5 ms·

I'm curious how stainless steel is a nightmare to maintain. My (basic) understanding of the material is it's meant to be very low maintenance.

by Oarch 3y ago

qarl 3y ago
No clear coat. > 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.). Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash. If necessary, use denatured alcohol to remove tar spots and stubborn grease stains, then immediately wash the area with water and a mild, non-detergent soap to remove the alcohol. https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/cybertruck/en_us/GUID-65384C1F-86F2-44E8-A8BC-8A12E7E00A40.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/cybertruck/en_us/GUID-653...
- Kirby64 3y ago
  Literally any car will have its clear coat eaten away from the same list of corrosive substances. It’s very common to get rings around where bird poop drops on a car and sits, because it etches the clear coat. Don’t see how this recommendation is different.
  - qarl 3y ago
    LOL. I've been buying new cars for 40 years now and I've never had my paint damaged by bird poop. Maybe the birds are more corrosive where you live.
    - Kirby64 3y ago
      I don’t know where you’ve been, but you can find endless articles about bird poop etching paint. With plenty of photos too. Here’s a few: https://www.adamsforums.com/topic/38396-can-this-be-removed-bird-poop-etch-with-pics/ https://www.adamsforums.com/topic/38396-can-this-be-removed-... https://www.civic11forum.com/threads/bird-poop-ruined-my-clear-coat-paint.4335/ https://www.civic11forum.com/threads/bird-poop-ruined-my-cle... https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-your-detailing-questions-/124765-how-repair-clear-coat-damage-bird-poop.html https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-your-detailing-ques...
      - qarl 3y ago
        LOL. LOL. Are you a professional Tesla defender? I've lived on the west coast, the east coast, and the midwest. I've never experienced paint damage due to bird poop in 40 years. Since you seem to know so much about the issue - do you know of any other car manufacturer who recommends immediate removal of bird poop as the first line of their exterior car instructions?
        Kirby64 2y ago
        Are you specifically anti-Tesla? Let me help you, since you can't seem to find these on Google, here's two: Kia EV6 Manual: https://www.kia.com/content/dam/kwcms/au/en/files/owners-manual/kia-ev6-owners-manual-my22.pdf https://www.kia.com/content/dam/kwcms/au/en/files/owners-man... Excerpt: > Insects, tar, tree sap, bird droppings, industrial pollution and similar deposits can damage your vehicle's finish if not removed immediately. Even prompt washing with plain water may not completely remove all these deposits. A mild soap, safe for use on painted surfaces, may be used. After washing, rinse the vehicle thoroughly with lukewarm or cold water. Do not allow soap to dry on the finish. Mustang Mach-E Manual: https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2022-Ford-Mustang-Mach-E-Owners-Manual_version-1_om_EN-US_10_2021.pdf https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owne... Excerpt: > Immediately remove fuel spillages, additive residuals, bird droppings, insect deposits and road tar. These may cause damage to your vehicle’s paintwork or trim over time. Just because Tesla (and many others) say it may/can damage finishes, doesn't mean it's because of something unique about Tesla. This isn't a failing on Tesla's part, it's just a industry standard 'cover your ass' statement.
        qarl 2y ago
        Why thank you for finding these for me. I admit, I searched around a bit on Toyota's and Honda's sites and found no such warnings - just generic "make sure to wash your car every couple weeks." It's quite remarkable that you were able to pinpoint this information in such a short amount of time. So, in the end, would you agree that the stainless steel finish is no more resistant to damage than a typical car? It's no more rugged or durable?
bearjaws 3y ago
You have the right idea, stainless steel is supposed to require minimal work, but on a car its much different. You don't typically drive your stainless steel piping and sheet metal at 70-80mph into debris that can result in its surface being ruined over time. I have a stainless steel fridge and its a fingerprint magnet, I use bar keepers friend on it every week. As far as I can tell from the Cybertruck subreddit, its the only product that works, but thats just for the finger prints. The most telling sign to me is that you have to do bug removal immediately, no other car requires this. Anyone who drives highway daily is screwed.
- consp 3y ago
  Bird poop is quite corrosive. Never park it under a tree.
  - ModernMech 2y ago
    Or the sky for that matter...
Ekaros 3y ago
Certain stainless steels like one used on cybertruck are actually well not so stainless... But many things can corrode, rust or stain them...
drbig 3y ago
The stainless effect is due to a very, very thin oxide layer - stainless is basically "pre-rusted". Now if you damage that layer it will rust just like any other steel (any steel alloy is still mostly iron!). So pretty good for your kitchen, not so good for a lot of other applications.

