Super-easy Cybertruck refinishing: How to Fix Scratches on a Tesla Cybertruck

[HaulingAss]

This guy shows you how simple it is to bring an old, abused and scratched-up finish back to brand-spanking new. This is, by far, the best, no-nonsense Cybertruck surface re-finishing video I've seen on the net:



I see a lot of people spreading fake and misleading narratives that this is a difficult process. This video proof should dispel those false narratives - it's dead simple and relatively quick compared to finish restoration on cars with soft, damage prone paint. The Cybertruck, with no clearcoat, no easily scratched paint, just solid, homogenous damage-resistant metal, polishes back to better than new with a simple surface sanding. Watch the video to see how easy it is.

The video follows the procedure provided by Tesla in the online Service Manual almost word for word. I've done this on my Cybertruck after multiple muddy, heavy-bushwhacking trips that left the surface covered in ultra-fine linear scratches that show up when the angle of the lighting is just right to expose them. Works a treat!

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[JCERRN]

My question is, if you are just trying to even out the finish across parts, can you just go for the last fine grit across the same plane?

 

[HaulingAss]

My question is, if you are just trying to even out the finish across parts, can you just go for the last fine grit across the same plane?

Yep. Pick your starting grit depending upon the level of scratches you are removing. If you are fixing a mottled finish, it might be quicker to start with one coarser grit and then move to the finishing grit.

The good thing is you really can't do anything irreversible, short of doing something obviously stupid, like using a grinding wheel or something.

 

[HaulingAss]

07:03 - Step 1: Coarse sanding 08:39 - Step 2: Medium sanding 10:27 - Step 3: Ultra fine sanding
But
In that vid it never stated what and where i can get that disk?????? 3m stuff is rough (even "fine grit") where can i get that disk??????
60 grit ?
1000 grit ?
What type of grit ?
Where to buy ?

It's all in the Tesla Service Manual but I decided to go it alone with different products and it worked out great.

Mainly you want a 6" dual action random orbit sander with a 5mm orbit and some non-woven abrasive pads graded around 200-600 grit (but they are often sold as medium, fine, very fine). Experiment and see what gives the look you want.

If you don't have any deep scratches, you can skip the coarse pads.

 

[Trekboy]

One of the most interesting Cybertruck videos I've seen. I had to subscribe to his channel. Looking forward to see what else he has.

 

[Trekboy]

Mainly you want a 6" dual action random orbit sander with a 5mm orbit

I guess I'm confused about the random orbital sander. In the video at 4:25, he specifically says you want to use a random orbital sander, and not the DA kind. I'm assuming when you said a "dual action random orbital sander" you meant the DA kind. Was this just a mistake, or am I missing something?

Edit: OK, I did a little investigating, and apparently a sander is either RO or DA. I think you must have meant purely an RO sander.

 

[BeFamousVideo]

This guy shows you how simple it is to bring an old, abused and scratched-up finish back to brand-spanking new. This is, by far, the best, no-nonsense Cybertruck surface re-finishing video I've seen on the net:



I see a lot of people spreading fake and misleading narratives that this is a difficult process. This video proof should dispel those false narratives - it's dead simple and relatively quick compared to finish restoration on cars with soft, damage prone paint. The Cybertruck, with no clearcoat, no easily scratched paint, just solid, homogenous damage-resistant metal, polishes back to better than new with a simple surface sanding. Watch the video to see how easy it is.

The video follows the procedure provided by Tesla in the online Service Manual almost word for word. I've done this on my Cybertruck after multiple muddy, heavy-bushwhacking trips that left the surface covered in ultra-fine linear scratches that show up when the angle of the lighting is just right to expose them. Works a treat!

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

 

[tskyline]

Just the video I was looking for. I have made a terrible (stupid) mistake while taking off the old ppf on it. Now I have hope that I can recover. Thanks OP

 

[Killlbox]

Just the video I was looking for. I have made a terrible (stupid) mistake while taking off the old ppf on it. Now I have hope that I can recover. Thanks OP

How does that happen when taking off the PPF. Also, PPF is supposed to last for a few years, why did you decide to take it off?

Very curious here.

 

[tskyline]

I had it about 2years on there. Some idiot decided to damage it with a knife or some unknown object and made a tear on the top part. Granted it was applied by an amateur (that’s me) wasn’t evenly applied. It was 50$ to replace with the same ppf I got from amazon. So why not?
While removing rushed and didn’t even used a heat gun hence it left an extreme amount of residue. Again being a rushing idiot, didn’t ask ai or google how to remove glue residue. Looked around and see some abrasive pads laying in the garage and combined with panic brushing…well here is the result. Clear enough? lol

 

[tskyline]

How does that happen when taking off the PPF. Also, PPF is supposed to last for a few years, why did you decide to take it off?

