Factory delivery vs service center delivery (California)

[jeffaa]

Should one expect a quicker delivery date when taking it at the factory, versus waiting for it to be shipped to a service center? I'm about 90 minutes from Santa Barbara, and 2 1/2 hours from Fremont. I'd rather take delivery at the factory, so we can enjoy a tour, and I would think that if Tesla doesn't have to take the time to ship the car to a service center then one may be able to take delivery sooner.

I'm asking because I read somewhere that I might have to wait longer if I want a factory delivery. Is this because of a delivery appointment backlog (hard to believe)? Any thoughts?

 

[omarsultan]

I did the factory delivery because I thought it would save me a few days, removing the transit time from the factory to my local SvC. My delivery experience was OK, but TBH, if I had a do-over, I would have taken delivery in Rocklin. I get the impression they were stretched thin in Fremont (this is when the flood of deliveries first opened up). At the end of this last qtr, they punted on the delivery center altogether and set up a big enclosed tent in the parking lot.

 

[N*Steve]

I really liked adding the factory tour to the delivery. It gives you a great sense of the care and nurturing the car gets and sense of pride of the employees.

Much is what is written in this forum doesn't inspire confidence - I have the opposite impression.

Enjoy the entire experience. Our guide says that 10am is the best time to tour and to make sure line 2 is open

 

[ChrisJ]

10am is the best time to tour and to make sure line 2 is open

Thanks for the tip. Do you know if this applies on the weekend too?

 

[TaoJones]

Strongly encourage the factory pickup and tour option. There's a service center right there in case of problems, and you eliminate the set of problems that can accompany delivery. Besides, the tour is fun, and since you'll be right there anyway, why wait until another trip.

There's a Marriott across the street with a shuttle in the morning. Also recommend an early tour. Generally they'll go through the paperwork and delivery first, but you can go back after the tour as more time may/will be necessary. If you're planning to drive any distance, you can have them SC the car while you take the tour.

Then consider heading south to PCH or at least the 101
for the trip south. No I-5 necessary. In fact, taking the Coast Starlight train (the one with the vintage parlor cars) up to San Jose isn't a bad option. Book a sleeperette which adds a worthwhile level of service not available in coach.

 

[lodenthal]

At our DS's suggestion, we changed from factory to service center delivery as she said this was much quicker. In the interest of full disclosure we've done the factory tour several times over the years with our Model S.

 

[jeffaa]

At our DS's suggestion, we changed from factory to service center delivery as she said this was much quicker. In the interest of full disclosure we've done the factory tour several times over the years with our Model S.

Why would it be quicker when the car has to have transit time to get to a service center? Thanks for the reply.

 

[aesculus]

Go for the factory delivery. I had my car delivered about the same time as Omar did and our experience was much better. I suspect now that the Q1 pressure is off, they will be better still.

Not that you might have a lot of choice but we did the delivery first later in the afternoon (2 ish) and then went on the 4 o'clock tour. We just left our car where it was during the delivery process. After the tour the DS met us again, went over the last few details and sent us on our way. Our car was charged at 80% too, which they claimed they do, but this would also allow you to verify that and have them charge the car just in case it was not at the right SOC for your trip home.

 

[Gizmotoy]

I did the factory delivery because I thought it would save me a few days, removing the transit time from the factory to my local SvC. My delivery experience was OK, but TBH, if I had a do-over, I would have taken delivery in Rocklin. I get the impression they were stretched thin in Fremont (this is when the flood of deliveries first opened up). At the end of this last qtr, they punted on the delivery center altogether and set up a big enclosed tent in the parking lot.

They did the same thing in the early Model S days. It makes for a relatively poor delivery experience. It's like 3 years later and I'm still a little disappointed I didn't get a picture of the car in front of the red Tesla wall, a big bow, or any freebies like most others receive. Fremont's a short drive, and I'm not sure I'd take delivery at the factory again. If you haven't been on the factory tour, that's worthwhile, though.

 

[lodenthal]

Her reason was that there are so many cars backed up at the factory that the service centers had the time to do all of the detailing that the cars go through for delivery.

 

[petfansNetwork]

We had a blast picking up our model X at the factory on 3/30. My family was able to tour the factory. My 4-year old was impressed by the robots. I believe our delivery was early at a couple of weeks by switching pickup location from LA to Fremont. Will do it again when it's time to pickup the model 3.