Actually, I'm quite surprised there are so few complaints here. I have a good one for you.
So during the manufacturing process, the two outside rear tail light assemblies were shattered (each one about the size of a dime) at the same exact place on each side of the module. There were also plastic shavings on the inside surface of both lenses. I never checked the car that closely on delivery, and I would probably not seen it all if it hadn't been for the guys that wrapped my car pointing it out to me when I brought the car in for a full clear bra on all painted surfaces. Easy enough to address - right?
So after the car was wrapped, I went to the Buena Park SC, showed the service center tech the problem, and he (they) agreed it was something that happened during manufacturing. (These assemblies are fitted to the body from inside the trunk with three screws. I'm sure they used a drill motor to tighten up the screws and speed up the process. Looks like they used too much torque installing one screw at the same place on both assemblies, causing them to shatter at the same exterior point outside.) No big deal. They were ordering two new assemblies and would call me when they came in.
After about two weeks and no call, I decided to take a ride over there to charge and inquire about the replacement parts. Well, as it turns out, "the replacement assemblies weren't ordered". Incapable of completing a simple task of an ordering replacement parts. I went through the roof, blood pressure I'm sure shot up to 300/200. Then I was almost in disbelief when they told me that they could send a Ranger out to my house in 48 hours to install the replacement assemblies! I'll take the 8:30 am appointment on Friday, this past Friday.
Sure enough, the doorbell rang at 8:30 am on the nose! Wow, I like this Ranger service, at least then. Here's where the fun begins.
So the Ranger, all 300+ pounds of him was already sweating and it was only 8:35 am when he started. He told me that the time allotted for the work was 30 minutes for each assembly, So it would be one hour. He struggled with accessing the interior body placement and screw locations. Complained that Tesla changed the design and made replacement more difficult. As you would expect, the driver's side assembly contains the charge port, which is now motorized. The “Ranger” did his safety stuff and made some electrical disconnections up at the front of the car. He returned to the rear of the car and was trying to pull the assembly out with the charge cable still attached to the assembly! He complained that the assembly was caught up on my car's wrap job! Idiot! From where I was sitting, it was obvious the charge cable was still attached to the assembly from the bottom. Dilbert couldn’t figure that out. It took him a while but he eventually figured it out (maybe he should stick to delivering spare tires in the field). About 10:30 am, he is starting to clean up and tighten things down, already late for his next appointment. I was worried, especially with the stuff he had done up by the fuse box area of the car.
Seeing he was ready to go, I quickly used the app to open and close the charge door on the assembly. It worked. I tried it several times. He gave me back the key and headed to his next, overdue appointment. I didn't think much about it. I even used the car that afternoon. No problems. Then I wondered. He never tested the functionality of light assemblies he installed before leaving.
So today, I'm heading up to our home in the high desert. I had 150 miles of charge on the car, so plenty to get up there and use my 15-40 outlet (my solar system offsets 100% of all my power usage). As I was coming up on the Rancho Cucamonga SC, something told me to stop and top off. Why I'll never know but I did. What luck! As I approached the spot I could see that more than half of the slots were empty! Pulled in, exited the car, unlatched the SC cable, moved it up to the charge door, charge door opened and the cable WOULD NOT CONNECT to the charge port!! WTF! I tried it again, and a third time. The ready to plug in light ring never came on. I wasn't going to force it and quickly realized it was something Dilbert did or didn't do properly as he was sweating all over my rear trunk mat. DAMN! Had I not stopped, and I still don't know why I did, I would have never been able to charge in Apple Valley, and I would have been totally screwed. The vehicle would require a flatbed back to Buena Park, as I wouldn't have enough range to get there. I called Roadside Service to amuse myself.
Roadside Service offered two options, flatbed back to Buena Park or they could try to find a Ranger. Neither option was acceptable. After all, at 11:30 am on Sunday, Dilbert and the rest of his "Ranger" friends were surely in church, praying they could keep their jobs for another week. After all, the car was driveable for another 130 miles. RS never asked me if I could make it back to my home and then to the Service Center the next day, which is ultimately the only viable option at this juncture. Back to the Unservice Center tomorrow am, bright and early!
I am waiting, just waiting for Lexus to release an all-electric sports sedan or roadster. I have lost all trust in Tesla manufacturing, quality control, and service! Sad but true.
