Tesla Model 3 brake caliper painting? / voiding warranty?

[natasha101]

I am interested in getting my brake calipers painted and wanted to find out if anyone else has got their calipers painted and if they have had any issues with their brakes after painting? Have you painted your calipers with them on or off the vehicle? I consulted with a technician who said they would paint the calipers while on the vehicle, however I heard that this method is dangerous in terms of getting paint in areas that were not intended to, causing performance issues to the brakes.

Also, would painting brake calipers void tesla warranty?

 

[Msjulie]

I had an alignment done since mine were painted, no one said a thing.

I would agree you don't want paint all over the place but it is possible to mask them properly, there's a thread in this forum about it..

Want painted calipers? Don't want to spend $600+ on them?

 

[Knightshade]

A manufacturer can't "void" a new car warranty simply for modding the car.

They can, however, deny coverage for any issue caused by the mod.

So if the dude painting your brakes screws up the brakes somehow, Tesla won't fix that under warranty... but if your stereo stops working having nothing to do with the paint job- still covered.

 

[mattjs33]

That really depends on the mod, and how liberally the OEM wants to apply the language in their warranty coverage to avoid paying. I've heard some pretty crazy stories in my time.

 

[Knightshade]

That really depends on the mod, and how liberally the OEM wants to apply the language in their warranty coverage to avoid paying. I've heard some pretty crazy stories in my time.

it really doesn't.

It's clearly spelled out in federal law.

The OEM must prove an aftermarket mod caused whatever issue they're wanting to not cover in order to be able to not cover it- and the rest of the warranty remains fully intact.

here's a copy of an alert the Federal Trade Commission sent out a while back reminding folks of this-


http://www.semasan.com/semaga/images/warranty_ftc.pdf


In particular-

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket part. Still, if it turns out that the aftermarket part was itself defective or wasn’t installed correctly, and it causes damage to another part that is covered under the warranty, the manufacturer or dealer has the right to deny coverage for that part and charge you for any repairs. The FTC says the manufacturer or dealer must show that the aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before denying warranty coverage

 

[mattjs33]

I'm quite familiar with aftermarket parts law with regard to warranties.

What I'm saying is I've heard of a lot of warranty issues with regards to stuff like "tunes" or aftermarket pulleys or whatnot, that you and I both would know did not cause a warranty failure if we objectively looked at it. Today's OBD systems can tell whether a non-factory programmer has been used, even if the car has been returned to factory spec in the meantime. Sometimes that's enough.

I agree with you, I doubt painted calipers would do anything, but if I wanted to be a stickler about it, I could argue the paint got into the hardware, causing uneven pad float and thus premature wear or any number of other things. Would it come down to that? Not saying it would but caveat emptor.

 

[wlmory52]

I'm curious about painting as well. My P3 had UGLY red caliper covers and either want o remove them or paint them. I want the performance, just not the show...way too old for that. I also want to remove the "DUAL MOTOR" letter and red stripe as well as not ever install the ridiculous spoiler. Anyone done any of these? I really would have preferred smaller wheels/tires, but can live with the 20" wheels once I get the USELESS summer tires replace with the Michelin All-Season.

 

[Msjulie]

My P3 had UGLY red caliper covers

Covers? Bought used?

Removing the badges is mostly easy, a good floss or other non-scratching strong thread and you can 'slice' them off the car.

 

[wlmory52]

Covers? Bought used?

Removing the badges is mostly easy, a good floss or other non-scratching strong thread and you can 'slice' them off the car.

Thanks for that advice, removing the badges the minute I get it home. and would love to ditch the caliper covers and put more sensible wheels/tires on it. I'm "old" and want a "SLEEPER".

 

[afadeev]

My P3 had UGLY red caliper covers and either want o remove them or paint them. [...] Thanks for that advice, removing the badges the minute I get it home. and would love to ditch the caliper covers and put more sensible wheels/tires on it. I'm "old" and want a "SLEEPER".

If you have Performance TM3, your calipers do not have "covers" - they are painted from the factory.
If red-painted calipers are not to your liking, you can certainly re-paint them to any color you like, including black. Just make sure you buy high-temp resistant (e.g.: BBQ application) paint.

Previous comments about properly cleaning & masking, or taking the calipers off the car to sand blast and then powder-coat them, fully apply.

I really would have preferred smaller wheels/tires, but can live with the 20" wheels once I get the USELESS summer tires replace with the Michelin All-Season.

As to the wheels - go for it. There is a ton of options to choose from.
The smartest thing to do would be to keep summer tires on one set of wheels, and winter tires on another for your Chicago climate.
However, you can also go with compromise all-season tires that under-perform in all seasons, if that's your thing.

a

 

[wlmory52]

If you have Performance TM3, your calipers do not have "covers" - they are painted from the factory.
If red-painted calipers are not to your liking, you can certainly re-paint them to any color you like, including black. Just make sure you buy high-temp resistant (e.g.: BBQ application) paint.

Previous comments about properly cleaning & masking, or taking the calipers off the car to sand blast and then powder-coat them, fully apply.



As to the wheels - go for it. There is a ton of options to choose from.
The smartest thing to do would be to keep summer tires on one set of wheels, and winter tires on another for your Chicago climate.
However, you can also go with compromise all-season tires that under-perform in all seasons, if that's your thing.

a

appreciated, I'll probably go the all-season route, ultimate performance is not my interest. I'll research what specific tire options there are w/ 19" rims, my "complaint" is that there is only one 20" all-season tire that fits! My twin-turbo A6 came with performance summer-only tires also and it only took one dusting to slide into a granite curb to break a $400 rim. At least then Perelli's were also OEM and I've driven 88k safe, albeit under-performing miles since then in every kind of weather.

 

[sbtz]

I'm curious about painting as well. My P3 had UGLY red caliper covers and either want o remove them or paint them. I want the performance, just not the show...way too old for that. I also want to remove the "DUAL MOTOR" letter and red stripe as well as not ever install the ridiculous spoiler. Anyone done any of these? I really would have preferred smaller wheels/tires, but can live with the 20" wheels once I get the USELESS summer tires replace with the Michelin All-Season.

If you ever want to sell the "ridiculous" spoiler, let me know

 

[wlmory52]

If you ever want to sell the "ridiculous" spoiler, let me know

delivery tomorrow...."purportedly", lost count how many times they've given dates