I'm convinced Tesla does zero QC in Fremont if they ship a car like that. Keep us posted on when on how well they fix all those issues... sometimes the "yes we will absolutely fix this" changes after the return period is over...
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Has Tesla Build quality improved on new Model 3s in 2022?
- Thread starter Porkenstein
- Start date
Hi Texas star,
Tesla Fremont absolutely has no Qc or final check. Like I had mentioned a few posts back, it's shear luck if someone gets a Tesla with few build quality fit and finish issues.
Someone here today at TMC posted their new M3 LR and said it was flawless. I looked at his pics and his front bumper suffers what many Model 3's do. The narrow part that runs up between the frunk and passenger side light has a large disconnected gap. I didn't want to burst his bubble so I refrained from typing.
Hi,
My humble recommendation is check out plug in hybrids from toyota or even hyundai. I have checked out hyundai santa fe plug in hybrid and the quality of the interior on its higher trim MSRP 46k was like Benz or BMW quality. It has a range of 30 EV and it is good for most commuters. I own late 2019 model S, and I am very disappointed and frustrated. I take more uber than my car in the last 6-7 months and when I am driving my Tesla that is because they told me to take the car home until parts arrive. It is a scam, from my perspective.
I am on the fence!
Have Polestar 2 Perf and a Moderl 3 Perf on order. I am yet to decide which one to go for.
Here in Sweden both cars are expensive as hell, but the P2 with all options except for the leather seats comes out a bit cheaper, almost 3k USD.
I am bit OCD and not sure if I can live panel gaps, subpar finish on the interior etc. However both cars have their strength and weaknesses. Got a text yesterday to start preparing for delivery of the Tesla. So still some time to decide. Not sure what the 2022 Shanghai cars are like as I am yet to see one
Have Polestar 2 Perf and a Moderl 3 Perf on order. I am yet to decide which one to go for.
Here in Sweden both cars are expensive as hell, but the P2 with all options except for the leather seats comes out a bit cheaper, almost 3k USD.
I am bit OCD and not sure if I can live panel gaps, subpar finish on the interior etc. However both cars have their strength and weaknesses. Got a text yesterday to start preparing for delivery of the Tesla. So still some time to decide. Not sure what the 2022 Shanghai cars are like as I am yet to see one
I am on the fence!
Have Polestar 2 Perf and a Moderl 3 Perf on order. I am yet to decide which one to go for.
Here in Sweden both cars are expensive as hell, but the P2 with all options except for the leather seats comes out a bit cheaper, almost 3k USD.
I am bit OCD and not sure if I can live panel gaps, subpar finish on the interior etc. However both cars have their strength and weaknesses. Got a text yesterday to start preparing for delivery of the Tesla. So still some time to decide. Not sure what the 2022 Shanghai cars are like as I am yet to see one
Does the Polestar have a record for impeccable build quality?
I walked by a pre-refresh Model 3 in a parking lot recently and noticed the rear door was *very* misaligned with the body. It's the first time I actually witnessed poor build quality in the wild. My own Model 3 has zero problems.
I looked closely at several Polestar 2's and drove a few. They have IMPECCABLE build quality. Here's why I didn't buy one:I am on the fence!
Have Polestar 2 Perf and a Moderl 3 Perf on order. I am yet to decide which one to go for.
Here in Sweden both cars are expensive as hell, but the P2 with all options except for the leather seats comes out a bit cheaper, almost 3k USD.
I am bit OCD and not sure if I can live panel gaps, subpar finish on the interior etc. However both cars have their strength and weaknesses. Got a text yesterday to start preparing for delivery of the Tesla. So still some time to decide. Not sure what the 2022 Shanghai cars are like as I am yet to see one
1. Cramped interior with ultra high center console armrest and low roofline.
2. Blinker is insanely loud.
3. Google interface for the infotainment system.
4. Portrait mainscreen, landscape in my opinion is more natural.
5. No Supercharger network.
6. Nowhere near as quick as the M3P.
Stunning car otherwise.....
heavyD
Member
Build quality is good. Reliability has never been a Volvo strength as they are usually always at the bottom with Land Rover, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, etc.
impeccable isn't required to be better than Tesla... try "average" or "good".
I really like my 2019 M3 AWD but when I read that years later cars are still being delivered with the interior ceiling trim hanging down and 3/4" of gaps and wipers hitting / scratching the hood ... oh boy.
