Disappointing service center policy (or non-policy) for Roadster owners...

[Mark77a]

^ Balanced & Well said ^

 

[Chickenlittle]

what i dont understand is why someone buys a totaled car without exploring whether it can be fixed? ROADSTER out for more than 8 years, this was not a new policy. before i would buy an expensive toy would look into whether it can be repaired. glad they will work with you on the car but this should be a learning experience to you

 

[spaceballs]

what i dont understand is why someone buys a totaled car without exploring whether it can be fixed? ...

Some people look at phones, computers, or even cars as throw away devices when they break. People who like to fix things with the knowledge and skills likely would have explored their options when buying it. Also car seems to be working fine i.e. in ElectricLove first post in this thread.

... rebuilding the front end was relatively easy and the vehicle has been reliable for the last few thousand miles after putting it back into service. I had it inspected by the state DMV who found it to meet the rules for NHTSA and road worthy. They allowed me to register it, license, etc. ...

 

[ElectricLove]

Some people look at phones, computers, or even cars as throw away devices when they break. People who like to fix things with the knowledge and skills likely would have explored their options when buying it. Also car seems to be working fine i.e. in ElectricLove first post in this thread.

The car is working fine, I'm not in a "what did I get myself into?" situation, I have a working vehicle which I utilize as my daily driver. However, for continued support, this is an issue.

Tesla did not have a policy in place for the Roadster, this is a new policy, the service manager told me that he has turned away two other Roadsters in the past and called them "backyard mechanic" jobs, he turned them away without doing an inspection or being clear as to what needed to be inspected/fixed.

My issue at this point is that Tesla isn't being upfront with me, I reviewed their Model S inspection paperwork and it is specific to looking at all of the frame of the vehicle and the battery pack (for creases/dents broken-welds, etc); nothing at all about body-panels (non-frame panels like all of our Roadster ones), nothing about headlights, hood hinges, doors, etc... But, the service manager told me that my car would fail because of those types of things not being Tesla-OEM, he told me that they won't work on cars that have non Tesla-OEM wheels on them, modified headlights, modified suspension, non-OEM tires, etc are all grounds for denial of service (according to this manager); which is pretty scary as a policy (whether they enforce it or not), especially when Tesla will be sold by the 100,000 units per year in just a few years...

 

[davewill]

... nothing about headlights, hood hinges, doors, etc... But, the service manager told me that my car would fail because of those types of things not being Tesla-OEM, he told me that they won't work on cars that have non Tesla-OEM wheels on them, modified headlights, modified suspension, non-OEM tires, etc are all grounds for denial of service (according to this manager); which is pretty scary as a policy (whether they enforce it or not), especially when Tesla will be sold by the 100,000 units per year in just a few years...

Ok, I now think this individual service manager is just talking out the wrong orifice. Non-OEM tires?!?!?

 

[Mark77a]

I'd take a completely different tack, and try another SC find someone there you can talk to, human to human.

 

[hcsharp]

what i dont understand is why someone buys a totaled car without exploring whether it can be fixed?

I suggest you read the whole thread. He did explore whether it could be fixed, and he fixed it.

ROADSTER out for more than 8 years, this was not a new policy....

Actually it is a new policy. Previously they had no policy at all.

before i would buy an expensive toy would look into whether it can be repaired.

He did. And he repaired it. And had it inspected for safety.

I agree with Tesla's policy that a heavily damaged vehicle needs to be inspected by Tesla before it's determined to be safe. These are potentially dangerous vehicles in the wrong hands. But that's not what the OP is complaining about. I don't blame him for wanting a description of what's going to be done if they're asking him to pay $1,200 or 2,700 for the work.

 

[dhrivnak]

I agree as I am on OP's side. Tesla is making things doubly hard by not releasing the repair manuals like most other manufacturers. Pleas Tesla either inspect and maintain the cars or let us do it.

 

[Chickenlittle]

I suggest you read the whole thread. He did explore whether it could be fixed, and he fixed it.


Actually it is a new policy. Previously they had no policy at all.


He did. And he repaired it. And had it inspected for safety.

I agree with Tesla's policy that a heavily damaged vehicle needs to be inspected by Tesla before it's determined to be safe. These are potentially dangerous vehicles in the wrong hands. But that's not what the OP is complaining about. I don't blame him for wanting a description of what's going to be done if they're asking him to pay $1,200 or 2,700 for the work.

Search the site under salvage title and you will find numerous posts about refusal to service cars with salvage title and refusing to supply parts for these cars

 

[JRP3]

Tesla is not 'making it difficult', it is inherently difficult to grow a new different disruptive business against the odds, keep serving customers and keep developing and learning how best to do that and keep the business a going concern.

They should have had a policy in place before they even sold their first Roadster. They want to be a "better" company, they need to start by at least being as good as existing companies. A growing reputation for difficulty in servicing out of warranty vehicles will hurt resale values, increase insurance costs, and ultimately hurt new vehicle sales. Come on Tesla, be better.

 

[hcsharp]

Search the site under salvage title and you will find numerous posts about refusal to service cars with salvage title and refusing to supply parts for these cars

I'm sorry but that has not been the case with the Roadster. You are thinking of the Model S but this is a Roadster thread and you were talking about the Roadster (you typed Roadster in all caps). Tesla has had a different policy for each. In fact there was another owner who rebuilt a salvaged Roadster a few years ago. He ended up driving it almost daily and Tesla serviced it for him and presumably still is. He repaired the frame and bought parts from Tesla.

 

[Auzie]

They should have had a policy in place before they even sold their first Roadster. They want to be a "better" company, they need to start by at least being as good as existing companies. A growing reputation for difficulty in servicing out of warranty vehicles will hurt resale values, increase insurance costs, and ultimately hurt new vehicle sales. Come on Tesla, be better.

To be able to develop a good policy, they need to have a good understanding of their business, in this case dealing with salvage titles. There are so many unknowns in that area, and consequences can be severe, both from the perspective of safety and economics.

I am not surprised a bit that they are not there yet, but I also have no doubts that one day they will have some sort of policy, then another day a bit better policy, and so on.

I think they are already a better company by having a better product, all other details will be eventually sorted out. Salvage titles most likely are not on the top of priority list, they have to make sure there is a sustainable business first and then develop policies for everything, train people in these policies etc etc.

 

[stopcrazypp]

They should have had a policy in place before they even sold their first Roadster. They want to be a "better" company, they need to start by at least being as good as existing companies. A growing reputation for difficulty in servicing out of warranty vehicles will hurt resale values, increase insurance costs, and ultimately hurt new vehicle sales. Come on Tesla, be better.

However, this is not a simple out of warranty vehicle, it's a salvage vehicle. And as I put it before, the general public largely don't care about the plight of people trying to restore a salvage vehicle and it's largely irrelevant to resale value because it has been written off already.