Tesla Pickup is going to be very hard to repair

[TreeTopsRanch]

Guess I will hold off buying one for awhile

[Sandy Bridge]

The actual article linked is more nuanced than the thread title.

 

The gist of it is that stainless steel is not the same as traditional automotive steel, or aluminum.  Ironing out dents, in particular, is not as simple, which means labor required and thus repair costs may be higher.  It's more likely that you'll hit the threshold where replacing the whole part is cheaper, and more likely that the repair cost will equal totaling the vehicle.

 

Tesla also has an imperfect history of making spare parts available in sufficient quantities, and due to stainless steel not being a common material for building cars with, the availability of third-party parts may be lower than is typical.  Tesla also encourages using its own ink repair technicians, which can reduce competition and thus drive up costs and wait times.

 

Overall, a good reminder that much like the aluminum F-150 and the DeLorean, a new material means uncertainties, and also a reminder that Tesla likes to control everything.

 

I wasn't in the market for a pickup, or a Tesla, regardless.  Though if I did buy a pickup, I'd buy a Ford Maverick.  The right size for what I'd use it for, a good price, good fuel economy, and from a company that I like more than Tesla.