Very curious here.

Oh and if you wanna attempt something like this isopropyl alcohol works wonders

 

[getsometom]

Thanks for sharing. I've been contemplating on doing some refinishing to some Tesla factory blemishes and now I know how to do it.

 

[CyberGus]

I have a DA polisher, and two sets of off-brand disks from Amazon (maroon and gray). I plan on doing the whole truck but thought I’d start with the frunk lid, since it’s got a scuff mark and a couple of scratches that I wanted to work on.

After a few passes, it looked shiny and new:

While good from this angle, I had worked the scratch aggressively, which left a dark streak:

Blending the area did little, and neither Citri77 nor BKF made a dent. It seemed to fade over time, after a couple of hours I could barely see it.

Once the sun came out, I could clearly see the swirl marks and banding from my efforts.

Of course, I’m not finished. This was just a first pass.

Fun Fact: I had the frunk ajar to avoid the edges and glass, and about 30 minutes in, something metal came bouncing out. One of the DRL nuts had vibrated loose!

 

[HaulingAss]

I guess I'm confused about the random orbital sander. In the video at 4:25, he specifically says you want to use a random orbital sander, and not the DA kind. I'm assuming when you said a "dual action random orbital sander" you meant the DA kind. Was this just a mistake, or am I missing something?

Edit: OK, I did a little investigating, and apparently a sander is either RO or DA. I think you must have meant purely an RO sander.

Yeah, the industry definitely has some variability on the terminology used and that creates much confusion. Google AI had this to say:

The main difference (between random orbit and dual-action) lies in the type of rotation. A dual-action sander has a forced rotation that is always spinning and can be locked into a rotary-only mode. A random orbital sander's pad is free-spinning, relying on momentum to achieve its random orbit. Some tools marketed as "random orbital" are actually dual-action, as the term can be used interchangeably by manufacturers.

You definitely don't want to to use a tool in rotary only motion, like a grinder, that will leave swirl marks. But Tesla, in their Service Manual, appears to call out a sander that has a gear driven (not free spinning) rotary motion combined with a 5 mm orbital motion. I don't know whether this would technically be considered "random" orbit (personally, I think it is), but my Festool Dual Action Random Orbit sander can do both modes. A traditional (free-spinning) random orbit sander can cause an uneven finish through small variations in pressure and angle. But I've had success with my Festool Dual Mode sander in both modes. I think I prefer the gear driven mode (but I need more experimenting to be sure). Tesla doesn't specifically call out a gear driven rotary motion (combined with the 5 mm orbit motion) but they imply it by calling out a consistent rotational speed. That can be achieved (for the most part) with a traditional free spinning rotary motion by holding the tool properly, with light, even pressure, it's just a little more variable than a dual action random orbit sander with gear driven rotary motion.

That said, I have an old, well-worn, Porter Cable Random Orbit sander that has only one mode (free spinning) and it's difficult to control the speed of the spinning (probably due to age and wear since this is a recent development I've noticed). I haven't bothered to put it to the Cybertruck to see how well/poorly it fares (but I suspect it wouldn't be good).

One thing that helps create a more consistent finish is to use a medium foam pad under the abrasive pad. That just gives a little more consistency in the evenness of the pressure around your abrasive pad. RO sanders tend to come with a very hard foam pad and this can be switched out for a softer one.

Also, a light touch. If using an electric sander on a horizontal surface (not that the Cybertruck has any significant horizontal surfaces), just the weight of the sander might be a little more than ideal (to give an idea of what kind of pressure you want to apply on a vertical surface). I've never found the need to sand the narrow horizontal surfaces below the windows, even after extensive bushwhacking in the mud. Those areas are very well protected against common scratches. Because they are in a unique plane relative to the other surfaces, there is not an issue with matching brightness/sanding patterns. If it were necessary to polish those surfaces I think there is some trim to remove (and you might want a smaller RO sander). This is also where the geared action sander would be most useful (in areas where the entire sanding disc cannot be placed flat on the work). Because, in this situation, the speed of a free-spinning RO sander can be difficult to maintain consistently when the pad is only partially on the work surface.

I noticed the panel beater in the video I posted didn't use any dust extraction and it still came out fine. I do think dust extraction is useful though, at the very least it will minimize the dust you might breathe and pull any loose abrasives away from the work surface. This could minimize the frequency of wiping down with IPA.

In the end, whatever works for you is good. I think each sander, each brand of abrasive pad, and each operator will lead to slightly different results. None are really wrong, it's just a matter of what look you prefer. The key word is "slightly". I use a light touch with the machine on full speed. Others might like a slower speed with medium pressure.

 

[TCybertruck]

Will this method work on my front passenger door?

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