Delivery day interior inspection?..

[WingFoiling]

My delivery day is coming up so I went the Tesla service center that is less than a mile from my house to discuss the process. I was shocked to hear that the SA will not unlock the car to inspect the interior and test drive until I accept the car.

Is this normal? If so why?

(hypothetically speaking); what if I accept the car, get it unlocked and find a major issue(s). Am I SOL and have to rely on Tesla to make repairs or can I “un-accept“ the car? If so, then what?

Thanks

 

[yankee_delta]

My delivery day is coming up so I went the Tesla service center that is less than a mile from my house to discuss the process. I was shocked to hear that the SA will not unlock the car to inspect the interior and test drive until I accept the car.

Is this normal? If so why?

(hypothetically speaking); what if I accept the car, get it unlocked and find a major issue(s). Am I SOL and have to rely on Tesla to make repairs or can I “un-accept“ the car? If so, then what?

Thanks

When I took delivery I just asked if I could check it out before hitting "yes" on all of the paperwork online, they had no issue with it and made sure it was unlocked for me. I didn't ask about test driving or go over it with a ruler to check every panel gap, just took 10-15 minutes to look around outside and inside. I believe there is a 24 hour grace period for any issues that you find after taking delivery though. If there is a major issue you can refuse delivery.

 

[jjrandorin]

My delivery day is coming up so I went the Tesla service center that is less than a mile from my house to discuss the process. I was shocked to hear that the SA will not unlock the car to inspect the interior and test drive until I accept the car.

Is this normal? If so why?

(hypothetically speaking); what if I accept the car, get it unlocked and find a major issue(s). Am I SOL and have to rely on Tesla to make repairs or can I “un-accept“ the car? If so, then what?

Thanks

Tesla doesnt let anyone drive the car before delivery that I have read about. They should let you look at it, but they are not going to let you drive it. once you accept the car you will be working through tesla fixing anything that you find.

Look at the car, and take pictures / document anything you find before you drive off. When you get home, inspect again closely. If you find "issues" 2 weeks later, like issues with seating surfaces, etc, you might have some issues getting covered anything which could have been caused by you. If you report them right away, it will be much easier to get that taken care of.

You are not going to get to test drive the car before accepting it though, not unless something has drastically changed in teslas delivery process.

 

[dmurphy]

Tesla doesnt let anyone drive the car before delivery that I have read about.

I've never ran into a traditional dealership that allows test drives before signing for the car. Lots of liability on them that way for an untitled, undelivered vehicle.

 

[jjrandorin]

I've never ran into a traditional dealership that allows test drives before signing for the car. Lots of liability on them that way for an untitled, undelivered vehicle.

Thats interesting, because I test drove any BMW i bought off the lot before I signed for them, before I started ordering them that is. When I started ordering them, I didnt drive them before picking them up, though.

 

[dmurphy]

Thats interesting, because I test drove any BMW i bought off the lot before I signed for them, before I started ordering them that is. When I started ordering them, I didnt drive them before picking them up, though.

Yes - I suspect that's the big difference. Vehicles on the lot, absolutely. No issues getting test drives on those... sometimes they flip me the keys, and sometimes the sales weasel insisted on riding along. Those ridealongs usually didn't get the sale.

Vehicles that were custom ordered, no. I've never been able to test drive those.

I suspect it has to do with insurance and what's covered under their floorplan and what isn't... but, thankfully, I'm not in the dealership business.

 

[Keninblaine]

I'm a little concerned about this acceptance process too. My M3 LR is due mid Jan to mid Feb, and the nearest Center is 1.5 hours away. I will likely be trading my current car unless I sell it privately soon. I'm not in a rush, so plan on not accepting delivery (and paying for the car) until I've noted all issues and those issues are properly resolved. For example, if I find bad panel gaps, paint chips, dirty interior etc. I'd rather note them and drive home in my current car and return to purchase the car when the car has been satisfactorily prepared. It seems to be the only way I know of to incentivize them to address the issues - i.e. before they have my money. Curious if others have taken this approach.

