Hi,
I am afraid that this is not acceptable... I cannot see how this can possibly be deemed normal wear and tear. The seat has been used for its intended purpose and has not had any of the substances listed by the engineers applied to the seat. Neither have solvents been used on the seat (which is, as far as I am aware, the only warning given in the User Manual).
As you point out, the issue was not raised at the time of delivery as the defect only came to light after the recent heatwave we had. However, it seems clear to me that this was a defect inherent in the car seat at the time of delivery, and that it only came to light during the recent hot weather.
The vehicle has only been driven for 6,500 miles (less at the time the issue was raised). Furthermore, the use of the seat has been very much curtailed by the various Lockdowns (which means that the elapsed time since its purchase in March 2020 is not a good guide as to the seat's use / longevity).
The simple fact is that this cannot meet the requirements contained within the Consumer Rights Act 2015, namely that the seat should be fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. It should be noted that a key aspect of "satisfactory quality" is the product's durability... and the standard to which this is held increases with the premium nature of the product. Given that Tesla is a premium brand, this means that the standard will be upheld to the highest levels.
Indeed, the fact that this issue does not seem overly common provides, to my mind, further proof that this must be a defect and cannot be normal wear and tear. Think about it for one moment: if this issue were a result of normal wear and tear then we would expect this issue to be far more common given that there will be many Teslas out there that have driven far further than me. The fact that it is not proves that this must be a defect. And it is precisely to cover defects such as this that the warranty exists.
I note that you have yet to send me the details of how to make a formal complaint as requested in my prior e-mail, and I again request that you do so as I would like to raise this matter as a formal complaint.
I would also state that I would be prepared to have this dispute resolved via the Motor Ombudsman, although I was surprised and disappointed to find that Tesla is not a member.
Best regards,
teslamotorsclub.com
I agree with all that has been said - on the headrest front, its sole purpose is contact with your head! There must be no special regime needed to maintain that, so it's not fit for purpose.
