Found this little gem on my $55K Model Y

[Darren Donovan]

Munro’s assembly didn’t include corner molding with faux wood print, so it’s impossible for us to know whether or not his expectations or standards would’ve been offended. I suspect he would’ve made a joke about it (as I have) but perhaps not.

I posted this for my own amusement and to amuse others, not to express outrage or air grievance.

I reserve my outrage for panel fitment and alignment issues, something no one can credibly excuse.

I think Tesla should pay the owners like you who have to spend time/money fixing the problems at delivery that should not be there.
Maybe have different prices for different vehicles at delivery, dedpending on how many issues are present.
Something like this: so this MY has huge panel gaps, take $500 off. That MY over there has mulitple panels with different paint shades, take $1000 off,... Lol.

 

[bgrynn1873]

Every Car manufacture does the same thing if the line is going to be held up. This includes Toyota. The big difference is if you have 20 factories and 20 different models chances are you have access to more spare parts then smaller manufactures like Tesla.

This why sometimes cars have warranties. If the car lasts 10 years no one is going to care about wood trim used for brackets.

 

[aaron0k]

Every Car manufacture does the same thing if the line is going to be held up. This includes Toyota.

It might help if someone could find photos of a Toyota, Mereceds, etc. using comparable hacks in recent models.

The big difference is if you have 20 factories and 20 different models chances are you have access to more spare parts then smaller manufactures like Tesla.

So it might be better to import a Y from China?

If the car lasts 10 years no one is going to care about wood trim used for brackets.

If that LCC cracks at 51k and Tesla says you're $oL?

 

[mongo]

Could someone please post a pic or link showing where the other side of the band is routed?
Thank you.

 

[CyberB]

If they just painted the piece black it would look OEM and no one would question anything.
But because it's wood trim, it looks jerry-rigged.

 

[raggedy]

This is an obviously jerry-rigged job, but if it works for the long haul then that's fine.

But my concern is that this won't hold up over the long haul and those stressed bolts holding the LCC in place will give out enough over time to cause leakage. Leakage is why this was cobbled up in the first place, right?

That little strapping doesn't give me confidence. Comparing it to a zip tie to hold a hose or some wires in place is not a strong analogy. The LCC is a heavy piece and Tesla's testing has now uncovered a need for additional bracing, so the part wasn't engineered to be mounted in this configuration is what our best guess is at this point.

 

[rxlawdude]

I am also concerned that that common Home Depot corner molding is not automotive grade material and is not meant to withstand the wide temperature range swings seen in automotive use. It's designed/manufactured for in home use with narrow humidity and temperature swings. Our cars can see temps from 0 to 120F and higher, that doesn't happen in your house (hopefully). I just gutted an area of my home that we renovated 20yrs ago. I had used some of that plastic molding back then. Over time it shrunk and became very brittle. Most of it broke/shattered when I attempted to remove it. I can't imagine what it would be like in a typical automotive environment.

Just a wild guess NY_Rob, but are you Rob Strumpf of The Drive?

 

[rxlawdude]

The LCC is a heavy piece and Tesla's testing has now uncovered a need for additional bracing, so the part wasn't engineered to be mounted in this configuration is what our best guess is at this point.

Who is "we" in this sentence? You are making a conclusory statement without evidence.

 

[LowlyOilBurner]

How many bolts are holding the heat exchanger to the octovalve? If there’s 4, that seems pretty adequate. By the photos, they look like 15-17mm heads, that’s a pretty good size bolt. What are the dims of the heat exchanger?

 

[CertLive]

Omg! Is this for real!

 

[CertLive]

Well I felt compelled to have a look too, I was shocked.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I’m receiving my Model Y supposedly in a week or two. I plan on looking for this hack and if I find it I will demand it be serviced and proper parts be installed.

