Build quality issues are exaggerated!

[boones]

New here. I do hope I have the same experience as the OP when my MYLR is delivered. I did a demo drive of a Model y Performance, they loaned it to me saturday afternoon and i returned it monday morning with a couple of hundred more miles on it. That car was great to drive, had 800 miles on it, but had a visibly misaligned hood and a rattle in the dashboard somewhere.

 

[HitchHiker71]

New here. I do hope I have the same experience as the OP when my MYLR is delivered. I did a demo drive of a Model y Performance, they loaned it to me saturday afternoon and i returned it monday morning with a couple of hundred more miles on it. That car was great to drive, had 800 miles on it, but had a visibly misaligned hood and a rattle in the dashboard somewhere.

Make sure to use the Github checklist as noted in this thread - it helps to identify commonly reported issues and get them remediated by your local SC in a timely manner. Make sure to log the SC ticket during the delivery process if possible. We only had a couple of minor scratches on our MY LR when we took delivery on 3/30/2023 that were dealt with at our local SC about a week after delivery (we reported the scratches with pics the day we took delivery).

 

[father_of_6]

Same here. People also say Tesla paint isn't as good as others. This is not true either. Several have used a paint thickness gauges to determine it's put on just as thick and in come cases thicker than several OEMs.

My Model 3 was pretty perfect upon pickup, however I do agree that the paint is subpar. Chips on the rocker panels aside (caused by that beautiful instant torque), my M3 is parked in the same outdoor spot that my previous entry-level Chevy was parked and the paint is taking a beating. The acidity from bird droppings appears to slowly eat away at the clear coat.

 

[thefisch]

Our new MYP is at the body shop now getting a panel repainted due to a factory paint error. Glad others are not having issues but folks should still check any new car for defects.

 

[gaur]

Just saw your post and the link to the check sheet. Our EDD isn't until June but printed it out just to have it ready. One thing caught my attention - "Check all 4 door levers". Do you know what that means? Are they saying to make sure all 4 doors open via the 'button' or via the emergency release?

And does the J1772 adapter and USB drive still come with the car? I know they did away with the mobile charger.

Thanks.

Glad it helped! I think by door levers they mean the emergency release levers. Those are also slightly hard to find in rear seat doors.

Mine did come with the adapter and usb drive!

 

[starise]

FWIW, mud flaps go a long way towards preventing side panel chips.

 

[FMinMI]

FWIW, mud flaps go a long way towards preventing side panel chips.

The MYLR and MYP that I saw at a service center had front mud flaps and in-front-of rear wheel lower plastic film covering to protect from rock chips. I was told this is standard. Are you saying its no good or that you also need rear mud flaps.

 

[FMinMI]

My Model 3 was pretty perfect upon pickup, however I do agree that the paint is subpar. Chips on the rocker panels aside (caused by that beautiful instant torque), my M3 is parked in the same outdoor spot that my previous entry-level Chevy was parked and the paint is taking a beating. The acidity from bird droppings appears to slowly eat away at the clear coat.

Given your parking situation, I would strongly suggest you wash the car weekly and wax the vehicle several times a year with a hybrid ceramic 'wax'. This will help significantly...

 

[father_of_6]

Given your parking situation, I would strongly suggest you wash the car weekly and wax the vehicle several times a year with a hybrid ceramic 'wax'. This will help significantly...

Thank for the recommendation. I would've never put that much effort into the Chevy (don't want to for the Model 3 either TBH), but the paint on that car never seemed to mind.

I'm not saying my Model 3 paint is falling apart, but it does seem less robust than my previous entry level Chevy.

 

[FMinMI]

Thank for the recommendation. I would've never put that much effort into the Chevy (don't want to for the Model 3 either TBH), but the paint on that car never seemed to mind.

I'm not saying my Model 3 paint is falling apart, but it does seem less robust than my previous entry level Chevy.

Thank for the recommendation. I would've never put that much effort into the Chevy (don't want to for the Model 3 either TBH), but the paint on that car never seemed to mind.

I'm not saying my Model 3 paint is falling apart, but it does seem less robust than my previous entry level Chevy.

I have read on a few blogs were paint thickness was tested on multiple mfg cars. Tesla was not the worse or the best. Was wondering what color you had and what you have now.

We have a 2017 blue Chevy Volt and a blue 2016.5 MS. Both have the same mileage and get the same attention with regard to washing, waxing, etc. I have not noticed any difference in quality of the paint after 6 years, but both cars are routinely stored in the garage.

 

[father_of_6]

I have read on a few blogs were paint thickness was tested on multiple mfg cars. Tesla was not the worse or the best. Was wondering what color you had and what you have now.

We have a 2017 blue Chevy Volt and a blue 2016.5 MS. Both have the same mileage and get the same attention with regard to washing, waxing, etc. I have not noticed any difference in quality of the paint after 6 years, but both cars are routinely stored in the garage.

My Model 3 is Midnight Silver Metallic, and the 2013 Chevy Cruze was a very similar grey. My pattern for car cleaning is very laissez faire, I'd rather let the rain do the job but sometimes road salt or bird droppings are so bad i wash it. The Cruze I would've never washed by hand.

I've taken the Model 3 through the car wash during winters because washing it by hand during winter isn't a possibility.

