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General Build Quality of Teslas
- Thread starter willgreco189
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- Model S
pilotSteve
Active Member
I call myself very knowledge on tesla. I don't own one but I follow Elon on twitter and i learn everything from him.
I can assure you that everything is awesome, especially build quality and AP20.
I can assure you that everything is awesome, especially build quality and AP20.
I've had my Model S 100D for about two* months.....at delivery there were extremely minor things (one front quarter panel was off-flush by maybe 1/4 of an inch and I found a little bit of paint inconsistency at the inside base of one door). Nothing that I cared enough to even have fixed.
Now...for the asterisk....
A week after I took the delivery of the car, I was notified that the battery had been "flagged coming out of the factory" and needed to be replaced. Took them two weeks to get a new 100Kwh battery shipped and installed (not sure why it took so long to ship, as installation was a day). I never got any detail as to what was wrong with the initial battery, nor did I experience any problems during my first week of ownership.
Now...for the asterisk....
A week after I took the delivery of the car, I was notified that the battery had been "flagged coming out of the factory" and needed to be replaced. Took them two weeks to get a new 100Kwh battery shipped and installed (not sure why it took so long to ship, as installation was a day). I never got any detail as to what was wrong with the initial battery, nor did I experience any problems during my first week of ownership.
CameronB
Member
My Model S I picked up just last week had only one initial issue I spotted at (factory) pickup...one lower rear rocker panel is slightly misaligned (about 1/8"). I'm a tad OCD about things like that and I had it noted and will get it fixed in the near future. No scratches. No noticeable panel gap inconsistencies to my eyes (though I plan to use some calipers soon to measure them!). Even the chrome trim looks pretty well aligned. Are panel gaps and trim alignment perfect? Likely not, but to my eye, except for the one rocker panel all looked good.
To be honest, I was expecting the worse, given at least some of the quality horror stories I had read about here. But initial quality seems good (at least one week in).
Only thing I have found after delivery is...bluetooth audio won't play from my phone. I press play on the phone and I hear the music/podcast/whatever audio for maybe 2 seconds and then it stops (goes back to 'pause' on my phone). Press play again. 2 more seconds of audio through the car and then stop (back to pause on my phone). Rinse. Repeat. Tried with multiple phone apps...all behave the same way, so pretty sure it is an issue with the car. TuneIn is holding me over, but I need to go see a service center and try to get that resolved.
Otherwise, very solid. I am liking the minimalist interior and the materials (Ultra White "vegan leather" and PUP) seem acceptable to me. Like the alcantra dash.
Comparatively my BMW (650i) was built like a tank and I especially liked the really solid closing of the doors. I wouldn't call the Tesla doors flimsy by any means, but not quite as solid sounding/feeling as the BMW IMO. Lighting is kinda weak, but Abstract Ocean should take care of that shortly. I went with the "vegan leather" seats because I have not been impressed by the leather (or maybe the leather in conjunction with the seats) wear in the Teslas I have seen. Most seem to suffer from sag and wrinkles. Conversely even after many years of daily use, my BMW leather seats look virtually new. Seriously. They look like they could be less than a year old even though they are 10 years old. The materials used in the BMW are very high quality and did stand the test of time (10 years, 160K+ miles). We will see how the Tesla holds up longer term. But I am optimistic about the car in general lasting a long while (drivetrain).
Will see how things go as the months and years roll on.
To be honest, I was expecting the worse, given at least some of the quality horror stories I had read about here. But initial quality seems good (at least one week in).
Only thing I have found after delivery is...bluetooth audio won't play from my phone. I press play on the phone and I hear the music/podcast/whatever audio for maybe 2 seconds and then it stops (goes back to 'pause' on my phone). Press play again. 2 more seconds of audio through the car and then stop (back to pause on my phone). Rinse. Repeat. Tried with multiple phone apps...all behave the same way, so pretty sure it is an issue with the car. TuneIn is holding me over, but I need to go see a service center and try to get that resolved.
