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James, a Cybertruck buyer from Canada, says he bought a demo vehicle from the lot rather than a brand-new truck.
These vehicles typically have a couple of thousand miles on them. Tesla uses them to give test drives to potential buyers.
James says Tesla gave him a significant $12,200 discount for choosing a demo vehicle, and he was happy with his decision.
However, now that he has taken delivery of his Cybertruck, he is seeing much more wear and tear than he anticipated.
James notes that his Cybertruck has deep scratches on the glass and the door panel.
Given that he just took delivery of the vehicle, James is unhappy with its condition and now wants Tesla to fix the scratches under warranty.
The disappointed Cybertruck buyer shared his story on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum.
He writes…
“Scratches on glass door panel (on just delivered Cybertruck)
The demo Cybertruck was delivered!
I got a great deal on a 2025 demo ($12,200.00 discount), but I’m now finding some things I think should get fixed.
It’s a demo, so obviously it’s going to have some wear and tear, but these scratches seem a bit excessive. Is this easy to replace? Would you ask for a repair?”
Below his post, James included a photo of his new Cybertruck with deep scratches on the glass.
This is definitely not ideal. However, looking at the comments, fellow Cybertruck owners advised him to temper his expectations.
A fellow Cybertruck owner, Jay, says Tesla is known for denying warranty service requests for demo vehicles.
Jay writes…
“You can ask, but there have been reports of Tesla selling demo vehicles “as is” and refusing to repair existing damage from obvious offloading, etc.”
Jay continues to advise that if the Tesla service employees are in a generous mood, they could do the work under warranty, so it is worth asking.
Jay writes…
“You never know. It depends on what kind of mood your service center is in and how generous they are feeling.”
In response, James points out that the scratches are more severe than they appear in the picture and states that, regardless of warranty status, he intends to replace the scratched part.
James writes…
“It looks worse than the picture suggests. It’s hard to photograph.
It’s worth a try, I guess. Worst case, they say no. I wonder how difficult it is to replace this piece, or could it be polished out?”
Finally, James concludes his post asking…
“Has anyone else ever replaced this part?”
A fellow Cybertruck owner provides detailed step-by-step instructions for replacing the part, but warns to be careful not to damage the camera or other components during the process.
The Cybertruck owner writes…
“Easy to replace.
Not sure of the cost, as it includes a heated camera unit. Single bolt and weather stripping, if I'm correct.
The user has to remove it to plug in the off-road light bar, so there are tons of videos on how to do it.
You could probably order the part from the Tesla parts catalog.
Still, it’s worth asking if they will offer goodwill or a warranty, though.”
That said, the Cybertruck owner also shares his frustration with buying used Tesla vehicles.
He writes…
“The thing is, Tesla doesn't put much stock in their used cars because they parasitize new car sales.
They price them high, offer a 1-year/10,000-mile warranty, and do almost no repair or maintenance before re-marketing them.
Additionally, they used to include photos of the used cars in the ads; they don't even do that anymore.
They just say it “meets their used car standard”. Go ahead and look up some examples of what that means.”
Overall, given the issues with demo and used Tesla vehicles, it’s an open question whether it would be better to buy a brand-new one. However, please let me know what you think in the comments.
Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, be sure to visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.
Image: Cybertruck Owners Club forum. Reposted under fair use copyright law.
For more information, check out: Tesla Cybertruck Buyers Are Complaining That They Have to Wait More Than a Month to Take Delivery of Their Trucks – One Buyer Says, “I Ordered a Cybertruck on December 2, and I Still Don’t Have My Truck”
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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