 

[FMinMI]

My Model 3 is Midnight Silver Metallic, and the 2013 Chevy Cruze was a very similar grey. My pattern for car cleaning is very laissez faire, I'd rather let the rain do the job but sometimes road salt or bird droppings are so bad i wash it. The Cruze I would've never washed by hand.

I've taken the Model 3 through the car wash during winters because washing it by hand during winter isn't a possibility.

I know they say don't take it through a car wash but that is bull. Every winter from Dec to March I buy an unlimited plan on both cars and take it through every time it gets salt on it, which in Michigan is just about every time I drive. I have done this for 5 years now. Sometimes I have them turn off the brushes if all I want to do is the underbody wash. I have seen swirl marks from repeated washings but I buff them out in the spring with a random orbital polisher and several different polishes. That said, I am thinking of having my hood and fascia repainted as I have MANY chips and didn't do PPF when I got the car. I won't make that mistake again with the new MY we just ordered in March to replace the Volt.

 

[starise]

The MYLR and MYP that I saw at a service center had front mud flaps and in-front-of rear wheel lower plastic film covering to protect from rock chips. I was told this is standard. Are you saying its no good or that you also need rear mud flaps.

I didn't have mud flaps on my MYLR. Front mud flaps protect the most, but the rear ones help too. My car only has the standard plastic lower panel. I haven't seen any PPF. Apparently some of the cars ship with the flaps and PPF. Low priced easy to install item. I figure if it saves a few rock chips it's well worth it in addition to helping to keep sides cleaner longer. If you don't have the mud flaps there is more potential for debris to be slung up alongside the car.
Nothing is perfect. Obviously nothing is going to keep a car clean indefinitely. I live in cow/horse country and they really help to minimize some of the bad stuff.
If you live out west where they have swept roads maybe it isn't as much of an issue?

 

[father_of_6]

I've seen posts about mud flaps on the Model 3 where they caused a *lot* of debris to be held inside the mud flaps. Seems like that would excelerate rust / deterioration.

 

[starise]

In Model Y, mud flaps are plastic mounted to non metal sufaces using push pins. They should be rinsed periodically.

 

[legaleagle.dxb]

the application of PPF involves applying / lifting / re-applying so there's some risk of paint delamination.
just talk about it with the person / outfit you select to do the work.

Would this also apply to CC? I live in Dubai where the sun is quite strong most of the year so getting a CC done almost immediately after collecting the car makes sense (my MY is also white). White color has a risk of discoloration (because of UV) so always thought it would be better to get a coating as soon as possible.

I did the same on my white Mercedes immediately after picking it up and the paint still looks brand new + I get it replenished every year.

But not sure how it would respond to "uncured" paint on the Tesla.

 

[tangible1]

Would this also apply to CC? I live in Dubai where the sun is quite strong most of the year so getting a CC done almost immediately after collecting the car makes sense (my MY is also white). White color has a risk of discoloration (because of UV) so always thought it would be better to get a coating as soon as possible.

I did the same on my white Mercedes immediately after picking it up and the paint still looks brand new + I get it replenished every year.

But not sure how it would respond to "uncured" paint on the Tesla.

"uncured paint" should not be an issue in Dubai.
the shipment time to get the car there from China should exacerbate any issues.
with Tesla cars delivered to China and within North America, the factories are close, and the cars are delivered very soon after assembly.

I can't speak to CC. Don't know.

 

[kelledy]

Picked up my 2023 MYLR earlier this week, and spend like 1.5 hours going through every item on this checklist, and there were 0 issues. The car is super well built (I’m in a profession that requires eye for detail). I also poked around other ‘ready for delivery’ cars on the lot, and didn’t notice anything. No paint chips, no weird panel gaps, nada. I was so worried seeing some of the recent build quality posts. Now I can safely say, they’re either very rare or exaggerated.

Positive rant over.

What color did you get? My black model y had severe paint issues. So much so they offered full buyback. There were multiple other black brand new model ys at the service center with tape all around them pointing out the paint correction areas. I was told by an advisor to only get a white or grey tesla. He said the black paint is horrible.

 

[FMinMI]

I didn't have mud flaps on my MYLR. Front mud flaps protect the most, but the rear ones help too. My car only has the standard plastic lower panel. I haven't seen any PPF. Apparently some of the cars ship with the flaps and PPF. Low priced easy to install item. I figure if it saves a few rock chips it's well worth it in addition to helping to keep sides cleaner longer. If you don't have the mud flaps there is more potential for debris to be slung up alongside the car.
Nothing is perfect. Obviously nothing is going to keep a car clean indefinitely. I live in cow/horse country and they really help to minimize some of the bad stuff.
If you live out west where they have swept roads maybe it isn't as much of an issue?

Just to update, our MYLR had both front mud flaps and PPF by rear doors. And the front mud flaps are the same size as the ones being sold on Amazon. I bought two different brands hoping to get something a little bigger (for more protection) but both were the same size. Only difference was slightly different design, so I returned them.

 

[gaur]

What color did you get? My black model y had severe paint issues. So much so they offered full buyback. There were multiple other black brand new model ys at the service center with tape all around them pointing out the paint correction areas. I was told by an advisor to only get a white or grey tesla. He said the black paint is horrible.

That's horrible I got Multi-coat Red