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PPF Voided The Paint Warranty on a Refreshed Model S?

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When I accepted my car I was told to log any issues I found within the first 24 hours and Tesla would fix them. There were no major panel gaps but there was a significant paint issue in the corner section of the front bumper. I logged it on my app and included a picture. I wasn’t able to get an appointment for over a month and decided to PPF my car (I commute to work).

I received a message from Tesla service saying that the PPF voided my warranty, even though this issue was logged the day I accepted my car. Has anyone else had this issue?
 

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If you are asking a legal question. . . No, putting PPF on does not void the warranty. That would be in violation of US federal law. Broadly speaking, companies cannot worm their way out of warranty obligations just because you modified the product, unless they can prove your modification caused the damage in question.

If you take Tesla to court, a judge will order them to do the warranty repair. The question then is, are you willing to take Tesla to court over this? If not, then I guess they can do (or not do) whatever they want.
 
Im very confused. I must not be understanding the post.
- You noted a paint issue.
- You expected Tesla to remedy the paint issue
- You then proceeded to spend (im estimating) $500 or more to cover OVER the paint defect area with PPF film

If we just pause right there...those three things combined are illogical..
 
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Im very confused. I must not be understanding the post.
- You noted a paint issue.
- You expected Tesla to remedy the paint issue
- You then proceeded to spend (im estimating) $500 or more to cover OVER the paint defect area with PPF film

If we just pause right there...those three things combined are illogical..
@2101Guy I can see how my post is a bit confusing. There is a lot of detail to the situation and I didn't want my post to be too long. The short answer to your question is that the PPF does not cover the paint issue. As you can see in the picture, the paint issue is right at the seam. The PPF that I had installed is laser cut and is not "tucked" into the seam. I PPF'ed my car because I accepted the car on 9/11 and the first available appointment in my area wasn't available until 10/22. This is my only car and I was concerned that the paint wouldn't hold up in the conditions I daily drive in (potential rock chipping).
 
I just got back from the service center. So the good news is Tesla is going to fully replace the front bumper at no cost to me (besides the cost to replace the PPF). It took a bit of back and forth with the manager and service advisor, but overall it was a good experience. Im still not 100% clear why adding PPF would void my paint warranty, I didn't push this issue during the appointment especially since the issue was resolved.

Thank you guys for the feedback.
 
The ppf is still a problem for them to reuse the old bumper if they just replace it. It will cost Tesla more money.

JC post after post you keep talking about the PPF like it's some abomination that is impossible to remove.

"It will cost Tesla money?" Ya think? :) Yeah it will cost them money to fix a defect that should not have been there to begin with and the PPF has nothing to do with it when all it takes is a hair dryer, a few fingers and a few minutes to remove the PPF.

Removing the PPF is a trivial non-issue. It's actually designed to be a sacrificial layer that can be easily removed.

I do agree that the OP should not have wrapped the panel with the paint damage because it will be fixed/replaced but the major issue here is not the OP's PPF but a car was delivered with a paint defect.
 
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I just got back from the service center. So the good news is Tesla is going to fully replace the front bumper at no cost to me (besides the cost to replace the PPF). It took a bit of back and forth with the manager and service advisor, but overall it was a good experience. Im still not 100% clear why adding PPF would void my paint warranty, I didn't push this issue during the appointment especially since the issue was resolved.

Thank you guys for the feedback.

Great news! Glad they made it right for you.
 
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JC post after post you keep talking about the PPF like it's some abomination that is impossible to remove.

"It will cost Tesla money?" Ya think? :) Yeah it will cost them money to fix a defect that should not have been there to begin with and the PPF has nothing to do with it when all it takes is a hair dryer, a few fingers and a few minutes to remove the PPF.

Removing the PPF is a trivial non-issue. It's actually designed to be a sacrificial layer that can be easily removed.

I do agree that the OP should not have wrapped the panel with the paint damage because it will be fixed/replaced but the major issue here is not the OP's PPF but a car was delivered with a paint defect.
If the owner of the car had mounted a radar detector on the front bumper and brought the car in to repair the paint, the dealer would reject the warranty repair -- and you know, radar detectors are very easy to remove. It is not the PPF that is the problem. The owner, confronted with the issue, can remove the modification and put the car back into its original, unmodified state.
 
If you are asking a legal question. . . No, putting PPF on does not void the warranty. That would be in violation of US federal law. Broadly speaking, companies cannot worm their way out of warranty obligations just because you modified the product, unless they can prove your modification caused the damage in question.

If you take Tesla to court, a judge will order them to do the warranty repair. The question then is, are you willing to take Tesla to court over this? If not, then I guess they can do (or not do) whatever they want.
Putting PPF on could be used as an easy out to void a paint warranty. PPF and wraps have caused paint damage to cars in the past, so it's not unimaginable. Yes, the manufacturer would have to show that the PPF caused the issue if you were to take it to court. The issue is most car manufacturers have endless money for legal counsel. By the time a consumer would be able to take a car manufacturer to court, it wouldn't be worth it from a time or financial stand point.

If you ever have a warranty issue in process, don't do anything stupid that could give the manufacturer an out before they fix it. It's like if you complain about engine noise on a new car and tune it before the dealership looks at it. Of course they're going to say you put a tune on the car, engine warranty is voided...bye.
 
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Not sure if there is an update from OP, but I do not understand the big lash. if one panel has issues and first available appointment is 30 days away and you commute daily, I see no problem to PPF the car to protect what is good. just leave that panel off or if you want to ppf it then expect that you have to remove the film for Tesla.

if you have that documented before you put PPF then keep pushing, take the car to your installer and let them remove that ppf and ask Tesla what damage do they see on that Panel beside the ONE YOU DOCUMENTED.