Brisbane – After Sale Service?

[Greg Liz]

Has anyone had experience dealing with Tesla Brisbane to resolve issues after delivery? I would love to hear your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent.

We live in Cairns and are ready to buy but first want to know if it is too much of a risk living so far away from the nearest Tesla office. Obviously, we won’t be able to just drop in to resolve any issues.

I have read on US and Aus threads where some issues were only resolved by owners going physically going to their Tesla office/shop and taking up the issue with the manager after getting nowhere with phone and email and talking to sales staff.

Google reviews for Tesla Brisbane have heaps of good reviews from people looking at the cars and/or those who have just ordered or bought - but worryingly the reviews that talk about trying to get repairs or issues resolved are predominately negative reviews.

Any opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Furfy]

I had a steering rack issue on my Model 3. Tesla Brisbane were easy to deal with, resolved the issue with little fuss and sent me on my way. Very happy with them.

 

[Greg Liz]

Great to hear. Much appreciated.

 

[Candleflame]

Has anyone had experience dealing with Tesla Brisbane to resolve issues after delivery? I would love to hear your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent.

We live in Cairns and are ready to buy but first want to know if it is too much of a risk living so far away from the nearest Tesla office. Obviously, we won’t be able to just drop in to resolve any issues.

I have read on US and Aus threads where some issues were only resolved by owners going physically going to their Tesla office/shop and taking up the issue with the manager after getting nowhere with phone and email and talking to sales staff.

Google reviews for Tesla Brisbane have heaps of good reviews from people looking at the cars and/or those who have just ordered or bought - but worryingly the reviews that talk about trying to get repairs or issues resolved are predominately negative reviews.

Any opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I live in Cairns and it's a nightmare. Most of the work used to get done by Stanley Panels but since then Wilmot smash repairs took over. On the whole its a nightmare to deal with Tesla. Expect them trying to do as little as possible and let you drive around for 1-2 years with delivery issues and trying to send the mobile service which never comes.Expect to make many phone calls.

They also have refused to do post delivery repair so you need to make sure everything is carefully documented. the service office staff are usually quite incompetent i.e .lack basic understanding about teslas (even though i think they are just mechanics on rotation?)

The best way is to drive down to Brisbane to get stuff fixed which is what I do...

 

[erosco]

@Candleflame Thanks for the insights.. very worrying (waiting on a model 3 in Cairns). Out of interest; how long does an average trip to BNE take you given the 50kw chargers along the way?

 

[Candleflame]

@Candleflame Thanks for the insights.. very worrying (waiting on a model 3 in Cairns). Out of interest; how long does an average trip to BNE take you given the 50kw chargers along the way?

Depends on how fast you drive and when you drive/how many buildin sites there are (which is by far a bigger factor than speed) which also determines how often you haveto charge. I.e. if you get lucky you can drive Mackay to Rockhampton lightning fast in which case you have to top up in Marlborough or Carmila on the way. Ayr to Bowen can be VERY slow if grey Nomads are in front of you which are usually followed by 2 trucks sitting on their taillights - no way to safely overtake them as there are no overtaking lanes. When its empty you can drive it very fast however...

I might add here that I very frequently drive between Cairns and Rockhampton and occasionally then drive to Brisbane for other reasons as well. Also keep in mind that some chargers are deep in towns so just driving there adds to your journey. I used to try and avoid Bowen because its a 10min detour in total however with the Mackay ringroad being done I would avoid Mackay instead. Once QESH proserpine is done (hopefully next 1-2 months) I would charge there.

Townsville has a 350kw charger since July which is also directly on the Bruce Hgihway so no detour to the university anymore.
Proserpine will get a 350kw charger probably in December 2021 or maybe early 2022.


Cairns to Rockhampton with charging probably takes me around 13h. If I sleep overnight at Rockhampton and then drive to Brisbane thats maybe another 7h? So 20h in total?
Best time to leave Cairns I reckon is around 0330 or 0400 in the morning. Always try an avoid commuter traffic and grey nomads. So in that case I guess you could make it from Cairns to Brisbane at midnight to 1 in the morning. I'd only do that if you are driving with another person though.

This is from last year when there were only 50kw chargers (you can only pull 35-42kw from them most of the time) from Rockhampton up to Cairns:

 

[erosco]

Depends on how fast you drive and when you drive/how many buildin sites there are (which is by far a bigger factor than speed) which also determines how often you haveto charge. I.e. if you get lucky you can drive Mackay to Rockhampton lightning fast in which case you have to top up in Marlborough or Carmila on the way. Ayr to Bowen can be VERY slow if grey Nomads are in front of you which are usually followed by 2 trucks sitting on their taillights - no way to safely overtake them as there are no overtaking lanes. When its empty you can drive it very fast however...

Thank you so much for the detailed information.

I'm trying to decide whether I should pick my car up in BNE (and inspect it) or just worry about support should something be wrong on delivery.

Regards

 

[Greg Liz]

Damn, that is exactly what I am concerned about. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

Hmmm, we will have to think a bit more deeply about whether we want to jump in just now or wait and hope after sales service improves in the future.

Good luck to you and @erosco (and other owners up this way) from here on.

 

[Candleflame]

bear in mind that teslas dont really need service. for me it is usually based around rattles and stuff.

erosco when are you due to get your car?
Delivery has a few advantages - its free and its a bit harder for tesla to argue their way out of fixing your issues as long as its properly documented by you. I unfortunately have trim defect on the inside of the car I pointed out to the delivery specialist but unfortunately forgot to put it in the service request (this is only available after a week or so from having the car) so the service centre are now refusing to fix the issue).

