Another Unfavorable Tesla Service Experience

[phillip.blaha]

Another unfavorable Tesla Service story!

First, please understand, I’m a Tesla early adopter and fan who owns a 2014 Model S. I love the technology, the idea that electric automobiles are better for the environment and believe Elon changed the automobile industry worldwide with the success of the Model S. Proud to have played a small part by purchasing a Model S, introducing family and friends (and a lot of strangers) to the technology. Too many demonstration rides to count!

But my question is, why can’t Tesla’s Management hire logical thinkers to work in their Service Centers? Fortunately, I value the car’s design, performance, environmental impact and influence on the auto industry over chronic dysfunction with regards to customer service.

My latest experience, the MCU won’t boot, receive message saying “Center Display unavailable”, unfortunately I can’t find a number where you can actually talk to a real person knowledgeable about Tesla automobiles. My phone call to Tesla Roadside Assistance went unanswered for 15 minutes, finally gave up and started watching YouTube Videos …….. tried the reset procedure found on YouTube and the MCU came alive! I was able to enter my PIN and drive home from the Shopping Center. After arriving home, the MCU died again, the MCU reset procedure failed to revive the screen …… it’s been dark ever since.

I sent Tesla a detailed message using their phone application, response was slow, but here is what they did. Made an appointment without contacting me, twenty days in the future, directing me to have my car towed 200 miles from my home to their Tampa, FL Service Center so they could troubleshoot the problem? After I reminded them about the vehicle’s internet connectivity and the possibility of remote data collection and troubleshooting. They responded by cancelling the appointment and promised to have a Tesla Service Technician look at the car remotely in a day or two. A few days passed, received no response until I sent another inquire asking for information regarding an appropriate corrective maintenance action since the vehicle was essentially disabled.

At that point, they admitted that a part was needed to repair the MCU, and that this part was not available in their spare part inventory. They indicated that someone would call me when the part was received by the Tampa Service Center. At that point, I ask them to transfer the part to the Orlando Service Center located 58 miles from my home.

They were reluctant to answer any questions, very deceptive behavior. Finally, after many Text Message exchanges they provided the name of the defective part – “MCU daughter board” and estimated the cost of the repair to be “$500 pre-tax”. I asked if the MCU2 was compatible with my particular car, received no response – I was trying to explore all options.

The key issues for me (so far):

· No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;

· Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

· Memory chips engineered and installed in the MCU that they knew were going to fail at no fault of the owner / user. Mounting these memory chips on a daughter board, indicates some level of premeditation;

· Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate;

· Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips on the new daughter boards being used for the repair action. Obviously, insuring the MCU will fail again for the same reason. (No one will answer my question related to the type of memory chips installed on the new daughter board and/or vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2);

· Service center personnel having no regard for the inconvenience experienced by the customer. Effectively, my vehicle is disabled and not available for use, at no fault of the owner/user. If I didn’t own another vehicle, I would be paying for car rental and possibly towing fees;

Also, my MCU was replaced a few years ago under mysterious circumstances while having a section of chrome trim replaced at the Orlando Service Center. The Service Manager refused to meet with me to explain the reason for the MCU replacement. Sounds crazy, but it really happened!

I’m sincerely hoping for a favorable outcome ……… will update the post!

 

[demundus]

This is like the near-number-one failure in our cars. Theres potentially a zillion threads on this issue. They'll replace it if you pay, their answer to "not making it a goodwill item" was to narrow the replacement down to the actual issue (daughterboard) instead of replacing the entire MCU like they used to do, and offering it "cheap". Basically saying "hey its ONLY 500 bucks, be grateful it used to be 4000". It will fail again, who knows when exactly, but at some point in the future. I'm on screen 3 (leaks) and MCU 3 (3 emmc failures).

Sucks.

 

[Tam]

...unfavorable Tesla Service story...No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;...Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

In the beginning, there were many human workers and the service was quite good. I can't say that's the same now.

My guess is the switch to focus on profits!

...Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate...

eMMC memory chips are well known for their finite lives. Many things have their finite lives such as tires, brakes, lights...

...Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips...

Yes.

...vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2...

According to the blog

Infotainment Upgrade

Yes, because your car is built before 2018.

