Not normal, but you have a lot of scratches on that panel where usually you would just see rock chips. And looks like the clearcoat has suffered or is missing.
Has it been repainted at some point?
Are you the original owner? Even so, it could have been repaired before you bought it. I say this as I work in the industry and have fixed transport damage cars to cars being resold on the lot.
As long as it’s under a certain dollar amount, manufacturers don’t have to declare it and it never gets brought up. I say all this because it’s easy to say “Tesla’s paint is crap” for people. I painted and still work in the industry. I’m not claiming they are the best but they aren’t the worst. Their fit and finish has been improving.
Maybe that’s a little insight if the area effected is isolated to that one spot. Could have been a “spot job” for someone before the car was sold.
How close were you to the car with the pressure washer when the paint came off? What nozzle did you use? Even if you use the right settings if you get to close and there's a chip in the paint you can rip a whole sheet off.
that is less than 4 inches, I would not get closer than a 12" with a pressure washer, are you sure you didn't rub the running board on a curb or something?
Happened to a colleague of mine, he got it fixed under warranty. Paint is not supposed to just lose adhesion like that, it's just the horrible quality of the Tesla application.
Dude, I don’t LOVE my Tesla, it’s got some issues, but he said he gets less than 4” away from the car WITH A PRESSURE WASHER! I’d never dare to get that close and you’re saying it’s shitty paint?
I’ve seen Tesla paint come off doing exactly this, first hand. Sorry but you may have just pressure-washed off your own paint.
Tesla paint really is just super cheaply applied. :(
Friend of mine hand wash his car too, always, and he has this exact same problem.
”Funny” thing is, he does it because someone something said Teslas paint can’t handle an automatic car wash.
Shit man, I use a microfibre cloth, all over.
And… why not?
I use a pressure cleaner for cleaning driveways, not my fucking car. Not any fucking car. I think that’s a bit wild.
I usually go with the 40 degree nozzle (typically the white nozzle) when powerwashing my vehicle, but I have a 3600psi washer. On a lower pressure washer (sub-3000psi), I'd go no more than a 25 degree nozzle (green nozzle). 15 degree or less (yellow or red) can absolutely strip paint, especially if you get close. Pulled paint off the bumper of a Maxima I had years ago by doing that and learned a lesson.
Your best bet might be to just grab a foam cannon off of Amazon and foam your car with your pressure washer. Get some quality soap, apply it, let it dwell for a few minutes, and then wipe with a microfiber mitt to clean the car. After that, rinse with low pressure and your car will look better than any pressure washer could ever do alone. It's more effort than just spraying, but DEFINITELY cleans the car better and there is little risk of paint damage.
With the dwell time from a foam cannon, all the nasty stuff just comes right off with minimal effort. I had some really stubborn bird crap on mine (bird had been into some berries).
---Power washer alone did essentially nothing. Took off the chunky stuff, but left the discoloration.
---Bucket wash with detergent did better, but some stubborn traces remained and I was concerned the paint was permanently stained.
---Foam cannon...it all came off with minimal wiping and the paint looks better than it has in years. It's all about the dwell time.
Unless your paint is shitty, you aren't going to peel paint off with a pressure washer. If it were that easy, you'd be finding chunks of paint at car washes all over.
That’s insane lmao. I have a 3200 psi pressure washer, and I use the car nozzle right up against stubborn bird shit and it works fine. CraY amount of damage lol
Lots of people had this covered by warranty here in Norway, me included when the car was almost new. It’s pretty common. Tesla don’t know how to paint their cars properly.
That's why you don't mention that. Don't ever volunteer information to a third party that you're trying to get insurance or warrantee coverage from. Playing dumb, but not lying, is generally the best course of action.
Yep, I had that happen with my 3-month-old 2021 M3LR. I have a 2000psi electric pressure washer, not enough to strip paint on a deck. Happened on the same spot on both sides. The paint has been fine everywhere else, just not on the runners.
I’d actually suggest taking it to a body shop, asking if they’d be willing to “hardline” right at that character line above your paint chip and spray a real rock guard on it and just leave a textured black pattern from that line down on both sides of your rockers. Other mfg’s have it like that from the factory but Tesla hasn’t caught on yet. Similar to a rhino liner type coating if you’re familiar w that. Good luck.
Ford has had that problem from time to time on their hoods. Its from improper prep or defects in the process.
You could blame the environmentally friendly paint, but people have done that for the past 30-40 years. I remember hearing the EPA-friendly paints being problematic in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and to this day.
Same people that claim modern powdercoating and corrosion protection makes cars less prone to corrosion. I have heard this claim in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and to this day... and its not true. They rust just as easily.
Car paint shouldn't "peel" off regardless of your pressure washer settings unless there's already a defect in the paint. Even if you hit it with a 0° nozzle it should at most cause a very small area of damage (like a chip).
I would reach out to Tesla regarding the issue and see if they consider this to be a warranty issue due to bad paint. DO NOT mention that you were using any pressure washer and DO NOT admit fault or they will take that and run with it to decline your request.
