FSD Transfer - NO - but Tesla says it's really OK

[drtimhill]

I asked for a trade-in quote few days ago for my 2017 model 3 which has FSD. they seem to add very little value for that if any, perhaps they know that I only paid $2,000 for it during the flash sale.

No, it's because adding FSD to an existing car has zero cost to Tesla, and thus zero value (to them). You can only realize software feature value by selling the car to another party, since there IS value there.

 

[drtimhill]

Has anyone noticed this in the terms and conditions for the FSD transfer it says:

"4. The Full Self Driving capability can only be transferred once and so cannot be transferred to another vehicle or to another person even if the vehicle is privately sold. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion, and is not redeemable for cash."

I read that to mean that, unlike a normal FSD purchase (which you can sell with the car), the car will be stripped of FSD on any sale, even to a private party (i.e. direct sale without the car going through Tesla ownership). If so, then this is a pretty bad deal, since you basically forfeit any resale value of FSD.

 

[Country Roads]

Has anyone noticed this in the terms and conditions for the FSD transfer it says:

"4. The Full Self Driving capability can only be transferred once and so cannot be transferred to another vehicle or to another person even if the vehicle is privately sold. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion, and is not redeemable for cash."

I read that to mean that, unlike a normal FSD purchase (which you can sell with the car), the car will be stripped of FSD on any sale, even to a private party (i.e. direct sale without the car going through Tesla ownership). If so, then this is a pretty bad deal, since you basically forfeit any resale value of FSD.

Agree - this is the deal breaker for me. I will not be upgrading.

 

[JHCCAZ]

this is a pretty bad deal, since you basically forfeit any resale value of FSD.

Agree - this is the deal breaker for me. I will not be upgrading.

As I wrote in another thread, they should amend this rule to have only a few months of effect, after which it reverts to normal full entitlement of FSD on the vehicle (including later sale).

The only legitimate reason for the rule IMO is to discourage flipping transactions and keep it as more of a loyalty incentive. To that end, they shouldn't assign valueless second class status to the transferred FSD feature.

But having agreed with you that it's disappointing and somewhat unfair, I would still consider it. It comes down to whether you think you'll be wanting a new Tesla with SSD anytime soon - if so it pays for the FSD. The amount of residual FSD value your "protecting" by sticking with the old car is not going to be that much anyway, if you wait and sell it later.

 

[Country Roads]

As I wrote in another thread, they should amend this rule to have only a few months of effect, after which it reverts to normal full entitlement of FSD on the vehicle (including later sale).

The only legitimate reason for the rule IMO is to discourage flipping transactions and keep it as more of a loyalty incentive. To that end, they shouldn't assign valueless second class status to the transferred FSD feature.

But having agreed with you that it's disappointing and somewhat unfair, I would still consider it. It comes down to whether you think you'll be wanting a new Tesla with SSD anytime soon - if so it pays for the FSD. The amount of residual FSD value your "protecting" by sticking with the old car is not going to be that much anyway, if you wait and sell it later.

For me it's about the resale value once FSD is level 5 good. Our cars with attached FSD will be worth big dollars on the open market as robotaxis. Need to preserve the option to sell.
<<ducks all the rotten tomatoes thrown by naysayers on the notion that FSD will ever amount to anything>>

 

[JulienW]

For me it's about the resale value once FSD is level 5 good. Our cars with attached FSD will be worth big dollars on the open market as robotaxis. Need to preserve the option to sell.
<<ducks all the rotten tomatoes thrown by naysayers on the notion that FSD will ever amount to anything>>

I feel confident we will have L5 by December of a year.

 

[alexgr]

I feel confident we will have L5 by December of a year.

Or in 2-3 weeks.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Has anyone noticed this in the terms and conditions for the FSD transfer it says:

"4. The Full Self Driving capability can only be transferred once and so cannot be transferred to another vehicle or to another person even if the vehicle is privately sold. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion, and is not redeemable for cash."

I read that to mean that, unlike a normal FSD purchase (which you can sell with the car), the car will be stripped of FSD on any sale, even to a private party (i.e. direct sale without the car going through Tesla ownership). If so, then this is a pretty bad deal, since you basically forfeit any resale value of FSD.

Boy they are sneaky over there at Tesla! But I guess brainstorming all day on how to screw customers without them realizing it is why they get paid the big bucks.