 

[dannycamps]

I am not going to make excuses for Tesla's customer service. For all the good they do with their cars, they erode a lot of it with the lack of care they show to their customers which leads to negative sentiment. The good news is that this is something that can easily be corrected. For example, if Tesla invested in a 24/7 call center in the US (even for just basic triage and appointment setups), they would alleviate the #1 complaint of owners (that they can't speak to someone directly on the phone). While texting is certainly nice, have an actual person who has knowledge of the situation and demonstrates empathy to you speaks volumes in terms of customer satisfaction.

Obviously not all service centers are the same as well. I have had nothing but good experiences so far with the service centers in my area and have nothing negative to say but more than enough people here have a different experience. Going in with adjusted expectations tends to help a lot.

To the OP, a few minutes reading this board and you would've learned all about the MCU failure, daughter board replacement, upgrade possibilities and most importantly disabling the PIN to drive when you were able to revive your MCU that first (and only) time. Make no mistake about it, you are not to blame for this. Tesla's use of a substandard eMMC in the MCU is coming back to bite them and it's only a matter of time before the NHTSA forces a recall.

I hope you are able to get this sorted soon and have either the new daughterboard or a MCU2 installed so you can get back to grinning behind the wheel of your car.

 

[Huachipato]

I'm dreading this - I know someday it will happen to my own car. Worth noting that due to this issue I have not enabled PIN to Drive nor Scheduled charging. I fear I'd lose the ability to do both when the MCU goes.

Also worth noting - the new daughterboard has a larger eMMC chip (64GB vs. the stock 8GB). In theory this doesn't resolve the issue 100%, but just make the time to failure much longer than what we have now. There are threads that provide the theoretical time to failure and its in double digit years if I recall correctly.

Just like anyone else that owns a pre-MCU2 system - I do wish Tesla would do the right thing and correct what is clearly a design issue.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Tesla "Customer Service" support is the worst.

 

[murse]

The way I was directed, by my service tech, to get ahold of them was to call and when prompted use the option that stated it was regarding your car that was currently in for service. That directed the call to the local service center vs. their general call center.

 

[phillip.blaha]

Another unfavorable Tesla Service story!

First, please understand, I’m a Tesla early adopter and fan who owns a 2014 Model S. I love the technology, the idea that electric automobiles are better for the environment and believe Elon changed the automobile industry worldwide with the success of the Model S. Proud to have played a small part by purchasing a Model S, introducing family and friends (and a lot of strangers) to the technology. Too many demonstration rides to count!

But my question is, why can’t Tesla’s Management hire logical thinkers to work in their Service Centers? Fortunately, I value the car’s design, performance, environmental impact and influence on the auto industry over chronic dysfunction with regards to customer service.

My latest experience, the MCU won’t boot, receive message saying “Center Display unavailable”, unfortunately I can’t find a number where you can actually talk to a real person knowledgeable about Tesla automobiles. My phone call to Tesla Roadside Assistance went unanswered for 15 minutes, finally gave up and started watching YouTube Videos …….. tried the reset procedure found on YouTube and the MCU came alive! I was able to enter my PIN and drive home from the Shopping Center. After arriving home, the MCU died again, the MCU reset procedure failed to revive the screen …… it’s been dark ever since.

I sent Tesla a detailed message using their phone application, response was slow, but here is what they did. Made an appointment without contacting me, twenty days in the future, directing me to have my car towed 200 miles from my home to their Tampa, FL Service Center so they could troubleshoot the problem? After I reminded them about the vehicle’s internet connectivity and the possibility of remote data collection and troubleshooting. They responded by cancelling the appointment and promised to have a Tesla Service Technician look at the car remotely in a day or two. A few days passed, received no response until I sent another inquire asking for information regarding an appropriate corrective maintenance action since the vehicle was essentially disabled.

At that point, they admitted that a part was needed to repair the MCU, and that this part was not available in their spare part inventory. They indicated that someone would call me when the part was received by the Tampa Service Center. At that point, I ask them to transfer the part to the Orlando Service Center located 58 miles from my home.

They were reluctant to answer any questions, very deceptive behavior. Finally, after many Text Message exchanges they provided the name of the defective part – “MCU daughter board” and estimated the cost of the repair to be “$500 pre-tax”. I asked if the MCU2 was compatible with my particular car, received no response – I was trying to explore all options.