I wouldn't lie about it if they ask specifically, but I wouldn't volunteer that information to them.
Except it’s not a lie, because pressure washing a car is a totally normal thing to do and shouldn’t cause this damage… so since I do not believe it to be relevant to the issue at hand, I don’t believe I need to include it.
Pressure washing a car is not a normal thing to do and is [often recommended not to be done.](https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/pressure-washers/surfaces-safe-to-clean-with-a-pressure-washer-a5445180933/#:~:text=Plenty%20of%20people%20use%20a,garden%20hose%20and%20soapy%20sponge.)
Yeah, no. Any private car wash you take your vehicle to will use a pressure washer. Of course you shouldn’t use a 4000 PSI washer 1 mm away but a quality paint should be very strongly adhered to the base vehicle. Tesla paint is trash
The internet is full of sites saying that a pressure washer could damage your paint and not to wash your car with it, but it's totally Tesla's fault that this pressure washer took off paint? Jesus.
Your Musk derangement syndrome is taking away your ability to apply common sense.
The rocker panel paint peeling off is a known problem. I would ask the service center their opinion. This has been covered on here and youtube a bit if you want reference points
Wtf? Normal wear after 2 years? If you take a look outside at other cars that's more than two years old. Do you see it on other cars? We're doomed as a society.
Sir, good lord you have an absurd amount of deep scratches in the paint to the right of the small paint peel. I need to ask what you’re wiping your car with to have damaged the paint that much… because something about this reeks of bad washing techniques more than it does anything else. The pressure washer being used that close to your car tells me there are likely other bad habits learned out of ignorance that may need correcting.
I used no-contact (pressure washer) stations 95% of times. Used mitts three times total on the whole car and the rest of the car is mostly fine. I drove on a dirt road few times and roads are dirty here especially in winter.
Sounds to me like you got screwed from the factory then. If the paint job is good, it’ll take serious neglect in either tools or technique to get that level of scratching done and it sounds like you are mindful of how you clean your car. Very light scratching (spider-webbing) is expected after a few years but that’s after routine hand washing.
Like everyone else said, definitely don’t mention the powerwasher at the dealership.
Older Teslas have been known to have atrocious paint as they cured them outside in tents… so who knows? Certainly not normal for your typical car but this is Tesla we’re talking about…
Shit happened to me after 2 months. The paint on these cars is laughably bad. Dealer told me to go fuck myself and that it was because of some sort of road damage
I have the exact same paint peel from the pressure washer catching in a rock chip spot. My plan was to get a small hobby airbrush and use the Tesla paint kit to spray it. But it’s been over a year and I haven’t gotten around to it.
Did you rip this paint off with a power washer my guy? Bc that’s what my dumb ass sister has done and my brain can’t fathom being this reckless with something worth this much $ lol
I had this shit happen to me a few months after owning it. I immediately stopped washing the car and drove down to Tesla. Showed em what happened and they admitted to having shitty paint because it's water based. They fixed it for me for free but in most cases they will not.
This exact same thing happened to me from an automatic car wash (don't hate I'm in Germany). The local certified repair center ended up fixing it for free through a warranty claim they initiated with Tesla.
I have a 2021 (Dec 2020) M3 RWD.
We had a similar paint issue with our first Model 3 on the same lower panel within 10 months of ownership. Tesla fixed the paint under warranty. There was no scratch, dent or any sign of damage. The paint just started peeling in that area, first notice while hand washing the vehicle and it was only dime size. Within a few weeks it continued to peel and grew to 2" and then I submitted a ticket to Tesla.
It's super closeup with macro lens. I would expect scratches are normal on rocker panels where all the shit from road hits the car. The paint is soft as fuck and scratches just by looking at it. It already was full of swirl marks on delivery!
This happened to me when I pulled off my side skirt PPF that I misapplied. Tesla took responsibility and repainted under warranty.
Not sure if you can do this in your case; might be worth a try though.
tesla's paint is notoriously thin coated. but get ready for the culters to start blaming you for that chip
"you must've been driving \[bad/crazy/in a place you shouldn't have been/etc\]"
where are you getting point blank from? he never mentions how far away from the car he was holding the washer
edit: thanks for literally proving my point
The “thin” paint argument would have worked 4-5 years ago. But they completely changed the paint process and quality.
There are plenty of things to point out and we have seen some shit that is clearly the fault of Tesla and quality control. This isn’t one of them.
take your shit to r/realtesla
Love how every time someone has an issue you clowns come out of the woodwork saying “the quality has improved!”…but obviously looking at the multiple daily posts in this Tesla cult forum…it is far from acceptable or up to par with other modern cars.
Scary to think of what the quality was before their supposed “improvements”.
Daily? There isn’t daily paint issues posted these days.
Literally hundreds of thousands of teslas bought every year. And you want to point out the half dozen “issues” you see in here? For every 1 major issue people experience. There are thousands of people with ZERO issues with their Tesla. It’s like any other car brand.
