Delivery / Service Issues (panel gaps, delivery delays / issues / Service problems etc)

[Acejam]

I arrived at the Dedham, MA location today to pick up my M3P in MSM. Unfortunately, I had to reject the car. The following items were noticeable:

- Left rear door had a scratch in the clear coat.
- Left rear quarter panel had a non-correctable paint chip/defect under the clear.
- Front left mirror molding had excess glue/adhesive showing.
- Front right mirror molding didn't have enough glue/adhesive and was visibly loose/sticking out.
- Front right wheel had a noticeable chip and lots of white stains, almost as if brake fluid was spilled on the wheel.
- Rear bumper had a clearly visible compounding/sanding mark. However the edge of the bumper was a bit burned from someone not correcting it properly.
- Loose molding in-between doors on the right side.
- Rear tail lights were not aligned and sticking out quite a bit, especially the left/charging side.

Interestingly enough, the front headlights were flush, and the frunk/trunk/doors were mostly aligned well. These were actually the things I was worried about going in.

My original order was placed on 8/30. I asked to keep the order, but to reject this delivery/VIN.

 

[MightySanDiego]

How are we feeling about EOQ pushes these days? I received a model 3 VIN last night and thinking I'm just going to tell them no thanks until October or later, even if it means not getting a car for a while.

My opinion: the risk of pushing to October is that you will be offered the EOQ rejected deliveries

 

[Tigers]

My opinion: the risk of pushing to October is that you will be offered the EOQ rejected deliveries

I pushed but I'll probably try and push until November lol.

 

[SanCarlosJeff]

I arrived at the Dedham, MA location today to pick up my M3P in MSM. Unfortunately, I had to reject the car. The following items were noticeable:

- Left rear door had a scratch in the clear coat.
- Left rear quarter panel had a non-correctable paint chip/defect under the clear.
- Front left mirror molding had excess glue/adhesive showing.
- Front right mirror molding didn't have enough glue/adhesive and was visibly loose/sticking out.
- Front right wheel had a noticeable chip and lots of white stains, almost as if brake fluid was spilled on the wheel.
- Rear bumper had a clearly visible compounding/sanding mark. However the edge of the bumper was a bit burned from someone not correcting it properly.
- Loose molding in-between doors on the right side.
- Rear tail lights were not aligned and sticking out quite a bit, especially the left/charging side.

Interestingly enough, the front headlights were flush, and the frunk/trunk/doors were mostly aligned well. These were actually the things I was worried about going in.

My original order was placed on 8/30. I asked to keep the order, but to reject this delivery/VIN.

In the company where I work the service/repair org is autonomous from the production org. If production was knowingly shipping defective products, thus impacting service, then heads would roll. Tesla obviously isn't set up this way, but I'm starting to think they should be.

 

[B401]

I arrived at the Dedham, MA location today to pick up my M3P in MSM. Unfortunately, I had to reject the car. The following items were noticeable:

- Left rear door had a scratch in the clear coat.
- Left rear quarter panel had a non-correctable paint chip/defect under the clear.
- Front left mirror molding had excess glue/adhesive showing.
- Front right mirror molding didn't have enough glue/adhesive and was visibly loose/sticking out.
- Front right wheel had a noticeable chip and lots of white stains, almost as if brake fluid was spilled on the wheel.
- Rear bumper had a clearly visible compounding/sanding mark. However the edge of the bumper was a bit burned from someone not correcting it properly.
- Loose molding in-between doors on the right side.
- Rear tail lights were not aligned and sticking out quite a bit, especially the left/charging side.

Interestingly enough, the front headlights were flush, and the frunk/trunk/doors were mostly aligned well. These were actually the things I was worried about going in.

My original order was placed on 8/30. I asked to keep the order, but to reject this delivery/VIN.

