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Fremont Delivery Experience 12/11 and 12/12

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Thought I would share my experience quickly. Ordered a red Tesla Model Y LR with 19in gemini wheels and white interior. Received one on 12/12 with Matrix headlights (did light show and it spelled Tesla) but no USS - didn't check but I think it's not there. Build date is 12/22. Pick up was at Fremont factory.

First attempted pickup at the Fremont factory on Sunday 12/11 in pouring rain. Inspected the car before going to the customer center and saw a couple of small nicks on the drivers side panel after comparing it to a couple of other nearby cars. Didn't see any other issues but my wife and I felt like we shouldn't get one with a defect. The Service Advisor deferred to a more senior Service Advisor who offered to fix it and deliver it the next day for us.

Next day, got a note from Tesla that I need to pay first before they'd deliver. I pushed them hard but they weren't willing to deliver before payment. Maybe it's a new policy.

I decided to go back to Fremont to take a look and noticed that the replacement panel was even worse than the original panel. The same senior Service Advisor from the prior day was there and said it was within spec. Definitely felt the pressure from the senior SA to take delivery at this point and accept the defect. We were still reluctant and considered walking away - during this time the Sr Service Advisor convinced the factory technician to take the car in and get it replaced with a clean door panel. I waited two hours and they came back with the car and a fixed panel. Paid and then asked them to drop off the car which they did that night (I think the senior service advisor pushed the delivery people to do it).

Overall I give an A- to the SA - she definitely put some light pressure to close the deal but she did whatever she could to make me happy with my purchase including sending it back to the factory twice, I appreciate that.

The car itself after we got that panel fixed is excellent - B+/A- depending on how you feel about the USS issue. Exterior looks stunning - I like the red with silver rims look. Handling wise, it's not as nimble as my old BMW sedan but definitely more powerful. White interior feels nice although more of my wife's pick than mine. I'm considering buying the acceleration boost but plenty powerful already. Overall user experience of the software is amazing and next generation. How luxury it feels - probably in between a Porsche Macan and a mid-tier config BMW X3 in my opinion.

What I do think gets a F or maybe a D is Tesla quality control, if they have any. I looked at my old BMW sedan door panels and they weren't in that much worse shape than the defective panel that got replaced. Tesla quality issues are a real thing - I wouldn't expect BMW, Lexus, Porsche, or Audi to have these type of issues at this price point although they have their own issues with electronics for sure. I also walked around the parking lot and there were definitely other cars with some minor installation defects.

If you are local in the SF Bay Area, definitely do not choose delivery or pay first - go see the car first hand at the Fremont factory or at a service center before pulling the trigger. If you go to Fremont, don't accept a defective car - push them to fix it because they can at the factory. Also, existing inventory is limited at the factory since all the cars out are assigned a VIN to someone already.

Hope this helps and enjoy.


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In what sense? What enhanced ap features are you interested in and what has your experience been? If summon, smart summon and autopark, etc. are unavailable with no USS, I guess the only think left is navigate on and off ramp and lane changing..
The EAP highway navigate to autopilot implementation is quite good with automated lane changes. The basic autopilot is clearly inferior. Before my Tesla, I'd probably never use cruise control in regular driving. With enhanced autopilot it definitely works well and takes a load off of driving.

I will say though that the getting on the freeway and getting off the freeway behaviors are a little scary. I experienced one phantom breaking incident so far and every time the car exits the freeway, it feels like it's going to crash out so I take over. I'd probably just use autopilot on the high way and turn it off before I exit. I think it's valuable depending on how long your commute is.

For surface streets, the FSD version I have with traffic control is decently useful but not really. I'm curious about the FSD beta.
 
It makes no sense for you to defend Tesla's lack of quality control. It hurts you the consumer when you do that. Pretty stupid in my opinion.
A customer should never expect perfection from a mass produced vehicle. That’s just stupid in my opinion. Lack of quality is not a fair assessment of Tesla, if you feel that way - just buy something you believe gives you more. It’s as simple as that. No muss, no fuss or need to bash Tesla on a forum.

I give zero credibility to inferior quality posts with no pic or evidence. Getting tired of the “bashers”. There is a reason why Tesla is the #1 EV seller.

Every mfg has issues, some that are within tolerance - that for some odd reason all the YouTubers on their “delivery videos” make a super big deal about. They get the consumer to expect a perfect vehicle, when in fact there are none. Tesla makes a very good vehicle, any issues are dealt with and corrected. You as a customer can vote with you money and buy what you want. If it’s EV, Tesla miles and years ahead of the rest. I’ll stick with Tesla, as been in the rest, and their tech has flaws you can’t fix and a super inferior charging infrastructure.
 
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A customer should never expect perfection from a mass produced vehicle. That’s just stupid in my opinion. Lack of quality is not a fair assessment of Tesla, if you feel that way - just buy something you believe gives you more. It’s as simple as that. No muss, no fuss or need to bash Tesla on a forum.
Even Toyota and Honda cars - pretty mass produced, and of course BMW, Audi, have no such issues when you take delivery. The build quality is solid. When you make an argument like this you are hurting yourself. This is the exact charged fanboy mode that had allowed Tesla to be careless and not give two shits about your customer experience.
 
Even Toyota and Honda cars - pretty mass produced, and of course BMW, Audi, have no such issues when you take delivery. The build quality is solid. When you make an argument like this you are hurting yourself. This is the exact charged fanboy mode that had allowed Tesla to be careless and not give two shits about your customer experience.
No one is forcing you to buy a Tesla. Given all of your statements - probably best off with another mfg who believes has better quality, but way inferior tech. Then you can complain that the tech can't be fixed, as most don't have any OTA updates.

Tesla has been the best customer exp, zippo haggling, no pressure and a quality vehicle that lasts. Plus tech and a supercharging network far ahead od the competition.

No per se a fan boy, as I own a few other newer vehicles and the EV world - Tesla is top shelf. Just tired of the bashers on minor items Tesla will always fix.
 
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