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Fit and finish issues
- Thread starter fitnessinstbob
- Start date
They’re not defects that are going to get worse over time. Just minor imperfections that they’ll either fix for you, or you live with. The cars are awesome and you should absolutely buy one.
Ok. Just let me know. I love driving the car so meeting you somewhere is no problem. 800 miles on it in the first week...
Lol, I don't know either. But they were under the clearcoat so no way for me to fix. They DID repair it, but also told me if they didn't do it at the time, it wouldn't be covered later if they caused a problem. So I went ahead, it does look basically fine now. I can't tell there ever was a problem. I ended up getting a full ppf wrap after to hopefully prevent additional problems.
I will mention in the maybe three weeks between when I got the car and got it wrapped it seemed to get a fresh rock scrape almost daily and I barely drive it and only on city streets. So in addition to the poor paint issue in my picture I'd also say the paint does not hold up to even gentle daily driving very well. Maybe consider a wrap if you get one, now I've had it six months and no further issues.
That's the only real issue that I have. The front and edge of hood on both of my cars picked up small micro-chips all over them after a year+, despite ceramic protection. For the next one, I will wrap the front and not worry about it.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Ceramic paint treatment will do *nothing* to prevent or diminish rock chips - as you've no doubt discovered.
They forgot the drop cloth when they were painting the ceiling.
The latest issue of Car and Driver (Dec/2020, pg 26) has an article on panel gaps. The article reports that the magazine measured panel gaps at dealerships or on cars loaned to them. Tesla was among the better manufacturers! They omitted the gap where the leading edge of the hood meets the front fascia from their assessment for technical reasons (some cars are built such that comparisons would be unfair, apparently). The worst gaps were from well-known, well-experienced manufacturers: Chevy Suburban, Ford Mustang, Lexus LC500. Porsche 911 had the smallest average gap.
They did not look at paint, so even if "fit" might not be that bad on recent Teslas by the magazine's standards, paint still might be.
They did not look at paint, so even if "fit" might not be that bad on recent Teslas by the magazine's standards, paint still might be.
There are still some bad random issues on new deliveries. Should be handled like that old saying about how to pick real estate....Instead of location location location it should be INSPECT INSPECT INSPECT, before taking possession.
Unfortunately I got a bad one Monday, and waiting to see how it gets resolved.
Unfortunately I got a bad one Monday, and waiting to see how it gets resolved.
COS Blue
Member
My issue isn't so much with the absolute size of the gaps, but the relative size. That is, on my frunk, the gap on the right side is noticeably bigger than the gap on the left side. Curious if the article took that into account.
My black 2021 Model S came out fairly flawless for delivery. I went in looking for everything because of the stories you hear in the forums, but all I could find was a fairly imperceptible (maybe) 1.5mm chrome trim height alignment along the top of the driver side door to the adjacent panel, which was so insignificant that it wasn’t worth talking about.
I went over everything else with a fine-toothed comb on delivery and couldn’t find anything off, not even the paint, which looked flawless. I really thought I was going to have a list of little things to have Tesla address, but that never came to be. Another interesting comment I’ve seen is regarding the quality of the interior design and finishes as compared to other brands, and I really don’t see Tesla interior on S and X models not measuring up to lux competition given the design principle. I really like the balance between form and function in the Tesla S and X models; it’s not overstated and seems reasonably modern. I DO NOT however like the Model 3 and Y interior styling much, which is a bit too Spartan in my opinion. When you are actively driving a Model 3 or Y, I *did* realize that the absence of “stuff” in the dash and about the interior didn’t register because I was looking at the road and the panel as required, nothing else. I could get used to it, I suppose, but I like the S and X balance.
OP, grab yourself a Tesla and I’m sure you’d be happy. If you were in the area, I’d let you take mine for a spin as reassurance that it really does make the grade. In any case, take a test drive or two and see for yourself.
I went over everything else with a fine-toothed comb on delivery and couldn’t find anything off, not even the paint, which looked flawless. I really thought I was going to have a list of little things to have Tesla address, but that never came to be. Another interesting comment I’ve seen is regarding the quality of the interior design and finishes as compared to other brands, and I really don’t see Tesla interior on S and X models not measuring up to lux competition given the design principle. I really like the balance between form and function in the Tesla S and X models; it’s not overstated and seems reasonably modern. I DO NOT however like the Model 3 and Y interior styling much, which is a bit too Spartan in my opinion. When you are actively driving a Model 3 or Y, I *did* realize that the absence of “stuff” in the dash and about the interior didn’t register because I was looking at the road and the panel as required, nothing else. I could get used to it, I suppose, but I like the S and X balance.
OP, grab yourself a Tesla and I’m sure you’d be happy. If you were in the area, I’d let you take mine for a spin as reassurance that it really does make the grade. In any case, take a test drive or two and see for yourself.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
I think every Tesla leaves the factory this way.
Easy fix - the chrome trim is in a sort of compression channel at the top of the door. Just wrap your hands in a soft cloth and give it an upward tug until it’s aligned. That’s what the service center would do.
I have a 2020model3 lr....quality is still terrible for a car this price...stay away....you've been warned. Service is a joke...run by a bunch of kids with their faces glue to their phones...because that's apparently how we talk these days...
Tesla issues are about the lack of quality control. One car may look fine and another is absolutely horrible. They are focused on sales numbers because that is what will keep the shareholders happy and stock prices high. If you care about build quality, it's a roll of the dice. Looking at other vehicles isn't helpful.
I've owned a 2017 Model S and X, both had very slight issues. My advice, buy a used S from Tesla, have them correct any problems that are not disclosed in pictures (my used X actually looked better than the pictures), pay for paint correction or a wrap, and you'll be happy. Panel gaps are much less of an issue than trim gaps (easy to fix with a nudge as mentioned above) and paint issues. I would also recommend a paint correction on a brand new off the line Tesla if you're particular. After buying my S brand new, when it was time for an X - going used set my condition expectations low and a full paint correction with ceramic-pro far exceeded both my expectations for a used and even a new Tesla.
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