3rd party Used Model 3 how can I verify it legit?

[EthanNAustin]

I'm looking at different used Tesla Model 3's to buy.
I've heard that Tesla might disable charging or autopilot features if you buy a Tesla from a 3rd party.
Is this true?
Is there a way to verify the car would be honored by Tesla if purchased?

 

[ellett]

There are different issues, no overall "the car is honored by Tesla".

Tesla may disable Supercharging if the car has a salvage title. The only way to check this out is to go to a Supercharger and attempt to Supercharge it.

If the car goes back to Tesla and is resold by them, they may remove FSD, Acceleration boost, and other optional features before they sell it, but if you buy it from Tesla, they will tell you what the current configuration is. The trick here is that the car may have gone back to Tesla and then been purchased by a dealer, and sometimes the dealer assumes the window sticker is correct and doesn't know features have been removed.

If the sale is direct from a current owner to you, the original features should remain active.

In any case, do NOT trust seeing the original window sticker; that configuration was only valid at the time of sale to the original owner.

You can take the car into a service center and pay the SC staff to examine the car and give you a report. This assumes you live within a reasonable distance from a Tesla SC.

All of these options require that you have access to the car, pre-sale. There is no magic webpage or phone number to do what you want to do by keying in a VIN.

If the car still belongs to the original owner, they should be able to log in to their Tesla account on the web and show you the "Manage, View details" page, which should include the VIN and the current configuration details.

 

[rdskill]

hmmm.... i read somewhere that Tesla will turn off FSD regardless. That the upgrade must be purchased by the current owner. Since this is possible to do OTA and there are no laws in place to protect the user like bolt on parts.

Learn what all the options are called. Get everything in writing. They are pretty cold blooded about this.

 

[vickh]

the original window sticker is meaningless for OTA stuff with Tesla.

 

[DiyEvRepair]

If previous owner's Tesla account shows that it has FSD or autopilot, then it will have it. Just make sure to save the screenshot as proof in case Tesla decides to play any games later.

If the car is sold by a dealer, have them print you a screenshot showing FSD / autopilot etc. If Tesla decides to later remove it, you need to give them a call and they'll add it back, as long as you have proof that it was enabled when you purchased the car. Legally they have no right to remove functionality from cars they don't own.

 

[Knightshade]

hmmm.... i read somewhere that Tesla will turn off FSD regardless. That the upgrade must be purchased by the current owner.

Nope.

Only if ownership of the car passes back to Tesla... (or an audit shows a car that has the feature turned out buy nobody ever paid for it- like if a free trial never got removed or something which happens occasionally)


If buying 3rd party, get a copy of the MVPA. It'll list all paid options like FSD, and all of them will stay with the car if sold 3rd party.


Where you get into trouble is believing the window sticker or what the seller tells you were actually paid for.

Get the receipts.

 

[Joshan]

I do not know this to be fact, but what I read was the following. Some users had features on their cars they did not pay for. They sold the car as legit having these features and when Tesla did an audit and removed those features the new buyer(s) was mad and thought Tesla had screwed them.

 

[Joshan]

to better answer your question. When you purchase upgrades Tesla gives you receipts. I have receipts for FSD and for Acceleration boost in my Tesla account. Ask to see/have those receipts. Unless purchased when new like Knightshade said, than ask for that document.

 

[Knightshade]

I do not know this to be fact, but what I read was the following. Some users had features on their cars they did not pay for. They sold the car as legit having these features and when Tesla did an audit and removed those features the new buyer(s) was mad and thought Tesla had screwed them.

Yup... though the one very widely reported situation was actually a bit different, and showed a different internal Tesla issue.


In that case, the original owner did pay for FSD.

Then Tesla ended up buying the car back.

At which point they flagged it in their back-end systems to have FSD removed (entirely legal since they owned it again).

But, they immediately sent the car to auction... before the back end system had ACTUALLY REMOVED FSD from the car itself.

