Polished stainless steel doesn't take clear coat well without a primer, which would ruin the aesthetic of the car because primers aren't clear. Even worse, Tesla is using a proprietary steel that is particularly bad at adhering a clear coat. Clear coat would flake easily. Increased surface area from flaking results in faster rusting
I mean, presumably you could go for a non-clear finish. Car painting actually involves quite a lot of different layers to protect the car (currently looking at things to do in the garage).
If you really wanted to, there are some silly chrome themed paints out there, which I'm sure would chip easily, but cheaper to replace than stainless panels with silly tolerances.
Polished stainless steel doesn't take clear coat well without a primer, which would ruin the aesthetic of the car because primers aren't clear. Even worse, Tesla is using a proprietary steel that is particularly bad at adhering a clear coat. Clear coat would flake easily. Increased surface area from flaking results in faster rusting
I mean, presumably you could go for a non-clear finish. Car painting actually involves quite a lot of different layers to protect the car (currently looking at things to do in the garage).
If you really wanted to, there are some silly chrome themed paints out there, which I'm sure would chip easily, but cheaper to replace than stainless panels with silly tolerances.