Tesla Model 3 DIY Curb Rash Repair (Oops!!)

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#tesla #model3 #curbrash

[@TheTechofTech]

Dupli-Color Exact-Match Scratch Fix All-in-1 Touch-Up Paint: amzn.to/2HcG7lB Sanding Sponge: amzn.to/2Hh13YM Dark Light Nitrile Gloves: amzn.to/2HcG5tZ Tire Guys Tire Shine Spray: amzn.to/31RimHW Tire Guys Wheel Cleaner: amzn.to/2zautDA Use my referral link when placing your order for a new Tesla and get free Supercharging: ts.la/cameron16116 If ordering directly from a Tesla representative, you can have them apply code CAMERON16116 when they create your order.

[@maijal1]

The Tech of Tech what putty or filler do you recommend?

[@serbz1986]

2 days for me 😂

[@zennmasterMZ]

I owned my model 3 for less than 30 minutes before I "found" a curb. This video has really helped me keep from crying. Thank you!

[@mattlynch9995]

I "found" one in less than 48 hours

[@Ehbraham]

@@mattlynch9995 I found one in 4 months :(

[@foodieanddogflicks]

Ha ha I found in 48 hours 🙈 hate curbs

[@dkrueger85]

Your comment really helped me stop crying thinking I was the only own who did that first day with a brand new Tesla..... 😢

[@allanau]

Haha mine was about 1 and half hours after I picked up my model 3.

[@misskristinn]

You saved me money and heartache!! Just tried this method today on some VERY bad curb rash on two wheels on my Tesla Model 3 and I am so grateful it worked out! Thank youuuuu :D

[@TheTechofTech]

Glad it helped!

[@HoosierInUtah]

Thanks so much for this video, it was one of yours that I saw even before taking delivery on New Years Eve. 😖 Today was the day my rim bit a curb, so I rushed here for the tutorial and the comfort knowing I’m not the only one 😢

[@TheTechofTech]

Glad it was helpful, but sorry you needed it.

[@TeslaManuals]

I've watched this in full like six times since jacking up my wheels. I have all the supplies but not the confidence yet. Soon.

[@TheTechofTech]

You can’t do anything with a sanding sponge that a wheel repair shop can’t fix.

[@MeMe-kr9mf]

Finally, a solution that does not involve removing the wheel from the car, removing the tire from the rim, a 16 step sand/paint process......... and it actually looks good. First time around I spent 200 bucks having the wheel refinished but I live in a city and still get little scratches/rashes from time to time so this seems like a much better option.

[@Jonathantuba]

Thanks for an informative video. I have a model 3 on order for my wife and now know what I will do when she scratches the wheels!

[@grahamnichols1416]

"You can kinda tell from 3 feet away". This is what psychologists term 'the spotlight effect'. YOU can tell because you know it is there. In actuality, nobody, apart from a total car nerd' will even glance at it, let alone see it. It was a great job.

[@NijjarFamily]

Right on! I'm going to try this.

[@happydogownergang2111]

I drove my MY on curb yesterday and cut the tire a bit and also caused rash on the wheel, thanks for the video, really helpful.

[@TheTechofTech]

Glad you found the info useful!

[@jtmarch11]

I used this to touch up one of my wheels. It worked great.

[@TheTechofTech]

Nice!

[@jtmoney091]

@@TheTechofTech hello, will a 400 grit sandpaper sponge be ok or should I buy a lower grit one?

[@deblynne9440]

I have never in my life owned a car that I scratched up the wheels on like I do with this one! I have no idea why but it's pretty embarrassing. Thank you so much for this tutorial, I will be doing this!!

[@sandpquan]

Probably because the metal rims are wider (sticks out farther) than the rubber tire. It’s a shame.

[@EVsteve80]

It’s hard to believe that Tesla, unlike all other luxury car makers, doesn’t offer a 360 camera system so you can visually see around your car when parking. Sensors alone obviously don’t “see” curbs.

[@TheTechofTech]

I agree. Once you use a 360 degree view, you never want to park without it.

[@dtriplett03]

It has Ultrasonic sensors....they’re just not activated to stop the car before contact....maybe if you have full self driving....

