Delivered: Fremont express pickup experience & overall MY build quality

[dandrewk]

It's crazy how many people just try and justify that there is not a problem with communication and build quality. Blows my mind the number of excuses that end up trying to justify it.

Is your mind really that easily blown?

 

[burton06]

was the pick-up location at the delivery hub or the factory? just wondering because before April, they actually delivered the car to your house.

It's at the factory, right in front of the show room. I originally was not supposed to pick up at Fremont. There is a closer Tesla service center to me, but I guess they are diverting to Fremont for most bay area deliveries? Didn't completely mind it

 

[dandrewk]

I agree with you (in case that wasnt clear from my post). This is precisely why TSLA can be a dick and we are still on our knees, begging. I do think there will be competition to TSLA within 10 years, once other manufacturers get their heads out of sand and switch gears to EV. I also think China can be a fresh new come out of nowhere competitor. As I already said China supposedly already has million mile battery -China's CATL Has a Million-Mile EV Battery Pack Ready to Go

Anyhow, in case it wasnt clear, all I was trying to say by my admittedly too long of a post was that its not ok to be ok with Tesla's customer service sucking. We are putting up with it right now because they have the monopoly. But this shitty customer service will come back to bite them in the ass once there are alternatives... and alternatives are coming, just a matter of time.

Side note: I think that Teslas have highest satisfaction rating because they are good cars. This is why we are clammoring for them. This is why they can be dicks to us and we on forums just pat each other on the back and say to each other "its ok, they were dicks to me too... but hey the car is amazing". There is no competition. If the only Crayon for sale in a blue crayon, then you do a satisfaction survey, well, everyone will say the blue one is their favorite.

Most Tesla buyers/owners have not/would not consider ICE cars, which cuts out 95% of the market, then if you look at Range, well then you have TSLA monopoly. Cudos to them for making a product that is so good. But again, not an excuse for being dicks.

We are generally in agreement, and it all comes down to degrees. A couple of points though:

You say others will catch up with Tesla within 10 years. You do realize, with a fast changing new technology like EVs, that's about the same as saying they will catch up by the end of the century. But I do agree with that, and I really HOPE we are both correct because that would mean great things for EVs and the environment.

Also - There is a difference between customer service, before and after delivery. Before delivery, it's all about getting the cars into customer's hands so they can book the sale. The revenue/profit from those sales equals better quarterly results - critical for a volatile stock like TSLA with an absurd P/E ratio.

After the sale, the customer service has from most reports been sterling. How many other car companies can do a significant amount of their repair work via mobile service? And again, once past the aggravation of buying the car and getting it delivered, with all the bad communications and QC issues, the ending sentence in most of these threads is "Sure, there were issues, but damn this is an awesome car!" Isn't that the only important thing?

 

[dandrewk]

It's at the factory, right in front of the show room. I originally was not supposed to pick up at Fremont. There is a closer Tesla service center to me, but I guess they are diverting to Fremont for most bay area deliveries? Didn't completely mind it

I actually switched mine from SF to Fremont in order to eliminate potential transport damage. I've noticed a lot of the QC issues posted here that seem to be from poor handling during transport.

 

[BreatheEasier]

This thread is just another reason why I'm convinced, for at least today, that surrendering my VIN and asking for another VIN at this point is no less of a risk of getting a vehicle with the same or more defects. At least I have some understanding of what my SC is repairing, and that they are working to make it right before I am disappointed by the quality of my MY when it is delivered. I have to think that these poor quality aren't happening to every MY delivered, but seriously, there are not enough of these delivered yet, and comparatively way too many egregious cases posted to believe it isn't a very large portion of the MYs delivered. And it doesn't seem to be all that different in the S/3/X forums. So I just keep telling myself that I'm still purchasing the 'best' overall EV on the market today in terms of safety, technology, performance and range, and long-term 'freshness' through OTA updates, and best charging infrastructure, with a corporate vision that spans well beyond vehicles. Minus the bad tweets, this is also a company that is really trying to make a positive change in the world. I don't see any other car manufacturer serious about EVs or causing this breadth of change. As Monro says, other manufacturers have no incentive, can lean on their existing portfolio for revenue, and Tesla has everything to lose if they fail.

I do wish Tesla would add a heated steering wheel to the M3/MY. At this price range, this is inexcusable, IMO. Every EV on the market this is standard or optional.