 

[Yelobird]

Has anyone noticed this in the terms and conditions for the FSD transfer it says:

"4. The Full Self Driving capability can only be transferred once and so cannot be transferred to another vehicle or to another person even if the vehicle is privately sold. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion, and is not redeemable for cash."

I read that to mean that, unlike a normal FSD purchase (which you can sell with the car), the car will be stripped of FSD on any sale, even to a private party (i.e. direct sale without the car going through Tesla ownership). If so, then this is a pretty bad deal, since you basically forfeit any resale value of FSD.

Confirmed at dealer they do Not strip the FSD off the car when you sell in the future. You transfer it as the Owner to your new purchase and it is at that point removed from the old car. Many are over thinking this.

 

[Knightshade]

Confirmed at dealer they do Not strip the FSD off the car when you sell in the future. You transfer it as the Owner to your new purchase and it is at that point removed from the old car. Many are over thinking this.

Clearly not, since it's the NEW car people were concerned it would be stripped from when sold.

And the language in clause 4 made it pretty clear that's exactly what Tesla was going to do.

They have, as a result of the outcry about it, revised the language to remove that.

So not only were people not overthinking- their accurate reaction to it caused Tesla to walk the change back.


Below are 2 tweets- one the original post they made confirming the reading of clause 4 in the original rules as stripping FSD from the NEW car if you sold it in the future.... and one at the top is the new language walking back the "we will remove FSD when you sell the new car" change:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1682868903519698944

There's still a few gotchas in there--- you have to have bought FSD WITH the new car, not added it later... they may remove fsd on the old one up to a week before your delivery date of new one, and if you don't end up buying the new one (they can't deliver you a satisfactory car by Sept 30, some change in your personal/financial situation, etc) you just LOSE FSD entirely, etc...)

 

[Yelobird]

Clearly not, since it's the NEW car people were concerned it would be stripped from when sold.

And the language in clause 4 made it pretty clear that's exactly what Tesla was going to do.

They have, as a result of the outcry about it, revised the language to remove that.

So not only were people not overthinking- their accurate reaction to it caused Tesla to walk the change back.


Below are 2 tweets- one the original post they made confirming the reading of clause 4 in the original rules as stripping FSD from the NEW car if you sold it in the future.... and one at the top is the new language walking back the "we will remove FSD when you sell the new car" change:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1682868903519698944

There's still a few gotchas in there--- you have to have bought FSD WITH the new car, not added it later... they may remove fsd on the old one up to a week before your delivery date of new one, and if you don't end up buying the new one (they can't deliver you a satisfactory car by Sept 30, some change in your personal/financial situation, etc) you just LOSE FSD entirely, etc...)

They also confirmed (as have a few on the forum) that you didn’t have to buy it with the car to transfer it. As long as you the original car owner bought it, it can be transferred.

 

[Knightshade]

They also confirmed (as have a few on the forum) that you didn’t have to buy it with the car to transfer it. As long as you the original car owner bought it, it can be transferred.

Who is "they"?

If you mean Tesla sales people, there's no reason to trust that as we've got lots of examples of them providing inaccurate info (there were folks quoting sales people giving them exactly opposite answers on item 4 for example--- I've personally been told things, multiple times, by sales folks I know is factually wrong about other items).

Only when Tesla updates the actual language ought we believe that's the case-- as they did for item 4, but not yet 1.

As I say though that's a much smaller concern (since you'd likely know at time of order if you're impacted by it) and the potential "end up with no FSD on either car" situation 2/3/6 combined currently allow to happen.

 

[Yelobird]

Who is "they"?

If you mean Tesla sales people, there's no reason to trust that as we've got lots of examples of them providing inaccurate info (there were folks quoting sales people giving them exactly opposite answers on item 4 for example--- I've personally been told things, multiple times, by sales folks I know is factually wrong about other items).

Only when Tesla updates the actual language ought we believe that's the case-- as they did for item 4, but not yet 1.

As I say though that's a much smaller concern (since you'd likely know at time of order if you're impacted by it) and the potential "end up with no FSD on either car" situation 2/3/6 combined currently allow to happen.

Ok yet in your own post they Did reword the document to be clearer (and what Tesla direct told me as well as several on this forum that Bought a car in the last few days). So walk back or what ever they are not stealing FSD back when you sell your car in the future. Simple enough to me

 

[Knightshade]

Ok yet in your own post they Did reword the document to be clearer (and what Tesla direct told me as well as several on this forum that Bought a car in the last few days). So walk back or what ever they are not stealing FSD back when you sell your car in the future. Simple enough to me

They were though.