I'm curious how stainless steel is a nightmare to maintain. My (basic) understanding of the material is it's meant to be very low maintenance.

by Oarch 3y ago

I'm curious how stainless steel is a nightmare to maintain. My (basic) understanding of the material is it's meant to be very low maintenance.

qarl 3y ago

No clear coat. > 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.). Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash. If necessary, use denatured alcohol to remove tar spots and stubborn grease stains, then immediately wash the area with water and a mild, non-detergent soap to remove the alcohol. https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/cybertruck/en_us/GUID-65384C1F-86F2-44E8-A8BC-8A12E7E00A40.html https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/cybertruck/en_us/GUID-653...

Kirby64 3y ago
Literally any car will have its clear coat eaten away from the same list of corrosive substances. It’s very common to get rings around where bird poop drops on a car and sits, because it etches the clear coat. Don’t see how this recommendation is different.
- qarl 3y ago
  LOL. I've been buying new cars for 40 years now and I've never had my paint damaged by bird poop. Maybe the birds are more corrosive where you live.
  - Kirby64 3y ago
    I don’t know where you’ve been, but you can find endless articles about bird poop etching paint. With plenty of photos too. Here’s a few: https://www.adamsforums.com/topic/38396-can-this-be-removed-bird-poop-etch-with-pics/ https://www.adamsforums.com/topic/38396-can-this-be-removed-... https://www.civic11forum.com/threads/bird-poop-ruined-my-clear-coat-paint.4335/ https://www.civic11forum.com/threads/bird-poop-ruined-my-cle... https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-your-detailing-questions-/124765-how-repair-clear-coat-damage-bird-poop.html https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-your-detailing-ques...
    - qarl 3y ago
      LOL. LOL. Are you a professional Tesla defender? I've lived on the west coast, the east coast, and the midwest. I've never experienced paint damage due to bird poop in 40 years. Since you seem to know so much about the issue - do you know of any other car manufacturer who recommends immediate removal of bird poop as the first line of their exterior car instructions?
      - Kirby64 2y ago
        Are you specifically anti-Tesla? Let me help you, since you can't seem to find these on Google, here's two: Kia EV6 Manual: https://www.kia.com/content/dam/kwcms/au/en/files/owners-manual/kia-ev6-owners-manual-my22.pdf https://www.kia.com/content/dam/kwcms/au/en/files/owners-man... Excerpt: > Insects, tar, tree sap, bird droppings, industrial pollution and similar deposits can damage your vehicle's finish if not removed immediately. Even prompt washing with plain water may not completely remove all these deposits. A mild soap, safe for use on painted surfaces, may be used. After washing, rinse the vehicle thoroughly with lukewarm or cold water. Do not allow soap to dry on the finish. Mustang Mach-E Manual: https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2022-Ford-Mustang-Mach-E-Owners-Manual_version-1_om_EN-US_10_2021.pdf https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owne... Excerpt: > Immediately remove fuel spillages, additive residuals, bird droppings, insect deposits and road tar. These may cause damage to your vehicle’s paintwork or trim over time. Just because Tesla (and many others) say it may/can damage finishes, doesn't mean it's because of something unique about Tesla. This isn't a failing on Tesla's part, it's just a industry standard 'cover your ass' statement.
        qarl 2y ago
        Why thank you for finding these for me. I admit, I searched around a bit on Toyota's and Honda's sites and found no such warnings - just generic "make sure to wash your car every couple weeks." It's quite remarkable that you were able to pinpoint this information in such a short amount of time. So, in the end, would you agree that the stainless steel finish is no more resistant to damage than a typical car? It's no more rugged or durable?

bearjaws 3y ago

You have the right idea, stainless steel is supposed to require minimal work, but on a car its much different. You don't typically drive your stainless steel piping and sheet metal at 70-80mph into debris that can result in its surface being ruined over time. I have a stainless steel fridge and its a fingerprint magnet, I use bar keepers friend on it every week. As far as I can tell from the Cybertruck subreddit, its the only product that works, but thats just for the finger prints. The most telling sign to me is that you have to do bug removal immediately, no other car requires this. Anyone who drives highway daily is screwed.

consp 3y ago
Bird poop is quite corrosive. Never park it under a tree.
- ModernMech 2y ago
  Or the sky for that matter...

Ekaros 3y ago

Certain stainless steels like one used on cybertruck are actually well not so stainless... But many things can corrode, rust or stain them...

drbig 3y ago

The stainless effect is due to a very, very thin oxide layer - stainless is basically "pre-rusted". Now if you damage that layer it will rust just like any other steel (any steel alloy is still mostly iron!). So pretty good for your kitchen, not so good for a lot of other applications.