Serious paint flaws discovered after delivery

[spb767]

We took delivery of our new 2021 Model Y on Friday. Car looked good on inspection. Had my PPF guy come to the house to install clear bra.
He discovered left front fender had paint chip near the headlight, and several other paint flaws in that panel. What is the process to get this fixed
and how does Tesla typically handle this?

 

[DanDi58]

We took delivery of our new 2021 Model Y on Friday. Car looked good on inspection. Had my PPF guy come to the house to install clear bra.
He discovered left front fender had paint chip near the headlight, and several other paint flaws in that panel. What is the process to get this fixed
and how does Tesla typically handle this?

Well, you can put in a service request but you'll need to determine how big a stink you'll want to make about it, since you've had the car 4 days now.... Not much different from any new car you've had for 4 days and discover paint flaws, I suspect.

 

[Stingray.Don]

Have the service center take a look at it. If it is an obvious flaw from the paint process (like a paint run), then they should fix it for you. If it is a chip, then it could have easily happened while you were driving and would not likely be covered.

 

[juli1]

Just for info, paint issues are not covered by the warranty and fixing them is at the discretion of the service center.

 

[spb767]

Ok, thanks guys. I’ll see if I can get a hold of the delivery center. The paint chip is pretty obvious had a occurred during car assembly. And then I have this weird paint glob at the corner of the fender

 

[Pianewman]

IMO, have the PPF guy rub out the scuff over the headlight. As for the blob, I've seen that on any number cars, at the bottom corner of a fender, or a hood.

If the depth of the paint all around is good, and fit and finish is good, I think it would be a mistake to have anyone mess with it. At this point, I would agree with my wife's grandfather's favorite TX saying, "Yer pickin' the fly *sugar* out of the pepper."

 

[jcanoe]

The white coating in the photos appears to be polishing compound. It should come off with a clean microfiber cloth and a little isopropyl or rubbing alcohol.

 

[spb767]

The white coating in the photos appears to be polishing compound. It should come off with a clean microfiber cloth and a little isopropyl or rubbing alcohol.

Wow.. yes, I didn’t think about that.. will check

 

[spb767]

IMO, have the PPF guy rub out the scuff over the headlight. As for the blob, I've seen that on any number cars, at the bottom corner of a fender, or a hood.

If the depth of the paint all around is good, and fit and finish is good, I think it would be a mistake to have anyone mess with it. At this point, I would agree with my wife's grandfather's favorite TX saying, "Yer pickin' the fly *sugar* out of the pepper."

Fair point!

 

[ToasterStrudel]

Stuff like that I feel like you shouldnt worry about, its not something you'll never notice. I never inspected my 4Runner when i got it new as I've seen some of the posts here find imperfections. I know that the couple times I've scuffed or scratched my car even just a couple mm it's hard to not notice, but over time you forget and you just enjoy the car. So I would check with the SC but if they dont do anything about it I really wouldnt worry too much about it. It's not worth the mental and emotional energy

 

[spb767]

Stuff like that I feel like you shouldnt worry about, its not something you'll never notice. I never inspected my 4Runner when i got it new as I've seen some of the posts here find imperfections. I know that the couple times I've scuffed or scratched my car even just a couple mm it's hard to not notice, but over time you forget and you just enjoy the car. So I would check with the SC but if they dont do anything about it I really wouldnt worry too much about it. It's not worth the mental and emotional energy

I think that’s where I’m headed, mentally. I appreciate that.

 

[mtndrew1]

I believe both of those areas have white polishing compound on them. Get in there and clean them off and I bet you’ll be a happy camper.

My car had a polishing compound blob on delivery and I nearly had a heart attack. They sent over a guy with a little brush or rag and a spray bottle and it was cleaned up in no time.

 

[longhorn8847]

I think 'serious' is a bit too much here. Re white compounds, I have those when I picked up my vehicle as well. As SC folk said, it was indeed polishing compound that was easily removed.

Well, chip, SC should be able to address if it wants too. If not, make sure to get PPF. Don't be like me and wait for 6+ months and be sad everytime you look at front bumper

 

[spb767]

I believe both of those areas have white polishing compound on them. Get in there and clean them off and I bet you’ll be a happy camper.

My car had a polishing compound blob on delivery and I nearly had a heart attack. They sent over a guy with a little brush or rag and a spray bottle and it was cleaned up in no time.

ok, thanks.. i’m traveling for work all week so I won’t be able to address this until Saturday. Then I’ll report back!

 

[spb767]

Guys, turns out that what looked like a series of paint chips by the headlight was indeed some kind of deposit from a wax or some other substance. Thanks so much to those that brought up this possibility!

 

[jeffbco]

Guys, turns out that what looked like a series of paint chips by the headlight was indeed some kind of deposit from a wax or some other substance. Thanks so much to those that brought up this possibility!

Surprised your PPF guy couldn't figure this out when he first looked at the car, Glad to hear it's been resolved.

 

[nate704]

I guess your PPF guy needs to be fired. Simple finger nail test could have found that out real quick.

 

[D.E.]

Tesla paint does chip badly, I got my first (and only) paint chip driving 2h home from the delivery center. I had PPF applied to the hood and leading surfaces and haven’t seen a single paint chip in the 4 years since.

 

[Pianewman]

Tesla paint does chip badly, I got my first (and only) paint chip driving 2h home from the delivery center. I had PPF applied to the hood and leading surfaces and haven’t seen a single paint chip in the 4 years since.

I've never read nor heard any proof for this statement, and I've done a TON of research. All paint is fragile after manufacture, and it all depends on how quickly cars get from the manufacturer to the customer.

 

[Pianewman]

I guess your PPF guy needs to be fired. Simple finger nail test could have found that out real quick.

Agreed. My detail/PPF guy, in business for 15 years, disputes the claim that Tesla paint is weak or of poor quality. QC is the issue, and we all know, the QC of Teslas has improved, but isn't top tier.