Toronto, Ontario — Tesla has now released collision repair procedures, manuals and service procedures for its new Cybertruck, which, according to the automaker, includes “uniquely repairable material.”
The OEM’s repair procedures note that the body structure components are made from varying grades of aluminum or steel that are either stamped, cast or extruded. The steel used is specifically mild, high-strength, ultra-high strength and stainless.
As a result, Tesla claims that the Cybertruck has light and deep cosmetic scratch repairability. To remove scratches from the Cybertruck’s exterior panels, Tesla advises repairers to “refinish the entire plane or flat area of the panel containing the repair area and the same plane across all panels on the same side of the vehicle to maintain consistency in appearance. Scratches in certain areas, such as door panels, must be refinished, while others shouldn’t, including the A- and C- pillars. Undamaged planes of the same panel don’t have to be refinished.”
Other repair procedures outline how a damaged part with an attached crash sensor can’t be repaired and the panel must instead be replaced.
Tesla also does not allow the pulling or pushing of body structure components using frame straightening equipment or similar devices of any type, including any bonded, welded, weld-bonded, rivet-bonded or riveted parts.
According to procedures, “pulling or pushing the body structure can damage the integrity of the components or the joint, including mechanical fasteners or adhesives between structural components, even those in seemingly unrelated parts of the body structure.”
Moreover, cosmetic repairs to panels are allowed but only so long as holes are not drilled in any panel for tooling access, paintless dent repair techniques are an acceptable method for repairing cosmetic panel damage. Contrastingly, used, recycled or aftermarket structural parts are not allowed.
Repairs on damaged body or structural components shouldn’t be performed near SRS components such as airbags, seat belts, impact sensors and intrusion beams, but should instead be replaced with new parts.
To read the full guideline procedures, click here.
