2021+ Model S and Model S Plaid Refresh Issues Thread

[tbaud]

Honestly, if you can wait, wait. This is the worst car purchase I've EVER made. And it's ironically the most expensive car I've ever bought. The list of issues my car has is truly legion:

1.) Blasted speaker grille dent up front by the windshield that requires removing basically the entire dash AND windshield to replace.
2.) Trunk that doesn't close straight (right side first), which requires damaging paint to fix.
3.) Front passenger door that requires noticeably more force to close than any other door and that can't seem to be fixed without damaging paint.
4.) A car that won't charge to full, and has a reported range 15-20% lower than any other Plaid apparently.
5.) A windshield that needed to be replaced due to ripple distortion right in my line of sight.
6.) A rearview mirror that got chipped in the process of replacing the windshield, and now need to also be replaced.
7.) Rear spoiler peeling off the trunk lid.
8.) Since replacing the windshield I get a clicking sound when turning onto steeper driveways. The SC also managed to get debris in between the cameras and the windshield, so that's fun to see.
9.) A dash rattle up front, and a rattle from somewhere in the rear.
10.) Vibrating driver's side mirror on the highway.
11.) Piece of trunk trim that was warped from the factory, and requires replacement.
12.) All side windows and rear glass have warping distortion in them (likely) from the double-pane process. It's awful.
13.) Don't get me started on the yoke/turn signals/horn crap at low speed/maneuvering/three-point turns etc.

Anyone want to buy a Plaid with 800 miles? At the moment I can't stand this car. I really hope the competition steps up because I'd really like this to be the last Tesla I buy based on this experience, which is a world apart from the near-flawless experience I had with my Model 3 Performance back in 2019.

What is your build date?

 

[WilliamG]

What is your build date?

Late July.

 

[omarsultan]

Had the mobile service visit for the side mirrors today. The confirmed I am not a delusional idiot and can in fact RTFM, so now they are off to do some investigating and I'll probably need to take it in. Have developed an odd rattle creak somewhere behind me (C-pillar area), so it needed to go in anyway--I am thinking all those launches are catching up with me.

 

[WilliamG]

Had the mobile service visit for the side mirrors today. The confirmed I am not a delusional idiot and can in fact RTFM, so now they are off to do some investigating and I'll probably need to take it in. Have developed an odd rattle creak somewhere behind me (C-pillar area), so it needed to go in anyway--I am thinking all those launches are catching up with me.

Let us know what you find. I probably have the same creak/rattle. Just over larger bumps, but I can't figure out what it is.

 

[WilliamG]

The dent in the main grill is interesting because that exactly describes the same dent I have. My local SC has a new grill in order for me. Hopefully it won’t have the same dent.. lol

My parking assist hasn’t worked at all from day one. 600+ miles of driving with nothing but a warning message in the bottom of the instrument cluster.

Did you get your grille dent sorted yet? Curious as to what your service center says is required to replace it. My service center said the windshield has to come out, and the dash disassembled to replace it!

 

[GroovaEV]

Spent hours cleaning the film off the inside and outside windows and now can easily see how distorted the windshield is. Like verticle ripples.
Should have kept them dirty and not noticed.

 

[WilliamG]

Spent hours cleaning the film off the inside and outside windows and now can easily see how distorted the windshield is. Like verticle ripples.
Should have kept them dirty and not noticed.

I reckon they're all distorted in some way. As long as it's not RIGHT in your line of sight, don't let it get to you. Unfortunately I had two distortions right in my vision - actually gave me a headache when driving, so had to have it replaced. The service center took one look and were like... uhhh... yeah that's nuts - we're replacing that. So they did.

 

[Tigers]

I reckon they're all distorted in some way. As long as it's not RIGHT in your line of sight, don't let it get to you. Unfortunately I had two distortions right in my vision - actually gave me a headache when driving, so had to have it replaced. The service center took one look and were like... uhhh... yeah that's nuts - we're replacing that. So they did.

