The Tesla Cybertruck was by no means designed to mix in. From the second Elon Musk unveiled the prototype in 2019, inviting a pacesetter of the design crew to exhibit its indestructibility by taking a sledgehammer and a steel ball to the truck, we knew we had a unique beast arriving within the automotive jungle.
Nevertheless, identical to that demonstration — which didn’t go in keeping with plan – the 2 years following its launch to the general public have been fraught with sudden setbacks. With its brutalist design and futuristic Mad Max vitality, the Cybertruck has ignited each cult-like devotion and visceral hatred. Cybertruck house owners report every little thing from strangers taking selfies to others hurling verbal insults, to outright acts of aggression like street rage, keying, and throwing rocks.
So what occurs if somebody spots your automobile in a grocery retailer car parking zone and feels moved to commit a little bit informal Cybertruck vandalism? Although its design is minimalist, repairing its stainless-steel physique just isn’t all the time so easy. It was form of designed that method.
The stainless-steel dilemna
The Cybertruck’s physique is produced from cold-rolled, 30X-series stainless-steel. Not like most autos, it comes inventory from the manufacturing facility with out paint and missing a protecting clear coat. On paper, its lack of conventional physique panels makes it extraordinarily sturdy. Nevertheless, ought to somebody be actually dedicated to inflicting harm, the Cybertruck proprietor’s handbook recommends one resolution: an orbital sander. Sure, actually.
Movies and stories from house owners affirm that scratches might be buffed out by sanding the panel in lengthy, constant strokes. To be clear, you’d have to resurface the complete panel to get a fair end. Do it flawed, and you may make the issue worse. Do it proper, and you have nonetheless misplaced a layer of the very materials that makes the truck so supposedly bulletproof.
Random acts of violence apart, there have been loads of different points with the Cybertruck’s metal physique. Some house owners reported rust spots showing on their new EV’s exterior after driving it within the rain or inside just some days’ publicity to the weather. Then, in fact, there’s the voluntary recall issued by Tesla relating to the opportunity of components of its physique coming unglued and flying off whereas on the street.
Wrap it up
A rising variety of Cybertruck house owners have determined to not gamble with Mom Nature or indignant strangers and have begun wrapping their vans. Tesla launched a brand new vinyl wrap program in late 2024 to switch its earlier pricier PPF (Paint Safety Movie) wraps, although it is solely out there at choose areas and the colour palette is proscribed.
Nevertheless, there are third-party wrap outlets throughout the nation which are more than pleased to adorn your Cybertruck with any variety of garish colours or patterns. Not solely does wrapping provide safety, however it offers house owners a chance to face out much more. Let’s be actual, nobody purchased one within the first place hoping to fly below the radar. It is a Cybertruck, not a Corolla.
Regardless of the problems with recollects, design complaints, and sturdy opinions about Elon Muskthe Cybertruck nonetheless retains its diehard followers. Earlier this yr, the second annual Cybertruck Rodeo in central Texas drew in 120 Cybertruck house owners and much more followers that traveled from as distant as Canada. The occasion was a secure area the place devotees may collect with out criticism or risk of violence.
For many who imagine within the firm’s mission or just wish to drive one thing that appears prefer it got here from a sci-fi film, the Cybertruck is a dream come true. For everybody else it appears to be a risk to the thought of what a truck needs to be, and in some circumstances a risk to democracy itself. When you select to get one, be ready for intense reactions. And perhaps purchase a sander.
