Cybertruck Corrosion (per Owner Manual)

[ideaXfactory]

Delorean owners have told us it works well too. They have YEARS of experience vs just a month.

Yes, been about 40 years now? wow... I had sorta been wondering how long it would take for all this to come up again on a car forum... It was always a big discussion for the Delorean owners. Sorta a sideways fixation on fingerprints going on - note that they will pickup worse on the stainless after using some common stainless cleaning products (such as those used by janitorial industry).

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[scottf200]

Yes, been about 40 years now? wow... I had sorta been wondering how long it would take for all this to come up again on a car forum... It was always a big discussion for the Delorean owners. Sorta a sideways fixation on fingerprints going on - note that they will pickup worse on the stainless after using some common stainless cleaning products (such as those used by janitorial industry).

The Delorean folks must be getting a huge laugh about all this.

I kind of wonder what percentage of these things will end up being wrapped now with wrapping getting to its apex of popularity anyway. I guess the only advantage of the SS will be dent resistance. I'll very likely keep the SS myself.

 

[Art O'Connor]

Everybody SHOULD know bird droppings will damage auto exteriors if not removed promptly. When my number comes up in 2025 (I hope), I plan to pay for the clear coat. High end stainless appliances and plumbing fixtures have a coating. Otherwise, things like water spots appear. With the coatings, you cannot use stuff like Bar Keepers Friend. Just water and mild soap. If you don't have a coating, you can get stainless steel cleaner at any WalMart. Don't think just because it is stainless, you don't have to take care of the exterior.

 

[Bartman]

If money and potentially creating hazardous waste was not an issue (yes, they are, I know, that's the point), Tesla would probably go a step further and passivate/pickle the stainless steel parts with either citric acid, or nitric acid, or even a nitric & hydrofluoric acid combination, which would get rid of the free iron on the surface and create a thin layer of concentrated chromium on the HFS surface.

 

[Deleted member 17810]

tbf fair, the makeup for the SS on on the CT isn't yet known. So it's possible that it might be more susceptible to acids.

 

[HaulingAss]

The Cybertruck’s exterior is susceptible to corrosion, as acknowledged in the manual. Once the oxide barrier is compromised, corrosion initiates. The manual advises prompt removal of corrosive substances, emphasizing not to wait until the Cybertruck is scheduled for a full wash.

The oxide layer is the corrosion. Another way to say "Once the oxide barrier is compromised, corrosion initiates." is "Once the oxide barrier is compromised, it re-establishes itself". Leaving an acid on the surface will prevent the oxide layer from re-establishing so, yes, avoid strong acids and always rinse off acidic deposits like bird droppings and dog urine.

Acids are fantastic for cleaning stainless steel, in that they easily brighten it. Acids are great for restoring tile and grout also. But in both cases the acid consumes portions of the material you are trying to preserve and should be used very sparingly and infrequently, if at all. They are a last resort and only the weakest acid that is effective should be used.

I think avoiding acids on the Cybertruck will maintain its ability to form a protective oxide barrier. I plan on devloping a fairly easy care of washing with a regular auto shampoo and occasionally rubbing some wax on there to help repel dust/dirt and reduce the impact of finger oils. Over time a nice patina glow should develop but it may be desirable to occasionally start over with soapy water and non-woven pad with very fine aluminum oxide abrasive embedded in it polishing in a linear fashion. Then a good rinse and throw some wax on. It really depends upon your mood and what YOU want it look like. I expect mine will take on varying different looks over the years as I experiment and go through different phases.

The Cybertuck will be easier to maintain than a soft painted finish even if most of the basic steps are similar. If a clear coat is very damaged it must be re-sprayed. Not so with stainless steel. Just use a fine abrasive pad in a linear fashion.

 

[Bartman]

Kinda feel like if you are really worried about keeping up the "clean-car-look", you either need to wrap it, or you'll likely go insane trying to keep it fingerprint and smudge free. You almost just need to be willing to embrace the HFS exterior, for what it is, and have a "don't worry/be happy", or an "is what it is" attitude about it. We can talk about how to go about keeping the bare HFS exterior looking good it all we want, but in reality ain't nobody got time for that. There are no door handles, so every time you open or close a door, unless you and all your passengers are going to put on gloves before getting in and out of the truck, there is no way around fingerprints.

 

[Diveflyfish]

The oxide layer is the corrosion. Another way to say "Once the oxide barrier is compromised, corrosion initiates." is "Once the oxide barrier is compromised, it re-establishes itself". Leaving an acid on the surface will prevent the oxide layer from re-establishing so, yes, avoid strong acids and always rinse off acidic deposits like bird droppings and dog urine.

Acids are fantastic for cleaning stainless steel, in that they easily brighten it. Acids are great for restoring tile and grout also. But in both cases the acid consumes portions of the material you are trying to preserve and should be used very sparingly and infrequently, if at all. They are a last resort and only the weakest acid that is effective should be used.

I think avoiding acids on the Cybertruck will maintain its ability to form a protective oxide barrier. I plan on devloping a fairly easy care of washing with a regular auto shampoo and occasionally rubbing some wax on there to help repel dust/dirt and reduce the impact of finger oils. Over time a nice patina glow should develop but it may be desirable to occasionally start over with soapy water and non-woven pad with very fine aluminum oxide abrasive embedded in it polishing in a linear fashion. Then a good rinse and throw some wax on. It really depends upon your mood and what YOU want it look like. I expect mine will take on varying different looks over the years as I experiment and go through different phases.

The Cybertuck will be easier to maintain than a soft painted finish even if most of the basic steps are similar. If a clear coat is very damaged it must be re-sprayed. Not so with stainless steel. Just use a fine abrasive pad in a linear fashion.

Agreed:
If we think of drag as aerodynamic friction, then the amount of drag depends on the surface roughness of the object; a smooth, waxed surface will produce less drag than a roughened surface. This effect is called skin friction and is usually included in the drag coefficient.

https://www.grc.nasa.gov › factord
Factors that Affect Drag

 

[cvalue13]

Agreed:
If we think of drag as aerodynamic friction, then the amount of drag depends on the surface roughness of the object; a smooth, waxed surface will produce less drag than a roughened surface. This effect is called skin friction and is usually included in the drag coefficient.

https://www.grc.nasa.gov › factord
Factors that Affect Drag

 

[REM]

If I had several thousand dollars to burn on exterior cosmetics, I would hire a metalsmith artist. The Cybertruck is one huge, blank canvas.

Certainly wouldn't spend that money to wrap the truck in plastic.

 

[Mini2nut]

The huge competitive advantage to the Cybertruck is the proprietary super hard and thick stainless steel. No other vehicle in the consumer marketplace has anything to compete with it. Tesla's partnership with SpaceX and their top notch material science team helped speed up the development time. I would love to know exactly how SS formulas they went through before deciding on THE formula that met all of Tesla's goals

The ability to resist virtually all door dings and paint chips, especially on the front end, is extremely appealing to me. It's the #1 reason that I placed an early deposit on a Cybertruck. The shatterproof side glass and the super durable windshield formulated with borosilicate glass were just icing on the cake.

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

Deloren owner	Bar Keepers Friend (BKF)	https://barkeepersfriend.com/products/
OutOfSpecDetl	Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) (then windex?)

thanks for posting this. Very helpful and just ordered some.

 

[cvalue13]

we’re gonna find that trade off soon

 

[CyberGus]

Stainless steels with high corrosion-resistance are made for harsh environments, such as storage of chemicals or when exposed to extreme heat.

The 304 stainless on DeLoreans has stood up for decades. I think we'll be ok

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