Communication and UK Service Centre

[ShaneX]

Hi All,
My MX died on my driveway last week, some problem allowed the 12V battery to drain too low, during a software update it died and could not be recovered.

Actually that was all good beause roadside assistance was very prompt and the car was taken away to Milton Keynes on Wed. Since then, no information at all. MK SC do not reply, Tesla roadside says that MK is very busy and all they can do is to leave a note on my file for them to call me.

As this is my first time with a car in a SC, is this lack of info normal? I had read somewhere that tesla prioritise breakdowns and try to get cars back on the road again...?

Thanks
Shane

 

[thegruf]

MK SC are relatively new but need to get their act together.

They're a real nice bunch of willing people but their organisation and communication needs sorting and fast.
I have previously constructively discussed my inconsistent experience with them, and they understood my comments and promised to get things improved.

still work in progress it seems

 

[xnetco]

Hi All,
My MX died on my driveway last week, some problem allowed the 12V battery to drain too low, during a software update it died and could not be recovered.

Actually that was all good beause roadside assistance was very prompt and the car was taken away to Milton Keynes on Wed. Since then, no information at all. MK SC do not reply, Tesla roadside says that MK is very busy and all they can do is to leave a note on my file for them to call me.

As this is my first time with a car in a SC, is this lack of info normal? I had read somewhere that tesla prioritise breakdowns and try to get cars back on the road again...?

Thanks
Shane

I've had similar issues with the Heathrow SC. I had to ask the service manager to call me back and then dealt with her directly from then on.

 

[cezdoc]

Anecdotally, communication can be a bit hit and miss and does seem to vary between service centres. I would expect them to provide you with a loan car as it sounds like a warranty issue so hopefully you're not too inconvenienced. But obviously they should also have a contact person who can at least take and/or return your calls.

The timing is a bit unfortunate as it's coming up to the end of the quarter and Tesla have a habit of rushing to get as many deliveries to customers before month end. This could explain why they are so busy. At the start of last week my nearest SC (Edinburgh) were unable to offer any booking slots for minor warranty issues until October, and normally they are excellent in terms of availability and communication.

 

[ShaneX]

Thanks,
can't get through to anyone...
..apart from my car, via the app, which still thinks its at home (so i guess it has no GPS signal), but all the doors, boot and frunk are open! which is something. small mercies

 

[ShaneX]

Got through! As reported, nice people, crazy busy. car being worked on.
Its really nice to speak to people so committed to the mission - as tesla owners we are lucky to interact with such people, I just hope they are given the resources they need before they all burn out. ace committed people work v hard, get themselves exhausted and peeved - it can happen very fast

 

[KetanP]

I've had similar issues with the Heathrow SC. I had to ask the service manager to call me back and then dealt with her directly from then on.

Who was the Service Centre Manager? I'm having issues with Heathrow as well. I'd booked in my MX to sort out some niggles from delivery (misaligned doors and DAB not working). Although it was booked in, that doesnt seem to mean that they have scheduled the time in the workshop! Apparently, still waiting to make it into the workshop.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Although it was booked in, that doesnt seem to mean that they have scheduled the time in the workshop

That's been my experience too, and the person that phoned me each day to tell me "Courtesy call, Nothing has happened" was useless. I'm sure I should have been more pushy, but I had a Loaner and far better things to do with my time ...

... "We are waiting for parts, expecting them tomorrow" ... fine, but presumably it is possible to know WHEN parts are scheduled to arrive, so that same answer 10 days in a row is absolute rubbish. Car getting from "At Service Centre" into "In workshop" and "Something happening" has taken days on every occasion to date.

They also have no idea what needs doing when I turn up - seems like thy get the file (e.g. copy of my email) out when i arrive and waste my time going through it line by line with me.

