White Paint Bumper mismatch

[P90D]

White is tough.
Given how easily Tesla makes the concession to have a local body shop refinish a new car, they know it's completely off.
Look at a Porsche since about 2007 and the bumper cover polyurethane will match the fender metal.
This is a wide mismatch of tint and texture. I imagine all the solids are a mismatch, too, just less striking under most lighting conditions. Hopefully "mid 2018" Model 3s will be far better (as a result of Elon's renovation of the production line.)
I'm hovering over the order button waiting to hear of people ecstatic with the quality of their Mid 2018 Model 3. I imagine Tesla has a hundred thousand customers like me checking these forum sites for good news from the front.

 

[Fusion]

They definitely need to tweak the spray machines. There seems to be some run-off of paint on the bottom side of almost every car. I have it on both side, however i'm ignoring it because it's on the bottom and not noticeable but it does need to be corrected.

 

[Fluffy]

@Fusion, can you share some details on your VIN?

 

[Fusion]

@Fusion, can you share some details on your VIN?

17xxx.

Seems like all the paint was pretty good from all the white ones I saw that day.

 

[flashflooder]

17xxx.

Seems like all the paint was pretty good from all the white ones I saw that day.

I was just assigned a VIN for my White/Aero car, and it's 173xx. Seeing your post makes me feel much better... was getting anxious seeing some of the photos/reports floating around. Some of them look quite bad.

 

[dgaultiere]

I was just assigned a VIN for my White/Aero car, and it's 173xx. Seeing your post makes me feel much better... was getting anxious seeing some of the photos/reports floating around. Some of them look quite bad.

I picked up Pearl White with sport end of April, VIN 185xx, and it looks much better than most of the photos I’m seeing. Not perfect but close enough that you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for it.

 

[rodrego]

Great news! Mine is 197XX. Delivery 5/25.

 

[pipplo]

I picked up Pearl White with sport end of April, VIN 185xx, and it looks much better than most of the photos I’m seeing. Not perfect but close enough that you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking for it.

I saw a 17000 VIN in the parking lot today and compared to my 14000. It's pretty much the same, and it's wholly dependent on the lighting and angle of viewing. I think some people definitely have it really bad but i don't see any difference from 17xxx to 14xxx VINs myself.

 

[Transhine]

Im in the detailing business and we see that variation in color all the time. the problem is rather scientific about how paint dries on Plastic parts vs. metal parts. It has something to do with drying time and evaporation and that's enough said.
Lighter metallic paints show it more, but it should only be a slight/almost imperceptible difference. But, now that every Tesla owner whol has a pearl paint job is 'fixated' on it, you see it more. From Porsche to Prius the plastic and metal parts are not exactly the same, even if painted with the same batch. Non metallic are better matching.

Next time you are in a parking lot on a sunny day, have a walk around and you will start to see the problem is not just a Pearl Tesla bumper topic. Certainly white and pearl have the best chance of showing a variance. Bright silvers, cream color cars, bright or light colors show it more.

I would agree with everyone on the complaint, why cant they match it better, you got me. Unfortunately it is science, or physics. the answer to why plastic and metal dry differently can be found if you gotta know. Also, the color match problem holds true for all the plastic parts on the car. Mirrors, fins, side moldings and all the other plastic parts will not exactly match, its not just the bumpers.

 

[ergela]

i1Tesla youtube video on this issue.

 

[supernoman]

They managed to get the front bumper ok so why the problem with the rear? Every drive, I stare at white cars whose bumper actually match the rest of the car.
I may complain about it.

 

[dgaultiere]

There’s definitely a range here. Some of them look really obvious and horrible, others look pretty normal and are only noticeable if you’re looking very closely.

 

[Indy3]

HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!

After sending my service advisor photos of my bumper, they offered to repaint it just off the photos. I just picked the Model 3 up from the body shop and it looks MUCH better (to me).

I tried to get the same camera angles as my before photos. I would put the end result in the category of reasonably expected variance in paint color between plastic bumper and metal body pieces.

If you look close enough there is a difference (like a lot of pearlized or metallic paint color cars I have looked at since), but it is no longer glaringly obvious from a distance. It no longer looks like Pearl Ivory Multicoat on my bumper. Huge sigh of relief.

I just didn’t want to live life like the the guy on the forum whose coworkers mock him for having what looks like an aftermarket bumper. (Sorry that guy. Your tale of shame motivated me to get mine repainted ASAP before my jealous coworker noticed and did the same to me).

I will say that I expected some bumps in the road being an early adopter as Tesla works out the production kinks, so I am not at all upset by these minor hiccups. That said, I am SUPER impressed and happy with Tesla’s service! Unreal and completely unlike any other auto manufacturer. Great communication, very accommodating, no pushback ever, just great customer service. Well done Tesla!

BEFORE (on Left)
AFTER (on Right)

 

[dgaultiere]

HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!

After sending my service advisor photos of my bumper, they offered to repaint it just off the photos. I just picked the Model 3 up from the body shop and it looks MUCH better (to me).

I tried to get the same camera angles as my before photos. I would put the end result in the category of reasonably expected variance in paint color between plastic bumper and metal body pieces.