 

[dandrewk]

This thread is just another reason why I'm convinced, for at least today, that surrendering my VIN and asking for another VIN at this point is no less of a risk of getting a vehicle with the same or more defects. At least I have some understanding of what my SC is repairing, and that they are working to make it right before I am disappointed by the quality of my MY when it is delivered. I have to think that these poor quality aren't happening to every MY delivered, but seriously, there are not enough of these delivered yet, and comparatively way too many egregious cases posted to believe it isn't a very large portion of the MYs delivered. And it doesn't seem to be all that different in the S/3/X forums. So I just keep telling myself that I'm still purchasing the 'best' overall EV on the market today in terms of safety, technology, performance and range, and long-term 'freshness' through OTA updates, and best charging infrastructure, with a corporate vision that spans well beyond vehicles. Minus the bad tweets, this is also a company that is really trying to make a positive change in the world. I don't see any other car manufacturer serious about EVs or causing this breadth of change. As Monro says, other manufacturers have no incentive, can lean on their existing portfolio for revenue, and Tesla has everything to lose if they fail.

I do wish Tesla would add a heated steering wheel to the M3/MY. At this price range, this is inexcusable, IMO. Every EV on the market this is standard or optional.

What a great post, sums it up well.

What I REALLY want is 360 deg. overhead camera. We had that with our Bolt, and I still miss it. There’s something magical about parallel parking into a tight spot and nailing it perfectly, first time every time.

 

[million_miles]

This is not the worst. I picked my car a few days ago, the same problems shown above. Looks like the cars are assembled by robots. They all have exact same issues. And it gets worse, Auto-pilot suddenly brakes while the car was traveling at 65MPH on the freeway, boy that was scary. Then after that, the touch screen stops working.

 

[BreatheEasier]

What a great post, sums it up well.

What I REALLY want is 360 deg. overhead camera. We had that with our Bolt, and I still miss it. There’s something magical about parallel parking into a tight spot and nailing it perfectly, first time every time.

Yes, I will miss the 360 deg overhead camera, too. I've been driving BMW X5s for 10 years, and it is something I take for granted. Nissan, Ford, Chevy and others all have this standard or optional on a host of their vehicles now, and I believe the entire BMW line offers it, too.

The rear camera view with Tesla seems much larger not only in terms of the screen size, but also the angle of view, so I'm hoping this helps somewhat. With all the cameras on a Tesla, it seems like adding a 360 deg overhead view would only take a software update to enable. I'm wondering if this simply goes against principle, however, with FSD or EAP being what Tesla believes is the one (and only) answer, and investing (or admitting) that an overhead camera view is needed diminishes the value of their investments. I could also mention LIDAR vs. computer vision only, but I know that will cause a sh*tstorm . Maybe a few more stationary objects on the highway will result in some type of re-think with this one...even if LIDAR is used as in emergency situations only.

 

[dandrewk]

With all the cameras on a Tesla, it seems like adding a 360 deg overhead view would only take a software update to enable. I'm wondering if this simply goes against principle, however, with FSD or EAP being what Tesla believes is the one (and only) answer, and investing (or admitting) that an overhead camera view is needed diminishes the value of their investments.

I wish it were that simple. The problem is the front camera on Teslas is on the rear view mirror stalk, so you'd have the trunk area blocking the surround view.

Musk has said Tesla will give us access to the side view cameras when parking. I've also seen some mock ups where they give a faux 360 overhead, but with a gray area in front of the car grayed out to illustrate the blind spot caused by the trunk.

 

[jimmym1981]

Is your mind really that easily blown?

Not really. Lol

 

[seanyboysf]

I've been following this forum for a while as we all went through anticipation for our MY deliveries. I thought I'd do my part and do a write up for those to read or who may be waiting still.

Location: Bay area (15 miles from fremont)
Order date: June 2019 (RWD, White ext, Black Int, upgraded wheels, no FSD)
Changed order: May 5, 2020 (AWD, White ext, Black int, Upgraded wheels, no FSD)
Completed profile: I completed everything roughly May 10th ish. I forget exectly
Changed profile: I accepted a new lower financing rate from Tesla on 5/20/20 (at one point I thought this is what delayed me, because my profile "changed" again

I never got a text message or email from Tesla telling me to get excited or expect delivery in 4-8 weeks or some people got the 10 day version.

