{"id":10077,"date":"2018-05-03T14:10:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T22:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.perivision.net\/wordpress\/?p=10077"},"modified":"2018-11-21T14:01:44","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T22:01:44","slug":"how-to-fix-minor-rim-scrape-on-a-tesla-3-and-the-3-6-9-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.perivision.net\/wordpress\/2018\/05\/how-to-fix-minor-rim-scrape-on-a-tesla-3-and-the-3-6-9-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix minor rim scrape on a Tesla 3 and the 3-6-9 rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I finally got my Tesla Model 3 a few weeks back.\u00a0 Driving in an unfamiliar parking area, I did an over correction avoiding a pedestrian and ‘crunch’, I scrapped the rim on my M3.\u00a0 Sigh.\u00a0 So here is how you can repair the damage without taking the wheel off or paying $200 to a shop.<\/p>\n

First, lets have a look at the damage.\u00a0 It’s not major but heart breaking non the less.\u00a0 So there are a few ways we can go about this.\u00a0 With advise from my friend Norman Woo I looked the problem this way.\u00a0 How far away do need to be before you notice?\u00a0 So I thought about it and decided on the 3-6-9 rule.\u00a0 At 9 feet I should not be able to see it.\u00a0 At 6 feet I should have to look carefully for it, and 3 feet I should be able to see it but it should not ‘stand out’.\u00a0 Now that is for me.\u00a0 Most people, unless you say something will not see anything.\u00a0 And even if you ask them to look for it most will do not find it.\u00a0 You will see what I mean at the end.\u00a0 So now that we know what we are trying to achieve, lets get started.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>First, lets assess the damage.\u00a0 It looks worse then it really is, but there are a few pretty deep cuts in the metal.\u00a0 Now we could take a hand sander and smooth it all the way until it’s perfectly flat, but because the aero caps are almost flush with the edge of the rim, it could be noticeable since the fit will vary from the repair area to the rest of the rims edge.\u00a0 So instead we decided to smooth down only enough to give us a clean surface and we will let the paint fill the remaining divots.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Step one.\u00a0 Tape off the area that will not be worked on.\u00a0 We used duct tape here.\u00a0 (BTW, its really good for shirts too, ( How to get name tag off a shirt<\/a>\u00a0 ).<\/p>\n

Next we grab a sander (if you do not have one I think you can borrow from the city or just rent one).\u00a0 The rim is pretty soft so it only took about 3-5 min of sanding to get to a nice clean level.<\/p>\n

BTW, if the cuts are not that deep, or you have time, take a 200 grit bit of sandpaper and do it by hand.\u00a0 Smaller scrapes I do that.\u00a0 I went to NAPA auto parts and bought a kit that has paper, gloves and filler.\u00a0 Really easy.<\/p>\n

(Shame.\u00a0 We forgot to take a pic here)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Next, we grab some emery-cloth (type of sandpaper, (medium) 100 grit I think, followed by 200 (I think) and sand it smooth, making sure to keep the same shape as the rest of the rim.\u00a0 \u00a020-30 min of this I think.\u00a0 This was the hardest part.\u00a0 Take your time… Get it right.<\/p>\n

This step we skipped but upon reflection, we should have done it.\u00a0 You can get primer that is pretty good at filling divots.\u00a0 \u00a0Ah well…<\/p>\n

Ok. Now we get some windex (yes windex) and clean the surface.\u00a0 DO not touch it!\u00a0 Let it dry!\u00a0 Good thing it was a bright warm day so we did not have to wait that long.<\/p>\n

Here is where I owe Erwin Lara<\/a>\u00a0a bit of thanks.\u00a0 He found a REALLY good match that is made for Ford.\u00a0 The pen (link<\/a>) was around $15 bucks I think.\u00a0 Shake that think up a lot!!!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And now let the artist flow.\u00a0 The first coat will not look good (again because we did not buy primer) but keep at it.\u00a0 We did 5 coats over all.\u00a0 Be sure to let each coat dry!!\u00a0 No short cuts.\u00a0 Plan to take time.\u00a0 15min per coat minimum depending on weather.\u00a0 Long strokes!<\/p>\n

Finally, we put on some clear coat.\u00a0 We only did 2 coats, could have done 3 but it’s good enough for the 3-6-9 goal we set out earlier.<\/p>\n

And that’s it!!\u00a0 The pictures we took were purposely at the worse angle to show the damage.\u00a0 The third pic was with clear coat and the last picture was taking at a good angle.\u00a0 Even at 3 feet you cannot see it.<\/p>\n\n\t\t