DQOTD: Why Are There Always So Many Cars Just Sitting at Tesla Service Centers?

[Midpack]

I've been to the nearest Tesla SC about a half dozen times, and there are always about 150+ cars sitting double-triple parked all over the lot. Was there again earlier today, and it's the same. They didn't all just arrive either, as most were covered in pollen and dirt, hardly any clean cars. A few of them have a service tag hanging off the rear view mirror, but many other new and used Teslas, all models, sitting everywhere. You would think with orders exceeding production, there wouldn't be many new cars there. And if they're all in for service, that sounds like a red flag to me. I did see a couple with circles marked in the paint, presumably cars a buyer rejected, or the Tesla reps flagged before scheduling a delivery. Not that many people there today, and only one person seemed to be taking delivery. Just surprises me Tesla is always swamped with cars.

 

[RandyS]

I think there's a variety of reasons. It could be cars waiting for parts, it could be lease returns that they are going to go through and check out. It could be cars that need to be prepped for delivery (if they do that there), and it could also be cars that have appointments for service that they just haven't got to yet (that happens). An appointment doesn't necessarily mean your car gets right in for service...

 

[Midpack]

I think there's a variety of reasons. It could be cars waiting for parts, it could be lease returns that they are going to go through and check out. It could be cars that need to be prepped for delivery (if they do that there), and it could also be cars that have appointments for service that they just haven't got to yet (that happens). An appointment doesn't necessarily mean your car gets right in for service...

Not being obtuse, but what does that mean? If you have an appt, they might not service your car at the appointment day and time? That's unheard of for any other make/model I know of. If they don't have the parts, I would expect a contact to reschedule, not leaving the car.

 

[RandyS]

Here's what I think it means, but this is just my guess after being an owner for many years.

I don't think the folks that staff the service center and work on/manage car repairs are the same people that manage the app and the service appointment queue. There can be a disconnect between the timing and scheduling of appointments and the timing of when the repairs get completed (which allows them to work on the next car. Truthfully, you want to have a few cars on the property waiting in the queue so the techs can be kept busy if they finish early. You don't want techs waiting for cars to come in.

However, when they get behind, Tesla typically doesn't push back appointments because the previous 5 or 10 cars took longer to repair, for example. Could it be better? Sure. Is it frustrating? At times, yes. Sometimes in the past they haven't worked on my car until the next day after I dropped it off. Has it gotten better? At my service center, it has definitely gotten better over the past couple of years....I don't consider it an issue any more...

 

[thimel]

Not being obtuse, but what does that mean? If you have an appt, they might not service your car at the appointment day and time? That's unheard of for any other make/model I know of. If they don't have the parts, I would expect a contact to reschedule, not leaving the car.

At my last two appointments, my car sat for a full week with nothing being done on it. It was there for 2 weeks total. Needless to say, I was quite unhappy. Previously, I got my car back the day I dropped it off.

 

[Exelion]

Compared to traditional auto dealers, there's not enough Tesla service centers for the amount of Teslas on the road. When that happens, there's simply going to be a LOT more Teslas at a given service center at any time than auto dealership service center. Not only that, the service centers also double up as new car pickup centers, transportation hub drop offs, Supercharger sites, and even new/used car sales, all depending on the location (and size). So of course, you're going to see hundreds of Teslas. This doesn't necessarily translate to *Teslas just keep breaking down*, although most people would think that when they see a lot full of Teslas. We definitely need more centers, for sure.

 

[wwu123]

Not being obtuse, but what does that mean? If you have an appt, they might not service your car at the appointment day and time? That's unheard of for any other make/model I know of. If they don't have the parts, I would expect a contact to reschedule, not leaving the car.

Yes, the appointment time at my local Tesla SC is now just to drop off the car, no matter how small the job, it's only ready at the end of the day. Was different back in 2017-2018, then I could wait sometimes 1-2 hrs while they worked on it .

But was the same at the local BMW service center for the past decade. I could make the first appointment slot in the morning, but it'd just be me and others dropping off the cars, no one's waiting around. And no loaners left and no Uber credits. At least Tesla gave some Uber credits through 2021 or so.

It's what I like most about Tesla mobile service, you know they're going to get working as soon as they arrive....

EDIT: Recently I made a "service" appointment to order some parts for DIY install. Only the same morning I realized they wanted to perform the S hood latch recall. No way I was going to leave my car all day, just so they could inspect something that was probably not even busted...it was cool, the check-in guy was young but no mere lackey, he walked me and car through the recall test steps while I was still in the check-in queue, he knew from memory. It took him longer to go retrieve my parts than to do the recall check, and I was outta there as my car was fine ...