Otherwise, very solid. I am liking the minimalist interior and the materials (Ultra White "vegan leather" and PUP) seem acceptable to me. Like the alcantra dash.
Comparatively my BMW (650i) was built like a tank and I especially liked the really solid closing of the doors. I wouldn't call the Tesla doors flimsy by any means, but not quite as solid sounding/feeling as the BMW IMO. Lighting is kinda weak, but Abstract Ocean should take care of that shortly. I went with the "vegan leather" seats because I have not been impressed by the leather (or maybe the leather in conjunction with the seats) wear in the Teslas I have seen. Most seem to suffer from sag and wrinkles. Conversely even after many years of daily use, my BMW leather seats look virtually new. Seriously. They look like they could be less than a year old even though they are 10 years old. The materials used in the BMW are very high quality and did stand the test of time (10 years, 160K+ miles). We will see how the Tesla holds up longer term. But I am optimistic about the car in general lasting a long while (drivetrain).
Will see how things go as the months and years roll on.
Dborn
Confirmed
Sticky charge port door. Mechanical problem opening sunroof, fixed by building a ramp at its rear to allow it to slide over the frame, water in tail light, replaced tail light, gasket found misaligned, rear hub nuts loose and required retorqueing, clunk in the steering requiring shims and retorqueing, now a soft but persistent noise from motor on accelerating at low speed. New drive train on order for this. 39000 km, September 2014 build, signature.
No leaks when using a pressure washer though.
No leaks when using a pressure washer though.
I've had mine a year and over 15000 mi. No problems and customer service is awesome.
One note: I think I'm getting OCD from this forum...I started to think my chrome trim was misaligned and sheepishly pointed it out to the tech at my last service. He checked and they were all within tolerances set by Tesla. The take away: If you hear something enough times you begin to believe it and if you look at something for too long it looks screwy. Just enjoy the awesomeness of this car and if you think you have a problem contact Tesla and they will take care of you.
BTW much better results will be forthcoming by actually contacting Tesla vs. posting complaints on a message board.
One note: I think I'm getting OCD from this forum...I started to think my chrome trim was misaligned and sheepishly pointed it out to the tech at my last service. He checked and they were all within tolerances set by Tesla. The take away: If you hear something enough times you begin to believe it and if you look at something for too long it looks screwy. Just enjoy the awesomeness of this car and if you think you have a problem contact Tesla and they will take care of you.
BTW much better results will be forthcoming by actually contacting Tesla vs. posting complaints on a message board.
clostridium
Member
While I agree that the question of how many issues that require you to get something fixed is a unifying theme to these two different groups of issues there is an important distinction. In fact I'd say there are 3 fundamental groups of issues that are each symptomatic of different things and therefore have different solutions:
-Items related to the quality of assembly including fit and finish problems. This speaks to production quality control and attention to detail in final delivery.
-reliability and durability of components - like when people are having drivetrain problems that need warranty service or door handle problems.
-design flaws. Issues where the inherent design is poor and sets up problems.
Obviously different problems can intersect multiple categories. Some of the door handle problems appear to be related to the first two categories and possibly the third.
The changes that tesla sounds like they are making for the Model 3 with simplifying options, reducing part counts and wiring, etc. appear to be an effort to address the assembly and reliability issues.
50,000km, 2014 AP1. I've had almost every part of the car replaced since buying it.
FloridaGary
Member
Good idea. When I turn in my S in 18 months and get a new Tesla, I'll probably do the same if the issue still exists.
I just passed the 1 year mark with around 9000 miles. On delivery inspection I found a couple little spots of red paint on the bottom side of the hood. They were under the clear coat. They took it directly into the shop while I waited and dealt with it. They claimed they didn't get it all, but I can't tell where the spots were. The only other issues I had were very uncomfortable multipattern seats which were solved by upgrading to next gen and the headlights started buzzing. There is a little squeaky rattle in the dash board that has recently started and is intermittent.
