I see that there is no rust warranty with model 3. Is this a concern for you folks? Are there concerns with rust proofing? Does anyone have any advise or thoughts. At the price I’m paying, this car needs to last.
Thanks
Thanks
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Rust proofing? Rust warranty?
- Thread starter Cdnman0
- Start date
Neo1974
Member
I had my black Model 3 treated to Krown last week. Indeed I want it to last, as I am of the type to buy my cars new and keep them until they die, so I don't want to gamble on rust, a complete unknown on this car, the first model that Tesla builds with steel...
So I went to the Krown dealer on Catherine in Ottawa, a store I have been visiting for years with my previous cars, as Tyler the manager accepted to hoist up the car for free and see whether he was confident on doing the job. I also brought him diagrams of the location of key components (battery, high power cables, drive unit, etc) and the ones showing which part are made of steel vs. aluminum. He accepted and asked me to show up with the frunk plastic cover removed (which I did).
He and his team took care and extra time to do the job, including removing the panel to access the rear drive unit in the bottom of the car. I gladly accepted to pay an add-on for this hassle and I am very satisfied with the outcome, as none of the millions of sensors of my model 3 is getting crazy. So, at least in Ottawa, there is someone that knows now how to rust proof a model 3 properly…
So I went to the Krown dealer on Catherine in Ottawa, a store I have been visiting for years with my previous cars, as Tyler the manager accepted to hoist up the car for free and see whether he was confident on doing the job. I also brought him diagrams of the location of key components (battery, high power cables, drive unit, etc) and the ones showing which part are made of steel vs. aluminum. He accepted and asked me to show up with the frunk plastic cover removed (which I did).
He and his team took care and extra time to do the job, including removing the panel to access the rear drive unit in the bottom of the car. I gladly accepted to pay an add-on for this hassle and I am very satisfied with the outcome, as none of the millions of sensors of my model 3 is getting crazy. So, at least in Ottawa, there is someone that knows now how to rust proof a model 3 properly…
pcons
M3 AWD+
Neo1974
Member
pcons
M3 AWD+
That's not bad. I'll probably do something similar for that price . Though I'm not in Ottawa so would have to find a local place here. Lots of model s and 3 near me though so there is probably a place.
How often do you have to re apply it? Yearly or a one time shot?
They obviously want to sell it to you yearly and their warranty (if it matters to you) depends on it. I never have. I’ve used Krown forever. Spray first year and then about every 2 or 3 years after that. I have also on occasion had a quick bottom respray done usually for 1/2 price.
On the 3 hood and doors are aluminum so minimal attention needed. Critical areas will include the front and rear wheel well lips, steel rockers, steel quarter panels and especially the inside seams on the steel trunk lid.
Really like what @Neo1974 did. Worked with the boss who was flexible. If I decide to winter drive the 3 (I probably won’t) I’ll do the same where I live. I like the Krown owner here.
On the 3 hood and doors are aluminum so minimal attention needed. Critical areas will include the front and rear wheel well lips, steel rockers, steel quarter panels and especially the inside seams on the steel trunk lid.
Really like what @Neo1974 did. Worked with the boss who was flexible. If I decide to winter drive the 3 (I probably won’t) I’ll do the same where I live. I like the Krown owner here.
Well, any of the aluminum components will not rust. I can’t speak to the entire car but I doubt every piece is aluminum.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Anything steel will eventually rust. But the steel coatings and rust inhibitors used today are not like those of the past. My 2008 Tahoe hybrid (with only an aluminum hood like the 3) has seen the worst of salt on the roads in the mountain passes in the winter for a decade now, and also we live by the salty coastal air. There's no body panel rust but of course there's rust underneath in the chassis, none of which is of any concern. But I do take good care of it and I don't let the salt and grime sit on it long if I can help it.
My 3 won't see the salty winter roads nearly as much and someone pulling out parts and undercoating it seems unnecessary and a bit concerning to me should something not work and Tesla blames the coating, but that seems unlikely, and the price sure sounds good. It's rare for me to get a shop bill for labour and parts under $200. It must be quickly applied.
+1. Not too concerned in Vancouver. Since we don't use as much salt compared to the east coast, but during heavy snow they do.
That's right, not every piece is aluminium. I recall that was mentioned before the 3 was announced to keep the cost down.
Model 3 is a combination of alloys that make up the car - Tesla Model 3: here’s the alloy mix of the Model 3 body
Agreed. Key here is not letting it sit. I got lazy one year and the salt ate away at my wheels.
5_+JqckQttqck
Active Member
Can plastidip be used to coat the wheel wells to protect against dirt buildup and moister getting behind the panels into the underside?
pcons
M3 AWD+
Probably would work, but I bet it would end up much more expensive. Plastidip is around $20/can and you would probably need at least 2 per wheel well since you need approx 1 per rim if doing rims and the wheel well is way more surface area to cover. Also, you would need about 10 layers to get something thick enough I would think, so it would take a while to do. At that point just easier to get the whole car done if it is only gonna be $200-ish.
As I recall, most, of not all, of the exterior surfaces of any Tesla are aluminum, and the grade of aluminum is very resistant to corrosion.
Steel is largely confined to internal structural pieces.
I’m undercoating mine and keeping an eye on it.
Steel is largely confined to internal structural pieces.
I’m undercoating mine and keeping an eye on it.