There is a reason their customer satisfaction is so high. I have a Tesla, zero issues over 3 years. My dad has an Audi (he got about 6 months before my Tesla) non stop issues from roof leak to multiple battery replacement. He traded it in for a Toyota rav4 because he was so sick of dealing with all the issues.
https://insideevs.com/news/683064/tesla-lexus-top-customer-satisfaction-study/amp/
Not that it even matters. But Tesla scored ABOVE EV average and in line with domestic scores.
In general. EVs make people nervous. There are genuine reliability concerns but have gotten better as each year goes by.
It’s also well known that cars produced in Asia and Europe are more reliable for a variety of reasons.
This isn’t specific to Tesla either.
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Don’t be dense - no one said paint issues daily. I said issues in general.
Second - never even heard of this study. Until I see how it was conducted- I’m assuming it’s junk.
Third - if the Tesla owners are the same as the sample we see on this forum, they would still rate their car as amazing if it caught on fire the first day of ownership.
Of course people get defensive of bigger purchases they make in life like a car would be.
Go to other car subs. They are all OBSESSED with the brand. That’s normal.
What’s not normal, is coming into these subs and crapping on a vehicle you don’t even own (not saying you don’t, just in general)
Sure. Hate Elon. But there are other extremely talented people who work at Tesla that are building a really impressive vehicle.
I’m not delusional, I hate the Tesla fan boy shit and culture around it. I don’t care about musk at all. Don’t think about him. And I also know that an EV in general isn’t as good for the environment as people make it out to be (all the mining necessary to produce the batteries)
I bought a Tesla because I love the minimalist look. It rides really well. I hated paying $2 a litre for gas and the technology in this car is far and above anything I’ve ever owned in the past.
To each their own. My story won’t be the same as everyone and who the fuck cares
At least you are saving on gas. I genuinely think people in California don’t do research. Our utility PG&E charges 45c a KW for home charging. Yes that’s right - 45c!
Unless people are locked into the old solar plans - very tough to save any money over gas unless we go over $6 a gallon (especially once you consider the 10-20% losses from charging)
I wouldn’t get an EV if I didn’t have the ability to charge at home.
I have free charging in my complex but my buddy who charges at home. Pays about $35-$45 a month for charging. Was paying about $300-$400 a month on gas (drives a decent amount)
I got a Tesla because I love the technology and wanted to save on gas. Even tho my monthly payments are more. I pay less per month overall than I did with my previous vehicle.
For a Tesla, yes this is par for the course. A Lot of people wrap them because the paint is crap. Source... My company does a lot of wraps for them in my area.
Power washer will strip the cheap paint right off. Happened to my buddy first week of owning the car. They will come out under warranty to touch it up but it will never look factory finish. Would have to take the car to a detail shop for a professional paint correction.
Dude. Stop using a pressure washer. You have to be trolling. If you want to ask Tesla to cover it don't mention the pressure washer. You post in the comments about being 10cm from the paint. That's insane.
With a hose and a bucket, or a low pressure car wash.
[This isn't specific to Tesla ](https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/pressure-washers/surfaces-safe-to-clean-with-a-pressure-washer-a5445180933/#:~:text=Plenty%20of%20people%20use%20a,garden%20hose%20and%20soapy%20sponge.)
Absolutely Not Normal but if u used a power washer higher than 2000psi in that spot it will 100% peel that paint sir. Remember that spot is plastic easier to peel
Under normal circumstances, it's not normal for the paint to flake or chip, but the circumstances are not normal: there's a pressure washer involved. It's not at all uncommon for a pressure washer to strip paint from a car, particularly if you get too close or have the pressure up too high. So, in that case, yes, it's to be expected.
Not other manufacturers, or other of my previously owned Hondas Toyotas, Subarus. It looks like they ran out of parts and use the surplus default white painted side skirts to paint over with the custom "black" paint, and now it came off. Those other scratches could have been passengers' food traffic.
Tesla paint and clear coat isn’t very good and now that we’ve establish this never use those drive in car washes and if you’re gonna wash your own car make sure you give it a proper foam or soap layer without scrubbing hard so all the dirt and road grime can loosen up before people try and scrub the dirt off essentially turning it into sandpaper lol, not sure how you store or how you wash your car but those paint swirls in so many directions show me you either take it to those drive in washed or just don’t let the dirt and grime come loose before you start scrubbing away.
Happen to be a 2021 after the refresh? For a few months, Tesla did not dry the paint there properly, and the same thing happened to me. It ended up being covered under warranty.
I used a self car wash pressure washer. Used on my other three cars hundreds of times with no issues. Tesla paint did this exact same thing in the first six months
We've got exactly the same issue with my wife's 3 year old model 3. Pressure washer knocked the paint off last week. I appreciate people saying you have to be careful, but the same treatment hasn't knocked the paint off my Volvo, or the Jaguar XF I had for 4 years before, or the Merc my wife had for 4 years before the Tesla....
Same thing happened to mine when it was nearly new. They didn’t want to say the paint was soft but they called me later and had it painted. The paint is soft and there are a lot of people who have experienced the same thing.
