Tesla Model 3 Paint Protection Guide

Did you order a new Tesla? What are the most sensitive areas of Model 3? Do I need to protect my new car? What should I protect on the Tesla Model 3? How much does this cost? Has the paint quality improved?

These questions have been answered over 1200 times. We have helped 1250 Tesla Model 3 customers protect their cars, seen dozens of different customer segments, various budgets, and various consequences in different situations. Our volume of experience with Tesla Model 3 is considered the largest in the Nordic countries by many peer companies. Our knowledge is based on facts and invaluable customer experiences.

The following text contains honest experiences from Tesla Model 3 owners about the Tesla Model 3:

TM3 deliveries to customers in Finland began in March 2019. Since then, we have protected over 1250 TM3 units. At our best, we have had 6 TM3 units in our premises in a single day.

We guarantee that by reading the text below, you will use your time efficiently. We don’t want you to make mistakes that others have made, and we appreciate your valuable time. This is the motivation behind the information provided below. We want your car to remain in good condition and provide you with a fact-based tool.

What are the notable areas in Model 3?

• Sills
• Rear bumper corner
• Front
• Inner door sills and loading protection
• Interior sill edges
• Paint surface in general
• General tips

Sills

One of the most sensitive areas of the Model 3 is the sills. That is the lower sill + lower edges of the doors + rear bumper corner. The solution to this is the so-called “sill package”, which has been installed in 1250 units.

Why sills?

The sills and the lower edge of the side doors (the area under the horizontal lower seam) fold inward under the car. From the rear, you can see how the area is exposed to damage from stones flying from the tires.

We have seen significant damage in unprotected TM3s both at 40 km and at 40,000 km. Typical type of damage: between stone impacts and paint detachment.

These damage consequences are not specific to just the Tesla Model 3, but to many other car brands as well.

The damage in the photo has been protected by the customer’s request with PPF film unpainted (notice the film edge above) The car has driven 500 km and it is 6 days old.

We have also seen a few cars with protective tape on the sills (although the incomplete implementation of the taping may have been a contributing factor), where the ends of the sills were not taped, and the car did not have mud flaps. The absence of mud flaps was a significant factor. These caused the paint to peel off from the ends of the sills.

Rear Bumper Corner

In conjunction with the protection of the sill, another critical area is the rear bumper’s edge next to the tire, which is located approximately 8 cm from the rear tire. Therefore, the tire throws stones and sand from the road into the plastic rear bumper with a sandblasting effect, with phenomenal force, resulting in the photos below. The photos were taken when the car was 3 days old, with approximately 400 km driven.

The necessity of the rear bumper corner decreases after installing mud flaps, but even with “splash guards,” they do not reach the upper edge of the rear bumper, leaving the top edge of the bumper still vulnerable to stone chips. Additionally, the PPF tape under the splash guard prevents abrasions from forming.

This sensitivity characteristic of the rear bumper corner does not apply only to the Tesla Model 3 but is a very common feature in almost all car brands.

Statistical information: 100% of our TM3 customers have taken the sill package (€499)

The sill package includes: lower sill, lower part of the side doors, lower part of the front fender, rear bumper corner.
As part of our regular campaign, the package also includes free protection taping for the front fog lights.

Front

Most stone chips occur from stones and studs flying from preceding cars, hitting your car. No matter how much we maintain safe distances, we cannot influence the driving habits of other motorists or the amount of stones and studs on the road. TM3 features:

• Front bumper shape is predominantly vertical and solid, making it prone to stone chips.
• Bonnet is the largest visible area when standing in front of the car, where stone chips are particularly noticeable.
• Front fenders’ front part is also sensitive due to its shape, extending from the side of the bonnet to the front bumper on both sides of the headlights.
• Headlights and fog lights (LR = Long Range) / black lenses (SR = Standard Range) get sandblasted matte if left unprotected.
• Side mirrors turn matte if not protected from stone chips.
• Windscreen collects many stone chips.
• Beams on the sides of the windscreen are damaged by stone chips. (€149)

In low-mileage, unprotected white TM3s, hundreds of black stone chips can be seen on the front, with small pieces of paint chipped off. We have seen dozens of cases where the customer had cut back on the budget for the front fenders and eventually came back a few weeks later to protect them as well, unless it was already too late (repainting).

Statistical Information: 75% of our TM3 customers opt for the Full Front kit (€1899) for the whole front protection taping. The remaining 25% choose the Full Front kit without front fenders (saving – €472, total cost €1427).

Front Bumper: €699, Bonnet €499, Headlights + Fog Lights €99, Side Mirrors €130, Front Fenders €472

The Full Front kit includes: Front Bumper, Bonnet, Front Fenders, Headlights + Fog Lights, Side Mirrors.
The Full Front kit + sill package together is €99 cheaper than when taken separately.

Interior Door Sills and Loading Protection

When passengers enter the car, their shoes easily hit the unprotected metal sills. Children climb into the car and may use the sills as steps. Similarly, pets jump into the car. There is a clear flat area on the interior door sills where damage is always visible when entering the car.

When loading items such as strollers or equipment into the trunk, they easily hit the flat area on the rear bumper. Due to aerodynamic laws, flying dirt and sand stick tightly to the back of the car, causing scratches on the end of the rear bumper when hitting it with our thighs. It is difficult to prevent scratches unless the area is protected with a protective film.

