Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[NoTrespassing]

All good, in theory. But it can be very difficult, even nearly impossible, to make scratches and dings in brushed stainless go away completely. It's more challenging than most think to match the sheen, direction, and visual characteristics of the original surface when making a repair.

That gets even more difficult when the stainless is clear-coated to minimize staining by everything from finger oils to road salts, as I suspect the CT probably is.

Nope, the CT is raw stainless steel without any coating whatsoever. I agree, matching a grain pattern on stainless is next to impossible for a do-it-yourself home shop. I've been working with raw grained metal surfaces for over 40 years. Matching the sanding grit and grain direction is tough. Even on a flat piece of 6061 aluminum sitting on a table it's not easy.

Cleaning the Exterior​

To prevent damage to the exterior, immediately remove corrosive substances (such as grease, oil, bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.). Do not wait until Cybertruck is due for a complete wash. If necessary, use denatured alcohol to remove tar spots and stubborn grease stains, then immediately wash the area with water and a mild, non-detergent soap to remove the alcohol.
Note
It is normal for the stainless steel exterior to mature over time, resulting in minor changes to the reflective properties and color of the metal.
Dents and Scratches
The stainless steel exterior of Cybertruck is more resistant to dents and dings than most other vehicles. However, Cybertruck does not have a clear coat on the surface of the exterior body panels, meaning any scratches that appear are in the stainless steel panels themselves. Anyone performing scratch repair should refer to the applicable "Exterior Stainless Steel Panel Refinishing" procedure within the Collision Repair Manual on service.tesla.com. In addition, do not use, and/or immediately remove, chemical, corrosive, or non-pH neutral substances (including but not limited to: acidic liquids or materials, grease, oil, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.) as they can cause corrosion on the vehicle's exterior.
CAUTION

 

[DarkBlack]

I'd love to own an original IH scout with a Ford 289 engine under the hood, but would have to be the original

Good luck with that. They never made it with that engine.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Good luck with that. They never made it with that engine.

I collect Rambler and just looked up the 1960-80 Scout engine choices. They did offer the 232 and 258 AMC six...then I saw the 304 V8!...but not an AMC engine.

 

[Torvy]

Learned to drive in one that looked like this: it was dad's comp

any car. He and mom's brother owned an IH dealership. Uncle had the same one but with the white top.

 

[WinterDeere]

My 5th grade teacher was an old Welsh grandmother, who drove a Scout just like the one in that photo. I was only 10 years old, so had no idea just how cool she was, at the time.

 

[Oaktree]

I collect Rambler and just looked up the 1960-80 Scout engine choices. They did offer the 232 and 258 AMC six...then I saw the 304 V8!...but not an AMC engine.

My first truck was an International pickup (1970 IIRC) with the 304 engine in it. Solid engine, though for some reason thermostats didn't last more than a year or so. Theoretically a half ton, but I carried a LOT more in it than that many times!

 

[WinterDeere]

International did some goofy things. I had a Bronco that had been refitted with Dana 60 axles from a 1973 International SUV, and the prior owner had managed to overheat one rear semi floater axle shaft so bad that it softened and distorted at the wheel bearing.

The reason I found was that, in order to avoid the dreaded seepage of diff oil into the rear brake drums, International had designed the axle assembly with a second set of seals inboard of the bearings, such that the bearings never got fed with gear oil from the diff.

Some prior owner had probably done a bearing swap, and not realized that you needed to grease the rear bearings as if they were front wheel bearings.

 

[5030]

Good luck with that. They never made it with that engine.

But everyone refitted them. Like the Toyota Landcruiser, can the straight 6 and pop in a small block.

 

[ruffdog]

Here is an interesting article about the odometer manipulation on CTs. I wouldn't trust the odometer on any of them now.

A Cybertruck Owner Says Tesla Reset His Odometer to Zero Following a Service Visit – Adds “I Bought My Cybertruck 5 Months Ago & I’ve Already Driven It 26,000 Miles”

....and the lawsuit:

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...arranty-repairs-us-lawsuit-claims-2025-04-17/

 

[WinterDeere]

I'm not sure which is the weirder part of that story, the odometer reset or the fact that he claims to have been on-track to have driven more than 62,000 miles in a single year in a CyberTruck.