Timeline

• Saturday, June 6th 2020 I checked the source code in the morning (I hadn't checked in a few days because i lost hope) and then I saw the vin.
• Saturday June 6th, 2020 evening, I got a long email from Tesla with very contradicting information on delivery.
  • Email indicated things like, make sure you upload your insurance, accept your loan agreement and pay your deposit
  • Also indicated some information on where the pick up is going to be
  • Indicated if I don't complete things "in time" the car would be given to somebody else and I wouldn't get a new one by august 1, 2020. But it also said September, 2020 (very contradicting)
  • Indicated that I would get a text message by Tuesday, June 9th that my car is ready to be picked up
  • I needed to reply to the email saying "confirmed" once everything is done, or i'll lose my car
• I got a text message on Sunday telling me to respond to the email they sent from saturday. The number is a dead number, cannot call or text back
• I paid for everything on Monday morning via transfer through Tesla account. They have an option where you sign into your bank and transfer right there. No fees were charged by my bank. (I didn't see any info on how others paid on this forum)
• Loan agreement didn't show up in my account until Monday night, in which i simply clicked "Agreed"
• Tuesday, June 9th (delivery day) I waited all morning and heard nothing. Finally at around 1pm I got the text that the car is ready and the parking spot number it's at.

Fremont Express pickup

• Absolutely nobody there to help. There were a bunch of cars parked in the numbered spot to pick up.
• I waited to click accept delivery until I at least saw the car from the outside
• Once I clicked accept delivery from my profile, the Tesla app showed my car
• Bunch of other people picking their car up all confused and not knowing what to do

Build quality

• Vin: 11xxx
• I saw 2 little white out touchups that others have posted here. but very small.
• Rear passenger seat is not aligned just like everybody else's car
• Charge port protrudes out a little more than the rest of the body and trunk tail light
• The tailights attached to the car protrudes a little more than the tailight on the turnk hatch itself
• The passenger side top of the hatch doesn't seem to line up nicely with the roof rails
• For some reason, my driver door seems to protrude out a little from the rear door
• Front passenger bumper and fender doesn't line up nicely
• Front passenger door doesn't line up with the lines on the camera on the fender
• Panel gaps and alignment seems to be almost spot on except for those listed above

Final thoughts

• This is the worst car buying experience I've ever had to deal with. Tesla needs to really step up their game with communicating to their customers. I think transparency to a certain extent is key. I had absolutely NO communication from Tesla, even up until the end, it was a huge ? the whole way through
• Driving experience will still always be awesome with an EV and Tesla, thats what we mostly buy it for right?
• Even though I just listed a bunch of things, I personally don't think its TERRIBLE to what's been delivered prior to me. I do completely agree that we're spending 60k and the car shouldn't have to go back into the shop within a week to get these alignment fixed. If Tesla keeps working on fit and finish before delivery, I think they are on a good path. Pre-covid vs post covid is pretty dramatic difference already
• My feedback to Tesla is, they SERIOUSLY need to step up their game on customer service and communication. Like I said, this is the WORST car buying experience i've ever had.

Oh yeah, I was able to call and add a referal code Tuesday morning before I took delivery. It showed up in my Friends account, but we haven't seen an indicator of the 1000 free miles yet. Anybody know where it's supposed to show up? I've seen other posts that it should be in the lootbox area?

So what was the new lower financing rate?

 

[BreatheEasier]

I wish it were that simple. The problem is the front camera on Teslas is on the rear view mirror stalk, so you'd have the trunk area blocking the surround view.

Musk has said Tesla will give us access to the side view cameras when parking. I've also seen some mock ups where they give a faux 360 overhead, but with a gray area in front of the car grayed out to illustrate the blind spot caused by the trunk.

I could totally live with a solution that only included side cameras. On my 2010 and 2012 BMW X5, both only had side and rear cameras, and in the 360 top-down view, the front was greyed out. Only in my 2017, which happened to have the front camera option (between the kidney grilles) did I finally have a front view. And I really didn't find it useful.

Honestly, give me the side cameras during parking and a heated steering wheel, and I'd be content. Well, and maybe stick a little LIDAR in to help us not have phantom highway braking or failing to stop for large trucks overturned or stopped on the highway, or large concrete lane dividers that the current system is obviously not recognizing.

 

[canbonbon]

So why don't people just refuse the delivery if they see so many issues? That should teach Tesla some lesson in Customer Service. I promise to do that when my turn comes. If they don't respect me and my time, hey I won't respect them. Its just a car after all.

The more people refuse, the faster they will learn I guess. But you are right, its the lack of proper competition causing this. Eventually however, your Karma catches up with you. Will happen to Tesla as well if they don't change. Look at X and S sales now.

