Build quality

[spon88]

I purchased a one year old Skoda Fabia TSI 95 SE for my sister-in-law yesterday - helping out as she has limited cash.

I was hugely impressed with the build quality and for sure, from a body panel perspective it's quite a lot better than my M3P - a lot of car for £10k in fact, albeit still an ICE at the end of the day.

It did set me thinking though, I know it's all about the tech and drive train, but our Tesla build quality is some way behind Skoda - no, really it very definitely is

On the plus side, virtually all of the sales guys in the showroom vacated their seats and lined up at the window to watch as I pulled out of the car park in the M3P. Fortunately nothing fell off.

Don't get me wrong, I love my car but just wished it felt a little less "fragile" and that the boot closed with a reasurring thud rather than a tinny clunk. I'm still a bit nervous about what's in store a few years down the track if I'm being absolutely honest. Is it just me?

 

[Gatsojon]

My wife has the same Fabia and indeed, it is a lovely little car. The paint finish was certainly better than my BMW and panel gaps better too. VW have certainly put the old Skoda jokes to bed.

I do share your concerns but that’s what we get for being relatively early adopters and prioritising the drivetrain tech over 100 or more years car building experience.

At least we have a support network!

 

[Mr H]

How long have Tesla been building cars compared to VW? It won't be long before they surpass the big manufacturers

 

[Durzel]

Trunk and frunk deals might make it feel more chunky when closing.

But yeah, American cars seem to have a reputation for being behind European car makers in terms of fit and finish. Tesla seem to have the attitude, like Ferrari in the 90s/early 00s that you pay for the engine (battery and tech in Tesla’s case) and the rest is free. Hopefully that will improve in time.

 

[LongRanger]

It’s ironic that Skoda in general also seems better than VW especially and also Audi in some areas of build quality.

The last 4 VAG cars we’ve had have been so bad we have said they will never sell us another car.

A solid door slam sound is nothing if the dash creaks so bad that it is distracting to the point of dangerous.

Hoping the latest model 3 builds are improving, but would prefer no interior creaks/rattles over a heavier feeling of door/boot slam.

 

[DanThor]

I doubt Tesla will get close to the big guns anytime soon. Build quality is miles off IMO. You can easily get sucked into thinking that it's close but take your time and look around properly, it's way way off.

 

[Adopado]

It’s ironic that Skoda in general also seems better than VW especially and also Audi in some areas of build quality.

The last 4 VAG cars we’ve had have been so bad we have said they will never sell us another car.

A solid door slam sound is nothing if the dash creaks so bad that it is distracting to the point of dangerous.

Hoping the latest model 3 builds are improving, but would prefer no interior creaks/rattles over a heavier feeling of door/boot slam.

There's clearly some inconsistency in Tesla builds and I can only comment on my own M3 which I've had since the beginning of September. I had no paint issues whatsoever. Everything fits as it should. I keep looking at panel gaps to see if I missed something ... well, on some days in some light from some angle I think if I got a micrometer I might find one side gap of the "frunk" fractionally different .. then the next time I look for it I can't see it! I drive some poor quality country roads and there are absolutely no internal rattles or squeaks. It definitely doesn't have the heavy "thunk" when you close a door or the boot that you get with some quality cars and maybe that has a psychological knock-on effect of giving the impression that the build is "cheap" or flimsy. It clearly must be strong or it wouldn't have passed all its crash tests with such flying colours. I really don't think there's anything fundamentally lacking in the build but rather a patchy quality control of final fit and finish.

 

[ACarneiro]

I agree. Maybe I’m not quite as exacting as others but the car seems well built.
When I had it detailed the detailer said the paint was no better and no worse than pretty much everything else out there.
There are no squeaks or rattles...

Maybe I got lucky, for once!

 

[bjbrown]

I have had mine for 6/7 months now. Previous 20 years were Audi's and to be honest Tesla are 90% there. Now I might have been lucky and got a "good one", but I wash it most weeks and have not spotted any fit or finish issues. The M3 experience is so much more fun than an ICE car that I don't really care about the door slam. My commute is so much more entertaining when the roads are clear and so much more relaxed when in a jam (as the car does the driving) that I'm not bothered about a German standard or interior. Supercar performance with no emissions for the price of a BMW 3 series, thank you Mr. Musk.

 

[curmudgeon]

So the M3 performance weighs in at 1.85 Tonne, the Taycan Turbo 2.3 Tonne, the Ipace 2.13 Te.

Reassuringly heavy door thunk, or better efficiency and greater range?

 

[thrash]

How do people find their M3s in term of buzzing/rattling/creaking? The one I test drove had a few rattles and buzzes and it was only a few months old. It's something I can't stand - I "rejected" my previous Mercedes because of it and my current Mercedes has also been in a few times to have them fixed (which thankfully, they managed to do).

 

[curmudgeon]

How do people find their M3s in term of buzzing/rattling/creaking? The one I test drove had a few rattles and buzzes and it was only a few months old. It's something I can't stand - I "rejected" my previous Mercedes because of it and my current Mercedes has also been in a few times to have them fixed (which thankfully, they managed to do).

I don't find mine rattly at all, but rather solid. After fixing the window-seal rattle with some lube that is.

The cabin is so much quieter without any engine noise however that the tiniest sqeek or wind noise can be detected when it would have gone unnoticed in my last car. Unless of course the radio is on.

 

[LongRanger]

The loaner SR+ I test drive for a couple of days had a few loose-ish roof trim panels but no real rattles inside and the classic test of trying to grab the whole centre console/tunnel trim section and move about revealed a pretty solid install.

That was on a car with 10k miles that has had an absolute beating for a year on test drives and demo loans. An encouraging experience that convinced me to give up a large 2018 BMW with top notch interior and zero build issues. The model 3 doesn’t hit the heights of the G32 6’er but I can live without that as long as there are no impossible to fix rattles/squeaks/creaks.

 

[spon88]

I've been lucky in that there are no rattles as such. A bit of wind noise at higher speeds but then no engine to drown that out. Drive is exceptional and the tech (except voice commands) is too. Just the bodywork and internal kit is definitely less robust than other cars I've driven over the last 15 years. I wouldn't change my decision to buy it though

 

[Adopado]

How do people find their M3s in term of buzzing/rattling/creaking?

More than 5 months on and no rattles, buzzing or creaking ... well, except from the driver from time to time ...