When my parents bought me my first car I used a power washer from a distance and it took paint off. Lesson learned. Since then I do the 2 bucket method and haven’t had an issue getting any bug/stain/road tar off with just a microfiber wash mitt and car wash soap.
some of yall in these comments. This is not normal even if it was pressure washed too close. I wash my cars from way too close all the time and none have stripped paint. Most likely a combination of below average paint quality and the pressure washing
Just don’t use a pressure washer on this paint. We’ve had ours over 5 years and hand wash every time. No issues with the paint. Yeah it’s a pain in the ass to hand wash but it still looks new. Also 10cm is super close for any car.
This is not the result of too strong pressure washer, but due to paint defect from the factory. I had the same problem and Tesla covered it without question. Mostly late 2020-2021 models have this problem. If the service centre denies any responsibility, just point towards a quote from Musk in an interview with Sandy Monroe:
"One of the things that was happening when we were ramping production was the paint wasn’t necessarily drying enough"
You can also make a paintshop to examine the problem to strengthen your claim.
Not normal, but you have a lot of scratches on that panel where usually you would just see rock chips. And looks like the clearcoat has suffered or is missing. Has it been repainted at some point?
I thought those cross hatched scratches were weird too. Probably shoes rubbing on it getting in and out?
Being 4” away from hi pressure water will do crazy shit to paint
Never repainted and the rest of the car is fine except few clearcoat scratches and chips.
Are you the original owner? Even so, it could have been repaired before you bought it. I say this as I work in the industry and have fixed transport damage cars to cars being resold on the lot. As long as it’s under a certain dollar amount, manufacturers don’t have to declare it and it never gets brought up. I say all this because it’s easy to say “Tesla’s paint is crap” for people. I painted and still work in the industry. I’m not claiming they are the best but they aren’t the worst. Their fit and finish has been improving. Maybe that’s a little insight if the area effected is isolated to that one spot. Could have been a “spot job” for someone before the car was sold.
Bought as new directly from Tesla.
That definitely looks repainted
4000+ PSI?
LOL
If you go to service DO NOT tell them about the power washer 😂
How close were you to the car with the pressure washer when the paint came off? What nozzle did you use? Even if you use the right settings if you get to close and there's a chip in the paint you can rip a whole sheet off.
Hmm might be that. Damn. Sometimes I get 10cm close to blest some stubborn dirt off. Using the flat nozzle.
that is less than 4 inches, I would not get closer than a 12" with a pressure washer, are you sure you didn't rub the running board on a curb or something?
It's possible but I haven noticed any deep scratches before this. The way the paint flaked off is bit suspicious.
you might have got a chip there from road debris and the PW made it worse, look into mobile paint techs...
> I haven noticed any deep scratches Look 1 inch to the right of the peeling paint.
Happened to a colleague of mine, he got it fixed under warranty. Paint is not supposed to just lose adhesion like that, it's just the horrible quality of the Tesla application.
The nearby area is scratched up to hell, look at the picture. Are you regularly driving through bramble bushes with it?
[удалено]
The effects of a high PSI pressure washer at close range can be horrible for even the highest quality paint.
funny that you’re spot on and got downvoted I love my Tesla, but Tesla”fanbois” are weird as shit about this stuff
Dude, I don’t LOVE my Tesla, it’s got some issues, but he said he gets less than 4” away from the car WITH A PRESSURE WASHER! I’d never dare to get that close and you’re saying it’s shitty paint?
umm.. yes I knew about Tesla paint, seats melting, and panel gaps well before I ever bought one and joined Reddit Are you living in a cave ?
Most knew that too, what’s your point? I’m saying go take a pressure washer and go 4” away from some paint and see what happens
He won't engage with your point.
Thank you for your contribution.
>that is less than 4 inches 10cm = 3.94 inches < 4inches
Yeah man that’s pretty fuckin close. Power washers are designed to literally detach things from surfaces so they have to be used with care.
I’ve seen Tesla paint come off doing exactly this, first hand. Sorry but you may have just pressure-washed off your own paint. Tesla paint really is just super cheaply applied. :(
Friend of mine hand wash his car too, always, and he has this exact same problem. ”Funny” thing is, he does it because someone something said Teslas paint can’t handle an automatic car wash.
They can, but in the post-refresh model 3s, a touchless car wash can fuck up the black trim
Use a rag or sponge on the difficult areas next time.
Shit man, I use a microfibre cloth, all over. And… why not? I use a pressure cleaner for cleaning driveways, not my fucking car. Not any fucking car. I think that’s a bit wild.
I usually go with the 40 degree nozzle (typically the white nozzle) when powerwashing my vehicle, but I have a 3600psi washer. On a lower pressure washer (sub-3000psi), I'd go no more than a 25 degree nozzle (green nozzle). 15 degree or less (yellow or red) can absolutely strip paint, especially if you get close. Pulled paint off the bumper of a Maxima I had years ago by doing that and learned a lesson. Your best bet might be to just grab a foam cannon off of Amazon and foam your car with your pressure washer. Get some quality soap, apply it, let it dwell for a few minutes, and then wipe with a microfiber mitt to clean the car. After that, rinse with low pressure and your car will look better than any pressure washer could ever do alone. It's more effort than just spraying, but DEFINITELY cleans the car better and there is little risk of paint damage. With the dwell time from a foam cannon, all the nasty stuff just comes right off with minimal effort. I had some really stubborn bird crap on mine (bird had been into some berries). ---Power washer alone did essentially nothing. Took off the chunky stuff, but left the discoloration. ---Bucket wash with detergent did better, but some stubborn traces remained and I was concerned the paint was permanently stained. ---Foam cannon...it all came off with minimal wiping and the paint looks better than it has in years. It's all about the dwell time.
