage. Yes we had a difficult winter here in Vancouver but this is unacceptable paint wear for a car driven only 6000miles. My 8 year old Porsche Cayanne with over 70k on it has no such paint damage and looks a lot better. I'm now waiting to have a serious discussion about this with Tesla and expect them to repair not only the paint but the plastic molding around the wheel that has discoloured as the pictures show.

What did Vancouver service Centre say? I have the exact same issue on my blue X