Why The Cybertruck’s Stainless Steel Body Is A Nightmare To Maintain

If nothing else, the Tesla Cybertruck sure knows how to grab attention. Those sharp edges stick out in a sea of rounded-body cars. That headlight-line across the front is impossible to miss when it comes towards you at night. Plus, it’s just a great, big thing rolling down the road.

Then, of course, there’s that stainless steel body, which, unless you’ve done it yourself, never had any paint put on it. That makes it distinct and unique in the modern marketplace — and also, a nightmare to maintain. That’s because stainless steel is vulnerable to corrosion and rust, particularly when exposed to water, salt, or acids. To prevent that, you’re going to need to wash your Cybertruck whenever you come into contact with those elements. In fact, even washing it can be tricky, since it doesn’t play well with normal cleaners and shampoos. Worse, if those stainless steel panels actually do get damaged, it’s harder to hide the damage with a quick paint job (since there’s no paint), meaning a repair needs to be held to a higher standard.

Cybertrucks are made with a proprietary 301-series stainless steel, purportedly the same kind that SpaceX (also owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk) used on their spacecraft prototypes in the beginning. The 301-series’ main advantage over other types of steel is that it’s … cheap. By contrast, the similar 304-series is more corrosion-resistant and stronger. In fact, the DeLorean’s skin was made out of 304 back in the day, and even the cutlery in your kitchen is probably made out of 304.

This stainless steel comes to you unpainted, but that carries its own vulnerabilities, too. A surface scratch on another vehicle’s clear coat can be buffed out pretty easily. Contrarily, a scratch on a Cybertruck by definition is damage to the body (there’s no paint to scratch!), and thus can’t be buffed out in the same way. So if and when something does happen to that shiny exterior, it will be more of a hassle to deal with.

The Cybertruck owner’s manual has a lot to say about how to clean your truck, and the short version is, it’s not like washing anything else you’ve ever driven, and it’s definitely not convenient. First of all, you’ll want to clean it every time it comes in contact with corrosives, such as sap, bird droppings, or dead insects, which is often. Careful, though, since the owner’s manual also warns you not to wash it in direct sunlight, or with conventional car cleaners and shampoos, since they’re intended for paint. 

Speaking of which, even with Car Wash Mode enabled, you shouldn’t run it through a car wash because the brushes and cleaners/shampoos might be damaging. Furthermore, if you ever drive over salt, you’ll want to clean the underside of the car right away. The manual also says to dry the brakes by “going on a short drive and applying the brakes multiple times.” 

To add to that short list of instructions, the manual also informs you that “it is normal for the stainless steel exterior to mature over time” – Tesla swears your Cybertruck is not rusting, though. If that “maturity” decays into real corrosion, or if you have a collision and there’s real body damage, fixing it may require specialized equipment and expertise. Stainless steel isn’t the same as standard car steel, and most body repair shops won’t be as familiar with it. And as mentioned above, without paint, you won’t even have the option to try a fresh paint job to hide damage or a less-than-perfect repair. You will likely have to fork out the cash for your Cybertruck’s repair costs.