The key issues for me (so far):

· No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;

· Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

· Memory chips engineered and installed in the MCU that they knew were going to fail at no fault of the owner / user. Mounting these memory chips on a daughter board, indicates some level of premeditation;

· Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate;

· Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips on the new daughter boards being used for the repair action. Obviously, insuring the MCU will fail again for the same reason. (No one will answer my question related to the type of memory chips installed on the new daughter board and/or vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2);

· Service center personnel having no regard for the inconvenience experienced by the customer. Effectively, my vehicle is disabled and not available for use, at no fault of the owner/user. If I didn’t own another vehicle, I would be paying for car rental and possibly towing fees;

Also, my MCU was replaced a few years ago under mysterious circumstances while having a section of chrome trim replaced at the Orlando Service Center. The Service Manager refused to meet with me to explain the reason for the MCU replacement. Sounds crazy, but it really happened!

I’m sincerely hoping for a favorable outcome ……… will update the post!

Quick Update - 16Oct20!

After repeated requests (Tesla Service) to have someone, real person who is knowledgeable about Model S MCU issues has gone unanswered. The only text message received (from Tesla Service) has been a request for me to postpone the scheduled repair activity to sometime in the future? Reason given, they are too busy dealing with other customers! Wow, they made the appointment without talking to me and now they are unable to perform the service action. No apologies for the memory chip failure, inconvenience of not having a functional vehicle, poor customer service and failure to communicate.

More later ........................................

 

[phillip.blaha]

I'm dreading this - I know someday it will happen to my own car. Worth noting that due to this issue I have not enabled PIN to Drive nor Scheduled charging. I fear I'd lose the ability to do both when the MCU goes.

Also worth noting - the new daughterboard has a larger eMMC chip (64GB vs. the stock 8GB). In theory this doesn't resolve the issue 100%, but just make the time to failure much longer than what we have now. There are threads that provide the theoretical time to failure and its in double digit years if I recall correctly.

Just like anyone else that owns a pre-MCU2 system - I do wish Tesla would do the right thing and correct what is clearly a design issue.

Thanks for the support and valuable information about the larger eMMC capacity! I just wonder why they won't provide MCU2 compatibility info for my vehicle? I would consider paying for such an upgrade if it will eliminate future MCU failures.

Best regards,

Phillip

 

[phillip.blaha]

I'm dreading this - I know someday it will happen to my own car. Worth noting that due to this issue I have not enabled PIN to Drive nor Scheduled charging. I fear I'd lose the ability to do both when the MCU goes.

Also worth noting - the new daughterboard has a larger eMMC chip (64GB vs. the stock 8GB). In theory this doesn't resolve the issue 100%, but just make the time to failure much longer than what we have now. There are threads that provide the theoretical time to failure and its in double digit years if I recall correctly.

Just like anyone else that owns a pre-MCU2 system - I do wish Tesla would do the right thing and correct what is clearly a design issue.

Thanks for the support and valuable information about the larger eMMC capacity! I just wonder why they won't provide MCU2 compatibility info for my vehicle? I would consider paying for such an upgrade if it will eliminate future MCU failures.

Best regards,

Phillip

 

[phillip.blaha]

The way I was directed, by my service tech, to get ahold of them was to call and when prompted use the option that stated it was regarding your car that was currently in for service. That directed the call to the local service center vs. their general call center.

Thanks for the support and telephone trick to get a real person on the phone, will give it a try!

 

[phillip.blaha]

I am not going to make excuses for Tesla's customer service. For all the good they do with their cars, they erode a lot of it with the lack of care they show to their customers which leads to negative sentiment. The good news is that this is something that can easily be corrected. For example, if Tesla invested in a 24/7 call center in the US (even for just basic triage and appointment setups), they would alleviate the #1 complaint of owners (that they can't speak to someone directly on the phone). While texting is certainly nice, have an actual person who has knowledge of the situation and demonstrates empathy to you speaks volumes in terms of customer satisfaction.

Obviously not all service centers are the same as well. I have had nothing but good experiences so far with the service centers in my area and have nothing negative to say but more than enough people here have a different experience. Going in with adjusted expectations tends to help a lot.

To the OP, a few minutes reading this board and you would've learned all about the MCU failure, daughter board replacement, upgrade possibilities and most importantly disabling the PIN to drive when you were able to revive your MCU that first (and only) time. Make no mistake about it, you are not to blame for this. Tesla's use of a substandard eMMC in the MCU is coming back to bite them and it's only a matter of time before the NHTSA forces a recall.

I hope you are able to get this sorted soon and have either the new daughterboard or a MCU2 installed so you can get back to grinning behind the wheel of your car.

Appreciate your support and good advise ....... yes, I hoping for a positive outcome and ability to drive the car again!

