Despite our many attempts to get Tesla’s official word on paint issues presented by a large number of Model 3 units in many countries, we never heard back from the automaker. Tesla Service Centers are the ones responsible for telling customers the paint is “within specs.” If you wonder how Tesla would talk about any car with these issues, that would probably be a “clean record” – at least if you take this 2018 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive as an example. It is for sale on the Canadian Inventory page of Tesla for C$52,000.

Gallery: Would You Buy This 2018 Model 3 With Paint Issues From Tesla?

17 Photos

In the gallery above or at the Tesla Inventory page itself, you’ll be able to see the paint damages this 73,391-km vehicle presents. As usual, Tesla shows two rendered images of the Model 3, something Rich Benoit already criticized because it did not present the real state of the vehicle. The difference is that now Tesla also shows authentic images of the goods for sale.

Unfortunately, this one is not good at all. You can see not only the paint chipping, and white rocker panels that should be black. The car also presents rust behind the front wheel wells. Interior images show the back of the front seats also present scratches.

We know Tesla does not have the Certified Pre-Owned program anymore, but how can it state this car “has passed a full 70 point mechanical and cosmetic inspection?” When it says, “this vehicle comes with the remainder of the 4 years 80,000 km warranty and the remainder of the 8 years 192,000 km battery and drive warranty,” does it mean the car still has its paint and body warranty?

How did this car end up with Tesla? Was it a buyback from one of the many clients that desperately try to get their vehicles repainted? We applaud that Tesla has finally started to post real pictures of the used cars it intends to sell, but we would surely expect it to repair the vehicle before putting it for sale.