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

[berman2921]

Uneven gaps are very typical on the cars I have seen, it would have to jump out at me to reject but combined with the rubber thing, maybe you just started to get a bad feeling like I did that maybe the whole car is on the wrong side of the Tesla quality variance which seems higher than other brands based on reports and initial quality surveys. You have to wonder how much is lack of execution during busy and pandemic times and how much is just calculated to max throughput since many people will accept. On other hand the number of posts in the waiting rooms is much higher than the gripes we are making here so thats a good sign.

The SA mentioned he would be bothered too to look daily at the front of the car and see right side having virtually no gap while the left side's gap is probbaly~5mm

 

[al36]

The SA mentioned he would be bothered too to look daily at the front of the car and see right side having virtually no gap while the left side's gap is probbaly~5mm

sounds like you did the right thing

 

[heavyD]

I only examined the exterior. The frunk gaps on the left and right were different and so were the gaps between the front doors and front fenders. The little rubber piece between the front window and frunk on the left was just laying there. Probably a very easy fix but it's just appalling QC to present the car with this defect for the delivery

You are assuming they perform QC on all their vehicles? Most Tesla buyers don't care about build quality which has enabled Tesla to get away with shoddy build quality. The people posting here are the minority that actually care about build quality. It's not right that Tesla ships cars out like this but they know if the odd person refuses delivery that there will be dozens of people that will gladly take that vehicle and there's very little incentive to correct the issues.

 

[Bigsakius]

I am about to refuse my delivery, went to check out my M3P and the trunk lid was all scratched up and one of the wheels was missing a chunk of metal due to hitting something. I didn;t check anything else. SA will call me on Monday to confirm.

 

[al36]

You are assuming they perform QC on all their vehicles? Most Tesla buyers don't care about build quality which has enabled Tesla to get away with shoddy build quality. The people posting here are the minority that actually care about build quality. It's not right that Tesla ships cars out like this but they know if the odd person refuses delivery that there will be dozens of people that will gladly take that vehicle and there's very little incentive to correct the issues.

Some might care but not have luxury of delaying new car due to trade in, financing etc. For now Tesla seems to be putting all there eggs into having a superior design or FSD vs brand quality. Risky if the other brands catch up.

 

[Keninblaine]

FWIW, I picked up my M3LR today. I was elated to find no QC problems, despite being pretty discerning about QC. Gaps all looked good, no paint damage, no scratches, and everything appeared functional. On top of that, the staff were all friendly and accommodating, and because I arrived early, offered to unlock the car so I could sit in it and check it out while waiting for an advisor. The delivery process was essentially a breeze.

 

[berman2921]

FWIW, I picked up my M3LR today. I was elated to find no QC problems, despite being pretty discerning about QC. Gaps all looked good, no paint damage, no scratches, and everything appeared functional. On top of that, the staff were all friendly and accommodating, and because I arrived early, offered to unlock the car so I could sit in it and check it out while waiting for an advisor. The delivery process was essentially a breeze.

Congrats! In my case the SA was also very friendly and knowledgeable. He immediately agreed with my decision to not accept the car due to very unseemly uneven frunk gaps. However, he was reluctant in the beginning to let me examine the interior before I signed off for the delivery. It didn't matter in the end though as I rejected the car. Interesting that my EDD is still showing January 28-31

 

[Michaelkelly5]

This is my first time posting…I like the community/site as i found it very helpful for 1st time buyer.


I ordered my Red M3LR on 12/9…quite a few changes in delivery date but finally locked-in on 12/31.

I was really excited to take delivery but had done a lot of research about delivery checklists. Upon delivery inspection, we found the following issues

• 5 noticeable scratches in the paint 3“ to 4” in length…these were not deep and probably could be buffed out easily
• a 3” horizontal scratch in the windshield
• a piece of insulation in the interior vent loose and flapping when fan was turned on

The first issue with the scratches were not a deal breaker, but I did pay a premium for the red paint and was rather disapppointed in finding 5 scratches. The other two, especially the windshield was the deal breaker. Their only solution was to replace the windshield and pull apart the dash. At that point I said “No, I will not accept delivery of this car”. There was a bit of sales pressure from them “well, inventory is low, and we don’t know when we can get you one” And I simply said that I will wait. It was SOoooo hard to say no - I was like a kid with a toy but, after taking a breath, it was absolutely the right thing to do.