 

[Big Toys]

The way I was directed, by my service tech, to get ahold of them was to call and when prompted use the option that stated it was regarding your car that was currently in for service. That directed the call to the local service center vs. their general call center.

Yes, this seems to be the only way to get to a real person. Poor person....

 

[_jmk]

Reminds me of..

 

[SR0068]

This is like the near-number-one failure in our cars. Theres potentially a zillion threads on this issue. They'll replace it if you pay, their answer to "not making it a goodwill item" was to narrow the replacement down to the actual issue (daughterboard) instead of replacing the entire MCU like they used to do, and offering it "cheap". Basically saying "hey its ONLY 500 bucks, be grateful it used to be 4000". It will fail again, who knows when exactly, but at some point in the future. I'm on screen 3 (leaks) and MCU 3 (3 emmc failures).

Sucks.[/QUOTE

Another unfavorable Tesla Service story!

First, please understand, I’m a Tesla early adopter and fan who owns a 2014 Model S. I love the technology, the idea that electric automobiles are better for the environment and believe Elon changed the automobile industry worldwide with the success of the Model S. Proud to have played a small part by purchasing a Model S, introducing family and friends (and a lot of strangers) to the technology. Too many demonstration rides to count!

But my question is, why can’t Tesla’s Management hire logical thinkers to work in their Service Centers? Fortunately, I value the car’s design, performance, environmental impact and influence on the auto industry over chronic dysfunction with regards to customer service.

My latest experience, the MCU won’t boot, receive message saying “Center Display unavailable”, unfortunately I can’t find a number where you can actually talk to a real person knowledgeable about Tesla automobiles. My phone call to Tesla Roadside Assistance went unanswered for 15 minutes, finally gave up and started watching YouTube Videos …….. tried the reset procedure found on YouTube and the MCU came alive! I was able to enter my PIN and drive home from the Shopping Center. After arriving home, the MCU died again, the MCU reset procedure failed to revive the screen …… it’s been dark ever since.

I sent Tesla a detailed message using their phone application, response was slow, but here is what they did. Made an appointment without contacting me, twenty days in the future, directing me to have my car towed 200 miles from my home to their Tampa, FL Service Center so they could troubleshoot the problem? After I reminded them about the vehicle’s internet connectivity and the possibility of remote data collection and troubleshooting. They responded by cancelling the appointment and promised to have a Tesla Service Technician look at the car remotely in a day or two. A few days passed, received no response until I sent another inquire asking for information regarding an appropriate corrective maintenance action since the vehicle was essentially disabled.

At that point, they admitted that a part was needed to repair the MCU, and that this part was not available in their spare part inventory. They indicated that someone would call me when the part was received by the Tampa Service Center. At that point, I ask them to transfer the part to the Orlando Service Center located 58 miles from my home.

They were reluctant to answer any questions, very deceptive behavior. Finally, after many Text Message exchanges they provided the name of the defective part – “MCU daughter board” and estimated the cost of the repair to be “$500 pre-tax”. I asked if the MCU2 was compatible with my particular car, received no response – I was trying to explore all options.

The key issues for me (so far):

· No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;

· Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

· Memory chips engineered and installed in the MCU that they knew were going to fail at no fault of the owner / user. Mounting these memory chips on a daughter board, indicates some level of premeditation;

· Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate;

· Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips on the new daughter boards being used for the repair action. Obviously, insuring the MCU will fail again for the same reason. (No one will answer my question related to the type of memory chips installed on the new daughter board and/or vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2);

· Service center personnel having no regard for the inconvenience experienced by the customer. Effectively, my vehicle is disabled and not available for use, at no fault of the owner/user. If I didn’t own another vehicle, I would be paying for car rental and possibly towing fees;

Also, my MCU was replaced a few years ago under mysterious circumstances while having a section of chrome trim replaced at the Orlando Service Center. The Service Manager refused to meet with me to explain the reason for the MCU replacement. Sounds crazy, but it really happened!

I’m sincerely hoping for a favorable outcome ……… will update the post!

I had a similarly frustrating experience with Tesla’s SC, and phone support folks. Two back-to-back issues rendered my 2015 S85D unusable for 5 consecutive weeks. First, the trunk

Another unfavorable Tesla Service story!

First, please understand, I’m a Tesla early adopter and fan who owns a 2014 Model S. I love the technology, the idea that electric automobiles are better for the environment and believe Elon changed the automobile industry worldwide with the success of the Model S. Proud to have played a small part by purchasing a Model S, introducing family and friends (and a lot of strangers) to the technology. Too many demonstration rides to count!