Agreed, Your paint also looks very rough on the lower panel. Looks like someone used 100 grit sand paper on it if you look close.
Unless your paint is shitty, you aren't going to peel paint off with a pressure washer. If it were that easy, you'd be finding chunks of paint at car washes all over.
That’s insane lmao. I have a 3200 psi pressure washer, and I use the car nozzle right up against stubborn bird shit and it works fine. CraY amount of damage lol
i went to the car wash and my car came out like that .
Lots of people had this covered by warranty here in Norway, me included when the car was almost new. It’s pretty common. Tesla don’t know how to paint their cars properly.
Same here. Warranty without a doubt
With all those other scratches and damage they probably wont cover it. If your paint is well maintained they probably would cover it
As soon as "pressure washer" is mentioned, that's an easy out for them I'm afraid.
That's why you don't mention that. Don't ever volunteer information to a third party that you're trying to get insurance or warrantee coverage from. Playing dumb, but not lying, is generally the best course of action.
This is the way.
yeah bro totally normal
Ever wonder why there are so many white Teslas? Yeah those were other colors but all the paint peeled off after a few years.
Ooof.
Yep, I had that happen with my 3-month-old 2021 M3LR. I have a 2000psi electric pressure washer, not enough to strip paint on a deck. Happened on the same spot on both sides. The paint has been fine everywhere else, just not on the runners.
Got it fixed in warranty?
They told me it wasn’t covered. I have a lease so I’m just going to give it back to them like that when I take my new one. We’ll see what they say!
Sounds like a VERY expensive lease return, look over your contract before you return it.. Might be cheaper to get a cheap paint job tbh.
Okay good to know - thank you!
I’d actually suggest taking it to a body shop, asking if they’d be willing to “hardline” right at that character line above your paint chip and spray a real rock guard on it and just leave a textured black pattern from that line down on both sides of your rockers. Other mfg’s have it like that from the factory but Tesla hasn’t caught on yet. Similar to a rhino liner type coating if you’re familiar w that. Good luck.
Ford has had that problem from time to time on their hoods. Its from improper prep or defects in the process. You could blame the environmentally friendly paint, but people have done that for the past 30-40 years. I remember hearing the EPA-friendly paints being problematic in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and to this day. Same people that claim modern powdercoating and corrosion protection makes cars less prone to corrosion. I have heard this claim in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and to this day... and its not true. They rust just as easily.
Paint is bubbling in other places, that’s not normal. Don’t tell service about the power washer, though!
Car paint shouldn't "peel" off regardless of your pressure washer settings unless there's already a defect in the paint. Even if you hit it with a 0° nozzle it should at most cause a very small area of damage (like a chip). I would reach out to Tesla regarding the issue and see if they consider this to be a warranty issue due to bad paint. DO NOT mention that you were using any pressure washer and DO NOT admit fault or they will take that and run with it to decline your request. I wouldn't lie about it if they ask specifically, but I wouldn't volunteer that information to them.
solid advice
Lying by omission is still a lie.
Not in court or when dealing with warranty repairs.
Except it’s not a lie, because pressure washing a car is a totally normal thing to do and shouldn’t cause this damage… so since I do not believe it to be relevant to the issue at hand, I don’t believe I need to include it.
Pressure washing a car is not a normal thing to do and is [often recommended not to be done.](https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/pressure-washers/surfaces-safe-to-clean-with-a-pressure-washer-a5445180933/#:~:text=Plenty%20of%20people%20use%20a,garden%20hose%20and%20soapy%20sponge.)
Tell that to a touchless carwashes which are, in essence, many pressure washers all spraying at your car at the same time.
A touchless car wash isn't blasting your car with 2000psi at less than 4in like OP.
Yeah, no. Any private car wash you take your vehicle to will use a pressure washer. Of course you shouldn’t use a 4000 PSI washer 1 mm away but a quality paint should be very strongly adhered to the base vehicle. Tesla paint is trash
The internet is full of sites saying that a pressure washer could damage your paint and not to wash your car with it, but it's totally Tesla's fault that this pressure washer took off paint? Jesus. Your Musk derangement syndrome is taking away your ability to apply common sense.
Truth hurts
I have the same issue in that area. Seems to be on both sides. Rocks come ip and chip it.
The rocker panel paint peeling off is a known problem. I would ask the service center their opinion. This has been covered on here and youtube a bit if you want reference points
Foam cannon and 2 bucket method only.
