Rust Spots/Corrosion is the Norm

[HaulingAss]

Please do not follow the advice to "polish" sections of your Cybertruck unless you have extensive advanced experience in metal refinishing, you will most likely make the appearance much worse than a few small rust spots.

"Extensive advanced experience in metal refinishing" ? No, this is not the Mona Lisa, anyone can maintain their Cybertruck without being afraid. You don't need a Phd in metallurgy.

This really is one of the dumbest threads on the entire forum.

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[MARCSPSD]

2 anecdotal observations:

I put a stainless steel ball tow hitch on my Ford diesel truck over 20 years ago. The entire piece is stainless steel including the 3 balls.

20 years later, guess what? Still looks the same as new with absolutely no maintenance. The truck has been living outside since 2001!

60 years ago, a 195 ft stainless steel barge was built as a floating barge for concerts. It traveled the world playing concerts. The owner eventually died, and the "Wind Symphony Orchestra" barge was to be scrapped.

I went to see it a few years ago as it was docked in Lake Okeechobee awaiting a trip to the scrap yard. Keep in mind this barge traveled the world in salt water. Also, rivers like the Amazon as well.

The stainless was still in beautiful condition. The barge narrowly escaped the scrap yard in is now has a new life in Philadelphia as a concert stage.

Stainless can be an amazing metal. I plan on replacing my old truck with a Cybertruck. Already have a Tesla Y performance as well.

Tesla made of new age stainless steel? PRICELESS!

 

[go99s]

Your points are all fine, and some people are definitely coming at this from the wrong place... But you do have to realize, 2 people posted little rust spots. It is going to generate some questions. If you don't know that rust stains can happen to basically any material, it's going to be something you ask questions about.

I can also cause car paint, concrete, aluminum, and titanium to "rust" in the same way, in that the surface is stained by another material touching it while rusting. But if I didn't know that, I'd probably be confused as well and start asking questions.

It's also important to note, that little non structural rust spots on the underneath/backside of painted body panels are not as big of a deal as rust spots on the exterior surfaces of a vehicle. If you wouldn't expect to see rust in ~10 years on a painted car, yeah, it can be a little nerve wracking to see people talking about rust on the cybertruck in ~ 10 days.

Just don't assume everyone is coming at this from a position of "ridiculousness", is all I'm saying. People are allowed to ask questions about such a big purchase, as long as they're willing to listen to the answers and not jump to conclusions.

Excellent summary of why this thread is important but not something to worry about. There are odd/ unusual instances that can create stains but these are usually the rusting of the 'dust' particles corroding, not the underlying SS surface. If left to fester for a long (weeks) time, it may cause slight pitting of the SS surface which may then need buffing out (BKF) to keep it looking pristine. For the soap dodgers amongst us, this is patina and to be welcomed!
I am wanting to sort out a laser annealed topo pattern to be etched onto mine when I am eventually able to get it. Fiber Laser annealing of stainless steel will be my camouflage to hide the dirt on my Cybertruck!!!

 

[countryboy]

Excellent summary of why this thread is important but not something to worry about. There are odd/ unusual instances that can create stains but these are usually the rusting of the 'dust' particles corroding, not the underlying SS surface. If left to fester for a long (weeks) time, it may cause slight pitting of the SS surface which may then need buffing out (BKF) to keep it looking pristine. For the soap dodgers amongst us, this is patina and to be welcomed!
I am wanting to sort out a laser annealed topo pattern to be etched onto mine when I am eventually able to get it. Fiber Laser annealing of stainless steel will be my camouflage to hide the dirt on my Cybertruck!!!

Is there a [portable] machine that can do this without dismantling every body panel?

 

[go99s]

I put out my 'want' to provoke someone with connections to pick up on this and realise that with CT's slab sides it would not be too difficult to work out how to 'laser paint' each panel!
Think 'dismantle the laser printer' and mount it on a robot arm, not dismantle every body panel???
'Laser painting' each panel would be so much more long lasting than PPF/ Wrap and it does have a thickness(depth) so it is not likely to be rubbed off. I like the idea of a 'Topo' pattern which would simulate camo whilst also making dirt less visible/ obvious.
In reality, once you have each panel dimensioned up for 'Laser painting', you can put whatever image you want on them.

 

[geoffgeoff]

It depends on the makeup of the SS, I electroplate different sub-straights and SS depending on the makeup can be a problem to plate, So depending on the makeup SS can show orange.

"substrates" - fixed it4ya

 

[geoffgeoff]

I think as long as you don't drive it in the rain, or get it wet, it will be fine.....

Laugh all ya want, but I live in Southern NE and I've never driven my 9/2020 ModelY in rain or snow nor on wet streets or roads that have been salted. It's not the most expensive vehicle I've ever owned, but it's the only one that's gotten better over time. That, and I paid $8K for FSD - and I'm minimizing my risk of loss until wide release of "FSD/alpha" or reasonable facsimile OTAU.

 

[CyberGus]

Laugh all ya want

 

[Glenn]

"substrates" - fixed it4ya

That’s what I get for speaking into my phone instead of typing

 

[Mini2nut]

Only Tesla can get away with charging customers thousands of $$$$ for software that‘s not even live yet.

 

[DumpsterFire]

Only Tesla can get away with charging customers thousands of $$$$ for software that‘s not even live yet.

