Overland to Arctic Ocean Ruined My Tonneau Cover (Due to Dust)

[Trbizwiz]

9,963 miles in 37 days. Charging costs came to $0.14/mile.

@ 20 mpg in an ICE truck, that cost would equate to $2.80/gallon of fuel. I am not sure a comparable truck would achieve 20 mpg, but I was trying to be generous. I also doubt you'd buy gas for $2.80/gallon up there. So it appears the energy you used was reasonably priced.

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[HaulingAss]

Where do you direct the blower's air stream to blow dust out of the tonneau cover tracks with the tonneau closed?

I blow the fine dust out with the bed open, before it builds up to excessive levels.

 

[Cybergirl]

I blow the fine dust out with the bed open, before it builds up to excessive levels.

That makes sense although some dust could get pulled into the take up compartment over time.

 

[Cybergirl]

@ 20 mpg in an ICE truck, that cost would equate to $2.80/gallon of fuel. I am not sure a comparable truck would achieve 20 mpg, but I was trying to be generous. I also doubt you'd buy gas for $2.80/gallon up there. So it appears the energy you used was reasonably priced.

Gasoline (Petrol) in Canada was generally $1.49/liter, or $5.60/gal Canadian x 0.73 = $4.13 US, and $3.90/gal in Alaska. The cost of the trip in an ICEV getting 20 mpg would be close to $1900 versus my $1400.

 

[Cybergirl]

I'm going to experiment cleaning the tonneau cover and tracks with my home pressure washer. Accessing the tracks might be a problem because they're impeded by the presence of the Urander bedrack. If it works, I'd consider buying a Midnight Forest Rain Basin and Rain Flare 400 psi pressure washer kit. I can make good use of it in other ways, as well. Thoughts, anyone?
https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Forest-Rain-Basin-Gallon/dp/B0BSVMR1DQ#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

That's something to consider, but I wonder about its effectiveness. If you look at where dust accumulated with the sail top removed, I wonder if suction will enough to remove it.

My hypothesis is that a pebble or small rock in the track prevented the tonneau from closing and that the dust is just something that accompanied the rock/pebble. The plastic rollers in the tonneau are teflon (PTFE) and will only stop if sufficiently out-of-round or if entirely bound-up or blocked. I would bet my next house payment that the rollers were blocked by an oddly-shaped pebble or rock causing just enough feedback for the safety-stop to kick-in. I don’t think the dust itself is the root cause.

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

I'm going to experiment cleaning the tonneau cover and tracks with my home pressure washer. Accessing the tracks might be a problem because they're impeded by the presence of the Urander bedrack. If it works, I'd consider buying a Midnight Forest Rain Basin and Rain Flare 400 psi pressure washer kit. I can make good use of it in other ways, as well. Thoughts, anyone?
https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Forest-Rain-Basin-Gallon/dp/B0BSVMR1DQ#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

I have it and like it. There is also a battery sprayer available at Costco, the Rinse Kit, that others like forum member Hemiarch have had good experiences with.

 

[Cybergirl]

My hypothesis is that a pebble or small rock in the track prevented the tonneau from closing and that the dust is just something that accompanied the rock/pebble. The plastic rollers in the tonneau are teflon (PTFE) and will only stop if sufficiently out-of-round or if entirely bound-up or blocked. I would bet my next house payment that the rollers were blocked by an oddly-shaped pebble or rock causing just enough feedback for the safety-stop to kick-in. I don’t think the dust itself is the root cause.

Sounds plausible. Tesla Service told me that at least five of the plastic wheels needed to be replaced due to unusual wear.

 

[REM]

If the mitigation for dust can't be rectified with a simple rinsing of the vehicle (ie, not disassembling entire assemblies or sub-assemblies), then this should be a warranty claim with Tesla.

There shouldn't be a reasonable expectation for an owner/customer to pop off trim pieces and clean under them in order for your tonneau not to break.

If I were you, I would suggest this to Tesla, and ask if they can make a warranty exception this time, and/or escalate this higher up the chain for a closer review. Telsa did just open up a new system to allow you to escalate things like this.

Push back on it, if you can. It will help everyone out in the long-run.

 

[bosshog]

I brought my Cybertruck into Tesla Service today because my tonneau cover wouldn't close. I had recently taken an overland trip to the Arctic Ocean on the Dempster Hwy, a 1000 mile trip on gravel roads from Dawson City, YT to Tuktoyaktuk, NT and back. The dust kicked up by my truck and that from other vehicles found its way into every nook and cranny of my truck. It got into the tonneau cover tracks and caused the plastic bearings on the slats to clog up with dust. Several of the bearings seized up preventing the cover from free movement. The initial cost estimate to replace the damaged bearings and repair any other damage is $876. Here are some photos that Tesla sent me:

I'm posting this thread to let people know that driving your Cybertruck on dusty gravel roads for many miles combined with daily opening and closing the tonneau cover (while camping) can damage the cover. Tesla advised that I power wash the tonneau cover tracks after driving in dusty conditions to clean out dust that has accumulated in the bearing tracks. Of course, this is impossible when spending days on a remote overland trip in the Arizona desert, for example, which is something I intend to do.