Car was sold at auction to a 3rd party dealer over the weekend (without anything in the sales papers saying it came with FSD or not)- and dealer then sold the car to someone as having FSD on it (since it was on the car when they looked at it).


Next week comes around (dealer still has car, not been picked up yet)- software audit sees back end says "remove FSD" but car has FSD, so it gets removed from car.

Dealer thinks it's just some glitch, tells customer it's just some glitch, and delivers the car to customer.

Who now has no FSD, and Tesla tells him "Yeah you didn't buy FSD"

Eventually from bad press (and the fact the fundamental confusions was caused by their back end taking too long to update the actual car) they gave it back to him for 'free'


That's highlighting how poor Teslas back-end IT is though- not highlighting a real "issue" with Teslas policy on 3rd party sales.

But like I said- make sure you get the receipts

 

[DiyEvRepair]

This is analogous to Tesla wanting to remove expensive rims from the car, and sending their mechanic to go to the auto auction to remove them. Mechanic shows up the the auction, goes the the car (which was already sold by that point) and removes the wheels from it. (Or better yet, the car is no longer at the auction, so the mechanic goes to the new buyer's house to remove the wheels).

If Tesla was not able to remove FSD from the car (including all UI options for it) *BEFORE* it was taken to the auto auction (where potential buyers can inspect the car), they have missed the time window to remove the FSD.

 

[Knightshade]

This is analogous to Tesla wanting to remove expensive rims from the car, and sending their mechanic to go to the auto auction to remove them. Mechanic shows up the the auction, goes the the car (which was already sold by that point) and removes the wheels from it. (Or better yet, the car is no longer at the auction, so the mechanic goes to the new buyer's house to remove the wheels).

Since it's all software, from Teslas perspective, removing it on the back end is removing it.

If a software company invalidates a license- they don't physically come remove the software from computers it's on- but they might disable/cripple that software next time it touches their servers to notice the license is no longer valid.

(this is also why the small # of folks with hacked cars enabling features they didn't pay for have to block direct connection to Teslas servers- to avoid these kinds of "true up" audits)

If Tesla was not able to remove FSD from the car (including all UI options for it) *BEFORE* it was taken to the auto auction (where potential buyers can inspect the car), they have missed the time window to remove the FSD.

They are "able" to- but their internal IT was written by a drunk monkey who took a mail order coding class.

So no part of the system appears to speak to any other in an intelligent and timely fashion.


It's an easy fix on Teslas side (well, would be easy if they had anyone competent working on their internal IT systems)- updating a config on the back end IMMEDIATELY creates a true-up request to the specific car whose config changed.



Of course- even then your problem isn't ENTIRELY resolved.

What if that car- still owned by Tesla at the moment doesn't have a wifi connection to get an update?

What if it doesn't GET a wifi connection till after it's sold at auction?

 

[rdskill]

Car can be reconfigured via car's cell. Mine was.

 

[AdamVIP]

Tesla needs a digital Monroney that's available to pull up on the screen of each car stating the current configuration. Their system of removing features has made the used car market a minefield and likely harming resale in the process. If you cant believe the original paperwork that came with the car you need another way.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

hmmm.... i read somewhere that Tesla will turn off FSD regardless. That the upgrade must be purchased by the current owner. Since this is possible to do OTA and there are no laws in place to protect the user like bolt on parts.

Learn what all the options are called. Get everything in writing. They are pretty cold blooded about this.

Doesn't appear to be the case. Please post recent evidence.

 

[Knightshade]

Tesla needs a digital Monroney that's available to pull up on the screen of each car stating the current configuration. Their system of removing features has made the used car market a minefield and likely harming resale in the process. If you cant believe the original paperwork that came with the car you need another way.

you CAN believe the paperwork that came with the car (the MVPA).

But need to understand if ownership ever passed back to Tesla they had every right to CHANGE the car while they owned it.

But private party sale where Tesla never bought the car back? Whatever the MVPA says the car comes with, it comes with.

 

[AdamVIP]

you CAN believe the paperwork that came with the car (the MVPA).

