Hello everyone, I am finally buying my first Tesla. Getting a MS 2015 70D. I am buying it from Tesla website.
1. what should I look for when i go to pick the car up for inspections, Scratches etc?
2. it comes with a 4yr/50k warranty, does this cover everything mechanical, alignment etc?
3. Any way to check the battery degradation?
Thank you
Darxsys list looks pretty good. I’d add
Never take deliver of a wet car. The car should be dry and you should inspect it in good light.
Run a Carfax on it. Just to be safe.
Run the A/C, smell the air, make sure it isn’t musty.
Check the glass for cracks, even the glass roof/especially the glass roof. Look for windshield chips/cracks/dings.
Check the underside of the front fascia, it’s easy to scrape a low car on a curb or concrete tire stop.
Take a mirror, look at the jack points, see if there is damage to the battery near the jack points from an improper jack placement.
Check the front hood. One needs to be careful shutting the “frunk”, there is risk of bending the hood if done improperly
Look for evidence of protective film applied to the front of the car. If it is there, the previous owner probably took very good care of the car, not a guarantee but certainly encouraging. Look for curb rash on the wheels. If there’s curb rash, the owner didn’t mind scraping the wheels when parking. If that damage didn’t bother him, you’ll want to carefully look for other signs of neglect. It’s easy to rub a rim occasionally. Just a single bit of curb rash might be forgiven, a lot of it would make me suspicious. Check the seats for any tears. If it is a light color interior, look at the inside pillars and any roof lining.
I’d take a small flashlight with you and that mirror.
Plan to spend some time inspecting the car before you so anything with the paperwork. Once you sign the papers, the car is yours warts and all. It may have warts but the time to find them is before you take the car, not at home a day later. The dealership may seem rushed. They are rushed, not you, and if your detailed inspection is a time problem, it is their problem not yours. Never make their problems yours. They no longer recondition the cars. It’s a used car. They don’t do CPO any more, they sell used cars, so you should buy it like a used car, be suspicious, be careful, be meticulous. If they promise to fix something, let them get it fixed before you sign the papers. Motivation to honor sales promises takes a nosedive the moment the car is sold. If you do take it with a promise, get that promise in writing. It’s still almost worthless but a promise with nothing in writing is completely worthless.
If something isn’t right or if you are not sure, take a day and think about it. Don’t be pressured. This car costs a lot. Pressure always favors the dealer, never the buyer.
It’s probably a great car. You just need to confirm it.
I just saw your list. They probably won’t give you the service history. There isn’t much to service so that isn’t usually a problem.
