They’ve continually had 4 or 5 demo vehicles available, and no less than 3 sitting on the showroom floor. Last time I was in they had a M3LR, a MYP, and MYLR sitting on the floor.
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Existing Inventory Decreased Range Banner
- Thread starter Syaoran
- Start date
There is no way I'd take one of these cars. EV tech improves drastically so taking a 2022 car with 5 year old tech is a big no go.
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
By "new" I meant fresh from the factory. A demo car that has been thrashed for how many months by how many randos is only "new" in title. There's no expectation that a demo car would be new in any traditional sense (mileage, wear and tear, major repairs, etc.)
For example, major automakers give all of their executives unlimited free cars to thrash to their heart's content. Once the cars are worn out and the fat cats are ready for something new, they just dump it onto the nearest lot where it gets sold as a "new" demo despite having tens of thousands of miles on it and multiple collision repairs among other things.
There is very little difference between the technology in the early Model 3 packs compared to what's shipping right now. My early Panasonic pack charges faster than the new LG packs, even after the LG packs received a software update to increase charging speed. The newer ones have slightly higher capacity, but that's about it. Differences in longevity remain to be seen.
CapeOne
Active Member
The cars in question here are not necessarily ones that have been around for many months, been driven by lots of people, or for thousands of miles. Plenty are fresh/recent builds (Q4 21) with few miles.
Below are some examples:
New & Used Electric Cars | Tesla
Find new and used Tesla cars. Every new Tesla has a variety of configuration options and all pre-owned Tesla vehicles have passed the highest inspection standards.
www.tesla.com
Inventory | Tesla
Inventory | Tesla
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
True, my point was just that the "demo" label gives them the freedom to do a wide variety of things. It could be heavily used, severely damaged/repaired, or a brand new custom build with mismatched parts. All that matters is that it was never registered and still carries the full warranty.
I don't think the decreased range is due to degradation. This is the scenario that I think happened (some of which is already stated.) Tesla had some never used but older battery packs in stock for warranty replacements. These batteries don't last forever in storage and there are more old packs in inventory than are being used for warranty replacements. (This would a good thing.) These packs are of lower capacity than new ones being put into current models since Tesla has increased capacity over time. Since they need a fleet of demo cars every quarter AND new battery production is pretty much maxed out filling orders, they used some of the older (but still new) smaller capacity packs in the demo cars since they did not have to meet the current estimated mileage. They are just demo cars, not cars filling current customer orders. But with Tesla purging all demo cars at the end of the quarter by selling them, they have to have a disclaimer stating that the cars have a lower rated range than current advertised specs and that the packs could be of a certain "vintage." In this scenario, the loss of mileage is due to smaller capacity packs, not degradation. I could be wrong but this makes sense.
I would be willing to buy one but only with a significant discount due to the decreased range.
I would be willing to buy one but only with a significant discount due to the decreased range.
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OCJeff
Active Member
I didn't see this discussed...
Inside EV's - Tesla Reportedly Selling 2021 Model 3s With Old Batteries, Less Range
Inside EV's - Tesla Reportedly Selling 2021 Model 3s With Old Batteries, Less Range
Highlander1018
Member
Just wanted to chime in since this happened to me. Except that I was sold one of these cars *over the phone* and the 12% battery degradation was not disclaimed to me. While I waited for Tesla to call me back to sort out the issue, I brought the car (M3LR) to 100% charge and it actually read at 345 miles. But the principle of Tesla not disclaiming to me was still absurd. They finally called me today and they are buying the M3LR back from me, and issuing me a new 2022 build M3LR in the same preferred specs (black/black/18). Who knows...maybe I'll even get lucky and get the Ryzen chip? And since I'm taking a new delivery in 2022, maybe just maybe the BBB credit is retroactive to 1/1/2022 (if it ever passes).
Just wanted to share an actually *positive* experience with Tesla Customer Service.
Just wanted to share an actually *positive* experience with Tesla Customer Service.
Highlander1018
Member
I just received once of these. A M3LR. It was not disclosed to me that it had a 2017 battery. There was just a slip of paper inside with a 24-hour clock to sign and send it back to Tesla. I’m not too annoyed with the battery (yet), but annoyed at the lack of disclosure. Will report back on what “full range” looks like.
Definitely a bummer that I didn’t get this car cheaper as a result. It’s my first Tesla. My initial worry is that this would seriously hurt my resale value if I ever wanted to sell/upgrade down the line.
Definitely a bummer that I didn’t get this car cheaper as a result. It’s my first Tesla. My initial worry is that this would seriously hurt my resale value if I ever wanted to sell/upgrade down the line.
@Highlander1018 Has Tesla offered to do anything to make this right? Directing you into one of these cars without the disclosure is pretty messed up.
They should offer to either undo the sale (buyback I guess including all taxes/fees) or give you a nice refund.
As for resale, you don't need to disclose the battery age. However if the car's rated range estimate shows more degradation than a typical M3LR of its age, that could affect resale. All the more reason for Tesla to give you a nice discount for sneaking an old battery into your purchase without disclosure.
They should offer to either undo the sale (buyback I guess including all taxes/fees) or give you a nice refund.
As for resale, you don't need to disclose the battery age. However if the car's rated range estimate shows more degradation than a typical M3LR of its age, that could affect resale. All the more reason for Tesla to give you a nice discount for sneaking an old battery into your purchase without disclosure.
Highlander1018
Member
They are indeed buying the car back and put me on the priority lane for a 2022 new build with my preferred specs. Luckily, they did the right thing here. And I’m driving the current M3LR until it’s ready.
My SA said something about the cars with decreased battery range are actually being imported from China. Not sure if the batteries in China simply have less capacity or if the batteries are refurbished or older unused inventory. He simply told me to stay away from those cars and also any of the new or demo cars with reported damage disclaimers.
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