But need to understand if ownership ever passed back to Tesla they had every right to CHANGE the car while they owned it.

But private party sale where Tesla never bought the car back? Whatever the MVPA says the car comes with, it comes with.

There's no easy way to tell if the car has been through Tesla though. Tesla can rebuy a car and send it to auction where a dealer picks it up and sells it off with the original Monroney. Plus there is no guarantee Tesla scrubs the car of FSD or not since Tesla is the only one who knows they can pick and choose as people inquire. Hell Tesla could say the old owner got a refund for it and remove it at anytime. There's no formality to any of it. Its all going to result in a lawsuit at some point. Tesla shouldn't be removing FSD from cars with it on the Monroney. They also need a real time database of the cars to search what options are available at the time of purchase so people can know what they are actually buying since they are the ones meddling with the cars after options are added.

 

[Knightshade]

There's no easy way to tell if the car has been through Tesla though.

For private party sale from the original owner? Well, their name will be on the MVPA for one...

Tesla shouldn't be removing FSD from cars with it on the Monroney

Why?

Can a Ford dealer take upgraded wheels off a used mustang whose monroney listed it? of course they can. And some do.

Same deal.

Not to mention Monroneys are notoriously inaccurate (esp. for Teslas)- for example my original one doesn't list FSD at all.

My MVPA does though.

There's also folks who bought a P but got an AWD monroney (and vice versa)- but again the MVPA was correct.


The MVPA is the actual legal contract saying what you paid for and what came with the purchase.

That, not the window sticker, is what you should be asking to see if buying private party.

. They also need a real time database of the cars to search what options are available at the time of purchase so people can know what they are actually buying since they are the ones meddling with the cars after options are added.

Why is Tesla obligated to provide anything to support 3rd party used car dealers?

Hell does ANY car maker provide such a thing to the general public where inputting a VIN gives you the full factory option list on that specific car?

 

[vickh]

you CAN believe the paperwork that came with the car (the MVPA).

But need to understand if ownership ever passed back to Tesla they had every right to CHANGE the car while they owned it.

But private party sale where Tesla never bought the car back? Whatever the MVPA says the car comes with, it comes with.

Unless the owner downgraded (or upgraded OTA) stuff after delivery. I think display screenshots showing VIN and options is a workaround.

Although mine says SR+ even though I have a SR, shouldn't be a problem after I buy "COVID sale" AP

 

[jjrandorin]

Doesn't appear to be the case. Please post recent evidence.

That specific poster is posting in relation to their own specific situation, which is called out in their signature. The TL ; DR version if I remember was, that poster states they were "given EAP during a 2nd quarter push", but then tesla took it away later. No idea why they did not have it on their MVPA if it iwas "truly" given for free, but we know that tesla salespeople say "whatever" sometimes.

So, I believe that someone likely told that person "we will give you this for free... its not on the paperwork, but it will be fiiiiinnneeee", and then later tesla took it away.

Not the same thing as they are saying "they read" happens though, and not the same thing as OPs question.

In general, we know that if there is PROOF of PURCHASE of EAP / FSD, AND the car did not pass back through tesla at any point (car sold direct private party, or car sold direct to third party dealer who then sold to a private party), its likely ok.

Any tesla bought from auction could be suspect, because it would be hard for someone buying a car from a third party dealer, who bought it from auction, to know whether the car passed through tesla at some point.

Safest bet would be like @Knightshade mentions... direct from the original owner, with proof on the MVPA that it was PURCHASED, not just proof that the "car has it enabled".

 

[captain_sahaj]

Nope.

Only if ownership of the car passes back to Tesla... (or an audit shows a car that has the feature turned out buy nobody ever paid for it- like if a free trial never got removed or something which happens occasionally)


If buying 3rd party, get a copy of the MVPA. It'll list all paid options like FSD, and all of them will stay with the car if sold 3rd party.


Where you get into trouble is believing the window sticker or what the seller tells you were actually paid for.

Get the receipts.

My used 3 from tesla came with fsd, so I didn’t have to buy it extra