I hate seeing this Shty QC STILL

 

[florin_m]

I picked my car on 25th June 2021,
On 26th I noticed lots of rattle noises inside the car that when I did a test drive never had them( I moved from 2 years old 7 series bmw to tesla). Contacted tesla and they said they never find any faults and noise are under the allowed limit. Since due to my work I travel a lot abroad, not had a chance to drive the car to much, back home in uk started driving again, noise absolutely irritating coming from both sides of the car where the seatbelts are. Sent audio recording to Tesla, now they sent me a estimated repair bill I need to approve before come to repair!!! Why?? Car brand new faulty from day one, why do I have to pay for repair? Did anyone else had same experience?

 

[Ken_Y]

Point out to them the communication you had with them on the 26th. It should be considered reported within the first 3 days of ownership. I hope UK warranty is similar to what we have here in the US?

 

[stopcrazypp]

If you reported the issue(s) shortly after delivery, you can point out where you did and they should fix it. I think however you need to be a lot more specific about where they are coming from however.

If it's months and many hundred or thousands of miles later, they may deny it's a warranty issue, as some noises can be from debris people leave in the car (I remember in one thread it was found to be so).

 

[RSpanner]

I suppose I was one of the lucky ones. M3 AWD LR, everything looks great. Got it on Sept 4 of this year and with a trained eye looked it over. Exterior and interior nice. The ONLY thing not quite right...the drivers door has to be closed with more force than it should, all others close and lock fine.
Drives straight and smooth, but I do hear a slight noise on the interior..some rattle maybe. ( not loose change, that is spent )
Will have the Tesla on site person readjust the door at some point. ( maybe I spoke too soon,who knows)

 

[florin_m]

Checked the warranty doc and seems what is excluded is :
• General appearance or normal noises and vibrations, including, but not limited to, brake
squeal, general knocks, creaks, rattles, and wind and road vibration for which there are no
malfunctioning parts requiring replacement;

But they want to charge me for replacement of the UPPER B-PILLAR, ASY, PREMIUM, LH (1086245-01-J) and UPPER B-PILLAR, ASY, PREMIUM, RH (1086255-01-J), so obviously faulty parts, so shouldn't this be covered?

 

[RayK]

Here in the US, it's fairly common for Tesla Service to issue an invoice with a stated amount of money it may cost you to fix the problem, even if it ends up being covered by the bumper-to-bumper warranty. Have you tried to contact them and discuss the issue?

 

[stopcrazypp]

Checked the warranty doc and seems what is excluded is :
• General appearance or normal noises and vibrations, including, but not limited to, brake
squeal, general knocks, creaks, rattles, and wind and road vibration for which there are no
malfunctioning parts requiring replacement;

But they want to charge me for replacement of the UPPER B-PILLAR, ASY, PREMIUM, LH (1086245-01-J) and UPPER B-PILLAR, ASY, PREMIUM, RH (1086255-01-J), so obviously faulty parts, so shouldn't this be covered?

From google, that seems to be the two pillar covers where the seat belt come out. Perhaps they suspect there are thing inside the pillar and they might have to replace the two after taking them off?

Anyways, I would ask them why they are replacing those.

 

[holeydonut]

Lol that guy from Reno's thread about his "disappointment" in how Tesla handles delivery today vs when he got his first Model S was a hoot.

But for anyone reading this thread, it's probably useful to learn that Tesla is pretty harsh on delivery compared to normal automakers. If you're reading this thread in anticipation of getting your first Tesla, set your expectations accordingly.

When our car was delivered at our home, my wife was the one taking delivery. As the delivery person was backing up the car onto our driveway, the plastic skirt under the rear bumper was hanging off and scraping the ground. She's like "wtf???" We asked the delivery person about it, but they said their job was to get the car to this destination. She put a pack of stuff in the car and left without explaining anything to my wife. Somehow when that person riding away from our house, the new Model 3 immediately locked so we couldn't even get the key cards.

