Tesla will be throwing insurers and body shops a curve ball with the stainless steel Cybertruck.
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/22/tesla-cybertruck-stainless-steel-body/
When Tesla talked about forming the body on the Cybertruck, they talked about having to grind out a V channel opposite of the external bend in order for the sheet to bend. If you print out and construct the paper model I've attached, you'll get a feel for it. Now, the doors are obviously separate pieces as are the Hood and tailgate but you get the picture. There aren't many panels to be removed.I think that article contains a little bit of fear mongering. Let me guess, it was sponsored by the association of automotive paint and bodyshops or something. Lol
After 35 years of use by the original owner, I did the following minor things to the exterior on my DeLorean when I acquired and restored the car:
- Removed a spot of rust staining and shallow pitting. Cost $5 for blending pad
- Removed several scratches. Cost $0 because I already had the blending pad
- Regrained a panel to remove a poor previous attempt at blending. Cost $0
- Had a dime sized dent removed. Cost $50
- Restored the original new stainless steel shine to the car. Cost $5 for liquid Barkeepers Friend
In contrast, the painted fascias & louvers on the car cost $1,500 to have them repainted properly.
Interestingly, the person refinishing the hood in the video above is none other than Chris Nicholson, wizard of DeLorean stainless repair. He flies all around the world repairing panels for Clubs and Vendors. It costs a fair amount to have him work on your car, but any trained service center can do the same thing.
Panels for this 39 year old orphan car are not that rare (except one), and my insurance rate is very reasonable.
For the Cybertruck, have we heard definitively that individual panels are not removable? I get the exoskeleton thing, but does it all have to be welded together instead of some removable fasteners in certain places? I am sure this will be worked out as they are make it ready for production. I don't expect that panels can be removed in your garage with a 10 mm socket and a phillips screwdriver, but I fully expect a Tesla body shop to be able to remove a panel or section to repair damage. When they finish the repair, I know they there won't be any paint work to do.
I took it too mean that the doors would be made of thicker 30X SS, so they would be 'bullet proof'. The hood of the truck would likely be thinner 30X as it is less likely to be impacted while parking or driving in difficult terrain.
