Forget rust spots — handprints are the bigger headache for Tesla Cybertruck drivers

• Some Tesla Cybertruck owners noticed their new stainless steel vehicles have small rust specks.

• Several have resorted to using the cleaning product Barkeepers Friend to take the spots off.

• But even the hassle of the upkeep can't bring these new Cybertruck owners down.

You've been waiting years for the truck of your dreams, languishing on a waitlist while the tech billionaire behind your futuristic automobile cements the finishing touches on the world's most exclusive new electric vehicle.

But when your nearly $100,000 Cybertruck finally arrives, the doors smudge when you open them, and specks of rust mar the stainless steel exterior.

Sounds like a recipe for disappointment, no?

But for some members of the first class of Tesla Cybertruck owners —many of whom have previously owned Teslas — little can outweigh the excitement of being among the first to drive the new vehicle.

Six Tesla customers who spoke to Business Insider said reports of rust specks and smudges have not detracted from their enthusiasm for the truck.

"I think Tesla gets away with a lot of stuff because the driving experience is that good," Donald Green, a new Cybertruck owner based in League City, Texas, told Business Insider. "Once you start driving Tesla, you never go back."

Tesla delivered its first dozen Cybertrucks in November, but most people only began receiving their vehicles earlier this year. The electric pickup has a price tag between $60,990 and $99,990, depending on its trim level. The premium version of the truck includes an estimated 320-mile range and can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.6 seconds.

A few months after deliveries began, some members of a Cybertruck-owners forum started complaining about rust spots on the vehicle. Forum users shared photos of the small orange specks and asked for advice about how to clean current spots, as well as stave off future grime.

A Tesla engineer quickly jumped on X, formerly Twitter, to explain that it wasn't the Cybertruck's metal itself that was rusting, saying the car was simply picking up surface contamination. The engineer, Wes Morrill, said the orange spots were apparent rusting from metal particles that may have collected from the factory or via railway transportation. He assured worried customers that the surface contamination could be cleaned off easily. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded "yeah" to Morrill's post.

Spots, dust, rust, and fingerprints

As more and more eager Cybertruck owners started receiving their vehicles, Facebook groups and online forums dedicated to the Cybertruck became awash with requests for specific cleaning advice to stave off dust, rust, and another major issue with the stainless steel body, handprints.

Dennis Wang, a YouTuber who got his Cybertruck in January, told Business Insider that he didn't initially clock the small specks of dust before his detailer pointed them out.

"I had no idea what to do," Wang said. "I just hoped it wouldn't spread."

Similarly, Green noticed dust collections on both the inside and outside his Cybertruck soon after it was delivered in February.

"There are fingerprints everywhere on the vehicle, and it picks up stuff that comes off the road," he said. "I ended up having three spots on my vehicle."

Three other new Cybertruck owners told BI that they didn't notice any rust spots but were surprised to find how easily the stainless steel carries handprints — an issue that is commonly seen with stainless steel appliances, not cars.

After all, the Cybertruck is the first stainless steel vehicle to be produced since DMC made the stainless steel DeLorean and later halted production in 1982. The metal is known to be difficult to shape and prone to smudging.

But, Cybertruck owners appear to be handling the extra upkeep.

A nearly $100,000 car and a roughly $10 solution?

Some Cybertruck owners tried everything from Windex to more hardcore cleaning solutions. One common cleaning product emerged as the most recommended remedy — Barkeepers Friend, which Morrill also recommended in his X post.