So at this point, imagine a "normal" customer ... they would not be having a good time. Shiny new red Performance 3 with plastic bits hanging off the rear bumper, and no way to get inside. I don't know what Tesla's thinking, but normal people would not be expecting this. But ya'll are reading TMC so you can be informed that this is Tesla-normal.

Luckily, I had been reading TMC for months and knew exactly what was going on. I pushed the plastic back in place and used the thumbscrews to tighten it back up. While we were locked out of the car, we did a panel gap and paint check and all that jazz (we didn't find anything amiss). After a few minutes, we both re-installed the Tesla app on our iPhones. Upon logging in, the app now showed both our Powerwalls and a new red Tesla. We used the phone to unlock the car, and Mrs Holeydonut was back to being happy doing a test drive and stuff.

Thank goodness for TMC and shared experience here. But I can't imagine how much this experience would have sucked without TMC giving us advance warning of all the wacky stuff that happens during delivery.

 

[ss71]

Lol that guy from Reno's thread about his "disappointment" in how Tesla handles delivery today vs when he got his first Model S was a hoot.

But for anyone reading this thread, it's probably useful to learn that Tesla is pretty harsh on delivery compared to normal automakers. If you're reading this thread in anticipation of getting your first Tesla, set your expectations accordingly.

When our car was delivered at our home, my wife was the one taking delivery. As the delivery person was backing up the car onto our driveway, the plastic skirt under the rear bumper was hanging off and scraping the ground. She's like "wtf???" We asked the delivery person about it, but they said their job was to get the car to this destination. She put a pack of stuff in the car and left without explaining anything to my wife. Somehow when that person riding away from our house, the new Model 3 immediately locked so we couldn't even get the key cards.

So at this point, imagine a "normal" customer ... they would not be having a good time. Shiny new red Performance 3 with plastic bits hanging off the rear bumper, and no way to get inside. I don't know what Tesla's thinking, but normal people would not be expecting this. But ya'll are reading TMC so you can be informed that this is Tesla-normal.

Luckily, I had been reading TMC for months and knew exactly what was going on. I pushed the plastic back in place and used the thumbscrews to tighten it back up. While we were locked out of the car, we did a panel gap and paint check and all that jazz (we didn't find anything amiss). After a few minutes, we both re-installed the Tesla app on our iPhones. Upon logging in, the app now showed both our Powerwalls and a new red Tesla. We used the phone to unlock the car, and Mrs Holeydonut was back to being happy doing a test drive and stuff.

Thank goodness for TMC and shared experience here. But I can't imagine how much this experience would have sucked without TMC giving us advance warning of all the wacky stuff that happens during delivery.

This is such an important point. The “contactless” delivery at a sales center or at home delivery has some upsides but also often has absolutely unacceptable downsides. The randomness of it all can easily lead to a very poor customer experience. Reading this forum and being extra nerdy about it all had me fairly well prepared but I still felt in the weeds a bit when picking up my car. The potential experience for anyone not as well informed on what to expect could be horrendous.
Overall, it shows an incredible lack of sweating the details when it comes to the customer despite the clear attention to details required for some of the technological achievements of their cars. When people compare Tesla to Apple, I can only laugh. They are worlds apart.

 

[scoobybri]

When people compare Tesla to Apple, I can only laugh. They are worlds apart.

Apple has the panache of high tech and quality which they deliver in spades...and this is coming from a PC and Android guy. Tesla has the panache of high tech and status while falling flat on quality. You would never expect to get a new iPhone with the back panel falling off, the screen askew, and the glass foggy. That would NEVER happen because there are high quality alternatives from Samsung, Google, etc. But buy a Tesla and you get, honestly, half ass build quality. Up until very recently, Tesla has has no viable competitors in the market.A year from now, there are going to be some serious alternatives to the M3, MY with Japanese, Korean, and European premium brand build quality. I guarantee the EV6 and Ionic 5 are going to be rolling off the assembly lines with tight quality control and excellent build quality. If Tesla doesn't pick up their game soon, there is going to be a reckoning on the horizon as 300 mile range quality EVs become commonplace and the DCFC charging networks start building out.

