Exterior Stainless Steel Panel Refinishing

Describes the approved methods to refinish exterior stainless steel body panels.

Scratches and surface discolorations of the exterior stainless steel body panels can be removed by sanding with a random orbital sander. Note, however, that sanding may result in a change in the appearance of the repair area. To maintain the appearance of the vehicle, panels (or portions of panels) other than the one containing the damage may need to be refinished.

When removing scratches from the exterior body panels of the Cybertruck:

The entire plane (flat area) of the panel containing the repair area must be refinished, and the same plane across all panels on the same side of the vehicle must also be refinished to maintain consistency in appearance. For example, in the image below, if the scratch is in any green area, all other areas shown in green must be refinished, but planes in yellow, blue, and white would not be refinished.
Undamaged planes of the same panel do not have to be refinished.
Figure 1. Cybertuck Side Plane Refinishing
Figure 2. Cybertuck Front Plane Refinishing
Figure 3. Cybertuck Tailgate Plane Refinishing
The method for using the orbital sander is as follows:
Tesla recommends that exterior body panel scratch removal be performed only by trained professional technicians following the procedures outlined below.

Table 1. Repair Criteria
Damage	Repair Method
Light scratch: A surface scratch that is visible but cannot be felt.	Removing Light Scratches: Method 1 or Removing Light Scratches: Method 2
Deep scratch: A surface scratch that is visible and can be felt by hand.	Removing Deep Scratches: Method 1 or Removing Deep Scratches: Method 2
Discoloration that cannot be removed by cleaning, such as acid etching, heavy soil, or surface discoloration.	Removing Light Scratches: Method 1 or Removing Light Scratches: Method 2

Removing Light Scratches: Method 1

Table 2. Required Tools
Item	Specification
Orbital sander	6" pad, 3/16 inch Orbit
Interface pad	Soft interface pad 6" x 1/2" x 3/4"

Table 3. Required Supplies
Item	Specification
Sanding discs	Walter Surface Technologies: Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Medium Grainger item number: 819X66 Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Fine Grainger item number: 819X67 Very Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Very Fine Grainger item number: 819X68 Refer to Sourcing for information on purchasing these supplies.

Note

Properly mount the sanding disc on the interface pad for each sanding step, and change sanding discs frequently to ensure an even finish. Clean the repair area of any panel being refinished with isopropyl alcohol between each step.

Warning

Use only new sanding discs (do not re-use sanding discs) to prevent cross-contamination.

Clean the panel with isopropyl alcohol.
Using a Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc with an orbital sander and interface pad, remove only the light scratches in the repair area.
Using a Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch). Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch). Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a Very Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch). Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Wash the truck to remove sanding dust.

Removing Light Scratches: Method 2

Table 4. Required Tools
Item	Specification
Orbital sander	6" pad, 3/16 inch Orbit
Interface pad	Soft interface pad 6" x 1/2" x 3/4"

Table 5. Required Supplies
Item	Specification
Sanding discs	SIA Abrasives: SIAFLEECE SIAFAST NONWOVEN DISC 6120 6" (150 mm) Very Fine A (a maroon disc): Fastenal part number: 1245.3717.6932 Total Safety part number: 7920.7063.6932 SIAFLEECE SIAFAST NONWOVEN DISC 6120 6" (150 mm) Ultra Fine S (a gray disc): Fastenal part number: 1245.3717.8712 Total Safety part number: 7920.7063.8712 Refer to Sourcing for information on purchasing these supplies.

Note

Warning

Use only new sanding discs (do not re-use sanding discs) to prevent cross-contamination.

Clean the panel with isopropyl alcohol.
Hand sand in a circular pattern with a SIA 6" Very Fine Non-Woven disc (maroon disc) using light pressure to sand out the damage.
Using a SIA 6" Very Fine Non-Woven Disc (maroon disc), refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the scratches from the prior step are removed. Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a SIA 6" Ultra Fine Non-Woven Disc (gray disc), refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch). Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Wash the truck to remove sanding dust.

Removing Deep Scratches: Method 1

Table 6. Required Tools
Item	Specification
Orbital sander	6" pad, 3/16 inch Orbit
Interface pad	Soft interface pad 6" x 1/2" x 3/4"
Die grinder	1/4" Right Angle Die Grinder
Twist disc backing pad	3’’ Twist disc backing pad, ¼” shank

Table 7. Required Supplies
Item	Specification
Sanding discs (6")	6" 600 grit sanding disc (any manufacturer) Walter Surface Technologies: Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Medium Grainger item number: 819X66 Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Fine Grainger item number: 819X67 Very Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex Hook and Loop Disc, Very Fine Grainger item number: 819X68 Refer to Sourcing for information on purchasing these supplies.
Grinding disc	Walter Surface Technologies Twist Blendex U Disc (3") Grainger item number: 804CK7 Walter Surface Technologies part number: 04-U 321 Refer to Sourcing for information on purchasing these supplies.

Note

Warning

Use only new sanding discs (do not re-use sanding discs) to prevent cross-contamination.

Clean the scratched panel with isopropyl alcohol.
Using a 3” Twist Blendex U grinding disc, remove the deep scratch. Keep the repair area small.
Note
Do not focus only on the scratched area; move the grinder side to side and up and down in a overlapping motion so you do not create a divot in the panel.
Warning
When grinding, use light pressure and a slow speed to make sure that the panel does not overheat.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 600 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the grinding disc used in the previous step.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Using a Medium grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a Very Fine grit – 6’’ Blendex non-woven disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Wash the truck to remove sanding dust.

Removing Deep Scratches: Method 2

Table 8. Required Tools
Item	Specification
Orbital sander	6" pad, 3/16 inch Orbit
Interface pad	Soft interface pad 6" x 1/2" x 3/4"

Table 9. Required Supplies
Item	Specification
Sanding discs (6")	Any manufacturer 180 grit 220 grit 240 grit 320 grit 400 grit 600 grit
Sanding discs	SIA Abrasives: SIAFLEECE SIAFAST NONWOVEN DISC 6120 6" (150 mm) Very Fine A (a maroon disc): Fastenal part number: 1245.3717.6932 Total Safety part number: 7920.7063.6932 SIAFLEECE SIAFAST NONWOVEN DISC 6120 6" (150 mm) Ultra Fine S (a gray disc): Fastenal part number: 1245.3717.8712 Total Safety part number: 7920.7063.8712 Refer to Sourcing for information on purchasing these supplies.

Note

Warning

Use only new sanding discs (do not re-use sanding discs) to prevent cross-contamination.

Clean the scratched panel with isopropyl alcohol.
Using a 180 grit 6" sanding disc, remove the deep scratch. Keep the repair area small.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 220 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 240 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 320 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 400 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Slightly expanding the repair area, use a 600 grit 6" sanding disc to remove the sanding scratches from the previous step.
Using a 600 grit 6" sanding disc, refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch). Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a SIA 6" Very Fine Non-Woven Disc (maroon disc), refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the scratches from the prior step are removed. Continue to sand until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Using a SIA 6" Ultra Fine Non-Woven Disc (gray disc), refinish the entire plane of the repair area, overlapping each pass by 25 mm (1 inch) until the finish is consistent.
Note
All panels containing the same plane as the repair area must be refinished.
Wash the truck to remove sanding dust.

Sourcing

Supplies may be sourced locally, so long as they are the product and the part number specified above. If desired, these supplies can be purchased from the following distributors:


Fastenal	Any local location or online at: https://www.fastenal.com/
Grainger	Any local location or online at: https://www.grainger.com/
Total Safety	Any local location or online at: https://www.totalsafety.com/