But my question is, why can’t Tesla’s Management hire logical thinkers to work in their Service Centers? Fortunately, I value the car’s design, performance, environmental impact and influence on the auto industry over chronic dysfunction with regards to customer service.

My latest experience, the MCU won’t boot, receive message saying “Center Display unavailable”, unfortunately I can’t find a number where you can actually talk to a real person knowledgeable about Tesla automobiles. My phone call to Tesla Roadside Assistance went unanswered for 15 minutes, finally gave up and started watching YouTube Videos …….. tried the reset procedure found on YouTube and the MCU came alive! I was able to enter my PIN and drive home from the Shopping Center. After arriving home, the MCU died again, the MCU reset procedure failed to revive the screen …… it’s been dark ever since.

I sent Tesla a detailed message using their phone application, response was slow, but here is what they did. Made an appointment without contacting me, twenty days in the future, directing me to have my car towed 200 miles from my home to their Tampa, FL Service Center so they could troubleshoot the problem? After I reminded them about the vehicle’s internet connectivity and the possibility of remote data collection and troubleshooting. They responded by cancelling the appointment and promised to have a Tesla Service Technician look at the car remotely in a day or two. A few days passed, received no response until I sent another inquire asking for information regarding an appropriate corrective maintenance action since the vehicle was essentially disabled.

At that point, they admitted that a part was needed to repair the MCU, and that this part was not available in their spare part inventory. They indicated that someone would call me when the part was received by the Tampa Service Center. At that point, I ask them to transfer the part to the Orlando Service Center located 58 miles from my home.

They were reluctant to answer any questions, very deceptive behavior. Finally, after many Text Message exchanges they provided the name of the defective part – “MCU daughter board” and estimated the cost of the repair to be “$500 pre-tax”. I asked if the MCU2 was compatible with my particular car, received no response – I was trying to explore all options.

The key issues for me (so far):

· No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;

· Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

· Memory chips engineered and installed in the MCU that they knew were going to fail at no fault of the owner / user. Mounting these memory chips on a daughter board, indicates some level of premeditation;

· Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate;

· Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips on the new daughter boards being used for the repair action. Obviously, insuring the MCU will fail again for the same reason. (No one will answer my question related to the type of memory chips installed on the new daughter board and/or vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2);

· Service center personnel having no regard for the inconvenience experienced by the customer. Effectively, my vehicle is disabled and not available for use, at no fault of the owner/user. If I didn’t own another vehicle, I would be paying for car rental and possibly towing fees;

Also, my MCU was replaced a few years ago under mysterious circumstances while having a section of chrome trim replaced at the Orlando Service Center. The Service Manager refused to meet with me to explain the reason for the MCU replacement. Sounds crazy, but it really happened!

I’m sincerely hoping for a favorable outcome ……… will update the post!

I had a similarly frustrating experience with Tesla’s SC in Atlanta, and with the customer support folks. Two back-to-back issues rendered my 2015 S85D unusable for 5 consecutive weeks (trunk latch failure - 2 weeks, and MCU1 crash - 3 weeks).
Tesla said they would not provide a loaner because the car was “drivable”. They didn’t think it was a big deal that the car doesn’t lock with a failed trunk latch. The MCU1 failed during the mobile repair visit for the trunk latch.
Unable to reach a service manager by phone - the SC does not answer their phone and the customer support representative said her manager doesn’t want to speak with me - I decided to reach out via private message to Tesla’s director of service operations who I found on LinkedIn.
No response.
My hope was that someone - anyone - at Tesla would assure me that they recognize they are having service challenges and are working on improvements.
As I see it, Tesla has a narrow window to fix this service disaster. Almost every other car brand is rolling out EVs with capabilities similar to Tesla’s, and they all have decades of customer service experience. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

 

[P100D_Me]

As I see it, Tesla has a narrow window to fix this service disaster. Almost every other car brand is rolling out EVs with capabilities similar to Tesla’s, and they all have decades of customer service experience. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Eventually this will catch up to them and people will jump ship and never look back, but right now the bad service and hit and miss build quality doesn't seem to be affecting the share price. I would suggest that is what is important to the 'Grand Poobar' rather than having satisfied customers. Elon needs to stop running the service departments like Basil Fawlty ran his hotel.

