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

Touch-up paint

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Does anyone know where one can buy touch-up paint in person? Apparently Tesla service no longer sells it’s at their locations and I’m having the car Xpeled early next week.. (small rock chip I want them to touch up before applying the Xpel)
 
Last week I asked the body shop for a small bottle of the paint for my M3, Midnight Silver Metallic. They told me it would just wash off since Tesla uses water-based paint. They said when Teslas are painted, they "bake" the paint on, so it doesn't wash off.
 
Don't bother unless you have a solid color. When you try to apply touchup paint to a metallic color the metallic in the paint concentrates and causes the color to look darker. No matter how nicely it is applied it will look like a 3 year old tried to do it with nail polish.

Most times even on a solid color you are better off leaving the small chip then have a touched-up chip stick out. I always tell people that touchup paint is more for corrosion protection than looks.
 
+1. My 20 y/o (last month) Honda Insight has chips all over the front of it's beautiful metallic green paint job. Fortunately the whole car is made of aluminum so I don't have to worry about corrosion. Wish that was true of my 15 y/o Dodge Sprinter RV. I understand why modern cars all come with plastic front and rear pieces.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RealAutoBody
Not trying to self-promote on this, but it pertains. The tri-coat red match is excellent. It is not so what is mentioned above about the metallics not able to match properly.

SMH, your video supports everything I said above. The spots where you touched up look darker because the metallics are concentrated... And that is with your expert application, sanding , buffing etc.

Your video is of metallic blue. I don't even have to see the metallic red to know it looks worse because of the way red covers. But hey, maybe you think you can still prove me wrong. Feel free to upload a video of the red metallic.
 
SMH, your video supports everything I said above. The spots where you touched up look darker because the metallics are concentrated... And that is with your expert application, sanding , buffing etc.

Your video is of metallic blue. I don't even have to see the metallic red to know it looks worse because of the way red covers. But hey, maybe you think you can still prove me wrong. Feel free to upload a video of the red metallic.
Have a red Tesla we can use? I’d be glad to! Or anyone else too, we’re happy to do the touch up, shoot a video and let the owner of the car report the results. We’re in Chino CA and happy to do this anytime!
 
Have a red Tesla we can use? I’d be glad to! Or anyone else too, we’re happy to do the touch up, shoot a video and let the owner of the car report the results. We’re in Chino CA and happy to do this anytime!

Hi Uri, I also have a metallic blue M3 with a small chip. Do you guys offer to do the fix? or just selling the paint? I'm just over here in Chino Hills. Thanks.