Statistical Information

• 50% of our customers opt for the protective taping of all interior door sills + loading protection.
• 25% choose only the front door sills + loading protection.
• 25% opt for only the loading protection.

The taping on the front door sills is approximately 75 cm wide and 20 cm high, including the trim list protective taping with the Model 3 inscription. (€89)

The taping on the rear door sills is approximately 60 cm wide and 23 cm high. (€89)

The loading protection is approximately 115 cm wide and 20 cm high. (€89)

The area recommended for taping, clearly shown in the photograph using painter’s tape. Exception: The front door sill taping also includes the silver logo.

Inner Sill Edges

This feature applies to all colors, but it is most noticeable in white cars. There is a single black rubber seal on the doors. Unfortunately, this alone is not enough to keep dirt from entering the gaps between the doors from the outside. (For example, additional inner door seals from Vempele are a great purchase: costing about €20, they help keep the inner door sills slightly cleaner and reduce noise slightly. Installation is easy to do yourself, taking less than an hour.)

When the door is closed and the car is in motion, there is micro-level movement of the body panels according to physical laws. Thus, the sand brought in with dirt between the rubber seal and the car body scratches the paint surface. We noticed this problem as early as the summer of 2019 and addressed it with a PPF protective film solution.

Statistical Information: 50% of our TM3 customers opt for this service.

The area to be taped is approximately 2 meters long per door gap (€59 per door)

Paint Surface in General

Tesla’s paint surface is relatively soft. The paint thickness may measure less than 100 µm with a paint thickness gauge.

This means that caution must be exercised with the paint surface, and it is advisable to hand wash the car using effective but safe washing chemicals. Especially in darker-colored cars, usage marks, washing scratches, stone chips, etc., are more visible compared to the white version.

Photographed car has driven 1000 km, approximately 1 month old.

In the original TM3 models, there was no factory-installed electric tailgate. Some users experienced significant wear and tear on the lower edge of the tailgate due to frequent use. A solution to this is applying a PPF film to the lower part of the tailgate.

Protective taping of the lower part of the trunk costs €179.

The electric tailgate became a standard factory feature in the 2021 models.

µm = micrometer is a unit of length that indicates, for example, the thickness of the paint surface.

General Tips

• Original mud flaps tend to accumulate a lot of sand at their top. As a result, wet sand comes into contact with the metal of the lower bumper. We recommend removing and cleaning the original flaps four times a year or ordering aftermarket mud flaps online. For example, from https://www.vempele.fi/tuote/tesla-model-3-kuralapat/. The design of “Chinese flaps” is significantly better than that of original flaps, and they fit snugly against the paint surface without collecting sand. NOTE! Aftermarket or so-called Chinese flaps may scratch the paint if there are no PPF patches underneath them. Scratching cannot be removed by polishing.

• Many of our customers have recommended purchasing additional seals from online sources (installed behind the outer edge of the doors). This improves the cleanliness of the door gaps because dirt cannot penetrate the door gaps due to the additional seal, thus reducing scratching slightly. The installation costs 97 €. https://www.vempele.fi/tuote/tesla-model-3-ovitiivisteet/

• We have installed many of Tesla’s original PPF kits sold separately. Unfortunately, they are too small to protect the entire front bumper from real damage over a two-meter area.

Statistical Information: 100% of our customers who initially installed original PPF bumper kits with us returned within approximately 1 month for proper front bumper protection installation.

• When ordering your car, make an appointment with the nearest wrapping shop to protect your car. This way, you can avoid damage. Explore the most suitable protective product for you: “What is the difference between ceramic coating and PPF paint protection film?”

• Touchscreens easily leave fingerprints, which is common for all displays. We have developed the ScreenProtector protective film in Gloss and Matte versions, which provides protection for the screen and does not leave fingerprints. This costs 49 € installed.

• Always perform rustproofing after PPF installation. We have encountered numerous cases where rustproofing mass has gone where it shouldn’t, potentially affecting the customer’s costs.

• First the tapes, then the ceramic coating. “Before you install ceramic coating – consider these factors.”

• Before tinting the rear window, watch this video: “Case tinting windows – customer experience”

• The factory matte black trims are easily damaged during car washes if the car is washed with too alkaline pre-wash detergent and not neutralized with acidic shampoo.

• In the 2019-2020 models, the center console has caused hazardous situations for some of our customers on sunny days. The sun easily reflects off the glossy black surface into the eyes. The center console scratches and gathers dust easily. Wrapping is a popular solution to this issue (149 €).

Is the paint quality better in the latest Chinese models?

Generally, since the production of the Model 3’s body began at the Shanghai Gigafactory, the “panel gaps” have improved slightly. Although the paint quality in newer models is slightly better than in the 2019 models, unfortunately, it is still not perfect, and protection is still necessary.

For example, the fit of the body panels is clearly better. The gaps between the body panels, known as “panel gaps,” have been made more symmetrical.

However, one issue still persists occasionally: the fit of the trunk lid may cause rubbing against the paint on the rear bumper when closed, leading to paint wear.

This issue is very easy to address preemptively by adjusting the black rubber pads on the trunk lid counterclockwise.

Additionally, various aesthetic modifications can be made to Tesla Model 3 to enhance its appearance while also protecting the paint. You can find everything about Tesla Model 3 wrapping here: Tesla Model 3 wrapping & chromedelete guide.