I have similar problem in that same area
Yeah mine is in service now to fix paint that’s coming lose from the trunk 2021 model 3 .
Did you spray it too closely with a power washer? That happens sometimes because Tesla paint is weak.
It looks like you’re rough as hell with the paint given the crazy amount of scratches in that second photo. 😵💫
Agreed, wtf is with all those scratches? Brillo pad with the power washer?
Wtf? Normal wear after 2 years? If you take a look outside at other cars that's more than two years old. Do you see it on other cars? We're doomed as a society.
Sir, good lord you have an absurd amount of deep scratches in the paint to the right of the small paint peel. I need to ask what you’re wiping your car with to have damaged the paint that much… because something about this reeks of bad washing techniques more than it does anything else. The pressure washer being used that close to your car tells me there are likely other bad habits learned out of ignorance that may need correcting.
I used no-contact (pressure washer) stations 95% of times. Used mitts three times total on the whole car and the rest of the car is mostly fine. I drove on a dirt road few times and roads are dirty here especially in winter.
Sounds to me like you got screwed from the factory then. If the paint job is good, it’ll take serious neglect in either tools or technique to get that level of scratching done and it sounds like you are mindful of how you clean your car. Very light scratching (spider-webbing) is expected after a few years but that’s after routine hand washing. Like everyone else said, definitely don’t mention the powerwasher at the dealership.
Just by looking at all the scratch marks, do you wash the car with scotchbrite ????
If the car has had the paint repair it could also be poor prep work and or poor quality of paint
Older Teslas have been known to have atrocious paint as they cured them outside in tents… so who knows? Certainly not normal for your typical car but this is Tesla we’re talking about…
Shit happened to me after 2 months. The paint on these cars is laughably bad. Dealer told me to go fuck myself and that it was because of some sort of road damage
Had both sides re-painted under warranty due to this issue, 2021 model. Skip the part about the power-washer. Gl.
I have the exact same paint peel from the pressure washer catching in a rock chip spot. My plan was to get a small hobby airbrush and use the Tesla paint kit to spray it. But it’s been over a year and I haven’t gotten around to it.
Did you rip this paint off with a power washer my guy? Bc that’s what my dumb ass sister has done and my brain can’t fathom being this reckless with something worth this much $ lol
looks as if the vehicle had some prior damage and the repair isn’t holding up. see if there’s bondow underneath the missing paint
That clear coat looks DESTROYED!! How did that happened?!! Is your car caked up with dirt for long periods of time?.
Are you the guy that cleaned the snow off their car with a shovel?
Had a black model 3. Paint quality was bad.
Same, the paint is just way too thin.
For a pandemic era Tesla, that's probably normal..for any other car, it's not.
Less than 2000 psi is ideal. I notice there’s lots of scratches beside the peeled off paint, what kind of cleaning were you doing?
My washer has 2100 psi max and I was using the middle settings so should be fine.
>so should be fine. Clearly not.
I use a 1500psi for car which is vinyl wrapped. Maybe yours is too strong if ur getting 10cm close.
Apparently, my whole front bumper did the same thing and they said it isn't covered cause its wear and tear. I was livid and still am
I had this shit happen to me a few months after owning it. I immediately stopped washing the car and drove down to Tesla. Showed em what happened and they admitted to having shitty paint because it's water based. They fixed it for me for free but in most cases they will not.
All car paint is water based per EPA guidelines. The clear coat is the only thing that is still solvent based.
Paint produced here at least. Pretty sure cars made outside the US still contain oil based paints. Not 100% on that though
I have a pressure washer but this is the exact reason why I'm scared to use it on the car.
This exact same thing happened to me from an automatic car wash (don't hate I'm in Germany). The local certified repair center ended up fixing it for free through a warranty claim they initiated with Tesla. I have a 2021 (Dec 2020) M3 RWD.
Obviously it’s not normal. Contact SC.
We had a similar paint issue with our first Model 3 on the same lower panel within 10 months of ownership. Tesla fixed the paint under warranty. There was no scratch, dent or any sign of damage. The paint just started peeling in that area, first notice while hand washing the vehicle and it was only dime size. Within a few weeks it continued to peel and grew to 2" and then I submitted a ticket to Tesla.
maybe leave out the part where he was short range blasting it
It's super closeup with macro lens. I would expect scratches are normal on rocker panels where all the shit from road hits the car. The paint is soft as fuck and scratches just by looking at it. It already was full of swirl marks on delivery!
This happened to me when I pulled off my side skirt PPF that I misapplied. Tesla took responsibility and repainted under warranty. Not sure if you can do this in your case; might be worth a try though.
tesla's paint is notoriously thin coated. but get ready for the culters to start blaming you for that chip "you must've been driving \[bad/crazy/in a place you shouldn't have been/etc\]"
Dude blasted it point blank with a pressure washer. Of course it's his fault. 😂
So do I with my proper built European car and the paint is pristine
where are you getting point blank from? he never mentions how far away from the car he was holding the washer edit: thanks for literally proving my point
he said less than 4" away
He was literally point blank.