[@vashspike]

Took a whole year of ownership before I nicked a curb. What sucked is that I was pulling out of a spot and it looked well clear before I lumped over it. Not major but I’ll definitely be repairing it since it bugs the hell out of me.

[@TheTechofTech]

Rim nicks feel like a dunce cap to me. I had to fix ours as soon as it happened. 😂

[@tonyc6996]

At least you did it yourself. After a year and a half my first curb was found by someone who I let borrow the car

[@euniceex22]

I parked like a block away from the grocery store to avoid getting my brand new Tesla from getting dinged or hit by shopping carts and then karma striked LOL i forgot I parked next to a curb on the passenger side and I made a right forgetting that was there... SMH my Model 3 was only 8 days new...

[@Macman4325]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This worked perfectly! I let my boyfriend drive my three week old Model 3 just once and he curb-rashed the front wheel. Just about a three inch rash thankfully, but this did wonders, can only see it close up now.

[@TheTechofTech]

Awesome! So glad it helped!

[@stevegrimes5105]

thanks for the video. I think the color match is very good. i'm going to use j-b steelstik and then sand.

[@jajjsclinic]

What filler can you use?

[@Movementgems]

Really incredible work man. No brainer sub. How did you get the tiny scratches out of the wheel spoke area below the curb rash?

[@Poxenium]

I like it. Cars are meant to be used and repaired, not babied ;)

[@euniceex22]

Thanks! i needed that.

[@doccock1662]

Why does no one use bondo

[@JessicaFEREM]

It's not a bad repair especially for how cheap it was. also curious on how rim protectors would work / if they would work. of course that's the more expensive route, but I'd rather ruin a protector than ruin expensive rims. plus you can only get curb rash so many times before it becomes a rim replacement job

[@MeijinSensei]

Great video, thanks.

[@littlepepper4370]

I know this is old but index cards will save your life 😂

[@darriontunstall3708]

Awesome job!!! I love Electric cars!!! I love your Tesla!! I want a Mercedes eqc or jaguar I pace for my first car! I have cerebral palsy I use a walker and wheelchair I’m 29, i’m going to a Special program that teach people with disabilities, how to drive, I know I will learn how to drive with lots of hard work!

[@TheTechofTech]

Awesome!

[@darriontunstall3708]

The Tech of Tech I know right!!!

[@Xalser]

Thanks.. this is helpful, will be using to repair my rim.

[@TheTechofTech]

Great!

[@boomcar911]

If you used bondo, would you have to rebalance the tire?

[@757birdie]

Thank you so much for this video. Helped me a great deal.

[@TheTechofTech]

I'm so glad!

[@MrRangerZr1]

What color/type touch up paint for the 20” model x slipstream wheels?

[@TheTechofTech]

I spent about 10 minutes googling and could not find good info on this. Sorry I couldn't help, but certainly if you spent more time than I did, you'd eventually get your answer.

[@hawaiian5oh]

Perfect

[@deblynne9440]

I clicked on the link to the sanding sponge and found a search page. Would you please clarify which one you used? Thank you!

[@ksm224]

thanks for this. I got the match paint for my model 3 with 18" aero wheels, and the touch up paint looks black compared to my rims.. I have no idea why the same Dark Shadow Gray AFM0360 doesn't match my rims.

[@Beakerzor]

T H A N K Y O U ! ! !

[@jerome0929]

Looks good enough for me

[@gquespr88]

Good job! The filler would have taken longer but it also would have looked better. As long as your satisfied that's all that truly matters. 👍🏾

[@TheTechofTech]

If it were worse, I would’ve used filler. However, even now I have to look hard to find it.

[@paratrooperz1]

Ya can’t wait to see if I can keep the rims nice till replace tire because I’m buying wider tires to prevent the ability to rash rims

[@TheTechofTech]

The irony is that the tires you’re putting on the rims cost more than the rims themselves. They’re only $220 each brand new from the service center. I’m sure there are other reasons you’re going to wider tires, but just keep the math in mind for the rim scrapes. :)

[@paratrooperz1]

The Tech of Tech yes the skinny tire on wide rim looks grandma to me a wide tire looks aggressive and I can achieve more traction with a less quality and cheaper price with a wide tire

[@TheTechofTech]

Can’t wait to hear how you like the wider tires. Please let me know.