M109Rider
Active Member
I’ve seen several videos where the 3 has steel on certain body parts, not just the inside components.
Will not let my Model 3 come anywhere near any so-called rustproofing shops. It neither needs it, nor proven to benefit from any protection against typical Ontario winters. OTOH, coating the underbody may indeed be counter-productive in terms of interfering with the battery's thermal management, plus being a potential impediment to Tesla's proprietary body shop procedures and parts installation. In the winter, I intend to install a set of winter tires and drive the Model 3 as usual, and then once a week through an automated car wash that also cleans the undercarriage.
M109Rider
Active Member
Well, you’re more certain than Tesla or the proprietary body shops you’re referencing.
I’m not sure where you found out it wasn’t needed. Of course it isn’t proven to need it, the car just came out.
If you were told by a service advisor, I would take that with a grain of salt. (Pun intended).
The advisor I spoke with, while he was doing his best to help, changed his mind about this topic the more I inquired. He is now looking further into it.
I’ve called Tesla, and one of their proprietary body shops.
The model S and X are aluminum for the most part. The model 3 is not all aluminum.
Tesla does not warranty rust as per the tech I spoke with. They warranty paint defects, but nothing he could find addressed rust.
He also didn’t know if rust proofing would affect the car or not.
That’s too much uncertainty for me, since there are no model 3’s that have seen enough winter for anyone to know if they will or won’t rust long term from salt exposure.
Also, the Tesla body shop I spoke to didn’t have a problem with rust proofing being counter productive, or impeding any work he would need to do. He just also didn’t know if it would affect the car itself in any way.
He didn’t seem to see it as a big problem, but he didn’t know.
So, Tesla said they would call me back, with an answer. Until then, no one seems to know if rust proofing is needed, or if the oil sprayed would affect the cars functionality.
All we know, is the car has steel body parts.
My BMW has a 12 year warranty against rust, and after 10 years, it’s still rust free with no rust proofing, and it has lots of steel.
If Tesla is the same, great. Something tells me, rust proofing may be a good idea...
I love this car, and Tesla. If it needs rust proofing, I have no problem doing it.
I just want to do it without damaging anything.
If a Tesla engineer could confirm a bit of a procedure the rust proofing companies could safely follow, I would be a happy camper.
Who knows, maybe it just doesn’t need it. That would be great, but I would like to hear that from someone at Tesla who is a little more technical.
Well, you’re more certain than Tesla or the proprietary body shops you’re referencing.
I’m not sure where you found out it wasn’t needed. Of course it isn’t proven to need it, the car just came out.
If you were told by a service advisor, I would take that with a grain of salt. (Pun intended).
The advisor I spoke with, while he was doing his best to help, changed his mind about this topic the more I inquired. He is now looking further into it.
I’ve called Tesla, and one of their proprietary body shops.
The model S and X are aluminum for the most part. The model 3 is not all aluminum.
Tesla does not warranty rust as per the tech I spoke with. They warranty paint defects, but nothing he could find addressed rust.
He also didn’t know if rust proofing would affect the car or not.
That’s too much uncertainty for me, since there are no model 3’s that have seen enough winter for anyone to know if they will or won’t rust long term from salt exposure.
Also, the Tesla body shop I spoke to didn’t have a problem with rust proofing being counter productive, or impeding any work he would need to do. He just also didn’t know if it would affect the car itself in any way.
He didn’t seem to see it as a big problem, but he didn’t know.
So, Tesla said they would call me back, with an answer. Until then, no one seems to know if rust proofing is needed, or if the oil sprayed would affect the cars functionality.
All we know, is the car has steel body parts.
My BMW has a 12 year warranty against rust, and after 10 years, it’s still rust free with no rust proofing, and it has lots of steel.
If Tesla is the same, great. Something tells me, rust proofing may be a good idea...
I love this car, and Tesla. If it needs rust proofing, I have no problem doing it.
I just want to do it without damaging anything.
If a Tesla engineer could confirm a bit of a procedure the rust proofing companies could safely follow, I would be a happy camper.
Who knows, maybe it just doesn’t need it. That would be great, but I would like to hear that from someone at Tesla who is a little more technical.
Tesla is not shortchanging the Model 3 compared to the S or the X when it comes to applying anti-corrosion treatment to the entire body-in-white (the steel frame, the doors, the hood and the trunk lid). I remember being present at a competitive analysis tech gathering shortly after mass release of the Model 3, where it was discussed that at the Tesla paint shop, the entire body-in-white (whether it's a Model 3 or a Model S/X) is submerged in an anti-corrosion treatment bath to achieve a 20 microns layer of electro-coating solution. Unprotected aluminum is just as susceptible to salt effects as unprotected steel, and the quality of the materials matters too, of course. Like the S and the X, there are no rust-proofing requirements specified for the Model 3, and yet the battery is warranted for 8 years, indicating a much longer expected life span than just 8 years in order to safeguard all structures, supporting or ancillary, around the underbody, in terms of guarding against corrosion encroachment. Although the Model 3 is new, it's not an unknown quantity, in that it uses nothing exotic compared to other luxury automakers' material usage and whose metallurgical properties are not well documented. As you said, if your BMW provides a 10 year warranty, then I see no reason to worry any more for the Model 3 either because the quality is at least as good in the Model 3, and probably better in terms of undercarriage protection.
Similar threads