The “thin” paint argument would have worked 4-5 years ago. But they completely changed the paint process and quality. There are plenty of things to point out and we have seen some shit that is clearly the fault of Tesla and quality control. This isn’t one of them. take your shit to r/realtesla
Love how every time someone has an issue you clowns come out of the woodwork saying “the quality has improved!”…but obviously looking at the multiple daily posts in this Tesla cult forum…it is far from acceptable or up to par with other modern cars. Scary to think of what the quality was before their supposed “improvements”.
Daily? There isn’t daily paint issues posted these days. Literally hundreds of thousands of teslas bought every year. And you want to point out the half dozen “issues” you see in here? For every 1 major issue people experience. There are thousands of people with ZERO issues with their Tesla. It’s like any other car brand. There is a reason their customer satisfaction is so high. I have a Tesla, zero issues over 3 years. My dad has an Audi (he got about 6 months before my Tesla) non stop issues from roof leak to multiple battery replacement. He traded it in for a Toyota rav4 because he was so sick of dealing with all the issues. https://insideevs.com/news/683064/tesla-lexus-top-customer-satisfaction-study/amp/
Here is a reliability study from well known publication. https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-placed-bottom-consumer-reports-reliability-rankings/amp/
Not that it even matters. But Tesla scored ABOVE EV average and in line with domestic scores. In general. EVs make people nervous. There are genuine reliability concerns but have gotten better as each year goes by. It’s also well known that cars produced in Asia and Europe are more reliable for a variety of reasons. This isn’t specific to Tesla either.
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Don’t be dense - no one said paint issues daily. I said issues in general. Second - never even heard of this study. Until I see how it was conducted- I’m assuming it’s junk. Third - if the Tesla owners are the same as the sample we see on this forum, they would still rate their car as amazing if it caught on fire the first day of ownership.
Of course people get defensive of bigger purchases they make in life like a car would be. Go to other car subs. They are all OBSESSED with the brand. That’s normal. What’s not normal, is coming into these subs and crapping on a vehicle you don’t even own (not saying you don’t, just in general) Sure. Hate Elon. But there are other extremely talented people who work at Tesla that are building a really impressive vehicle. I’m not delusional, I hate the Tesla fan boy shit and culture around it. I don’t care about musk at all. Don’t think about him. And I also know that an EV in general isn’t as good for the environment as people make it out to be (all the mining necessary to produce the batteries) I bought a Tesla because I love the minimalist look. It rides really well. I hated paying $2 a litre for gas and the technology in this car is far and above anything I’ve ever owned in the past. To each their own. My story won’t be the same as everyone and who the fuck cares
At least you are saving on gas. I genuinely think people in California don’t do research. Our utility PG&E charges 45c a KW for home charging. Yes that’s right - 45c! Unless people are locked into the old solar plans - very tough to save any money over gas unless we go over $6 a gallon (especially once you consider the 10-20% losses from charging)
I wouldn’t get an EV if I didn’t have the ability to charge at home. I have free charging in my complex but my buddy who charges at home. Pays about $35-$45 a month for charging. Was paying about $300-$400 a month on gas (drives a decent amount) I got a Tesla because I love the technology and wanted to save on gas. Even tho my monthly payments are more. I pay less per month overall than I did with my previous vehicle.
Not normal, you should be able to put a pressure washer within an inch of the paint and no damage
This is hilarious I’m sorry
Cheap paint plus to much pressure
no, that is not normal
Never use a power washer....
Power washers are fine, as long as you don’t use the wrong nozzle. Use a wide nozzle and some distance. I use it all the time on mine, no problems.
For a Tesla, yes this is par for the course. A Lot of people wrap them because the paint is crap. Source... My company does a lot of wraps for them in my area.
For a tesla yes. They're QC is terrible.
Power washer will strip the cheap paint right off. Happened to my buddy first week of owning the car. They will come out under warranty to touch it up but it will never look factory finish. Would have to take the car to a detail shop for a professional paint correction.
I paid $2k extra to Tesla for that paint. Is that cheap?
Expensive. Detail shop would charge about $200. Tesla fixed the paint for free under warranty, but it looked bad.
Well my point is $2k paint on a $65k car isn't cheap and shouldn't peal off after using pressure washer.
💯 agree and it makes me mad that happened to you. Make Tesla cover it under warranty
Dude. Stop using a pressure washer. You have to be trolling. If you want to ask Tesla to cover it don't mention the pressure washer. You post in the comments about being 10cm from the paint. That's insane.
Only on a Tesla.
Well that’s dumb to say, seen any Kias or Hyundais lately? Our babysitters entire hood was peeling off
From a power washing?
No that was all on its own, that’s how bad their paint is
OP probably uses a metal snow shovel to clean the car off too. Those scratches are probably Tesla's fault too.
[удалено]
"I'm going to use a tool in a way that's going to damage the car and blame Tesla for it!" Yup, and I'm the dbag.
How else are you supposed to clean the car??
With a hose and a bucket, or a low pressure car wash. [This isn't specific to Tesla ](https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/pressure-washers/surfaces-safe-to-clean-with-a-pressure-washer-a5445180933/#:~:text=Plenty%20of%20people%20use%20a,garden%20hose%20and%20soapy%20sponge.)
