Delivery Dramas

[amped19]

Soooooo.......my delivery day finally came around last Tuesday, I picked up the car with no issues although no one gave me a run through or any tuition on any of the car systems. That didn't really bother me though as I was keen to get going and was planning to spend a few hours going over stuff when I got home. Anyway, I drove out and immediately LOVED the car! It was way quicker and more responsive than I had anticipated. I went about 15 miles and then all of a sudden the car started to slow down and I got a warning message saying "Power reduced" Then I got a message saying something like "Pull over - safety issue" I managed to find a safe-ish place to stop. I then got a message saying "Exiting and reentering the vehicle may restore function” but I tried this and while I could now get the car into Drive, when I pulled forward there was a weird rubbing sound. I tried it in reverse and had the same result. This is 30 minutes after having picked up the car!! Did no one drive this car to test it was working?!! I was obviously nervous of doing damage at this point so called my delivery guy who had seen me off 20 minutes previously. No answer.....I left a message. To this day he has not called me back! So, then I called Tesla. I was still in a state of disbelief so while I was on the phone I got in and out of the car again having turned it off and this time it seemed to start ok and when I pulled away it felt ok. I signed off with Tesla and drove the remaining 4 miles home. To be honest as I had not been given a run through of the cars function I was wondering if I had somehow passed a button or done something to cause the problems I had?

Fast forward to the next day. I had a business colleague I wanted to show the car to. I drove a mile down the road and the same thing happened again!!! I called Tesla again and to be honest they did a good job of ordering roadside assistance although I still couldn't believe this was happening on my second day of ownership! I called an Uber for my colleague. The RA arrived within half an hour and I must say the driver was well schooled in everything Tesla and had the car up on the truck n 3 or 4 minutes. I insisted on going to the Van Nuys service center with the Driver as I wanted to make sure they understood how unacceptable this was. I was also planning to swap out the standard 18's for the 20" sports wheels so I wanted to get that done while the car was in the center if possible to at least save me a later trip. Anyway, everyone was very courteous and I couldn't really fault the service professionals but the fact remained my Model 3 was inexplicably broken and Id only driven 20 miles!! They did say they would try and take care of the replacement wheels while the car was in and would give me a break on the price if possible.

The next day, Service called me basically just to say they were getting to the car that day. In fact they called me twice that day, the second time to tell me that the rear drive unit (motor) was broken!

Friday they called me to say that they were working on it and they would give me a $500 credit towards the new wheels. Having said that, they said they would not be able to get the wheels for a few weeks(!) and that I would actually have to go online and order them myself as their system wouldn't allow them to order them (!) Anyway, I said that the monetary offer was disappointing given Id taken delivery of a car I'd waited forever for and had found myself in this position, I asked them to think about how else they might compensate me. I also told them I was now super nervous about what else might be wrong with a car that has such a major fault that went undetected pre delivery. Have I got a Lemon? Was it built in "The Tent"! They did later come back and also offer me a Wall Charger for free which was a decent gesture.

Finally got the car back after a weekend of testing. The car was not washed or even charged!!

Ive gone between being impressed with the way they've dealt with this to being super angry wanting to post my disappointment all over my social media channels and talk to some of friends in the media. Im a big Tesla fan and this has just frustrated me.

 

[JoeBruin]

I’m going to answer this as though you are a real person who is frustrated with their car rather than a troll.


Maybe take a deep breath. You got the car right? Everything’s good with the car as far as you know other than it needs a wash? (Car is not even a week old, how dirty can it be at this point?) There was a major mechanical issue that they resolved in a few days, which is very fast relative to others who post on here. Of course you shouldn’t have had such an obvious problem but they did try to make it right and it sounds by your own account they were very professional.


They quickly arranged a tow with someone familiar with Teslas and offered you $500 off wheels or a free wall charger. Seems like a sweet deal to me. Out of curiosity, what exactly would have been a more appropriate response from Tesla? Were you expecting a $4000 credit towards the wheels?


I get you’re disappointed you couldn’t show off or enjoy the car right away and may be embarrassed about the incident with your colleague but otherwise everything seems fine and you’re getting something quite substantial in return. A lemon? There would have to be more problems to come.