 

[erosco]

erosco when are you due to get your car?

I've been advised mid-Dec. I will make a call on where to get it delivered a bit closer to the date. Currently scheduled for drop-off here.

 

[Candleflame]

ill be down in brisbane and have my car serviced on the 14th so if you decide to pick it up in person and drive up to cairns around then i can have a look at the car with you for some common.... quality control issues.

 

[Juhas2610]

Has anyone had experience dealing with Tesla Brisbane to resolve issues after delivery? I would love to hear your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent.

We live in Cairns and are ready to buy but first want to know if it is too much of a risk living so far away from the nearest Tesla office. Obviously, we won’t be able to just drop in to resolve any issues.

I have read on US and Aus threads where some issues were only resolved by owners going physically going to their Tesla office/shop and taking up the issue with the manager after getting nowhere with phone and email and talking to sales staff.

Google reviews for Tesla Brisbane have heaps of good reviews from people looking at the cars and/or those who have just ordered or bought - but worryingly the reviews that talk about trying to get repairs or issues resolved are predominately negative reviews.

Any opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

We live in Cairns and are on our 4th Tesla. Yes it’s not as convenient as it would be having a service Centre here however they have generally been logical and great to deal with. We’ve had no issues with arranging warranty repairs and even when we’ve had an issue, the car is still usable until they are next up for their service round. Our newest vehicle (M3) was delivered in perfect condition and the Brisbane staff were more than accommodating (previously they had flown up to personally deliver the vehicles however obviously not possible this time round).
If you haven’t already, go ahead and order one. I’m doubtful that you will regret it.

 

[erosco]

ill be down in brisbane and have my car serviced on the 14th so if you decide to pick it up in person and drive up to cairns around then i can have a look at the car with you for some common.... quality control issues.

That's a very kind offer, thank you. We'll work out what we're doing in early Dec.

 

[Greg Liz]

We live in Cairns and are on our 4th Tesla. Yes it’s not as convenient as it would be having a service Centre here however they have generally been logical and great to deal with. We’ve had no issues with arranging warranty repairs and even when we’ve had an issue, the car is still usable until they are next up for their service round. Our newest vehicle (M3) was delivered in perfect condition and the Brisbane staff were more than accommodating (previously they had flown up to personally deliver the vehicles however obviously not possible this time round).
If you haven’t already, go ahead and order one. I’m doubtful that you will regret it.

Hi Juhas2610. Have you needed any minor panel work in Cairns. Anyone that you would recommend in Cairns to fix a small scrape on a Tesla? Does anyone else have any recommendations for Cairns?

 

[erosco]

Has anyone had experience dealing with Tesla Brisbane to resolve issues after delivery? I would love to hear your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent.

We live in Cairns and are ready to buy but first want to know if it is too much of a risk living so far away from the nearest Tesla office. Obviously, we won’t be able to just drop in to resolve any issues.

I have read on US and Aus threads where some issues were only resolved by owners going physically going to their Tesla office/shop and taking up the issue with the manager after getting nowhere with phone and email and talking to sales staff.

Google reviews for Tesla Brisbane have heaps of good reviews from people looking at the cars and/or those who have just ordered or bought - but worryingly the reviews that talk about trying to get repairs or issues resolved are predominately negative reviews.

Any opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Greg,

I'm from Cairns and am happy to talk about the good and the bad. I haven't had any major issues; but the cameras failed in the first week (known bad batch) and I've had a few minor rattles, scratches that needed fixing.

Tesla use Wilmot's Smash Repairs in Cairns to do the physical things, but also send someone up from BNE when required. To report things you must call Tesla or use the app though.

The app sucks - terribly... you need to book an appointment (at the BNE Service Centre) then they go ahead and cancel it to free up the slot for others. They (claim to) send you a message in the app but as the booking is deleted you can't access it..

That said, they do actually action anything you report.. just the comms is terrible.. if you're prepared to ring and wait and wait you'll get to talk to the techs who are very helpful/understanding.. (the app isn't their fault).

I've had everything fixed I've asked for with two visits to Wilmots and one home visit from a ranger.

It's not an ideal process by any means but when you talk to the actual service people they are very understanding and helpful.

Cheers
Ross

 

[Vegas]

@Candleflame Thanks for the insights.. very worrying (waiting on a model 3 in Cairns). Out of interest; how long does an average trip to BNE take you given the 50kw chargers along the w

@Candleflame Thanks for the insights.. very worrying (waiting on a model 3 in Cairns). Out of interest; how long does an average trip to BNE take you given the 50kw chargers along the way?

Also keep in mind that the Supercharger network is expanding northwards too. Proposed installations - (this year and early next) include "Bundaberg" (which I expect will actually in Childers and also a site in Rockhampton.

This will decrease your travel time - not just with charger speed, but having additional charging bays, to avoid having to queue. The QSEH is ok, but it will soon be struggling during high demand periods such as school holidays. Waiting for other cars to charge on QSEH will be the biggest lose of time when traveling remotely.

I regularly travel to NQ - looking forward to the next 2 Superchargers to roll out. The Tesla network is Tesla's biggest asset, imo. The future looks good if you've got a Tesla, the others..not so much.