They were not complete jerks because they understood the issue with replacing a windshield and tearing apart the dash meant it will never be factory quality again. In the end, they put me in a mysterious priority list. My delivery window is now Jan 23 - Feb 23.

I am rather surprised at the lack of quality control…We shall see what happens next.

Also, one other thing to comment on…did anyone find the way in which Tesla communicates with you to be frustrating? Talking to a live person between order and delivery was next to impossible. Emails and texts would go unanswered and it felt like they were never proactive enough with communications. Are my expectations too high? I mean, this is a $50,000+ transaction here, shouldn’t they be a bit more on top of their customer satisfaction? (But then again, i just saw a bunch of news reports that Tesla crushed-it in terms of new car deliveries in 2021…maybe they are just swamped).

Here is an update…so my delivery date has shifted twice. My best guess is that they focus on managing new deliveries in a two week window.

My communication with Tesla continues to frustrate me. I have asked about coordinating delivery in advance because of my travel schedule and I get no response. I know when I need to travel and I don’t want to “lose” my car because I am out of town and can’t take delivery.

Tesla MUST know something about what cars are expected to arrive at which dealerships when…but they seem to be intentionally ignoring my email and request for information. It’s just so frustrating. In a world we’re 1:1 communication is so possible, they refuse to invest in supporting customers. My only solice is that I have only put down $250.

Maybe I will get a VIN in the next 2 weeks…maybe not

 

[Michaelkelly5]

FWIW, I picked up my M3LR today. I was elated to find no QC problems, despite being pretty discerning about QC. Gaps all looked good, no paint damage, no scratches, and everything appeared functional. On top of that, the staff were all friendly and accommodating, and because I arrived early, offered to unlock the car so I could sit in it and check it out while waiting for an advisor. The delivery process was essentially a breeze.

Congrats. I completely agree with you that the people are great once you get in person. However in my experience during the period between order and actual delivery, Tesla’s communication is absolutely terrible. (And with just a little bit of investment, they could be superstars…)

Great to hear about the QC

 

[CreoUCLA]

My 2022 M3P was (home) delivered to me last Friday. So far I have found the following issues;

1. The passenger side lower black trim piece underneath the side mirror was not snapped together all the way and it was causing a whistling noise while driving. I was able to snap the pieces together pretty easily, and the driver's side mirror was fine.

2. The lower/back part of the driver side rear door was not flush with the lower rocker panel (the door was recessed from the edge). I repositioned the door striker outwards by a few mm and it seems to have fixed it by 65%-70%. The rest of the door was fairly aligned, so I'm thinking it must be a stamping issue with this door as I parked next to some older Model 3s today and I saw the same issue to varying degrees. It's at the point that I can live with it, as I think further adjustments will throw other parts of the door out of alignment. The passenger side rear door is flush/fine.

3. Some other exterior trim/panel alignment issues (as I was expecting), but nothing too egregious.

Overall the car was about as I expected after seeing friend's M3s or other Teslas parked around our neighborhood.

 

[Michaelkelly5]

Here is an update…so my delivery date has shifted twice. My best guess is that they focus on managing new deliveries in a two week window.

My communication with Tesla continues to frustrate me. I have asked about coordinating delivery in advance because of my travel schedule and I get no response. I know when I need to travel and I don’t want to “lose” my car because I am out of town and can’t take delivery.

Tesla MUST know something about what cars are expected to arrive at which dealerships when…but they seem to be intentionally ignoring my email and request for information. It’s just so frustrating. In a world we’re 1:1 communication is so possible, they refuse to invest in supporting customers. My only solice is that I have only put down $250.