If that's the way you're viewing this, I'd delay delivery until you understand which part version you will be getting with your car, and can verify that the "'final', non-hacked version" is what you get with your delivery (looks like you can pop off a piece of plastic in the frunk (not remove the entire frunk) to see what you're getting). Just wait until it is standardized. Looks like there is some evidence they are coming up with a standard solution (which in my opinion is less likely to have issues with cracking, etc., down the road).

Why bother taking delivery of a car if you're going to put it right into the service center (to potentially get damaged, etc...)? I've had my Model 3 for two years and it hasn't been to the service center once. There's a whole bunch of stuff on my due bill that I'm will get, but it's just not worth the time right now. I figure they'll take care of those things when the car actually needs service.

The best place for your car is in your garage, and when it's not in your garage, you should be driving it.

 

[aaron0k]

That little strapping doesn't give me confidence. Comparing it to a zip tie to hold a hose or some wires in place is not a strong analogy.

It seems like such a simple part to make themselves instead of using Home Depot molding.

I think they have factory and robots that makes things?

 

[NY_Rob]

Just a wild guess NY_Rob, but are you Rob Strumpf of The Drive?

Um....no. Don't know who that is, or what The Drive is.

I'm just an I.T. guy with a degree in Automotive Engineering from Long Island. Big Jets fan if you must know

Once an engineer, always an engineer.. seeing improper materials (low density polystyrene by the looks of it) used that is bound to fail over time really bothers me.

 

[raggedy]

Who is "we" in this sentence? You are making a conclusory statement without evidence.

someone else had mentioned earlier in the thread that it wasn't meant to be mounted in this configuration, so that makes it more than one, hence WE

If it makes you feel better then I'll say MY best guess instead of OUR

not sure what difference that makes since it's a GUESS anyways so there is no conclusion or evidence; it's just a wild Azz guess since we don't know at this point.

 

[saltsman]

It seems like such a simple part to make themselves instead of using Home Depot molding.

I think they have factory and robots that makes things?

While Telsa makes FAR more of their own parts than most automobile manufactures, it's not like they have extra unused equipment laying around to be pressed into service on a moments notice.

Making things takes time. When you get to the point of assembly, there is no time left. The line needs to move no matter what. The part wasn't available so someone made a hurried run to Home Depot to find something that was available to keep Model Y line rolling and vehicles moving on to delivery. From the looks of things, the team on the line didn't even have time to cut them to size. As @holmgang posted earlier, it looks like they were broken off over someones knee.

 

[polyphonic54]

Um....no. Don't know who that is, or what The Drive is.

Just what Rob Stumpf of The Drive would say.

 

[TheRFMan]

My concern about this fix is that Tesla could not have properly tested it in any conditions that are not reproducible in California (and only at the time of the fix on top of that.). My driving conditions in Eastern Canada are as different from Fremont as you could get. In the depths of winter in Jan-Feb, ambient temps between -10F to -20F occur almost every year. How does that piece of compressed plastic hold up in those temperatures when the vehicle hits a pothole? Seems like it would be prone to cracking.

 

[NY_Rob]

My concern about this fix is that Tesla could not have properly tested it in any conditions that are not reproducible in California (and only at the time of the fix on top of that.). My driving conditions in Eastern Canada are as different from Fremont as you could get. In the depths of winter in Jan-Feb, ambient temps between -10F to -20F occur almost every year. How does that piece of compressed plastic hold up in those temperatures when the vehicle hits a pothole? Seems like it would be prone to cracking.

Thank you, that is exactly the point I was trying to make earlier! A piece of indoor home corner molding is not designed for outdoor service. Just as common metals found in automobiles are not suitable for marine use and would quickly fail, indoor plastics may not last long with the huge temp swings and constant vibrations coming from over the road automotive use.

 

[franktinsley]

It’s really strange to me that everyone here seems totally ready to request service for slightly out of alignment panels but not for totally absurd poor workmanship internally. Just tell Tesla you don’t like this and you’re not satisfied. You payed them, you kept your end of the deal. This is them dropping the ball and its on them to make it right.