Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

To repaint or not to repaint

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I have non matching white doors. They agreed to repaint. I have had a loaner now for 3 weeks. Keep pushing and they will fix it.

That's great to hear they are repainting your doors. Other owners have not had such luck as you. The owner who posted about the massive amounts of dust getting into his MY, who then discovered his doors are all a different shade of white, was told by his SC nothing will be done about it.
 
Delivery went well for my AWD Blue/White. Quick first service appointment to take care of some basic issues - equal parts user-friendly and slightly frustrating, but no biggie.

The one questionable area is on the edge of the hood, midway between the T logo and the headlight...on the edge, there's a jagged, ripply kind of spot. It's barely noticeable when closed, and feels worse than it looks. Probably 2-3 inches long.

They first said they might sand it down, but were concerned (as was I) that this wouldnt look great or would create spot touchup issues.

They have also offered to repaint the entire hood - sand down, repaint at the collision center, the whole nine yards. My concern is matching - the rest of the paint and the hood paint match and condition is excellent, and I'd be concerned that the cure is worse than the pain in this case

The issue is enough to bug me a little, but it also looks fine when closed. The first two photos are the edge with the hood open, the third and fourth show it from the front (though the light catching it makes it look more noticeable than it is) and the fifth is from above. It's not NOT noticeable, but it's also not like OMG.

I'm sure some of you will say "YOU SHOULD HAVE REJECTED, TESLA WILL NEVER LEARN UNLESS YOU DO!" but I honestly don't care that much...however I do have a decision to make and since it costs me nothing, I figure i should make the better one.

Tesla-Edge.jpg

Tesla-edge-2.jpg

Inkedt3-LI.jpg

Inked-T4-LI.jpg

t5.jpg

The rest of the hoods looks beautiful and it's a factory paint job that uses brand specific specialized primer, paint and spraying techniques. I don't think any 3rd party down-the-street paint job will match the factory color or have the same durability, longevity or fade equally as the rest of the Y. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, these hoods are made of aluminum not steel and would require someone well-qualified and experienced in painting aluminum. I know seeing this annoys you, but you don't see it (really) when closed. Personally, I would live with this minor defect than to know my entire hood on my Y was sanded and repainted - IMO. Do what makes you feel comfortable! Best of Luck!
 
That's great to hear they are repainting your doors. Other owners have not had such luck as you. The owner who posted about the massive amounts of dust getting into his MY, who then discovered his doors are all a different shade of white, was told by his SC nothing will be done about it.
I showed up at the dealer within my 7 days ready to hand the car back to them. That may have something to do with it.
 
Very curious how well they are able to blend the drivers door to the rest of the car. Please keep us update!!
AS of this afternoon, I got a call from the Tesla SC saying that it was very poorly done and now going back for additional work. They have had it since 7/13. I wish I would have just given it back when I saw the issue on day 4.
 
  • Helpful
Reactions: raggedy
I picked up my Model Y a couple of days ago and the imperfections below were the only issues I found with the paint. Tesla will pay for an approved body should to remove, sand & repaint the bumper. As these marks are so small, I am not sure if it is worth the risk that the new paint won't be identical to the rest of the car in every way. Would love your thoughts?

GBH_3060.JPG
 
I picked up my Model Y a couple of days ago and the imperfections below were the only issues I found with the paint. Tesla will pay for an approved body should to remove, sand & repaint the bumper. As these marks are so small, I am not sure if it is worth the risk that the new paint won't be identical to the rest of the car in every way. Would love your thoughts?

View attachment 643832

to me, that’s not worth a repaint and should be easy to wet sand out with 3000 grit sandpaper and polish.. take it to a good local detailer to get their opinion and price, should not be much.. if you have experience to do it, it’s easy at home

repaint would involve potential for more defects from improper paint curing and application, uneven texture, likely mismatch with adjacent panels, introduction of dust nibs, even if your car is not getting painted, body shop will likely introduce paint overspray throughout your car if they are painting something else nearby and wind carries it, new paint will take months to cure and will be soft to rock damage in meantime
 
I picked up my Model Y a couple of days ago and the imperfections below were the only issues I found with the paint. Tesla will pay for an approved body should to remove, sand & repaint the bumper. As these marks are so small, I am not sure if it is worth the risk that the new paint won't be identical to the rest of the car in every way. Would love your thoughts?

View attachment 643832
your going to have about 10 of those littered all over the front of your car in 2 weeks anyway.
 
Do folks that have Tesla respray to fix paint defects, ever bother to use a paint meter to check the difference in the paint thickness? Used car dealers will use paint meters to detect previously done paintwork.
 
Hello, how did your door come out? I’m in the same situation
I had a very early build. They tried but it was never came back the same if I had seen it on delivery I would have refused the car. There were so many paint problems on my car, what was missing was sections of the clear coat and that never really got fix either, worst was you see whole side sections that didn’t dry properly and it was like the undercoat was just sliding down and they just skipped trying to dry it and moved on clearcoat parts of the paint, Looking my was like looking at my car was like being on a psychedelic trip. Fast for to 2022 MYP and the paint is prefect, No major gaps, Interior is perfect and the drive is solid, I would love to have a Austin Car but based on my experience I think I will set it out for a few years until they get the bugs worked out, Have feeling people are going to be desperate to get Fremont cars IMO.