After several failed attempts, dent in Cybertruck door was repaired rather than replacing the entire panel
14 hours ago
- Tesla Cybertruck dent repairs are quoted at $3,000, but can be fixed with suction cups for just $25.
- Even if the truck isn’t painted, stainless steel door panels require an expensive mix of costs.
- Many dents can be repaired affordably with DIY tools without the high cost of repairs.
Replacing body panels will drain your wallet faster than holiday shopping, but sometimes there are cheaper, easier fixes hidden in plain sight. Take this Tesla Cybertruck as an example: The initial quote was an eye-popping $3,000, but it was saved by just a rudimentary suction cup. Yes, really.
This particular Cybertruck belongs to a YouTuber Detroit Tesla and somehow he ended up leaving a huge dent in the driver’s door. No one knows how the dent formed (perhaps an overly ambitious shopping cart?), but the owner was shocked when Tesla’s repair center valued him at $3,000 to supply and install new door panels. It’s understandable.
Read: New Cybertruck leaks oil after three days, Tesla takes a month to fix
The door panel itself costs $828, which isn’t unreasonable considering it’s made of high-strength stainless steel. Tesla then needed to “blend” the finish of the new panels to match the rest of the Cybertruck’s already weathered body panels. Most cars require a paint mix when parts are replaced, and while Tesla doesn’t have paint, some work still needs to be done to make sure the new stainless steel panels don’t shine any brighter than the others.
Unwilling to pay Tesla, the owner met with a friend to try to pull the dent out himself. The first few attempts didn’t go well as they tried to pull out the dent while it was raining, causing the suction cups to not stick securely to the panel. Once it was inside, they heated the panel with a large propane heater and glued four glue sticks to the door. A stick like this one can be used to remove dents, but is best used on weaker materials like plastic rather than stainless steel. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t work.
As a last resort, they grabbed the suction cup again, and this time, it worked. If you didn’t know any better, you’d never guess it was once crumpled like an aluminum can at a recycling plant.
Reminder: Sometimes simple solutions work
Even if you don’t drive a space-age electric pickup truck, it’s a powerful reminder that you don’t always have to pay for expensive repairs. For small dents like this, a quick trip to your local auto parts store to buy suction cups can save you a ton of cash and avoid the pain of watching your savings account take a hit. Sometimes the simplest tools get the job done.
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