Document what was explained as the problem as best you can along with dates, names, etc. just in case there are more issues. If there’s more mechanical issues then you may have a problem on your hands but that remains to be seen. Congrats on the car. It’s fine to vent if course but don’t let one inconvenient weekend ruin the whole experience for you.

 

[P85_DA]

OP first off congrats on car ! ...u reference rear motor is your car a P AWD or just 3LR?

 

[Pied]

New cars tend to have more problems than used cars. It sucks when it happens, but at least there's a warranty to cover the repair.

I remember when my parents bought a new Honda Accord, the transmission took a crap and leaked all over the driveway the first week of onwership.

 

[outie]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. My previous car, a 2016 Model X, had a failed falcon door when I drove the car outside to the street so I could load my stuff (it broke the quarter glass trim as the door opened and scratched something off the door). They immediately took the car back, had me waited for hours for a beat up, smelly Model S loaner that someone just traded in. I was supposed to go to Disneyland the next day and I needed my 7 seats Model X. Luckily the Model S had the jump seats.

I did not get my brand new car until 3-4 days later. They drove the car back to me and picked up the loaner.

What did I get for all these troubles? Nothing other than 50 miles on the odometer. This was a $100k Model X.

Fast forward to 2018. I went to pick up my new Model X at the same location. I once again moved the car to a nearby lot so I could transfer my stuff. Guess what I discovered? A big screw in my brand new tire. Seriously? Text'ed the DS with picture and he called me immediately. Asked the tech to come over and said they might not be able to get it fixed for an hour so he was going to arrange a loaner for me. I was like... fk not again! As we hauled all the sh*ts inside the delivery center (3 car seats etc.) and waited for the loaner, the DS came telling me they were able to get the tire replaced immediately so no loaner needed. We probably wasted another good 40min if not more there, with 3 kids 1 being an infant.

What did I get this time for all the troubles and delays? Nothing.

Based on my experience and reading on TMC, they've really gone very far to take care of you with those freebies. No offense but I would be happy with all the freebies instead of "talking to friends in the media".

 

[SteveWin1]

Come on. Why is it that every time someone is upset with Tesla, everyone jumps down their throat. Yes, its nice that they came and got his car, and repaired it and gave him free stuff. Still, OP paid a lot of money for a brand new car that obviously wasn't tested properly before delivery. You all would be upset too if you were in the same position. The discounted wheels and free charger aren't going to help him when his car shuts down again on the side of the road. If the car breaks down on the trip home, what are the chances that everything else in the car is perfect? I'm sure everything will turn out fine, but if I was in OP's position, I'd feel the same way.

 

[P85_DA]

Come on. Why is it that every time someone is upset with Tesla, everyone jumps down their throat. Yes, its nice that they came and got his car, and repaired it and gave him free stuff. Still, OP paid a lot of money for a brand new car that obviously wasn't tested properly before delivery. You all would be upset too if you were in the same position. The discounted wheels and free charger aren't going to help him when his car shuts down again on the side of the road. If the car breaks down on the trip home, what are the chances that everything else in the car is perfect? I'm sure everything will turn out fine, but if I was in OP's position, I'd feel the same way.

Everyone pays a lot of money for their cars some pay more ...I wouldn’t characterize as “everyone jumps down their throat.” I have read thru a lot of these and members are generally helpful ..it’s usually the approach of how an OP starts the thread ..if it comes across as “..omg im so special Tesla needs to roll out the red carpet ...I’m entitled to everything ...” than yes I can see why folks are not as compassionate to their situation ...these are expensive items ..Tesla has some known QC issues ...no company needs to bend over backwards (althogh Tesla does a good job)...at the end of the day they are a corporation ....if a vast majority of their cars had issues they would be out of business already ...but that is not the case ..the OP needs to chill others have had worse issues but handled in a professional ..dignified manner

 

[Kiomon]

Dude this story is crazy! That’s a pretty bad experience. Personally, I think you have a right to be frustrated. Sometimes I feel like there is a “Cult” of Tesla, that gets upset when people aren’t happy with Tesla. You have the right to expect more. I get Tesla is young, but they can do better with the QA stuff. I have had cars from the 20k range to the 300k+ range, and I wouldn’t be happy with this on any of them. I have never heard of a new ICE vehicle whose engine locked up 20 miles from delivery? I have followed the enthusiast boards for all the cars i’ve owned, and I have never heard of it happening.