And again several on the forum (and twitter) were told by Tesla sales including Dirty Tesla who is the one who posted the old and now the new wording- that Tesla-WAS stealing it back when you sell the new car in the future- and that this rewording is an actual change to that policy.

I mean, it's good they changed it-- but your earlier claim people who suspected they were were just "overthinking" the original wording clearly turns out not to be the case- hence why they had to change it after the outcry over it.

Ideally they will further update it to fix the other couple of problems where people could end up entirely robbed of FSD at all I pointed out in the current versions wording.


At that point if they fix the other stuff you're left only with the issue of potentially giving up the "promised to be at least L4" version of FSD on the old car and getting the post-march-2019 "we promise nothing more than L2" FSD.

 

[MP3Mike]

There's still a few gotchas in there--- you have to have bought FSD WITH the new car, not added it later...

Huh? The whole point is you don't buy FSD with the new car, you transfer it from the old car...

Or are you trying to say you had to buy FSD at the time of purchase of the old car? Which isn't in the terms:

If I add FSD to my car today, and take delivery of a new vehicle today, I am the "legal and registered owner of a Tesla vehicle that currently has Full Self Driving capability included at the time of delivery of the new Tesla vehicle."

The "at the time of" is referring to the "delivery of the new Tesla vehicle." not linking the FSD purchase to the old vehicle. (And I have seen many people report that they were able to transfer FSD that they added to a vehicle after purchase to a new Tesla.)

 

[Knightshade]

Huh? The whole point is you don't buy FSD with the new car, you transfer it from the old car...

Or are you trying to say you had to buy FSD at the time of purchase of the old car? Which isn't in the terms

Except, of course, it IS in the terms.

It's in item 1.

You just quoted it here:

View attachment 958932

You have to be the owner of a car that CURRENTLY (ie today) has FSD included at time of delivery

You bought FSD with your current existing car

Or you don't qualify.

Multiple owners have reported being told they do not qualify because they added FSD later to their existing car.

The "at the time of" is referring to the "delivery of the new Tesla vehicle."

It's really not.

That's why it says the car must CURRENTLY have FSD.

A car you haven't gotten yet can't "currently" have FSD.

The fact the SAME clause mentions EXISTING leases makes it really clear they're talking about your "old" car- not the new one you intend to order.

 

[henderrj]

Except, of course, it IS in the terms.

It's in item 1.

You just quoted it here:

View attachment 958932

You have to be the owner of a car that CURRENTLY (ie today) has FSD included at time of delivery

You bought FSD with your current existing car

Or you don't qualify.

Multiple owners have reported being told they do not qualify because they added FSD later to their existing car.





It's really not.

That's why it says the car must CURRENTLY have FSD.

A car you haven't gotten yet can't "currently" have FSD.

The fact the SAME clause mentions EXISTING leases makes it really clear they're talking about your "old" car- not the new one you intend to order.

The clause is extremely poorly worded. Legal didn't do a very good job on that one. It could mean what either of you were saying it means. Definitely need clarification. But, if they give it to you, then I guess whatever you think is the correct thing! At least you don't have to worry about it after the fact.

 

[drtimhill]

You have to be the owner of a car that CURRENTLY (ie today) has FSD included at time of delivery

You bought FSD with your current existing car

Or you don't qualify.

Multiple owners have reported being told they do not qualify because they added FSD later to their existing car.

oh no no no .. the text says "included at time of delivery of the new Tesla vehicle" and I cannot see how you can conclude based on any grammatical analysis that it refers to the time of delivery of the ORIGINAL vehicle. Yes, its poorly worded, and I suspect was not checked by the legal department, but there is no way it yields your interpretation.

You are correct that the rest of the section uses the plain "vehicle" to mean the ORIGINAL vehicle, which in fact only underlines why the phrase "at the time of delivery' is qualified with "of the new Tesla vehicle" .. to clarify that THIS reference to "vehicle" is the NEW one and not the ORIGINAL.

 

[drtimhill]

Multiple owners have reported being told they do not qualify because they added FSD later to their existing car.

As you yourself have noted n this thread, by whom were they told this? And why should they be assumed to be authoritative?

 

[derotam]

Clearly and as historically shown time and time again, you can't necessarily rely on the spoken work of the Tesla "dealership" personnel....or ANY dealership personnel for that matter. What is written is what is written and the only people that have the power to apply it as "intended" is Tesla corporate.

I have a feeling many people are going to get screwed in some form or fashion with this one.