Polestar might not be Lexus "impeccable" but Tesla currently isn't on par with "good" or "average" either. Any defect/build issue which a brief visual inspection clearly shows should *NOT* make it to the customer and be fixed in the factory. Unless you don't do QC before they roll off the line...
The ones I have seen the have been spot on. I have had a Mustang GT and know what panel gaps are
. My ID3(sold), my 2020 330e(sold) and my 2019 MX5have all been good from that aspectI am not saying the model 3 will have gaps or subpar quality but I think one should have that mindset going in. Was speaking with a fellow driver on the track the other day and he had MYP from Germany (delivered in June) he said all of a sudden a panel on the interior fell off
.....
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1. Cramped interior with ultra high center console armrest and low roofline.
- yeah unfortunately not as spacious as a pure EV platform. I had a ID3 before and the volume as such is nice. With that said 95% of the time I will be driving by myself. Also having the hatch-back is a great bonus coupled with the tow bar
2. Blinker is insanely loud.
-
3. Google interface for the infotainment system.
- I do actually fancy it (need to mention I am on the android team
)4. Portrait mainscreen, landscape in my opinion is more natural.
maybe yes, but I do like the drivers display
5. No Supercharger network.
- true, Tesla has however opened up 42 stations here. Not sure if it will remain like that or not.
Also I maybe to 3-4 longer(as in 500-700km) trips per year so hopefully should be fine from that aspect.
6. Nowhere near as quick as the M3P.
- True, however with the 476 verision I think the +60/70km the differences are reduced. Also the M3P in Europe has the LG batteries which does not seem to be as powerful as the Panasonic batteries.
With that said as well the dampening and brakes on the P2 Perf are better
heavyD
Member
When you consider how poorly Elon treats his employees it's not a wonder that a lot of employees don't likely take pride in their work.
@themazcorner My wife and I had the same dilemma last fall! I really liked the Polestar 2 Performance. My wife liked many things about it too, we were both surprised how much we liked it. For me it was my top choice initially, for my wife it wasn't her top choice but she quite liked it too, and the next car after it will be one she picked out & preordered already (we need 2 cars going forward), so we ordered a Polestar 2 Performance with all the packs except leather.I am on the fence!
Have Polestar 2 Perf and a Moderl 3 Perf on order. I am yet to decide which one to go for.
Here in Sweden both cars are expensive as hell, but the P2 with all options except for the leather seats comes out a bit cheaper, almost 3k USD.
I am bit OCD and not sure if I can live panel gaps, subpar finish on the interior etc. However both cars have their strength and weaknesses. Got a text yesterday to start preparing for delivery of the Tesla. So still some time to decide. Not sure what the 2022 Shanghai cars are like as I am yet to see one
Then Tesla restocked their demo fleet for Q4, we tested some Model 3's...and I liked the Model 3 Performance just as much, for mostly different reasons. And my wife already preferred a Tesla for range + supercharging. The P2P and M3P are very different cars yet I liked them about equally. For us these were the major factors in cancelling our P2P order in favor of an M3P:
1) The additional range and efficiency of the Model 3 is very useful for our driving. We've been EV-only for many years with our 2013 Model S P85. Polestar 2 dual motor has basically the same range as that. Which works for us, yes, but we wanted more from a new car. With our M3P there's driving we do where we can comfortably skip any DCFC stop, which would be needed with a P2P (without hypermiling or cutting it uncomfortably close, which neither of us likes to do).
2) Here in the US the public DCFC hasn't caught up with the Tesla Supercharger network yet, as I'm sure you've heard. There's a rural area we drive in regularly - long distances between places - that has Tesla Superchargers but no public DCFC. I even contacted Electrify America to ask if they had any plans to expand in that area, they responded and were nice, but couldn't or wouldn't share anything. Also, we're completely used to the whole plug in and charge experience with Superchargers. Polestar 2 doesn't or didn't support "plug & charge" and my local Polestar reps couldn't promise that the car would ever support it. I have no interest in fiddling with payment methods, touchscreens, etc just to get a DCFC charge going.
3) Based on our test drives, and how vastly better the P2P Öhlins DFV suspension was compared to the M3P suspension, my wife gave me permission to put Öhlins DFV on our M3P.
