How many service visits in 6 months of ownership is too many before asking for a buyback

[Milan Djabirov]

I am at number 9 including 7 SC and 2 mobile. Most of them for issues related to alignment of doors and trim and one issue where car sat 9 days in service waiting for steering rack sensor replacement.

Latest though is too much - SC did an exceptionally shoddy rear quarter window replace even though I asked them not to (due to FWD rubbing off a bit of the window trim) and now they tell me they need to fix my window perimeter paint chips from using likely a metal tool and the black goo gunk they applied to “seal” the window (not at all like factory which uses hidden urethane) that they have to make an appointment at a body shop.

Lemon law (NJ) time or buyback request before that? I’m fed up with these incessant service visits. Poor shoddy quality in every one except maybe 1-2 of them.

 

[dinkoh]

I am at number 9 including 7 SC and 2 mobile. Most of them for issues related to alignment of doors and trim and one issue where car sat 9 days in service waiting for steering rack sensor replacement.

Latest though is too much - SC did an exceptionally shoddy rear quarter window replace even though I asked them not to (due to FWD rubbing off a bit of the window trim) and now they tell me they need to fix my window perimeter paint chips from using likely a metal tool and the black goo gunk they applied to “seal” the window (not at all like factory which uses hidden urethane) that they have to make an appointment at a body shop.

Lemon law (NJ) time or buyback request before that? I’m fed up with these incessant service visits. Poor shoddy quality in every one except maybe 1-2 of them.

Argh, stories like these give me doubt of buying a model X as well. Unfortunately, you're not the only one with these issues. Two of my colleagues have 13+ visits in a year. Sad.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

I think a lot of it is due to SC botching the fix or not being qualified or willing to fix. I’ve had both rear quarter windows replaced for the FWD shaving the black trim on each at different times during alignment attempts. You would think automotive masking tape and testing if the tape gets hit first would be standard in such jobs. But I can’t stomach the latest horror where they used this black trim adhesive goo to try and seal the replacement. These are supposed to be glued using urethane so you can’t see it from the outside. The few paint chips between the trim and the body you can see is a bonus from not using masking tape again and probably prying the window with a screwdriver

 

[Steel_Cobb]

Lemon laws have to be for significant impairment of use or safety. I'm not sure if trim work would qualify. The car is still useable.

 

[jgilbs85]

Lemon laws have to be for significant impairment of use or safety. I'm not sure if trim work would qualify. The car is still useable.

Not necessarily. Tesla bought back my 22 MX under lemon law for paint issues and time out of service (> 30 business days in the first year). It depends on the state.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

An item that may impact the value of the vehicle is one that qualifies for lemon law in NJ. Shoddy window repairs and paint issues probably do. All that said, I don’t necessarily believe this is the best course of action, but at some point one has to draw a line. I’ll be more than happy if they repair it as new or if not to buy it back. The question is how does one convince them to do one or the other instead of the incessant service visits.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Also, if “non major” items don’t qualify for lemon law, exactly where one fights for their right of an acceptable warranty repair for these items?

 

[jay1122]

You could always ask. Present to them why you think you deserve a buyback. Such as the amount of time spent on service, number of attempts, etc. the worst you get is just them replying saying no. For actual lemon law, you need a lawyer and make sure you have met the requirements.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Yep - asking them right now this very moment. Waiting for “Chris” or whoever has the authority at Paramus SC to tell me what am I supposed to do. I’m willing to give them one more chance to address my fairly obvious and reasonable concerns. Their latest effort to address door rubbing my paint off resulted in this lovely wheel arch line, I’ll offer them to pick their favorite body shop and fit their car properly (that wheel arch was alright prior).

 

[Unclepaul]

Better is the enemy of good. It is not unheard of for a shop to mess up one thing, when they are trying to fix another.

My X had some door fittment issues when I got it. After a month or so, the gaskets broke in and now they fit pretty tight.