But hey, getting $1000 of free stuff is awesome. But I bet you’d rather have a reliable new car you’re entitled to a pity party

 

[T34ME]

Come on. Why is it that every time someone is upset with Tesla, everyone jumps down their throat.

I think the problem might be frustration by long time members here who see people sign up on that day and see a first time post with perhaps unrealistic expectations on the part of the poster (like the OP). There are so many short sellers who want to see Tesla fail and paid trolls by the oil industry or competing automakers (I'm not accusing the OP of being either one) that it promotes distrust and skepticism in first time posters with a complaint on the part of regular members here. Had the OP been a long time member on TMC, s/he would have known about the issues with Tesla and the appropriate measures to deal with them. They have been discussed over and over on here for years. I don't understand why every time a member here is skeptical about a post, relatively new posters jump down their throat, or maybe I do understand.

 

[Shizzrock]

#teslaq

 

[C141medic]

I have never heard of a new ICE vehicle whose engine locked up 20 miles from delivery?

I hear what you’re saying. However, I’m sure this has happened to many other vehicles whether they’re ICE or EV. Can one generalize that some M3’s have had drive unit issues? Yes , based on the posts in these forums, but don’t think anyone other than Tesla knows if this is a widespread issue or not. Would I be frustrated if this happened to me? Absolutely, but what I think is more important is how Tesla handles the issue and provides a prompt resolution.

 

[amped19]

In response to those thinking I might be a short seller or troll please see attached pic of my car being loaded onto the roadside recovery truck. I've owned Tesla shares for a number of years (yes, I know, a short seller would also say that) but enough said in response to those implying that. I am ok with the compensation Ive received just venting my frustration re the delivery!

 

[ksb467]

Hope this is just a bump in the long road for you and this car. I’d be annoyed too. Assuming they handle your concerns reasonably and fix that problem in 1 try I’d try to move on. Enjoy the car. I’ve loved mine these first couple weeks and highly recommend it to anyone interested . This car is the future, so I’m glad I get to use one now, and go along for the ride as it evolves with new features. Yes, I have a couple minor finish issues I am allowing a couple more weeks for anything else to emerge before taking in. But it’s nothing I wouldn’t expect from any new car. Best of luck.

 

[MXWing]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. My previous car, a 2016 Model X, had a failed falcon door when I drove the car outside to the street so I could load my stuff (it broke the quarter glass trim as the door opened and scratched something off the door). They immediately took the car back, had me waited for hours for a beat up, smelly Model S loaner that someone just traded in. I was supposed to go to Disneyland the next day and I needed my 7 seats Model X. Luckily the Model S had the jump seats.

I did not get my brand new car until 3-4 days later. They drove the car back to me and picked up the loaner.

What did I get for all these troubles? Nothing other than 50 miles on the odometer. This was a $100k Model X.

Fast forward to 2018. I went to pick up my new Model X at the same location. I once again moved the car to a nearby lot so I could transfer my stuff. Guess what I discovered? A big screw in my brand new tire. Seriously? Text'ed the DS with picture and he called me immediately. Asked the tech to come over and said they might not be able to get it fixed for an hour so he was going to arrange a loaner for me. I was like... fk not again! As we hauled all the sh*ts inside the delivery center (3 car seats etc.) and waited for the loaner, the DS came telling me they were able to get the tire replaced immediately so no loaner needed. We probably wasted another good 40min if not more there, with 3 kids 1 being an infant.

What did I get this time for all the troubles and delays? Nothing.

Based on my experience and reading on TMC, they've really gone very far to take care of you with those freebies. No offense but I would be happy with all the freebies instead of "talking to friends in the media".

@outie has been beat up by Tesla way more than the average owner so I'd take his input seriously.

Few people are willing to switch brands despite all the hassles. Still a completely unique ownership and OP was pretty well taken care of.

 

[P85_DA]

@outie has been beat up by Tesla way more .

....and still is