[@paratrooperz1]

The Tech of Tech I have never cad a car or truck that didn’t get a more sensible tire for either aesthetics or performance big tires on truck for romping over curbs

[@steviet2270]

What sponge again you recommend? WAs reversing and didn’t see the curb 🤦‍♂️

[@IllusiveMan343]

Could you use a SteelStik epoxy ...sad and then proceed with these steps? Thanks! Scratched my M3LR 2022 rims...nothing major but a little aggravating.

[@TheTechofTech]

You should use actual auto bonding compound, which is indeed the “right” way to completely match the original rim contour.

[@saq333]

Does this color work for the 2022 uberturbine rims for model 3 performance?

[@stevebalt5234]

Any idea whether that touch-up paint is the same color as the Model Y 19" Gemini wheels?

[@seasol03]

Amazon still carries your recommendation but packaged differently…I used your link for the paint but what about clear coat? Recommendation? Thank you for doing this video. It was extremely helpful.

[@TheTechofTech]

I didn’t use any clear coat, and it still looks great years later.

[@seasol03]

Great! One step less without the clear coat. 👍🏻

[@dariopascua]

Thanks sir for posting this video, I just got my car back from Tire Choice and they meesed up one rim just like that , they even tried to covered it up with a grey sharpie. Of course they didn't say anything to me. I will try to fix it just like you did, not worth the hassle going back to have them repair it.

[@TheTechofTech]

Once you do this, you probably won't notice it anymore.

[@kenhelmers2603]

Nice job!

[@TheTechofTech]

Thanks, Ken!

[@ee222]

great job! hey, out of curiosity, whose fault was the "curb rash"? the driver's or tesla's tech package? now that i think about this ... i suppose even if the driver is at fault, the tech package apparently failed to to warn you in time? BTW, not trying to be a wise guy, just curious since i don't have a tesla yet and am still trying to wrap my head around all the tech available in these cars.

[@TheTechofTech]

Depends on the situation. This curb rash happened when my wife took a roundabout in a parking lot a little too tightly. That's driver's fault 100%. However, Tesla Autopark has been known to run rims into the curb when it was under control. That is 100% a fault with the Autopark software, though it is still the driver's responsibility to pay for the repair because of what we agree to when using any of the self-driving features.

[@TomHarrisonJr]

I have a Model 3 with the same wheels and have badly curb-rashed my right-rear wheel multiple times -- always due to my error, not the self-parking. I have almost never done this in the many prior cars I have owned, and have concluded that there's a combination of longer wheel-base and perhaps tires that don't protrude as far. I have noticed that a lot of other Model 3's have the same damage.

[@aaronwitte3075]

What kind of filler would you use on the tesla rims ?

[@TheTechofTech]

I chose not to use filler, so I did not do any research into what would work best for it.

[@jimmcginley89]

Thank you for the informative video. I am curious, What did you use on your tires? They look great!

[@TheTechofTech]

Linked in the video description and pinned comment. Thanks for watching!

[@rcheliyan]

Extremely wide, wider than my Honda pilot I am struggling drive in downtown

[@harcocjh1]

Hey so how did you touch up the spokes that you accidentally brushed against with the sanding sponge? I did the same thing. You mentioned just using the clear coat? Or do you add a little paint too then clear coat?

[@TheTechofTech]

Actually, the scratches pretty much buffed off with a normal cloth and wheel cleaner. You wouldn’t need paint until you went all the way through the paint to the metal, regardless.

[@paulfiebiger8354]

Do you need to worry about sanding the tire with the sponge also?

[@TheTechofTech]

Not really. The tire is super abrasion resistant. Think about how much abrasion a tire puts up with versus what would happen to a wheel if you tried to run one on the same surface without a tire attached.

[@3borijess]

Did you remove the air from tire and push it away from the rim? Or did you do this on a fully inflated tire?

