Paint chips on hood after 2,000 miles?

[Mfp100dl]

You certainly did.

"Tesla’s paint is pretty soft due to the strict emissions regulations in California."

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[Mfp100dl]

Just get it wrapped and be happy that you got a Tesla... glass half full most would kill for cars like we have

 

[Candleflame]

i have heaps too on the front hood and only have like 14000km on it. I think if you dont drive in europe its basically unavoidable.

 

[Perscitus]

Its indeed unavoidable and can only be limited not avoided with either ceramic coating or PPF or even PPF + ceramic.

With enough time and as the miles rack up, debris, rocks/pebbles, sand, shell shards, etc will either damage the paint or damage the PPF and go right through the ceramic coating.

Either chips, nicks or micro tears and craters in the PPF, sometimes deep enough to damage the paint too.

Highways, parkways, expressways, interstates are not kept clean, car/truck rear designs and modern tire widths make it far more common to raise projectiles and car frontal designs like that of the 3 are a prime target.

 

[skgolf91]

like others said, just get the front end wrapped in PPF.. i did mine and i already have 2-3 decent size spots after 3000 miles where the rocks hit that almost semi-ripped the PPF off. Those alone was worth the money spent!

 

[Rottenapplr]

If you care bout your car get the ppf. Front is mandatory. I I don’t believe sides are necessary but if you got the cash go for it. I do a lot of highway driving 24k per year with tons of road trips and have had great results from my front ppf.

 

[AlexMasters]

Are your chips anything like this?. A car painter has told me that this may have been caused by a problem with a clear coat respray / repair pre-delivery..

Model 3 MSM paint - major problems with clearcoat

 

[Arif]

Well if the OP has several chips already as he states then even PPF may not sit flush. I have seen installs where the PPF will have a little ridge over imperfections. The installers said that sometimes it's the effect of preexisting blemishes.

Perhaps a re-spray/paint of the front end at a reputable paint shop might get him a better quality paint and clear coat that will hold up better than the factory version we all got?

 

[bpobill]

If Elon moves to Texas then maybe they will start using better paint. One can only hope.

 

[XLR82XS]

Your best bet is to have paint protection film installed while you still have paint left. Tesla’s paint is pretty soft due to the strict emissions regulations in California.

AGREED! I always have new cars wrapped the day I get them to avoid any debris damage - especially with Tesla quality paint.

 

[XLR82XS]

Perhaps a re-spray/paint of the front end at a reputable paint shop might get him a better quality paint and clear coat that will hold up better than the factory version we all got?

Any decent body will be able to provide a much better paint job than the factory.

 

[Jason Z]

The shop near me just quoted me $1750 for PPF for front bumper, hood, fender, mirror. I'm debating if it's worth it, sounds like if I add a few hundred dollars, I could just get those repainted? So why not just sustain the damage, touch up when necessary and after a few years repaint to brand new paint?

 

[Cho22]

The shop near me just quoted me $1750 for PPF for front bumper, hood, fender, mirror. I'm debating if it's worth it, sounds like if I add a few hundred dollars, I could just get those repainted? So why not just sustain the damage, touch up when necessary and after a few years repaint to brand new paint?

Thats a good price. My local shops quoted me anywhere between $1800-$2200 here in northern CA. Regardless of price, I will 100% be getting it as I do NOT want paint chips on my hood. Well worth the cost and for peace of mind. Not to mention, most PPF has a 10year warranty and lasts very long. Yes you can repaint your car, but do you really wana go through that hassle? Its not fun to get quotes from shops, have to wait several days, and also have them paint match the paint you've had on your car for years, which probably wont 100% match the new paint put on your hood/bumper etc

 

[shodnett]

I have had my car exactly one month and had Stek PPF installed on the front clip right after I took delivery. 1,200 miles later I have two rock chips on the right fender and a pretty good size one on the hood that damaged the ppf (not sure if the paint was damaged). I'd probably still get ppf if I had to do it over again but kind of disappointed with the results so far.

 

[Cho22]

I have had my car exactly one month and had Stek PPF installed on the front clip right after I took delivery. 1,200 miles later I have two rock chips on the right fender and a pretty good size one on the hood that damaged the ppf (not sure if the paint was damaged). I'd probably still get ppf if I had to do it over again but kind of disappointed with the results so far.

Is the paint actually chipped on the fender? PPF is supposed to be self healing and a plastic film. Must be a pretty large sized rock to cut through that material

 

[shodnett]

Yeah, I brought it back to the detailer who installed the ppf and he said they were some pretty good size rocks that hit it. He said he couldn't tell if there was any damage to the car until those pieces were removed.

 

[heavyD]

FWIW the Tesla approved body shop that looked at my car after delivery said Tesla paint is extremely soft because it makes it very easy for the delivery centers to correct flaws and scratches at delivery.