Tesla: You'll Have to Wipe Dead Bugs and Bird Poop off Your Cybertruck ASAP to Avoid Corrosion

[usonian]

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/tesla-youll-have-to-wipe-dead-bugs-and-bird-poop-off-your-cybertruck-asap-to-avoid-corrosion/

Tesla’s Cybertruck prototype was impossible to ignore. This electric pickup featured a futuristic, angular design. Dramatically, Tesla chose to leave its stainless steel exterior unpainted. Fans asked why more cars aren’t offered with the same cool, bare metal look. But early Cybertruck buyers are finding the reason may be that paint actually does a lot to protect the metal body of your car.

...

(screensnap)


That’s right, stainless steel exposed to certain substances can corrode–and the Cybertruck is no different. So if you go for a drive in the summer and bugs splatter across the solid stainless “grille” of your Cybertruck, you’ll want to scrape them off immediately. And if you park your Cybertruck outdoors, you may need to scrub the tree sap and bird poop off daily during all summer.

In the winter, your Cybertruck will be exposed to road salt during every drive. And Tesla specifies that you’ll have to wash that off immediately too. Tar and grease from the road could be a year round problem. And Tesla adds that you may need a bottle of denatured alcohol to get those last two removed.

Someone posted from the owner's manual.



I like that "Tesla is not liable for damages" line.
They use it even when the factory is at fault with a crappy design or parts/manufacture.
Libertarianism, comrade!

[brush]

1. Hahahahahahaha. You mean clear-cote doesn't work on stainless steel?

Musk does it again.

[SarahD]

2. That's odd.

I thought they were made of Reardon Metal.

[rickford66]

4. Maybe they'll just shrug it off

[SarahD]

9. Ah, nice follow-up..

[Blue Owl]

3. Musk is so high-maintenance....

[RockRaven]

5. The stainless steel being "more resistant to dents and dings" is also

more hazardous to whoever your psychopathic ass crashes into because it does not crumple/deform like other cars which are actually designed to minimize human harm during collisions.

[usonian]

8. Makes one wonder.

Do these vehicles undergo crash tests, other than on the roads?

[Mopar151]

6. DeLorean owners can sympathize.....

Stainless ain't all that special! Works great when cleaned continuously....

[Mr.Bill]

7. I wonder if Deloreans had similar problems. n/t

[ExciteBike66]

10. Got to get a wrap and cover that cool looking stainless... bummer

[KS Toronado]

11. Never seen stainless corrode

So I went looking........

430
A ferritic steel, grade 430 forms easily but does not resist extreme temperatures or corrosion well. It’s often used for decorative purposes such as automotive trim. Grade 430 stainless steel is also commonly used in backyard barbecue grills. It is less expensive than grade 304 since it does not contain nickel.

So Musk uses the cheapest SS and then wants a fortune for the vehicles.

[usonian]

12. I remember "stainless" utensils from overseas that weren't.

And I have some supposedly chrome vanadium (?) bit sets that are are all rusted over.

Stainless isn't binary. It's a spectrum.

Apparently, the "steel" is a "steal", one of the jumbles for Tesla.

stale, least, steal, tales. ... more? I think I listed them all at one point.

Poor Nikola. His name is tarnished. Paint, it ain't.

[flvegan]

13. "Tesla's warning shocked some folks" that have never read their own owners manual.

Many owners manuals state you should immediately clean the vehicle surface from those very same things. For fun, I looked at the owners manual for another tough, off-roady type vehicle, the new Ford Bronco (Ford publishes lots of their owners manuals online). In it, it states: "Immediately remove fuel spillages, bird droppings, insect deposits and road tar from your vehicle. These items may cause damage to your vehicle's paintwork or trim over time."

I'm not defending Tesla in any way, so please don't get it twisted. I literally have zero interest in anything Tesla sells or has sold.

[usonian]

14. Paint usually comes with some hard coating to make it more durable and resistant to crud and the sun.

The SST has nothing of the sort. Not being a paint afficionado, I couldn't tell you what works.

Pretty obviously, it would have to be transparent, and I don't know of any such primer for SST.

The used market is going to be interesting as finishes tarnish, parts just fall off, and batteries run out of capacity.

Hertz dumped them.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/hertz-sell-about-20000-evs-us-fleet-2024-01-11/

[Old Crank]

15. I read somewhere

That stainless is harder to form. Plus they are using thicker than normal so it is harder yet to form. The biggest reason for the angular design comes from the material used .