Metal peeling off the bottom

[BlueLightning]

Zoom in on this pic. I see scrape marks before the area that folded back.

Looks like it’s designed to give way for what ever reason, ther is a distinct line and cut away on each side: the same area damaged on the OP’s?!

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[tmeyer3]

@CYBERTRUCKco
@Mars Adventure Gear
@RIVAL 4x4
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@Urander

Check out this thread. I've had 2 other (offline) CT owners report exactly this issue after the recent rainy season in SoCal. My friend in Tesla Service has also reported an uptick in this from owners hitting water hard enough to peel this like in the image. Looks like a great upgrade/manufacturing business opportunity for a functional upgrade!

 

[65SoYoLO]

Check out this thread. I've had 2 other (offline) CT owners report exactly this issue after the recent rainy season in SoCal. My friend in Tesla Service has also reported an uptick in this from owners hitting water hard enough to peel this like in the image. Looks like a great upgrade/manufacturing business opportunity for a functional upgrade!

That piece of metal has to be made out of tin if it bends when hit by water

 

[no%X#XMVk65v#cq]

This is from hitting water puddles at high speed.

You can replace that rear cover for about $300, but it's just aluminum sheets. Fortunately, this is just cosmetic and you can bend it back if you'd prefer without damaging anything.

Slow down on the puddles, or I guess you could prevent water from getting in those flaps with duct tape ? mostly kidding

 

[tmeyer3]

That piece of metal has to be made out of tin if it bends when hit by water

Welp, there one way to know for sure... Go puddle jumping!

 

[Crissa]

That piece of metal has to be made out of tin if it bends when hit by water

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter

And while water is less heavy than other things, it's still heavy enough to bend metal.

-Crissa

 

[ibrahimalam7]

One expensive splash

 

[MyKidCouldDrawThat]

Zoom in on this pic. I see scrape marks before the area that folded back.

This is my truck.

You can see on the red dotted line that the panel has been stamped and notched to go around something, weakening/widening the exact area that failed. Also, there are channels that would run water directly into that gap. This is absolutely a design flaw.

 

[tmeyer3]

You can see on the red dotted line that the panel has been stamped and notched to go around something, weakening/widening the exact area that failed. Also, there are channels that would run water directly into that gap. This is absolutely a design flaw.

I agree, it's very "scoopy". While hitting water at high speed is generally bad for all components involved, this aeroshield is particularly vulnerable. I think it could be an easy aftermarket fix.
On the plus side (if there is one) at least it's only cosmetic damage.

 

[MyKidCouldDrawThat]

I agree, it's very "scoopy". While hitting water at high speed is generally bad for all components involved, this aeroshield is particularly vulnerable. I think it could be an easy aftermarket fix.
On the plus side (if there is one) at least it's only cosmetic damage.

Yeah, but I would be concerned about range loss from air drag on the bent edge. You could probably just remove the whole thing until an aftermarket one is available.

 

[ibrahimalam7]

I agree, it's very "scoopy". While hitting water at high speed is generally bad for all components involved, this aeroshield is particularly vulnerable. I think it could be an easy aftermarket fix.
On the plus side (if there is one) at least it's only cosmetic damage.

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

Sure. But when you hit water hard enough to feel that intense slow down, those are huge drag forces that are pulling on anything in reach of the water. I wouldn't underestimate the destructive power of water at high speed.

But I also agree, those aluminum covers shouldn't be designed to allow water to get ahold of them. Maybe someone could design an edge cover to fix Tesla's mistake here.

The physics of impacting water while traveling at high speed can be similar to impacting concrete. Splat! goes Wile E. Coyote!!

 

[tmeyer3]

Yeah, but I would be concerned about range loss from air drag on the bent edge. You could probably just remove the whole thing until an aftermarket one is available.

Excellent point. I hadn't even thought of that, it does resemble a windbrake

 

[TECH49]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter

And while water is less heavy than other things, it's still heavy enough to bend metal.

-Crissa

this isn’t really a good comparison. Very different situations.

 

[DrPhyzx]

This is objectively false. F=MA. The mass of water required to reach the bottom of the CT accelerating instantly to 40+ mph is a lot more than any pressure washer I've ever heard of.

Right... tell me all about your physics expertise, starting with how you have used Newton's second law to prove your point.

I love it when armchair scientists say stuff like "This is objectively false" and then offer up a bunch of unsubstantiated assertions.

The water from a pressure washer is going much faster than 40 mph and generating large multiples more force per unit area (thousands of PSI). Pressure washers can do a LOT of damage if you aren't careful.

https://pressurewashr.com/speed-of-water-from-pressure-washer-faq011/

Look at it this way. If that folded seam is presenting something like 2 in^2 to water from the road that is hitting it with the pressure of a typical pressure washer (3000 psi), that would be order 6000 lbs. of force, which would slow down the vehicle (which weighs order 6000 lbs) with 1g of deceleration, which is panic braking on dry pavement.

So... Newton's second law actually says "try again".

To be clear, I'm not saying this isn't damage from water. I'm saying
- this is occurring from a lot less force than you feel when driving through deep water
- Tesla could easily have bench-tested for this to identify the design flaw with pretty basic equipment.

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