Telling media you can see the gaps from the moon, vehicle teardown and benchmarking specialist Sandy Munro is not a fan of the fit-and-finish of the Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle. Panel gaps are among many areas his firm, Munro & Associates, is poring over on the Model 3 they purchased in January for $72,000 (more than double the $35,000 advertised price) from a private owner.
Walking members of the Automotive Press Assn. over that Model 3’s body-in-white here at his firm's Detroit-area headquarters, Munro points out self-piercing rivets in the trunk area/rear of the car that are inexplicably raised and lowered, as well as an unusual mix of conventional and concentric-circle aluminum spot welds and riv-nut and clinch-nut fasteners. Of the latter, Munro says, “I don’t understand the rationale there.”
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