 

[Big Toys]

I got the same message as you, my screen went dead but I was able to revive it. It was laggy for a while, got a pixelated screen, but it has remained up and running after a factory reset and reboots. Via text, the tech says the diagnostics show that the chip meets specs, and I don't qualify for the replacement. Contrary to the Tesla email we got, the tech said the chip has to fail before they will replace it. Maybe I'll ad my name to the NHTSA complaint pile.

 

[waltson]

Another unfavorable Tesla Service story!

First, please understand, I’m a Tesla early adopter and fan who owns a 2014 Model S. I love the technology, the idea that electric automobiles are better for the environment and believe Elon changed the automobile industry worldwide with the success of the Model S. Proud to have played a small part by purchasing a Model S, introducing family and friends (and a lot of strangers) to the technology. Too many demonstration rides to count!

But my question is, why can’t Tesla’s Management hire logical thinkers to work in their Service Centers? Fortunately, I value the car’s design, performance, environmental impact and influence on the auto industry over chronic dysfunction with regards to customer service.

My latest experience, the MCU won’t boot, receive message saying “Center Display unavailable”, unfortunately I can’t find a number where you can actually talk to a real person knowledgeable about Tesla automobiles. My phone call to Tesla Roadside Assistance went unanswered for 15 minutes, finally gave up and started watching YouTube Videos …….. tried the reset procedure found on YouTube and the MCU came alive! I was able to enter my PIN and drive home from the Shopping Center. After arriving home, the MCU died again, the MCU reset procedure failed to revive the screen …… it’s been dark ever since.

I sent Tesla a detailed message using their phone application, response was slow, but here is what they did. Made an appointment without contacting me, twenty days in the future, directing me to have my car towed 200 miles from my home to their Tampa, FL Service Center so they could troubleshoot the problem? After I reminded them about the vehicle’s internet connectivity and the possibility of remote data collection and troubleshooting. They responded by cancelling the appointment and promised to have a Tesla Service Technician look at the car remotely in a day or two. A few days passed, received no response until I sent another inquire asking for information regarding an appropriate corrective maintenance action since the vehicle was essentially disabled.

At that point, they admitted that a part was needed to repair the MCU, and that this part was not available in their spare part inventory. They indicated that someone would call me when the part was received by the Tampa Service Center. At that point, I ask them to transfer the part to the Orlando Service Center located 58 miles from my home.

They were reluctant to answer any questions, very deceptive behavior. Finally, after many Text Message exchanges they provided the name of the defective part – “MCU daughter board” and estimated the cost of the repair to be “$500 pre-tax”. I asked if the MCU2 was compatible with my particular car, received no response – I was trying to explore all options.

The key issues for me (so far):

· No real person (via telephone) was available to discuss the problem and repair options. The person or persons behind Tesla’s Text Veil, lack common sense and technical knowledge;

· Service Center schedules service appointments with no regard to customer’s needs;

· Memory chips engineered and installed in the MCU that they knew were going to fail at no fault of the owner / user. Mounting these memory chips on a daughter board, indicates some level of premeditation;

· Charging customer for replacing defective memory components seems inappropriate;

· Possibly, they are installing the same type memory chips on the new daughter boards being used for the repair action. Obviously, insuring the MCU will fail again for the same reason. (No one will answer my question related to the type of memory chips installed on the new daughter board and/or vehicle compatibility with updated MCU2);

· Service center personnel having no regard for the inconvenience experienced by the customer. Effectively, my vehicle is disabled and not available for use, at no fault of the owner/user. If I didn’t own another vehicle, I would be paying for car rental and possibly towing fees;

Also, my MCU was replaced a few years ago under mysterious circumstances while having a section of chrome trim replaced at the Orlando Service Center. The Service Manager refused to meet with me to explain the reason for the MCU replacement. Sounds crazy, but it really happened!

I’m sincerely hoping for a favorable outcome ……… will update the post!

Expect this type of service from Tesla. I bought my first Model S in 2014 and later bought another. I will not buy another, not becaause of the technology, but because Tesla has decided not to service its cars. Yes, one can get service if one persists, but being able to speak to a service advisor is impossible. And the App is no help. Four of my neighbors have Teslas but 3 of the 4 I have spoken to would recommend against buying a Tesls because of its abandonment of service

 

[waltson]

I am a huge fan of Tesla technology and bought my first model S in 2014 and now have a 2016.
I will NEVER buy another because of a less than third world commitment to vehicle service. There are no service adviors. When one tries to reach a service department, one is told to use the Tesla app. It is worthless
Anyone who asks me about my car, gets a standard reply reply: Great car but zero service--do not buy one