New Tesla Cybertruck owners might want to wash winter road grime off their pickup as soon as possible.
Tesla has not yet shared the Cybertruck’s owner’s manual publicly, but in two videos posted online, the apparent guide says that the Cybertruck’s stainless-steel exterior lacks “a clear coat on the surface of the exterior body panels, meaning scratches that appear are in the stainless steel panels themselves.”
The guide shown in the videos also says: “To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.)”
Manuals for other Tesla models also advise immediate removal of corrosive substances — but “to prevent damage to the paint,” rather than the exterior metal itself.
In my view, building a truck from corrosion-resistant material was Cybertruck’s raison d’etre. If it can’t stand up to road salt then what’s the point?
Granted, I think we’ll need to wait a few winters to understand its real world performance.
The problem is these articles aren’t testing the steel but just talking about what Tesla recommends. They will recommend you baby the hell out of it just so they can tell you the damage is user error.