Not sure you can lemon law a panel that does not fit perfectly. Only way you can tell for sure is to hire a lawyer and submit a claim.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

No it’s not just that. 2 rear quarter window replacements on both sides due to doors rubbing the trim, one done shoddily with urethane visible and they chipped paint. So not just a panel alignment. This is a little icing on the cake - done to address the balloon rubbing noises. My stance to them is simple - fix your vehicle to look as new since these visits have gone on since delivery- or buy it back

 

[Unclepaul]

Would be nice if it worked that way. Service sometimes cannot make it look like new. Only new once.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

That’s defending lazy. It can. For example if they use masking tape or if they actually spend the time to try different door adjustments that both don’t cause rubbing and don’t make the vehicle like Beavis and Butthead assembled it. It actually takes some more effort than they put in. And probably budget.

 

[acpd]

Issues can happen but this is crazy, definitely giving me pause on X purchase. Probably better to take Y ..atleast less complexity, probability of less issues.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

I have a Y that has none of these issues. Its suspension kind of sucks in comparison of the X but it never vibrates, and the fit and finish are not perfect but fairly good.

 

[bayareaever]

I have a Y that has none of these issues. Its suspension kind of sucks in comparison of the X but it never vibrates, and the fit and finish are not perfect but fairly good.

Did you ever request the buyback? And if so, did they comply? I’m in similar situation but in California, not sure how the lemon law differs here.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

No, the car is now in the SC since Wednesday wit ETA We’d 22nd but at least I spoke to a fairly nice tech who acknowledged all my concerns and they also made a body shop appointment to fix some alignment and relatively minor cosmetic issues. Technically I probably qualify for lemon law as total service center stay time has been more than 20 days which in NJ could be enough, but I’ll give them one last chance as I believe all the issues are fixable so far. I think CA has a higher bar for lemon but I could be wrong. I kind of want the car to work out for me - but if more issues persist or appear I’ll ask for buyback and post here.

 

[bayareaever]

No, the car is now in the SC since Wednesday wit ETA We’d 22nd but at least I spoke to a fairly nice tech who acknowledged all my concerns and they also made a body shop appointment to fix some alignment and relatively minor cosmetic issues. Technically I probably qualify for lemon law as total service center stay time has been more than 20 days which in NJ could be enough, but I’ll give them one last chance as I believe all the issues are fixable so far. I think CA has a higher bar for lemon but I could be wrong. I kind of want the car to work out for me - but if more issues persist or appear I’ll ask for buyback and post here.

In California it’s 30 cumulative days or 4 repair attempts (2 for a defect that’s life threatening). I’m at 18 days and on 3rd attempt (starting today). There are other times it been in service for rattles, etc but I assume those don’t count.

I do like the car and it’s never left me stranded (fingers crossed )but if I reach the 30 day or 4 attempt threshold, I’ll probably enquire about a buyback. The company has to pay the legal fees so I assume they prefer to avoid lawyers.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

What issue are they trying to fix?

 

[bayareaever]

What issue are they trying to fix?

I’ve had several error codes arise simultaneously about 4 times since the car was new, always while turning slowly but sharply on uneven surfaces (like during parallel parking or u turns) I ignored the first occurrence but after the second, that seemed unwise.

While the alerts are active I have no regen or other autopilot features and the autopilot graphics are completely cock-eyed. Error codes include ‘no AEB’, ‘no auto steer’, etc. They always go away and the car returns to normal after parking and returning.

First they replaced the steering rack and most recently the sway bar. Since the last repair, it was fine for a few months until last week and then all the errors came back during a u turn. Since the new sway bar was installed low speed sharp degree turns make slight cracking noises which is probably related but I wouldn’t have bothered taking it in just for that. They said the sound is normal but I’m quite sure steering was dead silent when the car was new, as it obviously should be! Anyway, hopefully it can be resolved but I’m guessing it won’t be reproducible so I have my doubts.

Come to think of it, no AEB might be considered life threatening in which case the car would already qualify. But I don’t want to bring it up to them until I’m quite sure I have a valid case.

A buyback would be complicated for me because I only have one car so I’d have to get a replacement quickly. Does anyone know how the California process works? If a buyback is approved, could I choose some date in the future to actually turn the car back in?