 

[dandrewk]

I could totally live with a solution that only included side cameras. On my 2010 and 2012 BMW X5, both only had side and rear cameras, and in the 360 top-down view, the front was greyed out. Only in my 2017, which happened to have the front camera option (between the kidney grilles) did I finally have a front view. And I really didn't find it useful.

Honestly, give me the side cameras during parking and a heated steering wheel, and I'd be content. Well, and maybe stick a little LIDAR in to help us not have phantom highway braking or failing to stop for large trucks overturned or stopped on the highway, or large concrete lane dividers that the current system is obviously not recognizing.

Musk mentioned the side cameras being activated in a tweet at least a year ago. Hopefully it's still on his road map.

The issue about large trucks or any vehicle stopped on the freeway is difficult for any "self driving" cars, with or without LIDAR. The problem is these systems can't see through objects to identify a -stopped- vehicle. It's almost always a car in front, seeing the obstruction and quickly moving to another lane. If it happens close to the obstruction, the autopilot has inadequate time to determine the obstruction is stationary and perform emergency maneuvers.

It seems to happen more frequently with Teslas because some Tesla owners, in spite of repeated warnings, stop paying attention to the road and play video games or take a nap. Luckily the car itself has so many safety features the occupants usually walk away without a scratch.

 

[dandrewk]

So why don't people just refuse the delivery if they see so many issues? That should teach Tesla some lesson in Customer Service. I promise to do that when my turn comes. If they don't respect me and my time, hey I won't respect them. Its just a car after all.

The more people refuse, the faster they will learn I guess. But you are right, its the lack of proper competition causing this. Eventually however, your Karma catches up with you. Will happen to Tesla as well if they don't change. Look at X and S sales now.

If you read the reports, most of them begin by saying the defects are trivial and will easily be fixed by a service call, or they just ignore them because nobody would ever notice. In such situations, if you refuse to take delivery, it could take months to get a replacement, and even then you may end up with a car with glaring issues.

 

[dandrewk]

Today is supposed to be delivery day, but so far no confirming email. But I did get this just now:

“TESLA DELIVERY UPDATE - The car matched to your account will complete inspection at end of day today. Please wait for an email notification from Tesla before coming to take delivery. A Tesla representative will be reaching out with more information if anything changes.”

Is that normal? I am concerned that they say “at the end of the day today“, instead of “by the end of the day“.

 

[maximus96]

Today is supposed to be delivery day, but so far no confirming email. But I did get this just now:

“TESLA DELIVERY UPDATE - The car matched to your account will complete inspection at end of day today. Please wait for an email notification from Tesla before coming to take delivery. A Tesla representative will be reaching out with more information if anything changes.”

Is that normal? I am concerned that they say “at the end of the day today“, instead of “by the end of the day“.

On my delivery day, I got notified to pick up at 7pm. I was anxious all day.

 

[theganjaguru]

Actually, "disappointing" is having to drive that $35k (or $55k) Toyota for a few years.

Agree to disagree. Had a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. Truck was rock solid and resale was as well after 10 years. I LOVED that truck.

Put it like this then: Sad that every auto manufacturer aside from Tesla seems to know how to master panel gaps. 4th mode and their still struggling. I’m buying for the tech. Others won’t.

 

[DaveORD]

Agree to disagree. Had a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. Truck was rock solid and resale was as well after 10 years. I LOVED that truck.

Put it like this then: Sad that every auto manufacturer aside from Tesla seems to know how to master panel gaps. 4th mode and their still struggling. I’m buying for the tech. Others won’t.

The MY is Tesla's 5th model.

Original roadster = 1st
MS = 2nd
MX = 3rd
M3 = 4th
MY = 5th

CT = 6st?
New Roadster = 7th?

 

[dandrewk]

Agree to disagree. Had a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. Truck was rock solid and resale was as well after 10 years. I LOVED that truck.

Put it like this then: Sad that every auto manufacturer aside from Tesla seems to know how to master panel gaps. 4th mode and their still struggling. I’m buying for the tech. Others won’t.

Yeah, hard to tell the difference between a Toyota pickup truck and a Tesla...

As to your second paragraph, I guess you've never take a walk in a residential neighborhood or browsed a new car dealer lot. If so, you'd see tons of panel gaps... including Toyota. Ever perused any other manufacturer's forums or FB groups? Read those complaints. Sad.