Vertical Scratches On Model S Window

[NorthEastUk]

I would like anyone who has a model S to have a close look at there door windows for thin vertical lines.

These lines are difficult to see unless you are looking for them and are caused by anything getting stuck in the seal at the bottom of the window.

Every Model S I have ever driven has had these issues to some level (4 in total)

I've seen on other threads that Tesla has sometimes resolved the problem or remedied it in other ways.

My question is, how many other people have this issue and given that it's a standard manufacturing/Design issue and Tesla have repaired the issues for some. Am I being unreasonable for them to fix this on my 3-year-old 16k warranty car?

 

[D.E.]

It is dust and grime that settles in the groove formed by the seal and the window, combined with opening and closing the window that causes the tiny scratches. The other cause is a dirty window with abrasive particles that get dislodged as you roll the window down. I assume it is normal wear and tear. If the scratches are difficult to see, then they are not interfering with the normal function of the window.

I’ve seen these on numerous cars, not just Teslas. I think it is unreasonable to expect Tesla to replace door windows due to these tiny scratches.

I don’t think dirty windows are Tesla’s problem. It’s the same with wipers, if you operate your wipers dry when your windshield is covered with dirt and sand, the wipers will scratch the windshield. That’s not a design issue, it’s a common sense issue.

 

[NorthEastUk]

I disagree, I've never owned a car where the windows scratch like this. (all four windows are scratched)

I wind my front window down regularly to get into my work car park and the driver's side is getting worse. I did exactly the same thing with a BMW for 6 years and I did not have this issue.

 

[D.E.]

You can disagree, my opinion doesn’t matter. Yours matters and Tesla’s position matters. You did ask, though.

You might be able to decrease future scratching by waxing the windows. It seems worth a try. Wet glass scratches more easily than dry slick glass.

 

[NorthEastUk]

Good advice, fair point.

 

[Hmdmayo]

I would like anyone who has a model S to have a close look at there door windows for thin vertical lines.

These lines are difficult to see unless you are looking for them and are caused by anything getting stuck in the seal at the bottom of the window.

Every Model S I have ever driven has had these issues to some level (4 in total)

I've seen on other threads that Tesla has sometimes resolved the problem or remedied it in other ways.

My question is, how many other people have this issue and given that it's a standard manufacturing/Design issue and Tesla have repaired the issues for some. Am I being unreasonable for them to fix this on my 3-year-old 16k warranty car?

Hi
I have the same issues.

Did you ever get tesla position on the matter?
Best regards
Mayo

 

[AustinP]

Early in 2015, a few months after delivery, I had quite obvious vertical scratches in the front. The SeC recognised it was a known issue back then due to the door handle, and in particular the plastic sheet that is glued to it, that would get lose & cause those scratches.
So if you have an older car, and the lines are direct "in line" with the door handle, there is that possibility.
Was fixed and now all good since then.

 

[fiuzatec]

I would like anyone who has a model S to have a close look at there door windows for thin vertical lines.

These lines are difficult to see unless you are looking for them and are caused by anything getting stuck in the seal at the bottom of the window.

Every Model S I have ever driven has had these issues to some level (4 in total)

I've seen on other threads that Tesla has sometimes resolved the problem or remedied it in other ways.

My question is, how many other people have this issue and given that it's a standard manufacturing/Design issue and Tesla have repaired the issues for some. Am I being unreasonable for them to fix this on my 3-year-old 16k warranty car?

"I've seen on other threads that Tesla has sometimes resolved the problem or remedied it in other ways."

How to solve(impossible) or minimize(think possible) this problem ? clean the scratches I mean

 

[Gandalf1979]

I purchased a used 2020 model S long range last December from Carmax. The vertical scratches were ABSOLUTELY a problem. So much so I forced them to replace the driver's side window completely (the scratch was very deep on the inside face of the window). Now, there seems to be something loose in the passenger front door panel and a new vertical scratch has appeared on the outside of the window. I'm taking the car into Tesla to have them review the insides of the door panel to verify what's going on. I agree that I've NEVER seen an issue like this on a vehicle since I started driving. Also, the driver's door panel keeps separating periodically.

 

[j.harris]

You have to keep the door felt clean or trapped dirt will cause a scratch. I always stop and clean the felt if I hear anything catching on the window. I realize this isn't normal for car ownership but I do think it's normal for frameless windows.

 

[hydro]

I find it ridiculous that Tesla has never improved on that felt part as I despise having scratched windows.

 

[KalJoMoS]

Driving in a climate that requires attention of stuck (frozen) window glass almost half a year I have grown with a habit to lubricate the outside seam with silicone oil. Although it is not treating the inside of the glass but this lubrication does cleans the felt part and keeps the windows clean and healthy rest of the year.
Just a side remark, my previous car had the same type of doors/windows and I starter such activity already back then. Tesla was not founded back then.

 

[hydro]

Driving in a climate that requires attention of stuck (frozen) window glass almost half a year I have grown with a habit to lubricate the outside seam with silicone oil. Although it is not treating the inside of the glass but this lubrication does cleans the felt part and keeps the windows clean and healthy rest of the year.
Just a side remark, my previous car had the same type of doors/windows and I starter such activity already back then. Tesla was not founded back then.

I’ve had previous cars with same type of frameless glass and did not lubricate and had no scratches. It’s easy to look around us and look for cars with similar engineering and observe how they perform. I’lol do that for the next couple of weeks and come back to report.

Peace out

Cheers

 

[The_Kilt]

I had the same issue looked at by my local tesla on Friday. Both front windows have vertical scratched which are very visible and you can feel with your nail. Both are at the front of the window in the view of the side mirrors. Then rear windows also have some very bad scratched, both seem to be along the front of the windows where the window slides against the vertical seal of the door frame, but on the outside. And one very bad scratch mid way. All windows sounded very bad when going up and down.

They inspected the doors and there were no obstructions, took the silver outer trim off and found dirt caught in the seal. Cleaned it and all windows sound much better now, but as it was an outside influence they would not change them.

Like others I have not seen this before with any previous cars, and pretty ridiculous to be honest. If they had this cleaning procedure in their general maintenance I could understand their position of not replacing under warranty, however Its not a “General maintenance”. It has scratched the actual glass too, its not a tint film so I will look at seeing if putting a tint on the windows will help with the aesthetics of the windows from the outside. Not much to do from the inside of the car to be honest.

 

[Zuikkis]

I’ve had previous cars with same type of frameless glass and did not lubricate and had no scratches.

Me too, but they were much older cars where the glasses were in bad shape anyway.

But it's worth noting that Tesla glass moves down an up every time you open and close the door. While that movement is very short, it's possible that it sucks in debris from the bottom part of the window.