Maybe I will get a VIN in the next 2 weeks…maybe not

I got my VIN today. Rather nervous about delivery…

 

[heavyD]

I got my VIN today. Rather nervous about delivery…

Why? It should be an exciting time. I will never be an apologist for any brand as it's clear Tesla still has issues but odds are you will get one that's acceptable as long as you don't bring a gapper and measure all the panel gaps. Lots of people seem to be pretty happy so there's a good chance you will be too. I'm very anal about these things but if I order one I'm probably going to relax my expectations a bit as long as the doors/major panels are aligned decently and the paint is good I will probably accept it. If you are going to be stringent, expecting the car to be flawless this probably isn't the car for you. I will likely place my order at a time where the estimated delivery (Model 3P deliveries in Canada seem to be fairly consistent in projection) is in the first or 2nd month of a quarter in hopes of avoiding a quarter end delivery to minimize the chances of getting a car rushed out the door at the last minute to appease the bean counters.

 

[Michaelkelly5]

Great points thanks for sharing

 

[lUtriaNt]

My 2022 M3P was (home) delivered to me last Friday. So far I have found the following issues;

1. The passenger side lower black trim piece underneath the side mirror was not snapped together all the way and it was causing a whistling noise while driving. I was able to snap the pieces together pretty easily, and the driver's side mirror was fine.

saw someone post this exact same issue/fix either on this forum or reddit in the last few days. happy to hear it was a simple fix.

I got my VIN today. Rather nervous about delivery…

dont be. tesla have low scores when it comes to SAs and their lack of communication -- sure-- and thats unfortunate. i had to go through that with my first tesla back in 3/2020 -- it did not take away the allure and excitement on the day i got to pick it up. you've a vin and im sure your delivery will meet or exceed your expectations.

if you hang around these type of threads a lot you will start to get confirmation bias about having to expect the car is going to have issues, gaps, etc. my first car had no such issues and i expect the one i ordered now to be the same.

 

[Keninblaine]

After my successful delivery on Saturday I drove 100 miles back home (after sunset) with no apparent issues other than the cameras weren't calibrated yet. On Sunday, after removing aero covers and installing mud guards I took the car for a short drive and immediately noticed air whistling from around the top rear corner of my driver window. When a car would go by in the other direction it sounded like the window was ajar. After returning home I looked closely and found the rear top of that window was out about 1/4" from the top of the B pillar trim, whereas the passenger side window was pretty even with the trim. A quick search on this forum provided a video showing how to adjust the window angle to pull it in at the top. I'm a pretty experience DIY type and decided I'd try the adjustment myself rather than wait likely 2 weeks for a service appointment and face a 100 mile drive in each direction for Tesla to fix it. It required pulling the door panel to access the adustment screw at the bottom of the rear window track. By adjusting it to push the track out, it pulled the top in. Took a couple of trial and errors to find the correct amount of adjustment but got it done in less than an hour, and the noise completely disappeared. I have no idea why it showed up the day after my delivery. So far I'm impressed with the ease of dealing with some of these types of repairs/adjustments. And I'm loving the car more each day despite not downloading the acceleration boost software yet. To be honest it doesn't need the boost, but.....you can never have too much power, right?

 

[al36]

Went to pickup the new m3 LR AWD today. Roof was misaligned to the point where I couldn't accept car since I could see thru a gap in weatherstripping to metal underneath. The roof glass was off center to the windshield and a bit crooked as well. They said within spec and water tight but since I want to put on a roof rack I decided to take a chance that another car would come out better. I checked other roofs on lot and they are typically off center a bit but all the other cars were acceptable looking to me. I'm attaching a pic of the roof, where you can see weatherstrip doesn't cover gap. Any feedback appreciated, since not sure if I'm being overly picky, I'm willing to accept small cosmetic issues and make some allowance for Tesla QC standards.

Frunk was badly misaligned which they fixed, and the rear taillight was also sticking out which they didn't fix.

Panel gaps were ok, if you want to look closely not perfect but not anything I would normally notice or care about.