I got Redwood Motorsports "Performance Sport" Öhlins DFV based coilovers, along with Mountain Pass Performance Front Lower Control Arm Bearings to further tighten up the steering. Car handles amazing now, even better than the P2P, thanks to the M3P's lower weight, quicker steering, and configurable "handling balance" in Track Mode (which basically affects the front:rear power bias in turns). P2P would still have the edge in ride quality and handling of very large bumps and dips though, thanks to its tall ride height. I kept my M3P at its stock height (about 2-3mm lower after settling), so I didn't lose compression travel, but I might raise it to M3LR height at some point. (I feel like I actually gained extension travel with the Redwood coilovers, but I didn't take comparison measurements with the springs off, it's just what I feel when angling over steep ramps and such.)Also my wife was 100% on board with downsizing from the M3P's silly fragile wheel setup to something more practical. I went for forged 18" wheels and they've been great for real world driving, including nasty city and rural roads, long dirt and gravel driveways, etc. P2P comes with forged wheels from the factory, with more tire sidewall than stock M3P setup, P2P is definitely a better setup from the factory.
There's still many things I liked more about the P2P (hatchback/fastback, back seats, front seats, side mirrors, Google Maps, ACC following behavior, interior and chassis felt more solid, Öhlins DFV + forged wheels from the factory), but overall our M3P is better for us now (range, Superchargers, audio system, in-cabin storage, quick steering ratio, Track Mode, handling after the upgrades, heat pump, keep climate on / dog / camp modes, much closer servicing to our home, and Tesla's phone-as-a-key + NFC cards arrangement great, way better than using fobs as the backup like Polestar).
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I need to mention that when I swipe up on my phone, it provides a "screenshot" button that I don't ever use instead of the useful menu that it used to show and that I *always* used.
Thanks for listening.
Hi,1. Cramped interior with ultra high center console armrest and low roofline.
- yeah unfortunately not as spacious as a pure EV platform. I had a ID3 before and the volume as such is nice. With that said 95% of the time I will be driving by myself. Also having the hatch-back is a great bonus coupled with the tow bar
2. Blinker is insanely loud.
-
3. Google interface for the infotainment system.
- I do actually fancy it (need to mention I am on the android team
4. Portrait mainscreen, landscape in my opinion is more natural.
maybe yes, but I do like the drivers display
5. No Supercharger network.
- true, Tesla has however opened up 42 stations here. Not sure if it will remain like that or not.
Also I maybe to 3-4 longer(as in 500-700km) trips per year so hopefully should be fine from that aspect.
6. Nowhere near as quick as the M3P.
- True, however with the 476 verision I think the +60/70km the differences are reduced. Also the M3P in Europe has the LG batteries which does not seem to be as powerful as the Panasonic batteries.
With that said as well the dampening and brakes on the P2 Perf are better
Valid points on the Polestar suspension and brakes.
Thank you for the input!@themazcorner My wife and I had the same dilemma last fall! I really liked the Polestar 2 Performance. My wife liked many things about it too, we were both surprised how much we liked it. For me it was my top choice initially, for my wife it wasn't her top choice but she quite liked it too, and the next car after it will be one she picked out & preordered already (we need 2 cars going forward), so we ordered a Polestar 2 Performance with all the packs except leather.
Then Tesla restocked their demo fleet for Q4, we tested some Model 3's...and I liked the Model 3 Performance just as much, for mostly different reasons. And my wife already preferred a Tesla for range + supercharging. The P2P and M3P are very different cars yet I liked them about equally. For us these were the major factors in cancelling our P2P order in favor of an M3P:
1) The additional range and efficiency of the Model 3 is very useful for our driving. We've been EV-only for many years with our 2013 Model S P85. Polestar 2 dual motor has basically the same range as that. Which works for us, yes, but we wanted more from a new car. With our M3P there's driving we do where we can comfortably skip any DCFC stop, which would be needed with a P2P (without hypermiling or cutting it uncomfortably close, which neither of us likes to do).
2) Here in the US the public DCFC hasn't caught up with the Tesla Supercharger network yet, as I'm sure you've heard. There's a rural area we drive in regularly - long distances between places - that has Tesla Superchargers but no public DCFC. I even contacted Electrify America to ask if they had any plans to expand in that area, they responded and were nice, but couldn't or wouldn't share anything. Also, we're completely used to the whole plug in and charge experience with Superchargers. Polestar 2 doesn't or didn't support "plug & charge" and my local Polestar reps couldn't promise that the car would ever support it. I have no interest in fiddling with payment methods, touchscreens, etc just to get a DCFC charge going.
3) Based on our test drives, and how vastly better the P2P Öhlins DFV suspension was compared to the M3P suspension, my wife gave me permission to put Öhlins DFV on our M3P.
