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2019 Model 3's?
- Thread starter mattjs33
- Start date
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Tesla is the only American auto manufacturer that is honest with it's Model years. If the car starts down the assembly line after the first of the year, then that is how they label the car.
Others sometimes start labeling a car the next model year, when it is still 6 Months away.
With Tesla, sometimes a buyer will ask you the manufacturing date stamped on the plate inside the drivers side door jam. That give you the most accurate age.
Others sometimes start labeling a car the next model year, when it is still 6 Months away.
With Tesla, sometimes a buyer will ask you the manufacturing date stamped on the plate inside the drivers side door jam. That give you the most accurate age.
I always have to explain this, but Model Year is a completely different concept than Build Date, Both are relevant, for different reasons. Model Year is important for reasons of regulation compliance, and that's probably the most critical.
All cars are stamped with build date on the driver's door label. It's required by law.
And constant revisions to the cars as they are produced is a common enough thing that build date is increasingly needed across the industry for the purpose of parts and service. It's why most OEM parts departments will ask you the last 8 of the VIN -- they have the build data and can tell you exactly when it was built and were used to build it.
Ford began delivering 1997 F150's on January 2, 1996. It's not a new thing, and there's absolutely nothing sinister about it. I could probably quote nearly a dozen similar examples.
Chickenlittle
Banned
All you had to do was answer the question. That’s literally all you had to do. Other people managed to do so and engage in normal discourse. Instead you chose to be an ass. I don’t even know you but now I know all I need to know about you.
Chickenlittle
Banned
This is a forum, not a witness stand.
Tentatively scheduled for delivery on January 31 on a P3D. Still don't have a VIN (although my adviser said he's secured one). We'll see.
TT97
Active Member
As an FYI, if you click on the "Recalls" link on each of their tweets, it shows the full VIN of the highest registered VIN.
voip-ninja
Give me some sugar baby
There is nothing dishonest about what other automakers are doing.They start building a model year sometime in the summer when their factories shut down for summer vacation, cleaning, retooling, etc. When the factory starts up they are building the model year vehicles for the following year.
Other auto makers advertise a given model year's configuration and in very few instances does the configuration change in the middle of the model year. When there is a change it is typically communicated in some fashion to dealers and that information typically leaks out to consumers.... for example, BMW has, several times, made mid model-year changes to the i-drive hardware in their cars and sent a service notice to their dealer network advertising the change and when in production it happened.
These automakers still introduce production changes during the model year, correcting minor defects or assembly processes, etc.... or they might do minor parts substitutions such as moving to a new supplier for a part... changes that are transparent to consumers.
Consumers know exactly what they are getting if they choose a 2018 or 2019 model for example and the information on feature differences is available on the manufacturer's website, from dealer networks, etc.
By comparison Tesla advertises that they are building the "best car" possible on the day the car is in production, and Tesla can and does make major changes in the delivered product with typically zero notice to consumers (production switchover on autopilot versions for example). Since Tesla does not use traditional model year designators it's difficult for customers to know which configuration they are getting. We saw this over the course of the summer last year when there were several changes to the Model 3 configuration with seat changes, headliner materials, etc. Some cars shipped with the new headliner but had mirrors that were still using alcantara. Other cars had new front seats but the older style rear bench seat.
It's up to the individual to determine which system is better for them but there's nothing inherently more honest in the way Tesla does it.
Rashomon
Member
That’s actually quite possible. Without EPA certification, a manufacturer can’t sell a vehicle in the US. Potential fines if they do are potentially company ending. Now a manufacturer could build vehicles and store them, but they can’t sell them until the paper work clears.
Update on this - I got my VIN and saw it's a 2018. I signed the MVPA without realizing the model year (embarrassed I didn't see that). I called customer support today, as my adviser isn't returning my calls or emails, and they are looking at 3 other 2019 models which meet my build specs. Hopefully I can get assigned one of those, if not I'll likely just wait for production. Point is, even after you've signed the MVPA, Tesla will release that car and assign another one prior to delivery. Also found out why my adviser wasn't responding - he was laid off. Guess Tesla didn't think it was necessary to forward my new adviser's contact info to me.
...and even though I know model years don't matter in Tesla World, when it comes time to resale, it does. KBB doesn't have data on 2019 yet, but the exact same spec'd 2018 Model S 75D is valued at $1,780 more than the 2017 version. The same basic depreciation will apply to any Tesla model year over year, regardless of changes or not.
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Slumpey326
Member
The tax credit lost is not from purchasing a 2018 vs 2019 model, it's from when you take delivery of the vehicle.
Hopefully I'm not revealing myself to be incurably dense by asking this, but where on your purchase paperwork did it list the build date for your car? What document, etc.? I've been wondering how to find out the build date for my Model 3 and haven't seen that date in my paperwork. - Thanks
FWIW, the VIN model year digit is only require to change every 24 months...
49 CFR 565.12 - Definitions.
A bit of explanation is required to this point. A manufacturer is allowed to begin delivery of "next year's model" no sooner that January 1st of the "previous" year. Cars carrying that Model Year can continue to be built through December 31 of the "next year".
I realize the above is not entirely clear, so let me go back to my earlier example from this thread. The 1997 Ford F150's were shipped to dealers on January 2, 1996 (it could have been January 1 I suppose but nobody works because they're hungover!). This means there are 1997 Ford F150's out there with autumn 1995 build dates. You can imagine the fun we had with this in the parts business for a number of years. It's staggering how few mechanics have any idea how to decode a VIN.
Anyway, that Model Year 1997 F150 could have been in production until December 31, 1997. So in reference to the above, the Model Year effectively lasted 24 months. You cannot post date Model Years.
I saw 1995 Dodge Neons loaded up on trucks, ready to ship out of the Belvedere plant in autumn 1993. I saw my first 2010 Camaro in April 2009. The 2012 Lexus LFA went on sale in January 2011.
Funny thing about that LFA, they are still selling new ones as of this year. Lots of dealers held onto them as traffic builders, hoping they would appreciate.
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