Also white smudge of caulking or something inside rear window which they removed. I never accepted car in the app or opened car so easy enough to walk away. I hope next one goes better for me. Other than some waiting around the tesla employees were ok and reasonable to deal with.

I noticed all the sales demo cars are pretty straight in comparison, why can't this same standard apply to all the cars they produce? Nonetheless looking forward to driving a new tesla!

Update: took delivery of replacement car today in Fremont VIN 168xxx and it was acceptable and drives great. A very fast replacement. A few glitches in the delivery software/system caused by replacement but no big deal. I couldn't help notice one obvious gap where rear glass meets trunk on left side, but wife never noticed it so I let it go since it isn't something that can be adjusted (glass placement) and doesn't seem to have any functional impact. Unfortunately now I have panel eyes, thanks for that tesla. Interior was perfect. Overall pretty happy if car turns out reliable.

 

[RG129]

I took delivery of my LR today. Was prepared to look for all the panel gaps and nothing I noticed was horrible (but wasn't perfect). One thing I did notice that I haven't seen anybody talk about is that my front passenger seatbelt anchor extends much farther than the driver's seatbelt. The driver's seatbelt only has about an inch of this cable protruding. I yanked on the passenger anchor and it seems secure...just looks a little weird. I noted it in my initial service appointment to address the issues, wondering if they'll consider this within spec.

 

[BigNick]

I took delivery of my LR today. Was prepared to look for all the panel gaps and nothing I noticed was horrible (but wasn't perfect). One thing I did notice that I haven't seen anybody talk about is that my front passenger seatbelt anchor extends much farther than the driver's seatbelt. The driver's seatbelt only has about an inch of this cable protruding. I yanked on the passenger anchor and it seems secure...just looks a little weird. I noted it in my initial service appointment to address the issues, wondering if they'll consider this within spec.

View attachment 763786

Get that fixed at an SC. There is no force you can put on it with your hands to test it that will even come close to the force of a human body being restrained in a frontal collision. Unless you turn green when you're angry.

 

[enemji]

After my successful delivery on Saturday I drove 100 miles back home (after sunset) with no apparent issues other than the cameras weren't calibrated yet. On Sunday, after removing aero covers and installing mud guards I took the car for a short drive and immediately noticed air whistling from around the top rear corner of my driver window. When a car would go by in the other direction it sounded like the window was ajar. After returning home I looked closely and found the rear top of that window was out about 1/4" from the top of the B pillar trim, whereas the passenger side window was pretty even with the trim. A quick search on this forum provided a video showing how to adjust the window angle to pull it in at the top. I'm a pretty experience DIY type and decided I'd try the adjustment myself rather than wait likely 2 weeks for a service appointment and face a 100 mile drive in each direction for Tesla to fix it. It required pulling the door panel to access the adustment screw at the bottom of the rear window track. By adjusting it to push the track out, it pulled the top in. Took a couple of trial and errors to find the correct amount of adjustment but got it done in less than an hour, and the noise completely disappeared. I have no idea why it showed up the day after my delivery. So far I'm impressed with the ease of dealing with some of these types of repairs/adjustments. And I'm loving the car more each day despite not downloading the acceleration boost software yet. To be honest it doesn't need the boost, but.....you can never have too much power, right?

Elon Musk grew up working/playing with bmw e39/e46 cars which were and still are on the roads after 20+ years. The primary reason: They are easy to break and easy to fix. Every thing is very modular including the radio system.

 

[heavyD]

I took delivery of my LR today. Was prepared to look for all the panel gaps and nothing I noticed was horrible (but wasn't perfect). One thing I did notice that I haven't seen anybody talk about is that my front passenger seatbelt anchor extends much farther than the driver's seatbelt. The driver's seatbelt only has about an inch of this cable protruding. I yanked on the passenger anchor and it seems secure...just looks a little weird. I noted it in my initial service appointment to address the issues, wondering if they'll consider this within spec.

View attachment 763786

While it may be secured it appears it may be secured to an incorrect point. As said above you best get that checked.