Teslas have really thin paint

[cantdrv55]

I love everything about my Tesla except its paint quality. I chased off a couple of wild turkeys pooping on the roof of the car and discovered they had scratched up the paint. Another time, I pushed the trunk lid against the garage door very, very gently and it left a scratch that I can’t buff out. I don’t think either event would’ve left a mark on a Toyota. Kind of weird to have such poor quality paint on an otherwise excellent vehicle. If Elon improves the paint, that car would best all other vehicles in its class and price, IMO. By the way, because of the tax incentives and price drop due to the 2026 Model Y just released, my 2025 was pretty dang cheap.

[Jeff Alton]

How many miles you have on yours?

[cantdrv55]

Only 4400 miles

[flatbutt]

As does my Taco. It scratches if I sneeze on it.

[HardDrive]

My wife drives a 3 year old Tesla model Y. I would describe the paint quality as ‘laughable’. But we have done zero maintenance in 3 years, and it no BS fast if you put your foot down.

[juanbenae]

Resale is in the toilet for that brand currently....

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

Resale is in the toilet for that brand currently....

Well, Porsche didn't suffer due to social Stigma because of Ferdinand, and they didn't suffer from being divergent because they were air cooled.

They're vehicles not uniforms.

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

Resale is in the toilet for that brand currently...

Lots of Elon hate on fb and Reddit. Doesn’t bother me none tho. Regular gas is $5.10 here in Northern CA.

[jyl]

Depreciation on that car is like lightning.

[Steve Carlton]

Go where the market takes you. EV leases can be dirt cheap, and they're cheap to run. Insurance is Abbey Normal, though. Most recently, the VW ID.4 was $169/mo with about $2k up front. Cheap to run, Abbey Normal on the insurance. Or buy a 2 year old EV for 50 cents on the dollar.

[onewhippedpuppy]

The paint on most modern cars is garbage. Even higher end models are full of orange peel. For the love of God don’t even think of leaning on a fender either, you’ll dent it.

[David Inc.]

The vast majority of buyers don't give a **** about paint. AMG G class looks worse than a Dodge Ram, brand new Astons have orange peel like a Subaru. My company does paint application and good luck convincing any manufacturer to spend more to get rid of orange peel. They care about coverage, % overspray and JPH. Some do a little more thickness but that's about it. For that 1% of buyers that really cares about appearance they'll get it corrected after purchase.

When I resprayed my SC I didn't go flat with it. It looks better than a new 7 series already and it'll spend a lot of time on track, no sense spending another $2,500 just so I can brag that it was flat sanded.

Edit: Can confirm about Tesla. I know many who've worked with Tesla Fremont and Tesla's attitude seems to be "**** it get the cars out the door". They're better than they used to be but that plant is kind of a mess.

[craigster59]

I've always wondered what's the deal on white paint jobs always peeling. Some cars on our freeways look horrible, huge chunks pulled off. Some don't even look that old.

Bad primer, bad paint or both?

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

As does my Taco. It scratches if I sneeze on it.

The interior on my Tundra is this way as well.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

Resale is in the toilet for that brand currently....

Cool, time to buy used.

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The paint on most modern cars is garbage. Even higher end models are full of orange peel. For the love of God don’t even think of leaning on a fender either, you’ll dent it.

Have to keep them light as possible for efficiency.

Can't be as bad as the paint reformulation in the 80's. I had a new ford truck the paint was detaching from the primer in sheets, and they would not cover it.

[Bill Douglas]

It's all about the primer. It's got to stick to the car VERY well. Then thin base and clear paint is good for expansion and contraction.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by dad911

Cool, time to buy used.



Have to keep them light as possible for efficiency.

Can't be as bad as the paint reformulation in the 80's. I had a new ford truck the paint was detaching from the primer in sheets, and they would not cover it.

Yeah, I know there’s a reason for it. Something has to offset all the tech goodies, hybrid systems, etc. I saw an ‘80s square body Chevy yesterday, reminded me of my ‘79 Scottsdale. That thing wouldn’t dent but man would it rust! Oh the good old days…

[herr_oberst]

Thin paint is just an extension of Leon's thin skin.

[sc_rufctr]

IME the new water based automotive paint is crap.

2Pac is the way to go (if you can get it).

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Thin paint is just an extension of Leon's thin skin.

World’s thinnest!