The replacements were ripple free, right?

 

[JimmyMS]

Did you get your grille dent sorted yet? Curious as to what your service center says is required to replace it. My service center said the windshield has to come out, and the dash disassembled to replace it!

Hmm. I haven’t heard anything about having to remove the windshield to replace the dash grill. And that seems pretty crazy to me considering that there are speakers and other serviceable components located under the grill. My SC ordered a replacement grill that took several weeks to arrive. And while the new grill didn’t have the same dent, it was in worse shape than my original due to sloppy packing and rough shipping. So I’m currently waiting on another replacement grill.

 

[WilliamG]

The replacements were ripple free, right?

Pretty sure my replacement has some ripple effect on the right side, but it's not directly in my line of sight, so I ignore it. At least my direct line of sight has no ripples. My first was so bad, - two really bad ripples right where you looked at the road. Did my head in...

 

[WilliamG]

Hmm. I haven’t heard anything about having to remove the windshield to replace the dash grill. And that seems pretty crazy to me considering that there are speakers and other serviceable components located under the grill. My SC ordered a replacement grill that took several weeks to arrive. And while the new grill didn’t have the same dent, it was in worse shape than my original due to sloppy packing and rough shipping. So I’m currently waiting on another replacement grill.

Please do let us know how you get on with the replacement. If it can just pop out, easily replaced - it's worth it. If it requires dash disassembly as my service center told me, I'm not going down that path. Thanks for the reply!

 

[GroovaEV]

I reckon they're all distorted in some way. As long as it's not RIGHT in your line of sight, don't let it get to you. Unfortunately I had two distortions right in my vision - actually gave me a headache when driving, so had to have it replaced. The service center took one look and were like... uhhh... yeah that's nuts - we're replacing that. So they did.

Yeah, that's the plan. (Deal with it as-is) They are most pronounced on the passenger side.
Have an appointment with the local SC tomorrow for other issues.
Hopefully won't need too many more visits.

 

[WilliamG]

Yeah, that's the plan. They are most pronounced on the passenger side.
Have an appointment with the local SC tomorrow for other issues.
Hopefully won't need too many more visits.

Unless you're ok with them replacing the windshield, it may not be worth it... - risk of getting distortion on driver's side etc...

 

[glide]

Honestly, if you can wait, wait. This is the worst car purchase I've EVER made. And it's ironically the most expensive car I've ever bought. The list of issues my car has is truly legion:

1.) Blasted speaker grille dent up front by the windshield that requires removing basically the entire dash AND windshield to replace.
2.) Trunk that doesn't close straight (right side first), which requires damaging paint to fix.
3.) Front passenger door that requires noticeably more force to close than any other door and that can't seem to be fixed without damaging paint.
4.) A car that won't charge to full, and has a reported range 15-20% lower than any other Plaid apparently.
5.) A windshield that needed to be replaced due to ripple distortion right in my line of sight.
6.) A rearview mirror that got chipped in the process of replacing the windshield, and now need to also be replaced.
7.) Rear spoiler peeling off the trunk lid.
8.) Since replacing the windshield I get a clicking sound when turning onto steeper driveways. The SC also managed to get debris in between the cameras and the windshield, so that's fun to see.
9.) A dash rattle up front, and a rattle from somewhere in the rear.
10.) Vibrating driver's side mirror on the highway.
11.) Piece of trunk trim that was warped from the factory, and requires replacement.
12.) All side windows and rear glass have warping distortion in them (likely) from the double-pane process. It's awful.
13.) Don't get me started on the yoke/turn signals/horn crap at low speed/maneuvering/three-point turns etc.

Anyone want to buy a Plaid with 800 miles? At the moment I can't stand this car. I really hope the competition steps up because I'd really like this to be the last Tesla I buy based on this experience, which is a world apart from the near-flawless experience I had with my Model 3 Performance back in 2019.

Wow. If only you were a social media influencer and could get Elon’s attention.