I removed the vault floor to check on the accumulation of dust on the air suspension components. It covered everything:

Further exploration revealed that dust got under the fender flares, rocker panels, and beneath the frunk, all of which had to be blown or hosed out. Taking the truck through a car wash will do nothing to clean dust-laden interior spaces.

Any ideas how to mitigate this problem other than staying off dusty gravel roads?

Wow I am surprised by all this dust in there especially in areas that are not normally cleaned unless you dismantle the truck ( looks like it will be a long term service maintenance issue ie SC please clean my truck from dust build up )

When you say frunk did you open the front frunk area . I suspect that will also be clogged up with dust ( saw another thread regarding front frunk area )


Its hard to imagine this truck becoming a main stream work house like the ford or GM when you see this kind of dust build up . Concerns me as in winter they salt and gravel the roads .Cant imagine the damage that might occur with collecting salt/grime in not normally visible spaces of the truck.

 

[CT_AZ_4x4]

Wow I am surprised by all this dust in there…

Its hard to imagine this truck becoming a main stream work house like the ford or GM when you see this kind of dust build up . Concerns me as in winter they salt and gravel the roads .Cant imagine the damage that might occur with collecting salt/grime in not normally visible spaces of the truck.

Any --literally ANY— truck on the same stretch of road will have a like amount of dust inside, outside, and underneath fender wells on all sides and interior portions.

Fear of a truck having dust is like saying fish fear water. It has zero effect on whether a truck is a work horse or not.

Like all inanimate objects, whether it is deemed a “work” vehicle or not depends entirely upon use.

Cyber girl just drove hers to the far north and back, nearly 10,000 miles. I’d say that qualifies sufficiently as a “work” truck and then some.

The Cybertruck only fears as much dust as its driver.

 

[Crissa]

I don't fully understand how dust and sand is getting into the tracks. Are there openings on the underside of the truck through which road dust and stones can get in? Is it possible to seal off these spaces?

Every seam and joint is an opening. That's the downside to a roller or doors.

Its hard to imagine this truck becoming a main stream work house like the ford or GM when you see this kind of dust build up . Concerns me as in winter they salt and gravel the roads .Cant imagine the damage that might occur with collecting salt/grime in not normally visible spaces of the truck.

I've seen some trucks and cars have the inside trim of the doors and gas caps just filled with dust - so when you open the door, it pours out. But the seals still held. Still... It means inside the walls and anywhere under the hood is a ton of dust. Just gotta clean off the build-up and when you get back to civilization, wash and re-lube all the joints.

It's just part of doing a long, dusty work.

Maybe there needs to be some soft seals under the body work to help reduce the ingress? I don't know.

-Crissa

 

[Cybergirl]

Good news! I received word from the Service Center that Tesla will cover the cost of repairs to my tonneau cover. The service manager said they found a bent component (not attributed to anything I did) which they will replace under warranty along with any damaged rollers. They need to order the part, so they'll need another day to complete the repairs. My Tesla Service Center recommends cleaning dust from the tonneau cover tracks with a pressure washer. That sounds good, but it's not typically possible to use a pressure washer on a multi-day overland trip on dusty desert trails. There is a possible solution alternative, though.

I’m considering purchasing a Midnight Forest 400psi pressure washer for the Cybertruck. The 8 gallon version ($410) is probably what I need to remove the accumulation of road mud and dust from the truck on a long, dirty overland trip. I would attach the water tank to the Urander’s side molle. The hose, gun, and accessories come in a plastic case that I'd store in the frunk for easy retrieval. The tank can contain potable water for cooking and dish washing.

The question becomes how to flush dust and debris out of the tonneau tracks and rollers with the Urander bed rack in place and the cover closed. The top surface of the tonneau can be pressure washed without much water entering the vault. The tracks and rollers are more difficult to clean. What I think would work is to open the tonneau after removing surface dirt, remove all the camping gear, and then, from inside the vault, direct pressurized water into the tonneau tracks on both sides from front to rear. Then, still inside the vault, at the rear window, and with the help of another person, close the tonneau 6” at a time, spraying dirt off the wheels as they are exposed on either side of the rear window. I'm assuming that water flowing down into the tonneau storage space is safe (motors sealed from water intrusion). I will discuss this with Tesla before using this procedure.

 

[ABILISK]

This is definitely Torque News’ next story. Dust renders CT unusable or something

 

[REM]

Good news! I received word from the Service Center that Tesla will cover the cost of repairs to my tonneau cover.

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