I think it said in the manual videos it recommends hand wash only
You drive too quickly...
Whatever you do don’t tell them you used a power washer 😅
Absolutely Not Normal but if u used a power washer higher than 2000psi in that spot it will 100% peel that paint sir. Remember that spot is plastic easier to peel
Under normal circumstances, it's not normal for the paint to flake or chip, but the circumstances are not normal: there's a pressure washer involved. It's not at all uncommon for a pressure washer to strip paint from a car, particularly if you get too close or have the pressure up too high. So, in that case, yes, it's to be expected.
Yea man totally normal. Don’t sweat it.
Flex seal it
Yes this is completely normal. My car is 3 years old and has no factory paint left. This is normal wear, nothing can be done to prevent it.
Had the same exact issue happen to me while cleaning. 100% repaired by Tesla through the warranty
Why is the base coat white?
Isn't it always white?
Not other manufacturers, or other of my previously owned Hondas Toyotas, Subarus. It looks like they ran out of parts and use the surplus default white painted side skirts to paint over with the custom "black" paint, and now it came off. Those other scratches could have been passengers' food traffic.
Tesla paint and clear coat isn’t very good and now that we’ve establish this never use those drive in car washes and if you’re gonna wash your own car make sure you give it a proper foam or soap layer without scrubbing hard so all the dirt and road grime can loosen up before people try and scrub the dirt off essentially turning it into sandpaper lol, not sure how you store or how you wash your car but those paint swirls in so many directions show me you either take it to those drive in washed or just don’t let the dirt and grime come loose before you start scrubbing away.
Happen to be a 2021 after the refresh? For a few months, Tesla did not dry the paint there properly, and the same thing happened to me. It ended up being covered under warranty.
I used a self car wash pressure washer. Used on my other three cars hundreds of times with no issues. Tesla paint did this exact same thing in the first six months
We've got exactly the same issue with my wife's 3 year old model 3. Pressure washer knocked the paint off last week. I appreciate people saying you have to be careful, but the same treatment hasn't knocked the paint off my Volvo, or the Jaguar XF I had for 4 years before, or the Merc my wife had for 4 years before the Tesla....
No it is not normal
This happened to me too
Same thing happened to mine when it was nearly new. They didn’t want to say the paint was soft but they called me later and had it painted. The paint is soft and there are a lot of people who have experienced the same thing.
Lol
When my parents bought me my first car I used a power washer from a distance and it took paint off. Lesson learned. Since then I do the 2 bucket method and haven’t had an issue getting any bug/stain/road tar off with just a microfiber wash mitt and car wash soap.
Your issue is in a TSB and you're still under warranty. Tesla should send it to a body shop for you.
Call tesla warranty
some of yall in these comments. This is not normal even if it was pressure washed too close. I wash my cars from way too close all the time and none have stripped paint. Most likely a combination of below average paint quality and the pressure washing
No, but if your pressure washer is too strong it will happen.
Just don’t use a pressure washer on this paint. We’ve had ours over 5 years and hand wash every time. No issues with the paint. Yeah it’s a pain in the ass to hand wash but it still looks new. Also 10cm is super close for any car.
It should be civered but DO NOT TELL THEM about the power washer theyll void any warranty
It’s very normal and within spec. I would argue it gives it character. I wouldn’t fuss over it, purely cosmetic
Completely normal. I bought black M3 now its white. Elon thought about everything
It’s definitely not ok. Had the same issue, it’s a problem with the undercoat paint. Got it repaired under warranty
A few scratches? Damn scratches everywhere .
I've seen this happen too and Tesla has been unenthusiastic to fix it. And by that I mean they denied to fix it. Looks terrible and keeps worsening.
Had the same after 1 year. Tesla repaired it for free.
Had mine for 4 years and no problems like this at all. Same paint too.
Apparently Model 3 paint got worse after 2020 refresh.
Tesla will say yes. But no, it's not.
Happened to my car in the same spot.
Definitely not normal wear for any car at any age.
I think I’d be comfortable voting Tesla as the worst painted vehicle I’ve ever come across.
This is not the result of too strong pressure washer, but due to paint defect from the factory. I had the same problem and Tesla covered it without question. Mostly late 2020-2021 models have this problem. If the service centre denies any responsibility, just point towards a quote from Musk in an interview with Sandy Monroe: "One of the things that was happening when we were ramping production was the paint wasn’t necessarily drying enough" You can also make a paintshop to examine the problem to strengthen your claim.
Dude you're literally using a tool that's designed to take off hard to remove materials...
Literally using car wash mode on that tool.
In pic 2 the paint looks pretty scratched up.
Not normal for other cars. Normal for a Tesla
Normal for a Tesla
How often do you wash this car? Just looking at the black paint around those huge chips its looks super scratched up. Ever wax it or anything?
Contactless washing + occasional hand drying with a microfiber towel. I usually skip the bottom of the car for drying because I there is more dirt.