[@TheTechofTech]

Fully inflated tire.

[@dagestanifive]

NEU-106E is the correctt paint

[@alsterwasser08]

Sure this is correct for the Uberturbine?

[@JasonPiepmeier]

How is your front of car paint holding up? I bought my Model 3 just 2 months ago and am noticing several dings, I assume from highway rocks and pebbles. I haven’t seen this kind of chipping on previous cars in multiple years of ownership. Curious your experience and any quick fixes for those paint chips from highway driving. Thanks

[@TheTechofTech]

I did a half front wrap of PPF right after picking up our Model 3, so it’s not an issue. Very glad I did.

[@TheTechofTech]

Oh, and the kind of damage you’re describing is actually very common to grill-less cars like Porches and Volkswagen Beetles. The deeply sloping hood catches a lot of air that an open grill normally would be.

[@JasonPiepmeier]

Very interesting, thanks. I’ll look into the wrap. My last car was a Mercedes C300, which may not have that same sportier grille type, but it was a lease, so I may have also paid less attention to minor damage since I knew I was turning it in and had a $2k ‘lease protection’

[@JasonPiepmeier]

And love the channel and the Tesla videos! Keep em coming!

[@KianF]

My dad let me drive his Model Y and I scraped on a curb at the drive thru Gonna do my best to fix it so I don’t die

[@TheTechofTech]

Good luck!

[@scottfranco1962]

Rim rash!

[@oferkrupka]

Can a curb rush like this cause more damage than just to the wheel? I hit the curb when moving roughly 10kmh (7mph), a bit like yours but a more concentrated in one place.

[@TheTechofTech]

Oh, yes, you can actually bend the lip of the rim. That's not typically called "curb rash," though.

[@stevenbalas]

How's it looking a year later?

[@TheTechofTech]

Exactly the same. I never, ever notice it, and several rotations plus a new set of tires later, I don't even know which wheel it is right now.

[@rcadd1ct]

I avoid curb rash. Raptors go over cubs. Good thing as the last vehicle had some curb rash.

[@TheTechofTech]

Our LX470 does the same thing, though much more comfortably. :)

[@isaiahwong6146]

Did you only use the 220 grit sanding sponge? No need for any finer grits?

[@TheTechofTech]

That's correct. There is thickness to the paint that fills in the sanding marks.

[@alansawyer121]

👍

[@EltonMachadoongoogle]

Kiko nail polish paint 096 ;)

[@kevanbasden5870]

26 dislikes from people who prefer the look of curb rash

[@TheTechofTech]

😂

[@Mrgunsngear]

stinks!

[@TheTechofTech]

It's so darn common with these kinds of rims these days that I'm surprised it took this long to happen.

[@wheelsone6180]

1. This repair will not last. You can not just apply paint over bare metal and expect it to stick and last, temporary at best. I would almost guarantee someone would be able to scratch this paint off with their finger nail. 2.Sanding took 30+min. paint and supplies about $30+ (not including a box of gloves), then 40min. wait to apply clear with a brush. 3. Yeah, you really don't have to have special skills when you do something incorrectly and unprofessional. 4. You do not need filler, even if you sand it by hand. 5 A professional would've probably charged around $75-$125 depending on your location, sanded it correctly, applied automotive primer, paint and clear coat. So add up your time and cost spent on supplies and think about if it's worth it to do an unskilled, unprofessional, incorrect and unfinished repair. Not too mention most wheel repair guys will give you a warranty on workmanship. So once this does start flaking and showing the aluminum then you'll have to take time to redo this all over again. So all this just to save what $50 or so dollars. Are you really going to save "a ton" of money. lol

[@TheTechofTech]

Nearly three years on and many, many washings, zero issues with the paint. Touchup paint is specifically formulated to do what you say paint can’t do. Paint and sanding sponge were no more than $12 total. Local wheel repair here runs $125 for this exact wheel. You cannot tell which wheel was repaired without knowing to look for it, and even then, it still takes some time.

[@goofyfuhh5877]

U can still see it why fix it if u don’t do it right ? It’s not a fucking Honda