On one occasion I took videos of the problem, all uploaded to YouTube etc. and detailed in my email - I know that 'coz they went through it all with me at reception Then I got a report of "Can't find any fault" ... eventually when I got to speak to the engineer working on the car, direct, and he had no knowledge of the videos ... but once he'd seen them he was quickly onto the problem ... Must have taken me an hour to make, edit and upload the videos ...

... but when I collected it the the airbag warning light was on, not noticed by service, so I couldn't actually take it away. That took another 10 days to get workshop time ... and the same "waiting for parts" story again.

More recently I asked for the car to be serviced whilst I was on holiday, and fixing of some non-critical faults. They couldn't fit it in, fair enough, so I asked them to schedule it after my return. I explicitly asked them to contact me with a service-date after my return (because no COMMs whilst on holiday) ... and when I got back I got an email a couple of days later "I gather you want to book your car in for a service". No knowledge of the faults I had listed ...

... I gave up at that point, far too busy to spend the time going through ti all YET again ... although its seriously overdue for service now.

I suppose that part is not so bad ... 27.000 miles service interval isn't going to wash with an ICE !

 

[DaveMUK]

Has anyone had any better experience with Milton Keynes service center? They never seem to reply to emails to the [email protected] address you get on the service appointment email (At this point I'm suspicious that they never read it). If they don't answer the phone and you leave a message they never seem to return the call either. Do they have a full time service manager yet?

 

[tkdkenny]

I've have the same problem with MK service centre. Not replying to emails, not returning calls and not following up when they say they will.
They are really nice and apologetic on the phone, but I seem to be instantly forgotten the moment the phone is put down, so I have to constantly chase them up.

Along with a bunch of minor build issues, the main thing I'm waiting for is the dynamic headlights (as with alot of people mine was built with the old static ones), but they say they are awaiting parts. It has now been over 2 months.
Has anyone in the UK had theirs swapped yet?

 

[DJP31]

Along with a bunch of minor build issues, the main thing I'm waiting for is the dynamic headlights (as with alot of people mine was built with the old static ones), but they say they are awaiting parts. It has now been over 2 months.
Has anyone in the UK had theirs swapped yet?

By dynamic headlights do you mean something different to the turning lights that operate at low speed?

 

[tkdkenny]

By dynamic, I mean the “14 three-position LED dynamic turning lights [that] improve visibility at night, especially on winding roads.”
They used to be available as an upgrade I believe, but in July ‘17 they were moved to standard. But whoever decided to move them to the standard setup forgot to tell the people building the cars, so we got them delivered without. There’s a few threads on here about it.

I have the low speed turning lights that are very faint LEDs by the fog lights, but the dynamic headlights add a bunch of LEDs to the blank space at the top of the Headlight cluster which light around bends with (I hope) as much power as the dipped beam.
Tesla initially told me it would be fixed before delivery, buy nearly 3 months later I’m awaiting stock apparently.

I’m not too bothered about the lights, but I might as well get them fitted. I’m now curious as to whether everyone else is waiting for this, or if it’s just me.

 

[culverwood]

I have found Heathrow in general very god at communication. They also react quickly to any response to their survey about quality of service if one judges it less than 5 star.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I have found Heathrow in general very god at communication. They also react quickly to any response to their survey about quality of service if one judges it less than 5 star.

Sorry, that's not been my experience [with Heathrow]. Calls received every day for a week saying "Parts expected tomorrow" (they don't know when parts are actually coming in?) and no reply at all to response to questionnaire that the car came back with the same faults it went in to have fixed (and which were reported as fixed).

 

[DJP31]

By dynamic, I mean the “14 three-position LED dynamic turning lights [that] improve visibility at night, especially on winding roads.”
They used to be available as an upgrade I believe, but in July ‘17 they were moved to standard. But whoever decided to move them to the standard setup forgot to tell the people building the cars, so we got them delivered without. There’s a few threads on here about it.

I have the low speed turning lights that are very faint LEDs by the fog lights, but the dynamic headlights add a bunch of LEDs to the blank space at the top of the Headlight cluster which light around bends with (I hope) as much power as the dipped beam.
Tesla initially told me it would be fixed before delivery, buy nearly 3 months later I’m awaiting stock apparently.