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm a little concerned about this acceptance process too. My M3 LR is due mid Jan to mid Feb, and the nearest Center is 1.5 hours away. I will likely be trading my current car unless I sell it privately soon. I'm not in a rush, so plan on not accepting delivery (and paying for the car) until I've noted all issues and those issues are properly resolved. For example, if I find bad panel gaps, paint chips, dirty interior etc. I'd rather note them and drive home in my current car and return to purchase the car when the car has been satisfactorily prepared. It seems to be the only way I know of to incentivize them to address the issues - i.e. before they have my money. Curious if others have taken this approach.

That wont happen. That would be "rejecting the car" and they would put you back in the queue to get another one. They are NOT going to let you "not accept the car" but fix it and then bring it back for your acceptance. It wont happen, tesla doesnt work that way. If thats what you need to feel comfortable, you will either need to buy a used one from a non tesla dealer so you can inspect it first, or move to another brand.

"Leaving in your current car" will be rejecting that car, which you absolutely can do, but they are not going to fix it and then call you back. They are going to put you back in the queue for another car, whenever that might be.

This isnt ment to be an referendum on what you want, I am just telling you, what you described ( you show up, point out things you want fix LEAVE and come back some other day when its fixed, all before you accept the car) is not going to happen.

 

[ry-ballz]

You're worrying about something that's unlikely to be a concern.

 

[ODWms]

Back in 2018 when I picked up my car, I gave it a once-over, maybe 2 minutes worth, jumped in and drove off! I love my car, and never had any issues. It I guess I’m just not that worried about stuff like that. I trust whatever would have come up, Tesla would make right.

 

[Sohappy3]

Here’s a crazy thought. How about the Tesla delivery center actually complete a PDI (Pre delivery inspection) on a $50,000 and up vehicle?

 

[MaskedRacerX]

The wife and I sat in ours the whole time during delivery, and while the SA was running back and forth the office, we had fun doing our first "OMG, this is super cool ..." experience

It happened to be raining that day, so maybe we got a special "rain allowance"

We did not actually drive it though, until that last confirmation/signature was completed.

 

[afadeev]

My delivery day is coming up so I went the Tesla service center that is less than a mile from my house to discuss the process. I was shocked to hear that the SA will not unlock the car to inspect the interior and test drive until I accept the car.
Is this normal? If so why?

Sadly, yes, it's "normal".
Tesla SC's are perennially under staffed, have not been scaled for sales and service growth, and they have delivery quotas to hit. They are mostly decent folks, but they are doing what they have to do to survive.
Thus, there is no PDI (pre delivery inspection and prep), no formalities beyond - sign here, pickup your two key cards, any questions, off you go, next.

(hypothetically speaking); what if I accept the car, get it unlocked and find a major issue(s). Am I SOL and have to rely on Tesla to make repairs or can I “un-accept“ the car? If so, then what?

Then you schedule post-delivery repair appointment on your own time, and Tesla get to report a successfully delivery and collect cash from the bank.
On the plus side, Tesla will pay for the repairs. But only on the condition that you accept delivery upfront with all the faults, minor or major.

Here’s a crazy thought. How about the Tesla delivery center actually complete a PDI (Pre delivery inspection) on a $50,000 and up vehicle?

That would be awesome, but that would make them a proper car company.
PDI implies desire to find and remedy problems. It slows down the delivery process at OEM/dealer's expense for customer's benefit.
Who would want that? Not Tesla!

As long as there are order delivery wait times (demand > supply), this situation is unlikely to improve.

a

 

[FLMan]

We showed up a little early for ours and they unlocked it and let the wife and I sit in it and check it out while they ran around with other people. It was a nice sunny day and during one run-by they dropped the keys off so we could turn it on and play with it. Didn't even think to drive it since I wouldn't do that at a regular dealer while signing paperwork.

Everyone who showed up after us got in their cars and got keys while they waited as well. Nobody drove off.

Either way, once you're in and before you drive off, you can document any issues and I'm sure they'll do what they can to make it right. Otherwise, I doubt anyone would be buying these things.

