Advice needed: Tesla is canceling the CPO warranty on my CPO

[playoutside]

I reserved a CPO 2014 Model S a little over a month ago. The car was shipped from the East Coast to Fremont and then to Bellevue. The OA and delivery specialist in Bellevue were great and sent me updates and pictures along the way.

I was just informed that the Model S had an aftermarket sound system. This didn't bother me. However, Tesla noticed a 3/4" hole was drilled through the firewall to run power to the aftermarket amplifier. This is standard when adding an amp.

I am okay taking the vehicle as is, but Tesla says because of the hole, they will not honor the CPO warranty (they will still honor the original bumper to bumper and powertrain warranties).

Has anyone experienced a situation like this? I want to buy the car, but I don't want to lose the CPO coverage. What should I do?

 

[Boourns]

I'm not sure there's anything you can do. Since you haven't bought it yet, you can't really make them offer a warranty they don't want to. If you're willing to buy the car without the CPO warranty, I'd ask what kinds of discount they will give you. Otherwise I would just find another car. That's personally what I'd do.

 

[rucksack]

As a prospective purchaser it scares me that they let this into the CPO program to begin with. I would think that a pre purchase inspection should have turned up a non standard hole through the "firewall".

That said, the reason I am considering a CPO purchase is exactly for the warranty. I would ask them to cancel the deal and either hold the deposit for the next one that I liked or refund it totally. Or as Boourns said, offer an accaptable adjustment.

 

[playoutside]

So far all they have offered is a refund of the deposit. But I really need to get another car and this one is configured the way we like. The CPO inventory is bare at the moment so it would likely be months before we can get a replacement.

What kind of discount do you think would be appropriate? How much is Tesla charging for extended warranties these days?

 

[rocketshipp85]

So far all they have offered is a refund of the deposit. But I really need to get another car and this one is configured the way we like. The CPO inventory is bare at the moment so it would likely be months before we can get a replacement.

What kind of discount do you think would be appropriate? How much is Tesla charging for extended warranties these days?

The warranty is about 4K or so for the extended warranty, I would ask for something like that.

 

[comanchepilot]

Then buy a different car. Tesla is SELLING the car right? Or is it a private transaction?

If you were looking at an inventory CPO car and TESLA was selling it and they were now backing out because they did not properly inspect the vehicle - I can see pressing them a little.

If it was a private transaction and it was CPO from someone else CPO'ing a car through Tesla - then its TESLA's policy - ask them toshow you where the car needs to be bone stock in the CPO warranty document. How much you want to bet its not there . ..

 

[playoutside]

It’s a CPO being sold by Tesla

 

[AEdennis]

It’s a CPO being sold by Tesla

Or as they've changed it since further inspection, but before delivery...

A used car without a CPO warranty that they are now offering you...

My perspective. At the end of the day. The CPO warranty was very useful to us as Roadster owners. We bought our Model S brand new in 2013 and most issues occurred before the 50,000 mile mark, but we still bought the extended warranty. We're now at 91,500 and the car just had a replacement MCU as part of the warranty. Not sure how much that is, but I think $2k comes to mind...

If you like the way the car is kitted. Just negotiate a lower price since the car moved from CPO to non-CPO and get the car you want. You know that it's been checked out by Tesla. A service that costs $ for anyone else that wants a car checked out before buying it. That's worth something.

 

[thegooch49]

Hmmm, this is a tough situation. I wonder if there is more to the story than a 3/4" hole in the firewall. Think of it this way. If you bought the car new, installed the amp (and 3/4" hole), would they reject you from paying $4250 for the Extended Service Agreement? I don't know the definitive answer to this, but my thought is that they would gladly take your money. This is a really strange situation. I wonder if they found something else that they didn't tell you.

Honestly, I think the whole CPO plan at Tesla is a little painful. I wish they would list the cars when they were ready to deliver. I've been waiting 5 weeks now for my CPO, and have heard next to nothing. I've been stuck renting a car while I wait for it to arrive, so it's costing me $140/week while I wait for it to get here. I've heard other stories recently of someone waiting 11 weeks for their car. I just think it's a bit painful to wait for an un-determined time, when they should just list them when they are ready to ship. They aren't customizing these for buyers, so there doesn't seem like much harm.

 

[headcase]

I'd suggest investigating a 3rd party extended warranty from one of the more reputable providers, as most are not as stringent in turning down coverage or claims. At least its another option to consider, versus potentially not purchasing the car.

 

[andrewket]

What’s the VIN?

 

[Super_Popular]

I would not take the car. There's a bunch of Tesla's listed on Seattle's craigslist.

*Black Friday Special* 2014 *Tesla Model S* P85D AWD

 

[GMan324]

Don’t buy it. They just reduce the value of the car by several thousand dollars by getting rid of the CPO warranty, and I believe that on extended warranties you have a deductible that doesn’t apply to CPO warranties. Would you consider it if you agreed on a price with a private seller and then when you came to pick it up he wanted thousands more. Step back, take a breath and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. If they can’t warranty it then something big is wrong, and if you didn’t want the warranty you could get it cheaper elsewhere. Look at the Marketplace on this forum. There are cars coming up all the time. Personally, I only want a CPO, since I have seen numerous stories of expensive trips to the service center. This is an emerging technology and there WILL be problems. That is why Tesla offers such good warranties for us early adopters.

 

[cliffud]

hmm, sounds like everyone who is concerned about their CPO warranty needs to make sure the car stereo guys use an existing hole.

 

[sakimano]

I reserved a CPO 2014 Model S a little over a month ago. The car was shipped from the East Coast to Fremont and then to Bellevue. The OA and delivery specialist in Bellevue were great and sent me updates and pictures along the way.

I was just informed that the Model S had an aftermarket sound system. This didn't bother me. However, Tesla noticed a 3/4" hole was drilled through the firewall to run power to the aftermarket amplifier. This is standard when adding an amp.

I am okay taking the vehicle as is, but Tesla says because of the hole, they will not honor the CPO warranty (they will still honor the original bumper to bumper and powertrain warranties).

Has anyone experienced a situation like this? I want to buy the car, but I don't want to lose the CPO coverage. What should I do?

offer them $4000 less (the approximate value of an aftermarket warranty for 3 years on an expensive car

or walk

 

[davidc18]

run, don't walk.

 

[playoutside]

UPDATE: Since Telsa is canceling the CPO warranty, they offered me the choice:

- 2 years of service visits
- a set of Turbine wheels
- a refund

I chose the wheels (which I'll be listing for sale now). Thanks for your feedback everyone.

 

[swegman]

You should take the refund and find another CPO car. It will take just one repair for you to regret not having the warranty. Replacing the touchscreen unit is appropriately $4000. Replacing the GPS antenna is approximately $800. Replacing a door handle is about $500. The charger is $2000 to $3000.

 

[sitter_k]

You should take the refund and find another CPO car. It will take just one repair for you to regret not having the warranty. Replacing the touchscreen unit is appropriately $4000. Replacing the GPS antenna is approximately $800. Replacing a door handle is about $500. The charger is $2000 to $3000.

But he really really needs it....

 

[Lbkmxp100d]

Hard to believe a 3/4” hole in firewall would void CPO warranty. Makes me think there may be another issue. If it’s truely just the hole ask them if they will CPO the vehicle minus anything related to hole and stereo.