Build quality: alignment of trunk

[Right_Said_Fred]

On several cars that were shown at yesterday's event I've noticed that the trunk does not completely align with the back of the car (see pictures below). On the brown car you can see that the lines of the right tail light are not completely aligned (on the left one they are). The blue car has the same problem, but less noticable.

I hope - and think - Tesla will fix this as they step up production.

 

[ElSupreme]

I think this has more to do with the 'slop' bolting on the plastic lamp housings, versus a real panel misallignment.

My GTI had/has this. I replaced all the rear lamp housings (to LEDs :smile: with amber turn signals, :biggrin and I fixed/changed the way the lamps align with the body panels and themselves. You could probably 'fix' this the way you want it to look with a socket set.

Also if there is any change in depth this will look bad in photos at most angles.

 

[MikeK]

I'm more concerned with the gap on the side of the trunk. Compared to the panel gaps on the doors, etc, that gap looks quite oversized. I'm also not very happy with how the bottom edge of the trunk aligns with the bumper below it. I had hoped for better panel fit by this point. My fingers are certainly crossed that we'll see an improvement by the time my car is built.

 

[medved]

Yeah, I noticed that too on many videos. Sometimes i think the trunk is not closed properly. And that is way i am considering black color. It shouldn't be that visible on black.

 

[MikeK]

Yeah, I noticed that too on many videos. Sometimes i think the trunk is not closed properly. And that is way i am considering black. It shouldn't be that visible on black.

It's definitely not as visible on the darker colors. Here's the blue:

And here's the Dolphin Grey:

 

[SoCalGuy]

It's definitely not as visible on the darker colors. Here's the blue:

View attachment 7202

The rear tire well looks like its very close to touching the tire - does anyone know what the GVWR is for the Model S? Curious what its payload capacity is. The Karma's is relatively low (800lbs) which I suppose is fine for 4 adults and a small trunk.

 

[Todd Burch]

You cannot look at a picture to determine gap and flush. The gap you are seeing is on a complex curved surface whose normal direction changes as you progress from the trim toward the taillight. Near the chrome trim, the normal direction points more toward the camera. Near the taillight, the normal direction points more straight up. This results in foreshortening that makes it appear as though there is a significant gap and flush problem.

For what it's worth, I am in the precision metrology field, and I daily work with precision measurement in manufacturing on anything from spacecraft and aircraft to automotive and particle accelerators.

What you are seeing is an optical illusion.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Further, if you get the air suspension, it auto-balances load, so you shouldn't have trouble carrying large or even unbalanced loads.

 

[Todd Burch]

The rear tire well looks like its very close to touching the tire - does anyone know what the GVWR is for the Model S? Curious what its payload capacity is. The Karma's is relatively low (800lbs) which I suppose is fine for 4 adults and a small trunk.

It looks close because the air suspension is at its full lower limit. It's very likely not because there are a few people sitting in the back.

 

[ElSupreme]

What you are seeing is an optical illusion.

THIS!

 

[medved]

What you are seeing is an optical illusion.

Great, they should just type on the car next to it: "The gap you are seeing is just an optical illusion" :frown:

It should be done such way that you don't see an illusion like that. I checked other cars and they have that part hidden behind the pillar.

Like for example you can see here:

 

[MikeK]

Yes, exactly. Optical illusion or not, it looks bad when you're looking at the car. I took two friends to the test drive, and they both said, "Ew, what's wrong with the trunk?"

Further, please click on the photo of the white car that I posted, and zoom it to full original resolution. Look at the fit of the bumper cover, the rear quarter panel, and the trunk lid in the area below the tail light. Whether or not the gap variation on the inclined portion is an optical illusion, the fit at that intersection below the tail light is not very tight.

This was the original design intent of how the trunk should fit:

Tesla Model S | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

(not my own photo; found via web search)

Now, obviously, there are constraints related to function and manufacturability, etc, and I do understand that. So maybe this is the best that could realistically be done. But aesthetically, the gap is a problem in my opinion, so I think Tesla will have to address it, perhaps with a subtle redesign of that area in a later model year. I'm still hoping that it can be tweaked for better aesthetics this year, though.

 

[MikeK]

PS: Perhaps part of the change from that design intent model to the production cars is due to the change in the design of the trunk. Have a look at this old photo (also found via Google), of one of the design prototypes. It uses a complex hinge system that lets the trunk lift up and over the roof as it opens, and probably affects clearances and tolerances of how the lid can come down.

Link

Perhaps when they switched to a more conventional hinge, they had to modify the clearances and/or fit of the door. But by keeping the parting line in the same place, they end up in a situation where, from the side, the gap looks quite large.

[edited to fix the link]

 

[brianman]

@MikeK - Link no worky.

 

[Todd Burch]

Further, please click on the photo of the white car that I posted, and zoom it to full original resolution. Look at the fit of the bumper cover, the rear quarter panel, and the trunk lid in the area below the tail light. Whether or not the gap variation on the inclined portion is an optical illusion, the fit at that intersection below the tail light is not very tight.

I agree with you there. That is definitely a fit issue. I think that should be worked out in fairly short order. I was referring to the apparent gap issue on the hatchback when I was mentioning the optical illusion.

Now, obviously, there are constraints related to function and manufacturability, etc, and I do understand that. So maybe this is the best that could realistically be done. But aesthetically, the gap is a problem in my opinion, so I think Tesla will have to address it, perhaps with a subtle redesign of that area in a later model year. I'm still hoping that it can be tweaked for better aesthetics this year, though.

I think those sorts of things will get more refined with every additional build. I see the taillight issue. That should be fixable in fairly short order.

I guess the panel gap on the hatch is a personal thing...it doesn't bother me. I don't see them redesigning the hatch area so that the gap is hidden behind a pillar anytime soon...but Tesla is small, nimble, and does a lot of in-house work, so we'll have to see.

 

[doug]

This is the image that stuck out to me:

 

[medved]

That's a good one. You can even see the panel on the hatch casting a shadow. So it doesn't look to me as an optical illusion.

 

[Denis Vinnie]

That's a good one. You can even see the panel on the hatch casting a shadow. So it doesn't look to me as an optical illusion.

"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." Steve Jobs.... I still think he is turning over in his grave!

 

[Todd Burch]

That's a good one. You can even see the panel on the hatch casting a shadow. So it doesn't look to me as an optical illusion.

No doubt that's a flush issue on the dolphin. But I don't think you can draw the same conclusion for the other cars with pictures taken a long way from the car.

 

[MikeK]

@MikeK - Link no worky.

Linky fixy! Also patched up the original posting.

http://calacanis.joshontheweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/img00093-20090326-1310-scaled-1000.jpg

Sorry about that.