Also my wife was 100% on board with downsizing from the M3P's silly fragile wheel setup to something more practical. I went for forged 18" wheels and they've been great for real world driving, including nasty city and rural roads, long dirt and gravel driveways, etc. P2P comes with forged wheels from the factory, with more tire sidewall than stock M3P setup, P2P is definitely a better setup from the factory.
There's still many things I liked more about the P2P (hatchback/fastback, back seats, front seats, side mirrors, Google Maps, ACC following behavior, interior and chassis felt more solid, Öhlins DFV + forged wheels from the factory), but overall our M3P is better for us now (range, Superchargers, audio system, in-cabin storage, quick steering ratio, Track Mode, handling after the upgrades, heat pump, keep climate on / dog / camp modes, much closer servicing to our home, and Tesla's phone-as-a-key + NFC cards arrangement great, way better than using fobs as the backup like Polestar).
For #1 and #2
For the the range as such is no issue as rarely do longer trips. However with the soaring electricity prices in Europe obviously a car with the lower consumption is preferable as it would more or less directly mean 10-20% higher cost e.g when charging at home comparing the efficiency of the M3P to the P2P, last winter the price for 1kwh was for us in the region in Sweden where we live was 10x higher compared to the same period in 2021. They are saying this year will be even worse due to the whole Ukraine situation and political decisions here in Sweden....
The charging speeds of the P2P seems to be reasonably good, not as fast as the M3P but I would think sufficient for the needs I have on the road. Also the M3P is coming with the LG battery and seems to need more time to get up to speed compared to the Panasonic batteries so maybe charging speed between the two is a flush?
Also here in Sweden and some countries in Europe Tesla has opened up some stations (42 here in Sweden) which takes away a bit of the anxiety on the road also in Sweden they are building quite many charging stations, however obviously still a lots to do.
For #3
The M3P price I am paying here (with the current exchange rate) is 71.6k USD and the P2P is 69.4K USD with the Pilot&Plus pack and tow bar.
For me to get the M3P and add the e.g Öhlins (I can do the install myself) would start getting rather expensive
. The DFV dampers are another 4300 USD. The lighter wheels I would opt for either way with the M3P but not fancy forged ones you have , but also in 18" but roughly another 2500-ish USD.So as a drivers car out the box as such I think the P2P is much more compliant and settled in the braking and chassi dynamics, (I do have coilovers and upgraded brakes/wheels on my fun car as well). But I can imagine the M3P with the lighter weight, upgraded chassi and (lighter)wheels will perform and outhandle the P2P in all measures but then we are almost at 10k more than the P2P
With that said I agree on all points you are saying but my wallet has a big say in the decision. In Sweden the interest rates has "soared" (however been very very low for long time) and I am be worried what things will be like in 12-24 e.g. with housing, jobs etc. and taking the inflation in consideration.
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@themazcorner The relative pricing (not absolute numbers) was similar here in the US when we were shopping. (All the prices and incentives have since changed!) P2P was about $2k cheaper after factoring in incentives (federal tax refund), when optioned to match M3P features (which is how we ordered it). With the coilovers, bushing upgrades, forged wheels, and new tires I'm at least $7.5k USD into upgrades for this car. With the upgrades we got more car overall, but we definitely paid more for it. There's no free lunch!Thank you for the input!
For #1 and #2
For the the range as such is no issue as rarely do longer trips. However with the soaring electricity prices in Europe obviously a car with the lower consumption is preferable as it would more or less directly mean 10-20% higher cost e.g when charging at home comparing the efficiency of the M3P to the P2P, last winter the price for 1kwh was for us in the region in Sweden where we live was 10x higher compared to the same period in 2021. They are saying this year will be even worse due to the whole Ukraine situation and political decisions here in Sweden....
The charging speeds of the P2P seems to be reasonably good, not as fast as the M3P but I would think sufficient for the needs I have on the road. Also the M3P is coming with the LG battery and seems to need more time to get up to speed compared to the Panasonic batteries so maybe charging speed between the two is a flush?
Also here in Sweden and some countries in Europe Tesla has opened up some stations (42 here in Sweden) which takes away a bit of the anxiety on the road also in Sweden they are building quite many charging stations, however obviously still a lots to do.
For #3
The M3P price I am paying here (with the current exchange rate) is 71.6k USD and the P2P is 69.4K USD with the Pilot&Plus pack and tow bar.