This is an absolute embarrassment for Tesla. I am longing for the day when they are forced to stop churning out crap due to the competition.

 

[cwanja]

@WilliamG can you post any photos of the ripples / distortion - from your previous windshield and rear windshield? Or if you already have, linking to those. Appreciate it.

 

[WilliamG]

@WilliamG can you post any photos of the ripples / distortion - from your previous windshield and rear windshield? Or if you already have, linking to those. Appreciate it.

I don't, sorry - it was pretty much impossible to photograph. It was a dedicated specific couple of areas with ripples, - not a general distortion like the side windows.

 

[hotsoup]

Also FYI if you can live without fixing some of these things, especially ones that involve removal of body panels or anything "one-way door" (e.g. things that can't ever go back to original factory spec like removal of glue or adhesive), I'd say it's better just to live with them. The SCs don't seem like they follow a great QA process post-repair and the factory seems to have a higher bar for fit and finish that can never be achieved again if something's messed with.

For example, I had to get a replacement headlight, replacement side mirror, and some insulation was loose inside the front driver's side fender. SC had to take off the whole front bumper, the driver's side front fender, and the whole interior door area. The front bumper is now not as perfect as it used to be and I don't think will ever be the same again, the driver's side front fender has some interesting glue-type stuff that used to stabilize the top part of it to the body but now is separated, and the rubber trim around the triangular part is slightly ripped in one corner area but tucked away and not visible (I watched the repair happen and called it out). While the door trim was taken out, I also noticed 1 misplaced "foil" sticker used to cover the holes in the door panel to reduce sound and 1 missing one. The foil stickers were probably messed with back when I had to get the door handle sticking issue fixed.

Who knows what else these SCs miss during repair/reinstallation of panels that people don't know about and can't see. Ignorance is bliss I suppose, but there's always the creeping suspicion that they f*cked something up that you just can't see. Frustrating... same story with home-related contractors in the Seattle area, but I digress.

 

[sam3194]

Can anyone test this out for me?

Everyone leave the car, only one person go into the backseat. Close all doors. Make sure all screens are black. Tap the back screen and turn on the air conditioner using that power button in the middle... does any air come out?

 

[Gluber]

Downloaded version 32.5 last night and it said auto park was supposed to be included in it but it wasn’t. Has anyone gotten auto park yet?

 

[Issaction]

Honestly, if you can wait, wait. This is the worst car purchase I've EVER made. And it's ironically the most expensive car I've ever bought. The list of issues my car has is truly legion:

1.) Blasted speaker grille dent up front by the windshield that requires removing basically the entire dash AND windshield to replace.
2.) Trunk that doesn't close straight (right side first), which requires damaging paint to fix.
3.) Front passenger door that requires noticeably more force to close than any other door and that can't seem to be fixed without damaging paint.
4.) A car that won't charge to full, and has a reported range 15-20% lower than any other Plaid apparently.
5.) A windshield that needed to be replaced due to ripple distortion right in my line of sight.
6.) A rearview mirror that got chipped in the process of replacing the windshield, and now need to also be replaced.
7.) Rear spoiler peeling off the trunk lid.
8.) Since replacing the windshield I get a clicking sound when turning onto steeper driveways. The SC also managed to get debris in between the cameras and the windshield, so that's fun to see.
9.) A dash rattle up front, and a rattle from somewhere in the rear.
10.) Vibrating driver's side mirror on the highway.
11.) Piece of trunk trim that was warped from the factory, and requires replacement.
12.) All side windows and rear glass have warping distortion in them (likely) from the double-pane process. It's awful.
13.) Don't get me started on the yoke/turn signals/horn crap at low speed/maneuvering/three-point turns etc.

Anyone want to buy a Plaid with 800 miles? At the moment I can't stand this car. I really hope the competition steps up because I'd really like this to be the last Tesla I buy based on this experience, which is a world apart from the near-flawless experience I had with my Model 3 Performance back in 2019.

I'll buy your shitty plaid. I have three dollars.