Repairing Crease in Frunk

LaJolla · Jul 26, 2014

Greetings. I have searched everywhere for a good answer to this problem but haven't found one, and I hope someone can help.

I was well aware of the design flaw in the frunk when I purchased the Model S, and as a result I almost never used the frunk -- and when I did, I was careful to use the approved closing procedure suggested by other members of this Forum.

Unfortunately, when I took my Model S in for service, someone at the service center wasn't so careful, and now I have the dreaded frunk crease, or dent, near the front of the hood. The service center referred me to their preferred dent repair vendor, but he said that this issue cannot be repaired without a full, and expensive, body shop visit for the entire hood. Does anyone know of someone who has successfully removed such a dent without repainting the entire hood?

Thank you!

Dart · Jul 26, 2014

Did the SC admit that it happened during its care? If so, I'd expect the SC to pay for a proper repair.

green1 · Jul 26, 2014

If it truly did happen while at the SC, I'd be taking it as high up the Tesla chain as was necessary to get them to make it right!

LaJolla · Jul 26, 2014

I have not yet raised the issue of responsibility with the service center because I am first hoping to assess my repair options. Unfortunately there just isn't much reliable information online about whether a repair is possible using traditional ding-removal methods.

There is, however, plenty of information -- unfortunately for Tesla -- about how many people have had their Model S's damaged because one of the most basic functions of a car -- the ability to open and close the hood -- cannot be performed without special instructions and training. It is hard to believe that Tesla has never addressed this design flaw, despite complaints dating back to the very start of this Forum.

green1 · Jul 26, 2014

I think you're going about this all wrong. Talk to the SC first, if they accept responsibility there's no need for you to scope out shops etc, it becomes their problem entirely. It sounds like you're just making more work for yourself by trying to find your own repair options when you believe the SC to be at fault.

As for the design. I agree, it's incomprehensible how such a basic thing has been left unfixed for so long.

Merrill · Jul 26, 2014

If it was done while in for service, they need to fix it. Have you brought it to there attention yet, if not do not wait to let them know about it. Did you call them as soon as you noticed it after the service.

LaJolla · Jul 26, 2014

Thank you for the advice. I will raise the issue with the service center on Monday.

But I am still interested in learning from others what the repair options are. My vehicle is brand new, and if this has happened already, then it is likely to happen again at some point, say, from a careless valet who mistakenly opens the frunk by pressing the fob in the wrong place and then does not have the special training necessary to close the frunk properly. And if my only option is to get the entire hood repaired and repainted every time, well, then that's probably something I am not going to want to deal with. Hence my desire to learn more about how others have had this problem repaired. Thanks again to all of you for your help.

Lloyd · Jul 26, 2014

You can repair it with matching and blending. The entire hood does not need to be repainted.

green1 · Jul 26, 2014

There was talk in other threads about paintless dent repair, though it sounded like results were mixed with some guys saying it couldn't be done due to location.

Merrill · Jul 26, 2014

LaJolla said:
I have not yet raised the issue of responsibility with the service center because I am first hoping to assess my repair options. Unfortunately there just isn't much reliable information online about whether a repair is possible using traditional ding-removal methods.

There is, however, plenty of information -- unfortunately for Tesla -- about how many people have had their Model S's damaged because one of the most basic functions of a car -- the ability to open and close the hood -- cannot be performed without special instructions and training. It is hard to believe that Tesla has never addressed this design flaw, despite complaints dating back to the very start of this Forum.

Can you post a picture of the crease?

MiddKid · Jul 26, 2014

Read this thread...I started it and toward the end you'll see that I had a relatively successful (I'd say 90%) dent repair done. Took less than an hour. No paint issues at all...

Frunk Dent (Frustrating...)

LaJolla said:
Greetings. I have searched everywhere for a good answer to this problem but haven't found one, and I hope someone can help.

I was well aware of the design flaw in the frunk when I purchased the Model S, and as a result I almost never used the frunk -- and when I did, I was careful to use the approved closing procedure suggested by other members of this Forum.

Unfortunately, when I took my Model S in for service, someone at the service center wasn't so careful, and now I have the dreaded frunk crease, or dent, near the front of the hood. The service center referred me to their preferred dent repair vendor, but he said that this issue cannot be repaired without a full, and expensive, body shop visit for the entire hood. Does anyone know of someone who has successfully removed such a dent without repainting the entire hood?

Thank you!

markb1 · Jul 26, 2014

I would bet that the service center will just take care if it, without any argument. Every time I've been to the San Diego service center, they do a walk around to document any damage before they touch the car. If they didn't note a crease in the hood, I'm sure they will take responsibility.