If you look close enough there is a difference (like a lot of pearlized or metallic paint color cars I have looked at since), but it is no longer glaringly obvious from a distance. It no longer looks like Pearl Ivory Multicoat on my bumper. Huge sigh of relief.

I just didn’t want to live life like the the guy on the forum whose coworkers mock him for having what looks like an aftermarket bumper. (Sorry that guy. Your tale of shame motivated me to get mine repainted ASAP before my jealous coworker noticed and did the same to me).

I will say that I expected some bumps in the road being an early adopter as Tesla works out the production kinks, so I am not at all upset by these minor hiccups. That said, I am SUPER impressed and happy with Tesla’s service! Unreal and completely unlike any other auto manufacturer. Great communication, very accommodating, no pushback ever, just great customer service. Well done Tesla!

BEFORE (on Left)
AFTER (on Right)

This is great news. How long did they have it at the body shop? Do you know if they did any "blending" or just a repaint on the bumper?

 

[Indy3]

Does not appear to be any blending. They had it 4 days, but that was partially due to my schedule as I was out of town for work.

 

[Faustic]

Looks like delivery of my pearl white is being delayed from this Friday because of this bumper paint mismatch issue (VIN 17XX). Apparently this was the only cosmetic issue they found after their inspection. The fact that they spotted this gives me confidence in their inspection (or it was just so blatantly obvious).

The DS gave me two options: 1) Delay delivery and wait for the body shop to complete the repaint, no exact time frame given yet...he's going to contact me later when he speaks with the body shop manager or 2) Receive a new VIN and wait for a new car to make its way across country to Florida.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I have a trade in which will be invalid soon because I drive about 400-500 miles a week (I will exceed 1000 miles). I could go through with the trade to retain the value but I don't have a spare car.

 

[flashflooder]

Looks like delivery of my pearl white is being delayed from this Friday because of this bumper paint mismatch issue (VIN 17XX). Apparently this was the only cosmetic issue they found after their inspection. The fact that they spotted this gives me confidence in their inspection (or it was just so blatantly obvious).

The DS gave me two options: 1) Delay delivery and wait for the body shop to complete the repaint, no exact time frame given yet...he's going to contact me later when he speaks with the body shop manager or 2) Receive a new VIN and wait for a new car to make its way across country to Florida.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I have a trade in which will be invalid soon because I drive about 400-500 miles a week (I will exceed 1000 miles). I could go through with the trade to retain the value but I don't have a spare car.

Uh oh. You’re the first 17xxx VIN I’ve seen reporting this issue. I’ve got 173xx being delivered next week and more than a little anxious.

 

[ergela]

Looks like delivery of my pearl white is being delayed from this Friday because of this bumper paint mismatch issue (VIN 17XX). Apparently this was the only cosmetic issue they found after their inspection. The fact that they spotted this gives me confidence in their inspection (or it was just so blatantly obvious).

The DS gave me two options: 1) Delay delivery and wait for the body shop to complete the repaint, no exact time frame given yet...he's going to contact me later when he speaks with the body shop manager or 2) Receive a new VIN and wait for a new car to make its way across country to Florida.

Not exactly sure what to do at this point. I have a trade in which will be invalid soon because I drive about 400-500 miles a week (I will exceed 1000 miles). I could go through with the trade to retain the value but I don't have a spare car.

I would ask to see it in person. Tesla has also offered to paint my bumper. My fear with this is if the body shop they use wants to blend into the quarter panels and trunk to match, it would add paint to the car which can be assumed to be a fix because of a wreck when it comes to resale. I'm still trying to decide if I want them to paint it or if I can live with it. Some cars are worse than others, but I have yet to see a perfect rear bumper on a white model 3. A friend is taking delivery of a 17xxx white model 3 next week, will see how his turns out. If you want to completely avoid this issue, I would ask for a new car in a different color. The pearl white multicoat is an amazing color, but if I were given the option, i'd swap it for another color. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

 

[Faustic]

I would ask to see it in person. Tesla has also offered to paint my bumper. My fear with this is if the body shop they use wants to blend into the quarter panels and trunk to match, it would add paint to the car which can be assumed to be a fix because of a wreck when it comes to resale. I'm still trying to decide if I want them to paint it or if I can live with it. Some cars are worse than others, but I have yet to see a perfect rear bumper on a white model 3. A friend is taking delivery of a 17xxx white model 3 next week, will see how his turns out. If you want to completely avoid this issue, I would ask for a new car in a different color. The pearl white multicoat is an amazing color, but if I were given the option, i'd swap it for another color. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Unfortunately they were going to send it to the body shop today, so wouldn't have time to look at it. Depending how long it takes to repaint and how busy the shop is, I may ask for a new color configuration (red was my alternate choice). No guarantee this issue won't crop up again with another pearl white.

 

[rodrego]

Interesting. Did your DS specifically reach out and tell you about this issue or did you ask about the bumper specifically? I’m picking up my white model 3 on Saturday. It was originally supposed to be a week later, but they called me yesterday and said it came in early. I haven’t specifically asked them if color mismatch exists.