I’m not too bothered about the lights, but I might as well get them fitted. I’m now curious as to whether everyone else is waiting for this, or if it’s just me.

I don't want to go over old ground and haven't read all 13 pages of the TMS thread but aren't the low speed turning lights the same as the "Adaptive Front Lighting System?" I have "AFS" as per the manual in my Dec '16 built S which I spec'd with the PUP. In operation they work at low speed whenever the steering wheel is turned, in the way you describe above. The "adaptive lighting" described on the website hasn't changed from when I bought either.

Isn't it that Tesla "forgot" to add the adaptive lights to some/all cars after they become standard?

 

[tkdkenny]

Yes, what you are calling low speed cornering lights is what I mistakenly called dynamic headlights, and what Tesla call AFS.

I mistook your low speed cornering lights to be the small lights in the fog light assembly that come on when you do low speed turning like parking etc.

And yes, Tesla seemed to moved the AFS from the PUP to the standard package at the same time as the power tailgate, but to forget to put the headlights in. I’ve not looked at the thread for months, but at the time it appeared all cars were being delivered with the wrong lights.

 

[DJP31]

Yes, what you are calling low speed cornering lights is what I mistakenly called dynamic headlights, and what Tesla call AFS.

I mistook your low speed cornering lights to be the small lights in the fog light assembly that come on when you do low speed turning like parking etc.

And yes, Tesla seemed to moved the AFS from the PUP to the standard package at the same time as the power tailgate, but to forget to put the headlights in. I’ve not looked at the thread for months, but at the time it appeared all cars were being delivered with the wrong lights.

I read a bit more after the earlier post and see what the problem was (I think!). The PUP had the 3 position LED in the headlights as well as in the fog lights assembly, and when this went to the standard package Tesla didn’t put the correct headlights in.

All I can say is that the only time I ever notice turning lights is at very low speeds when cornering or parking. They certainly aren’t anything close to adaptive headlights that would help when driving down unlit country roads at moderate but quicker than very slow speed.

 

[WannabeOwner]

the only time I ever notice turning lights is at very low speeds when cornering or parking

Not related to the O/P, but I've been trying to figure out if the Fog-turning-lights come on with signalling - i.e. before the turn has actually started. I think it is also related to speed. I'm sure it doesn't matter one way or the other, I was just curious ... and you can now laugh at me for slowing down on country roads at night and signalling (a turn into a thick hedge ...) to try to figure out if they come on at a particular speed, with turn-signal, or not.

And now I can't remember what my finding was either!

 

[DJP31]

Not related to the O/P, but I've been trying to figure out if the Fog-turning-lights come on with signalling - i.e. before the turn has actually started. I think it is also related to speed. I'm sure it doesn't matter one way or the other, I was just curious ... and you can now laugh at me for slowing down on country roads at night and signalling (a turn into a thick hedge ...) to try to figure out if they come on at a particular speed, with turn-signal, or not.

And now I can't remember what my finding was either!

If I remember I'm going to try it tonight! I'm also not sure whether it's only the fog lamps that "turn" - which is certainly the impression I have, or if there are LED's within the housing of the headlamps that give the 3 positions too. Tesla's use of different words for seemingly the same thing doesn't help either. And none of it matters really, I have what I have!

 

[WannabeOwner]

If I remember I'm going to try it tonight!

I was worried that there would be Tesla's all around the country tonight slowing to a crawl and indicating for no reason ...

not sure whether it's only the fog lamps that "turn" - which is certainly the impression I have, or if there are LED's within the housing of the headlamps that give the 3 positions too

I definitely only have fog-lamp-on-turning-side-ON.

When we first got that feature, on a VW Golf years ago, every time we turned into someone's drive at night they would greet us with "One of your fog lamps isn't working" ...