Yup. It’s Teslas world. We’re all just Beta Testers in it.

 

[wtibbit]

Clay removes surface contaminated like rail dust. If you’re going to polish it what are you going to use?

Definition:

polish /pŏl′ĭsh/

intransitive verb

1. To make smooth and shiny by rubbing or chemical action

Facts:

I'll use Barkeepers Friend to polish my truck. I've used it for decades to polish stainless steel cookware and marine fittings.

BKF polishes stainless steel with both rubbing (mechanical action by silica) and chemical actions (oxalic acid). Its finely powdered silica removes surface contaminants, including rusting particles of iron (from brake discs, for example) from stainless steel from surfaces without scratching or damaging them. Its oxalic acid passivates (oxidizes) the chromium component of the stainless steel alloy on the surface wherever the surface layer of chromium oxide has been compromised, keeping a continuous protective layer of chromium oxide on the surface to protect the iron component of the alloy from oxidizing.

I have used BKF to maintain a set of stainless steel cooking pots and pans for over 30 years. They have undergone exposure to boiling salted water and high cooking heat thousands of times; they have never shown any sign of rust.


Opinions:

I'm saddened but not surprised by those on this thread who are worried that their Cybertrucks' incredibly tough, high-strength, corrosion-resistant surface needs to be "protected" from stains and rust by an expensive, relatively delicate plastic film or coating.

For me, only good reason for covering up the truck's stainless steel with a coating or film is to change its color or appearance. Another reason, for some owners, is to reduce the appearance of fingerprints. For me, those fingerprints are not enough to spend the money and effort to apply and maintain a surface that will eventually need to be restored or repaired. If I'm disturbed by fingerprints I'll remove them with a quick wipe down with a mild solvent such as alcohol or a mild detergent followed by a water rinse and drying.

 

[Glenn]

Definition:

polish /pŏl′ĭsh/

intransitive verb

1. To make smooth and shiny by rubbing or chemical action

Facts:

I'll use Barkeepers Friend to polish my truck. I've used it for decades to polish stainless steel cookware and marine fittings.

BKF polishes stainless steel with both rubbing (mechanical action by silica) and chemical actions (oxalic acid). Its finely powdered silica removes surface contaminants, including rusting particles of iron (from brake discs, for example) from stainless steel from surfaces without scratching or damaging them. Its oxalic acid passivates (oxidizes) the chromium component of the stainless steel alloy on the surface wherever the surface layer of chromium oxide has been compromised, keeping a continuous protective layer of chromium oxide on the surface to protect the iron component of the alloy from oxidizing.

I have used BKF to maintain a set of stainless steel cooking pots and pans for over 30 years. They have undergone exposure to boiling salted water and high cooking heat thousands of times; they have never shown any sign of rust.


Opinions:

I'm saddened but not surprised by those on this thread who are worried that their Cybertrucks' incredibly tough, high-strength, corrosion-resistant surface needs to be "protected" from stains and rust by an expensive, relatively delicate plastic film or coating.

For me, only good reason for covering up the truck's stainless steel with a coating or film is to change its color or appearance. Another reason, for some owners, is to reduce the appearance of fingerprints. For me, those fingerprints are not enough to spend the money and effort to apply and maintain a surface that will eventually need to be restored or repaired. If I'm disturbed by fingerprints I'll remove them with a quick wipe down with a mild solvent such as alcohol or a mild detergent followed by a water rinse and drying.

Have you seen the make up of the stainless steel that they are using for the cyber truck? The make up of the metal will do what it was designed for. I have not heard anybody talk about the makeup of the SS. I would love to see and learn about it.

 

[wtibbit]

Have you seen the make up of the stainless steel that they are using for the cyber truck? The make up of the metal will do what it was designed for. I have not heard anybody talk about the makeup of the SS. I would love to see and learn about it.

We may never learn the exact alloy formulation, but we'll eventually learn how corrosion resistant it is.

Tesla developed its own alloy, of 30x type stainless steel, likely the same alloy SpaceX is using in the Starship spacecraft. That alloy's actual composition isn't public knowledge, but we do know that it's cold-rolled for hardening, making it slightly magnetic. I suspect the objective (measureable) engineering design requirements included surface hardness, tensile strength and elasticity, and corrosion resistance. I doubt Tesla would be happy with a product that exhibits much corrosion so they likely included a pretty low value for that design requirement.

I hope this isn't the case, but we may find that some wrapped trucks might experience a little more corrosion if the wrap allows moisture to be trapped between the film and the truck's surface, particularly in areas where salts are used on roads.

However corrosion resistant the 30x alloy is, it will experience less corrosion if the trucks are kept in a garage. I'm fortunate to have a garage with enough space to store the Cybertruck, but corrosion concerns are not the reason I'll keep it garaged. I'll garage it for the same reasons I store my cars there, to keep them clean and secure, and to keep the interior cooler during the summer, helping preserve the interior materials; plus, doing that avoids having the charging cable exposed outdoors.

 

[Eye of Elon]

If the worst case scenario were true, it would be great news for me. A hideous looking truck, with purely cosmetic "damage" would mean cheap used Cybertrucks flooding the market. I have zero concern what it looks like.

But it's probably just FUD.

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