 

[jetytri]

I did a pick up a couple of weeks ago and they had no issues with us checking out the inside of the car for any issues so it seems to vary depending on delivery center. Like others have said, you should just do a thorough inspection of the inside after and document it with them while you are still there so they can work on a fix for you.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Yep it's uncomfortable, especially knowing that if there is some major issue you might never be able to contact anyone at Tesla to get a refund or replacement. But they do have a 3-day/100 mile policy which is gives you a vastly better opportunity to inspect the car than the typical dealer-lot glance-over. And they are lenient with that policy as well in case you find something even later.

So really all you need to do at pickup is inspect the paint. Look for any significant flaws or evidence of repairs that might be worthy of rejecting the car. Everything else can be replaced with a bolt-in swap later and will be good as new.

 

[SFNM Jack]

Hey folks…. I have a few questions about delivery day when your car is being delivered to your home. Would love to hear from folks who’ve had this experience. I finally have a VIN and according to the delivery team that’s been in contact with me I can expect the car somewhere between 12-14- and 12-23. The gate is finding an available truck to bring it from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe. Below are my questions;

1) Do you get time to inspect the car in your driveway?

2) If there is a major issue like a large dent, evidence of a repair or something that is otherwise unacceptable and not easily remedied is there an option to reject the car and put it back on the truck?

3) How does the trade pick up work? The delivery team says the truck driver will load the car, take the title and keys, etc. Did any one have a problem with this part of the process?

4) More generally, how do you report issues that you want resolved if any? Is there a place in the app for this? Is there a tesla email you send the data to? Do you document this to the truck driver?

5) Further to number 4 above, what is the time limit for reporting issues? Some say 24 hours. I’ve heard as much as three days or 100 mile and some folks have said they have reported stuff weeks later and tesla agreed to fix.


Thx for any info on this particularly from folks that have taken home delivery

 

[Gasaraki]

I'm a little concerned about this acceptance process too. My M3 LR is due mid Jan to mid Feb, and the nearest Center is 1.5 hours away. I will likely be trading my current car unless I sell it privately soon. I'm not in a rush, so plan on not accepting delivery (and paying for the car) until I've noted all issues and those issues are properly resolved. For example, if I find bad panel gaps, paint chips, dirty interior etc. I'd rather note them and drive home in my current car and return to purchase the car when the car has been satisfactorily prepared. It seems to be the only way I know of to incentivize them to address the issues - i.e. before they have my money. Curious if others have taken this approach.

Just forget it then. That's not going to happen.

 

[Gasaraki]

Hey folks…. I have a few questions about delivery day when your car is being delivered to your home. Would love to hear from folks who’ve had this experience. I finally have a VIN and according to the delivery team that’s been in contact with me I can expect the car somewhere between 12-14- and 12-23. The gate is finding an available truck to bring it from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe. Below are my questions;

1) Do you get time to inspect the car in your driveway?

2) If there is a major issue like a large dent, evidence of a repair or something that is otherwise unacceptable and not easily remedied is there an option to reject the car and put it back on the truck?

3) How does the trade pick up work? The delivery team says the truck driver will load the car, take the title and keys, etc. Did any one have a problem with this part of the process?

4) More generally, how do you report issues that you want resolved if any? Is there a place in the app for this? Is there a tesla email you send the data to? Do you document this to the truck driver?

5) Further to number 4 above, what is the time limit for reporting issues? Some say 24 hours. I’ve heard as much as three days or 100 mile and some folks have said they have reported stuff weeks later and tesla agreed to fix.


Thx for any info one this particularLoy from folks that have taken home delivery

1) Yes. I did an inspection in my driveway, looked around the car for dents, etc, sat inside the car, looked for obvious stuff.
2) Yes you can reject the car. They will then build you a new one if you reject this one. Back to end of the line you go.
3) Not sure. Didn't trade in my car.
4) Note down and take pictures of issues. The delivery person is not going to know anything, they just deliver. You'll have to take it up with service to get stuff fixed.
5) I think it's pretty generous. A week/1000 miles? Never heard of the 100 miles thing.

 

[heavyD]

It's kind of crazy there's no PDI. Legacy automakers make pretty solid vehicles today relative to even a decade ago but they all do PDI because stuff like shipping blocks need to be removed, damage in freight occurs, or a bad one slips through the assembly line, etc.