For me to get the M3P and add the e.g Öhlins (I can do the install myself) would start getting rather expensive
So as a drivers car out the box as such I think the P2P is much more compliant and settled in the braking and chassi dynamics, (I do have coilovers and upgraded brakes/wheels on my fun car as well). But I can imagine the M3P with the lighter weight, upgraded chassi and (lighter)wheels will perform and outhandle the P2P in all measures but then we are almost at 10k more than the P2P
With that said I agree on all points you are saying but my wallet has a big say in the decision. In Sweden the interest rates has "soared" (however been very very low for long time) and I am be worried what things will be like in 12-24 e.g. with housing, jobs etc. and taking the inflation in consideration.
For us the M3P + mods was worth it, but in your case where the range and charging differences mostly don't matter, the P2P does seem like a better value than M3P + mods.
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@themazcorner I forgot to list one more M3P pro - it's quicker! Honestly the P2P / dual motor was quick enough for me (same with M3LR for that matter), that's not why I favored the M3P, but I certainly don't mind having the quickness available. 
My wife however...P2P was our first test drive for this car purchase, and she noticed how the P2 dual motor is a tad slower than our 2013 Model S P85. That didn't sit well with her.
Polestar hadn't announced the P2 acceleration boost yet then! That *should* bring the acceleration at least in line with our P85, and closer to the M3P. I'm pretty sure the M3P will still be quicker though, especially 0-60. Not a big deal to me as mentioned, but it is to many buyers of these performance models!
My wife however...P2P was our first test drive for this car purchase, and she noticed how the P2 dual motor is a tad slower than our 2013 Model S P85. That didn't sit well with her.
Polestar hadn't announced the P2 acceleration boost yet then! That *should* bring the acceleration at least in line with our P85, and closer to the M3P. I'm pretty sure the M3P will still be quicker though, especially 0-60. Not a big deal to me as mentioned, but it is to many buyers of these performance models!
Before I continue sorry OP for the OT@themazcorner I forgot to list one more M3P pro - it's quicker! Honestly the P2P / dual motor was quick enough for me (same with M3LR for that matter), that's not why I favored the M3P, but I certainly don't mind having the quickness available.
My wife however...P2P was our first test drive for this car purchase, and she noticed how the P2 dual motor is a tad slower than our 2013 Model S P85. That didn't sit well with her.
Polestar hadn't announced the P2 acceleration boost yet then! That *should* bring the acceleration at least in line with our P85, and closer to the M3P. I'm pretty sure the M3P will still be quicker though, especially 0-60. Not a big deal to me as mentioned, but it is to many buyers of these performance models!
Yeah I need to think hard and long. What actually started the "real decision making" was this (will try to keep it short). I ordered my P2P in June for price X and it will be my company car. In Sweden we have mainly two different ways of leasing for companies. I admit it was my fault and I made an assumption that the lease offered by Polestar for companies was the lease method I would like to have. It turns out that is not the case. Since my order the price of the car has increased with 5000USD (so the price difference when I ordered the P2 was actually 7k USD compared to the M3P).
Now when I want to update the financing Polestar is saying "you can do that but you will get the new price.....", I have never ever experienced anything like that when it comes to financing, I do have friends in the car industry and also I have spoken with many leasing firms and no one has experienced that. Polestar are saying "we need to open up the order and then the new price will be valid and we cannot do anything about it...". I myself work with ERP-systems and know what is possible 99% of time and not and I call this BS as they seem to be trying to take advantage of the current situation in the market. I told them straight up you are using the situation and your inability to help me now makes me wonder how their aftermarket support is.... The "manager" I have been in contact with said you now have my contact details if there is anything you need help with just reach out, told him thanks I appreciate that but you have not been able to help me out with one single thing (we have been in contact on multiple occasions trying to figure something out) so what would you be able to help me with going forward
Enough of the boring stuff, indeed the acceleration of the M3P is awesome, I quite often drive "like I stole it" so from that perspective the M3P is most likely more suited it's a shame that the chassi and brakes are not on par. The 0-60 for sure the P2 will be quite a bit after even with the 476hp, what Polestar have done however is that they have added most of the juice 60-150km/h (or in that ballpark) so at speed maybe not so much difference and also to mention again the LG batteries in the M3P do not offer as much power as the Panasonics from what I have seen and read.
Also not sure if you have seen this for the US
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I get to see and drive all the latest Tesla's from Fremont and they all have had excellent build quality so far.
Model Y's have felt liner in door pockets now
Model 3's however do not yet have the felt liner in the door pockets
Model Y's have felt liner in door pockets now
Model 3's however do not yet have the felt liner in the door pockets
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