Initial fit and finish were very good IMO, though the edges of the windshield has some waviness, which isn't a problem, but can be annoying sometimes. There is also a small wavy spot in the middle of the windshield, but I only see it when the light hits it just right and I'm looking at some kind of straight line through that spot. The windshield quality is the only place I'd say is sub-par.
Nothing serious has gone wrong. My Buick had more initial issues and I drove it for 24 years with only minor problems. It still ran like new when I sold it and the interior also looked new except for some carpet wear. I finally converted the A/C from freon in 2009. I think I went around 10 years without servicing the A/C. That car was amazingly reliable over the long haul.
One thing that is partially the stock market and partially Tesla giving in to stock market pressure, but I think when a car is built in a quarter makes a difference in build quality. I ordered the last week of April and my car was built the last week of May, right in the middle of a quarter when they weren't busting their hump to make end of quarter quotas or burned out at the beginning of a quarter from the mad rush of the previous few weeks.
My grandfather worked as a foreman in a piston ring factory in Michigan and he told my father never get a car built on a Monday or Friday. On Friday, the workers aren't paying attention because they are thinking about the weekend and on Monday their hung over from the weekend. He was sort of joking, but I think it does sort of apply to when a car is built in a quarter by Tesla because of the insane stock market scrutiny. It's probably what Elon Musk was thinking of when he said owning a publicly held company is a pain.
Tesla builds most of their cars for domestic delivery in the second half of every quarter, so if you order right around the halfway mark of a quarter, or a tad earlier, your car will be built fairly soon after you order, and it will be built when time pressures aren't huge.
I wish Tesla didn't feel they needed to do a mad rush at the end of every quarter. I don't think they are doing themselves any favors with customer goodwill when they do.
Initial fit and finish were very good IMO, though the edges of the windshield has some waviness, which isn't a problem, but can be annoying sometimes. There is also a small wavy spot in the middle of the windshield, but I only see it when the light hits it just right and I'm looking at some kind of straight line through that spot. The windshield quality is the only place I'd say is sub-par.
Nothing serious has gone wrong. My Buick had more initial issues and I drove it for 24 years with only minor problems. It still ran like new when I sold it and the interior also looked new except for some carpet wear. I finally converted the A/C from freon in 2009. I think I went around 10 years without servicing the A/C. That car was amazingly reliable over the long haul.
One thing that is partially the stock market and partially Tesla giving in to stock market pressure, but I think when a car is built in a quarter makes a difference in build quality. I ordered the last week of April and my car was built the last week of May, right in the middle of a quarter when they weren't busting their hump to make end of quarter quotas or burned out at the beginning of a quarter from the mad rush of the previous few weeks.
My grandfather worked as a foreman in a piston ring factory in Michigan and he told my father never get a car built on a Monday or Friday. On Friday, the workers aren't paying attention because they are thinking about the weekend and on Monday their hung over from the weekend. He was sort of joking, but I think it does sort of apply to when a car is built in a quarter by Tesla because of the insane stock market scrutiny. It's probably what Elon Musk was thinking of when he said owning a publicly held company is a pain.
Tesla builds most of their cars for domestic delivery in the second half of every quarter, so if you order right around the halfway mark of a quarter, or a tad earlier, your car will be built fairly soon after you order, and it will be built when time pressures aren't huge.
I wish Tesla didn't feel they needed to do a mad rush at the end of every quarter. I don't think they are doing themselves any favors with customer goodwill when they do.
My 2017 S is far below BMW standards of fit and finish, and a local body shop confirmed for me that Tesla does a poor job with panel alignment. I forgive/"forget" for two reasons. First, the car is so awesome that I prefer it overall to any BMW, Mercedes, etc. Second, they're new at this; they've only produced a few hundred thousand cars in their entire existence. The big guys have been working on this stuff for decades and have much less ambitious product development efforts relative to their size. Tesla will catch up in a few years.