LaJolla · Jul 27, 2014

Thanks again to all of you for your advice. In response to the request for photos, here are some -- which unfortunately will serve as a preview for many future buyers who will pay six figures for a Tesla only to find that if the frunk is not closed by someone with special training, their vehicle is going to look like this:

DDotJ · Jul 27, 2014

I heard on the forums that the newer cars coming off of the assembly line had added reinforcements to the frunk. Did it not solve the frunk crease problem?

LaJolla · Jul 27, 2014

Ah, if only the rumors of a fix were true.

My vehicle is brand new, but as I went through the buying process I mistakenly assumed that all of these rumors about improved quality were true. Unfortunately not.

The frunk crease issue has been around from day one and is still impacting many owners. Not to mention the other battery failure (see teslerati.com's most recent posts) or drive failure (see the travails of the Edmunds.com editors) issues.

This is a great car in theory, and when it works, but not so much when every time a valet or service center employee closes the frunk without proper training, you are left with a marred. $100,000 vehicle. It's astonishing that smart people of means put up with this kind of thing (and I admit that I am saying this in unfortunate hindsight -- I should have listened to the warnings on this Forum before I purchased. Live and learn.)

Gizmotoy · Jul 27, 2014

There may be improvements. The manual was updated last month to completely change the recommended placement for your hands when closing the trunk. Perhaps the added reinforcement is in that area (the area in your pictures are the new red "Do not push" zone).

I'm also extremely careful and found mine damaged recently. I rarely use the frunk out of fear, and I have no idea when it happened. As a general thought, I find it absurd that you need special training to close the frunk, and that the former practice recommended by the factory was apparently so likely to cause damage they completely changed the frunk closing process.

markb1 · Jul 27, 2014

They tried to address this by putting some sort of orange foam inside the hood, but it seems to have caused another problem. (Orange goo leaking out in warm weather.). At least, it was rumored that the foam was there to reinforce the hood.

LaJolla · Jul 27, 2014

Gizmotoy, thank you for your thoughtful response.

May I ask, have you considered having your crease fixed?

Every Tesla-recommended dent repair specialist I have contacted this weekend (including in major Tesla markets such as Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, along with my home market in San Diego) has said the same things: (1) The crease is an extremely common problem among owners, and (2) there is no sure fix except for redoing the entire hood. Some repairers report making the problem worse by applying their traditional dent repair methods.

So, the more I've worked on this, the more concerned I've become. How can Tesla market this kind of thing and then not accept some sort of responsibility? People rave about the Tesla service experience when flatbed trucks turn up after a battery failure, or drive failure, or mysterious on-freeway shutdown, or failure of the 21-inch tires and rims (all of which have been amply documented on this Forum), but what about the fact that you can't close the frunk without damaging your car without special training -- training instructions that themselves have been inconsistent and that have been altered over time?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks, Markb1, for the information. The orange foam didn't prevent my crease, unfortunately, but at least it hasn't burst free like a modern day version of The Blob -- as photos elsewhere on this Forum show has happened to others. But I guess that gives me yet another "$100,000-vehicle-problem-that-I-never-expected" problem to look forward to!

Gizmotoy · Jul 27, 2014

LaJolla said:
Gizmotoy, thank you for your thoughtful response.

May I ask, have you considered having your crease fixed?

I only noticed it about a week ago, so I haven't considered much of anything at this point. I contacted my SC to have them pass along my displeasure about the issue, but I haven't heard anything back.

To be fair, I don't have a crease. It's more like a ripple in the sheetmetal visible from the side. Head-on you don't even notice it's there. Compared to some of the other members who have posted about this issue, I got off easy with relatively minor damage.

I suspect the lack of a crease would make me a good candidate for paintless repair by someone familiar with working on aluminum, but I'm not sure. I was going to give the SC a few more days to respond and check back in. If painting is the only option, I'll likely leave it alone.

Zarwin · Jul 27, 2014

Gizmotoy said:
The manual was updated last month to completely change the recommended placement for your hands when closing the trunk.

Thanks, I was not aware this had been changed. My Model S is just over 3 months old and does have a very light crease just off center. As soon as I noticed it, I started closing by pressing down closer to the corners, close to where the new guidance shows, and nothing has happened since. Is it ok to show an image from the manual since the entire pdf is accessible elsewhere in this forum? I just cropped the image out of the new manual and would post it for anyone curios, but don't know if that is allowed.

Repairing Crease in Frunk

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