Bought CPO - Are painted panels common?

[rjElec]

Hi All,

I purchased a used 2016 Model S from Tesla last weekend with "clean history", the car looked great and had some minor scratches on the door panels. I still picked it up as these could be addressed with some paint correction. When I took it to the detailer he pointed out that the bumper was painted, he also noted that the area around the door handle was painted. The Car's CarFax report is clear.

Does Tesla paint bumpers as part of preping the vehicle to sell Or is this something that the original owner might have covered up? I am hoping for the former. Anyone else had this issue, how can I verify?

 

[Ostrichsak]

1) You didn't buy a CPO, you bought a used car. Telsa did away with their CPO program some time ago.

2) A clean CarFax means next to nothing other than no repairs/damage was REPORTED. Too many people fall for marketing and assume that something like CarFax is the end all be all which it is not. All VIN reports can do is tell you where to examine closer but you should always examine a car carefully prior to purchase, regardless of who the seller is.

3) If a panel was repainted well enough that you didn't notice it I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can inspect to see if there was any damage underneath but in and of itself a repainted body panel isn't a reason to lose sleep. Especially since you already own it.

4) If you didn't request cosmetic damage to be repaired prior to agreeing to buy it and GET IT IN WRITING it's now you're issue to fix if it bothers you enough to warrant it.

5) This is why it's important to not confuse a CPO car with a used car as CPO often entails a certain degree of cosmetic inspection & refurbishment that Tesla simply no longer performs. This is why it's important people refrain from using the term "CPO" to describe a used car as it is confusing to potential buyers.

 

[kermit_xc]

1) You didn't buy a CPO, you bought a used car. Telsa did away with their CPO program some time ago.

Tesla still offers brand new 4year/50k warranty on their pre-owned vehicles, and addresses any issues (paint, replaced parts, reconditioned interior) - hence it's Certified Pre Owned ... no ?

 

[kermit_xc]

Hi All,

I purchased a used 2016 Model S from Tesla last weekend with "clean history", the car looked great and had some minor scratches on the door panels. I still picked it up as these could be addressed with some paint correction. When I took it to the detailer he pointed out that the bumper was painted, he also noted that the area around the door handle was painted. The Car's CarFax report is clear.

Does Tesla paint bumpers as part of preping the vehicle to sell Or is this something that the original owner might have covered up? I am hoping for the former. Anyone else had this issue, how can I verify?

yes, I have noticed this on my 2015 CPO purchased earlier this year as well, bumper/quarter pane was painted - also pointed out by me detailer while tinting my windows he did say it was done RIGHT so nothing to worry about

besides the paint, this is what was done on my car prior to delivery:
- new rims (curb check)
- new tires
- new taillights
- new windshield
- reconditioned interior

 

[Ostrichsak]

Tesla still offers brand new 4year/50k warranty on their pre-owned vehicles, and addresses any issues (paint, replaced parts, reconditioned interior) - hence it's Certified Pre Owned ... no ?

No. Which is exactly why Tesla went to great efforts to expunge the term "CPO" from everywhere it previously existed. Their QC started slipping big time until the finally gave up entirely and just sold them as "CPO" for a while doing none of the inspecting or refurbishment until the backlash got to be too great and then they simply deleted any reference to the CPO program entirely.

They now sell used cars now with a warranty. That's it. Nothing more should be expected because nothing more is included.

They don't address any cosmetic issues unless you catch them prior to sale and make it a condition of the transaction that they agree to in writing. Be prepared for them to say no and let you walk though too. They do offer 2yr/up to 100k miles on odo OR a 4yr/50k warranty on the cars but this in and of itself does not make them CPO cars. This is exactly why several people on this forum are attempting to get people to use proper terminology to avoid confusion.

 

[rjElec]

yes, I have noticed this on my 2015 CPO purchased earlier this year as well, bumper/quarter pane was painted - also pointed out by me detailer while tinting my windows he did say it was done RIGHT so nothing to worry about

besides the paint, this is what was done on my car prior to delivery:
- new rims (curb check)
- new tires
- new taillights
- new windshield
- reconditioned interior

This makes me feel a bit better. Yes, I noticed that the vehicle had new tires as well. Agree with the others, they have removed the term "CPO" however they have given me additional warranty. On the downside, free super charging was removed from this vehicle.

 

[cduzz]

This makes me feel a bit better. Yes, I noticed that the vehicle had new tires as well. Agree with the others, they have removed the term "CPO" however they have given me additional warranty. On the downside, free super charging was removed from this vehicle.

My 2016 S 90D was the same -- front bumper had been repainted and the paint is crazing. "Clean History" ... yeah.

But it has the 4 year warranty, so ... winning? And less than a month after I took delivery they started stripping them of the free supercharging, so makes me feel a little better about mine.

Enjoy the car!

 

[kermit_xc]

This makes me feel a bit better. Yes, I noticed that the vehicle had new tires as well. Agree with the others, they have removed the term "CPO" however they have given me additional warranty. On the downside, free super charging was removed from this vehicle.

I think the CPO term was abandoned by Tesla to disassociate itself from the conventional dealership based sales model.

Best warranty on used vehicle, replaced parts and overall reconditioned vehicle ... I say Tesla offers the best “CPO” program in the industry right now, however we decide to call it

 

[kermit_xc]

My 2016 S 90D was the same -- front bumper had been repainted and the paint is crazing. "Clean History" ... yeah.

But it has the 4 year warranty, so ... winning? And less than a month after I took delivery they started stripping them of the free supercharging, so makes me feel a little better about mine.

Enjoy the car!

Wait ... so free supercharging is being striped now ?

 

[cduzz]

Wait ... so free supercharging is being striped now ?

Any car that passes through tesla's ownership has the lifetime supercharging deactivated. I've read but have no idea if it is true that they also will remove the transferable lifetime supercharging if it is auctioned or sold by a dealer.

So yes, if you buy a used tesla from tesla you get the 2 or 4 year warranty but the car will not have transferable free unlimited supercharging.

Maybe in the future Moonbeam Musk will spin the "feature wheel" and add it back to try to goose sales at the end of a quarter?

 

[Geek190]

Yep.
No more FUSC if you buy from Tesla. Look at their used inventory on Tesla.com and you won't find that option on a single one of their cars.

 

[mrjedistud]

I bought my CPO back when CPO was still a thing. I can tell you that Tesla did a great job with the car. I even noticed a small ding on one of the doors and they got a paintless dent repair guy to fix it. They also fixed a bunch of things inside and out on the car. Unfortunately that seems to have all gone away.