 

[Jeremy3292]

Since I am driving all the way to Charlotte (3.5 hrs round trip) for a service appt next week, I went ahead and just put everything I could think of down:

1. New card keys, warped at delivery
2. Fix/reseat interior trim - rear trunk, front driver, rear passenger.
3. Fix recessed rear door handles
4. Wheel alignment, may be off from factory like I've read on this forum and I don't want uneven tire wear. Also it's free.
5. Fix/glue passenger mirror trim.
6. Check loose frunk trim, could be normal, unsure.
7. Check "slow" windows, could be normal, unsure.
8. Ensure no missing clips/pins/bolts. Found one missing in the rear wheel well and I fixed it myself but could be many others elsewhere I can't see.

Might as well just throw the kitchen sink at it...I don't want to go back ever! Mobile service can rotate my tires and change my filters in my driveway for hopefully my only needed future services!

Update: They didn’t fix anything above. Said it was all within spec. They did give me two new keys - that was it. Didn’t even put it on the alignment rack to check if it was within spec. They said they test drove it and it seemed fine. What kind of data point is that?!? I'm pretty pissed off as it was an entire waste of time to drive that far there and back. A simple all that looks within spec from all the pictures I uploaded and all the messages I sent to the service team would have sufficed. Take it from me folks don’t waste your time as Tesla doesn’t care. YMMV

 

[ss71]

Damn, that sucks particularly bad considering the distance the service center is from you. I’m at my 2nd service center appointment since I picked up my 3 not quite a month ago and so far they have taken care of all my concerns. Today it’s in for two trim issues and a subtle high pitched whine at a very specific speed. Not optimistic on the whine but the others should be fixed.
Related/unrelated: Audi is not immune to build quality issues either: TopGear e-tron build quality issues

 

[Jeremy3292]

Damn, that sucks particularly bad considering the distance the service center is from you. I’m at my 2nd service center appointment since I picked up my 3 not quite a month ago and so far they have taken care of all my concerns. Today it’s in for two trim issues and a subtle high pitched whine at a very specific speed. Not optimistic on the whine but the others should be fixed.
Related/unrelated: Audi is not immune to build quality issues either: TopGear e-tron build quality issues

The Charlotte service center is completely overloaded and overbooked also. It is the only one for miles in NC and SC. The new Knoxville service center should take the western NC Tesla's now but without a service center in South Carolina, Charlotte will always be overloaded.

I was actually ok with almost all of the "issues" described above, I was more so pissed that they told me they would fix it and then didn't. A colossal waste of time for all parties. They basically just took it back there and checked the boxes and then moved on. They didn't want to fix any of that stuff bc it would take a whole day to do it all, that's really the moral of the story here.

 

[RSpanner]

I suppose I was one of the lucky ones. M3 AWD LR, everything looks great. Got it on Sept 4 of this year and with a trained eye looked it over. Exterior and interior nice. The ONLY thing not quite right...the drivers door has to be closed with more force than it should, all others close and lock fine.
Drives straight and smooth, but I do hear a slight noise on the interior..some rattle maybe. ( not loose change, that is spent )
Will have the Tesla on site person readjust the door at some point. ( maybe I spoke too soon,who knows)

Well...after 18 days of ownership I have calmed down..and still love the car, but..as far as body panels..and glass gaps...I would say Tesla is just "average". Headlights are at slightly different heights about the body..about 1/8" difference. I would say 1/8 differences are in a number of areas...but I can live with it.
The Audi vehicles I had were better in fit. Still love the Tesla though.

 

[Ddelivera]

I just got a 2021 model 3. Anyone have an issue where the pillar is not flush with trunk? The pillar on the passenger side is about an eighth of an inch higher than where it meets the trunk, and the gap between the two is larger than on the driver side. Took it in for service and they said it was within specifications. Is there anyway to fix this?