OBX John
Autonomous Driving Enthusiast
As far as I know, there are no other comparable high end electric vehicles. If you value the things the high end luxury car makers do well, then you should buy from them, because Tesla isn't comparable initial quality wise and you'll be continually disappointed.
I am betting on my Model S to be better with long term quality of the drivetrain than our Range Rover, but that's not saying much. I do have pieces falling off my Mercedes CLK 500, but it's a 2005, and I think the build quality is reflective of the Chrysler ownership at the time.
Overall, I'd never trade my Tesla for any ICE, so I just can't see the comparisons. I understand quality and luxury is more important to some, so I really don't understand why those people would buy a Tesla. You buy them for the electric drive and Autopilot, and put up with the rest of the package.
I am betting on my Model S to be better with long term quality of the drivetrain than our Range Rover, but that's not saying much. I do have pieces falling off my Mercedes CLK 500, but it's a 2005, and I think the build quality is reflective of the Chrysler ownership at the time.
Overall, I'd never trade my Tesla for any ICE, so I just can't see the comparisons. I understand quality and luxury is more important to some, so I really don't understand why those people would buy a Tesla. You buy them for the electric drive and Autopilot, and put up with the rest of the package.
Sir Guacamolaf
The good kind of fat
@Quick2Judge - I made sure my car wasn't end of quarter delivery. I haven't had major issues. How about you @David29?
This thread makes me feel pretty lucky. I have a late 2015 build 70D, 43,000 miles, still on original tires, no problems. The rubber seal on the passenger side door occasionally tucks under the headliner, which makes it look unfinished, but I just fish it out and put it back. I've rotated my tires about 6 times and had the rain sensor on the windshield replaced. That's it. My wife's 2015 BMW has had no problems either. The only real difference I see is that the paint quality on the BMW is a LOT better.
jelloslug
Active Member
I have this same problem with the headliner/pillar and rubber seal. I had a few loaners and they all seem to have this issue. With mine being a 2015, you would think they would have fixed something like this...it annoys me but I deal with it. I have a few other gaskets/seals that seem to be falling off or wasn't put on properly but nothing to cause water leaks (most are at the bottom of the doors.
Quality wise, like most have said, the fit/finish isn't quite as refined as other luxury brands. But again, like others have said, when I bought the Tesla, I knew the price was going more into the technology than the refined 'luxury' inside the car. I guess what I'm saying is, I didn't have high expecations of the interior quality.
I DID expect that the fit and finish was better than this though. I've had to take the car in for various issues around this such as my driver seat coming loose (they said it wasn't bolted down all the way), really poor quality mats that don't stay in place, plastic panels coming loose, etc.
Well, from a non tesla owners point of view (only because I can't afford one) here is our take after three tesla test drives and lots of showroom visits. Our ranking of six EV's we have driven and two of which we own. In worst to best order.
6: BMW i3. Pretty rough.
5: Ford Focus E
4: Bolt
3: Our 2016 SV Leaf
2: Tesla
1: Our 2015 smart ED Cabrio.
Neither our Leaf has been back to the dealer for even a single thing and no adjustments on my part either. I have never owned a car that is put together as good as the smart ED. We literally drive it like we stole it every day and put about 9000 KM a year on it. Maybe 3 percent capacity loss after two years. Best car we have ever owned.
6: BMW i3. Pretty rough.
5: Ford Focus E
4: Bolt
3: Our 2016 SV Leaf
2: Tesla
1: Our 2015 smart ED Cabrio.
Neither our Leaf has been back to the dealer for even a single thing and no adjustments on my part either. I have never owned a car that is put together as good as the smart ED. We literally drive it like we stole it every day and put about 9000 KM a year on it. Maybe 3 percent capacity loss after two years. Best car we have ever owned.
