HELP! How do I get through to a Real Person

[Brentt]

Mobile service came and looked at my car Monday and said it needs new upper ball joints (at 47k miles) and a new VC right control board. (this will be it's third one). The last one was replaced two weeks ago in St. Louis during a road trip. The car is operable, but the ball joints are getting exponentially worse each time it's driven. I'm not sure I would trust it to on a 300 mile road trip. I asked what to do and Mobile said they would escalate my case but it would need to go to the nearest service center which is about five hours away. That was Monday and so far, I haven't heard anything. I can set up an appointment through the app, but there's no way on knowing if they will have the parts in stock when I arrive, and I can't afford to stay in a hotel until they do arrive. I also can't drive two cars and leave the Tesla until it's repaired. As you can see from the mileage, this is our daily driver and I need it back as soon as possible. I need to know the parts will be available when I arrive, so service can be done that day. Iv'e tried calling their local number and just get stuck in an endless loop that says go online or through the app. Even when I tried the option for new sales, it wasn't possible to speak to a real person. How are you going to tell people how great Tesla is, if you don't answer the phone!

 

[Daniel in SD]

It's not safe to drive with ball joints that are getting "exponentially worse". I would have the car towed to Dallas and then get a flight to pick it up. I assume Tesla will pay for the tow if it's unsafe to drive?

 

[Brentt]

It's not safe to drive with ball joints that are getting "exponentially worse". I would have the car towed to Dallas and then get a flight to pick it up. I assume Tesla will pay for the tow if it's unsafe to drive?

There's no way of knowing if Tesla will pay for the tow or not. They have gone silent :-(

 

[Daniel in SD]

There's no way of knowing if Tesla will pay for the tow or not. They have gone silent :-(

I would call roadside assistance and tell them the car is not safe to drive. If your ball joints fail you’re going to have a bad day.

 

[Brentt]

I would call roadside assistance and tell them the car is not safe to drive. If your ball joints fail you’re going to have a bad day.

Agree. I'd like to let the process work it's way through, but ball joint failure is serious stuff!

 

[M109Rider]

If service looked at the car already and didn’t indicate it’s not safe to drive, why do you feel it’s unsafe to drive. ?

Ball joints, brakes, and a bunch of parts wear out on cars, but doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t safe to drive.

I’m not a mechanic, so maybe one will chime in on ball joint wear and how safe they are to drive on.

 

[SO16]

Mobile service came and looked at my car Monday and said it needs new upper ball joints (at 47k miles) and a new VC right control board. (this will be it's third one). The last one was replaced two weeks ago in St. Louis during a road trip. The car is operable, but the ball joints are getting exponentially worse each time it's driven. I'm not sure I would trust it to on a 300 mile road trip. I asked what to do and Mobile said they would escalate my case but it would need to go to the nearest service center which is about five hours away. That was Monday and so far, I haven't heard anything. I can set up an appointment through the app, but there's no way on knowing if they will have the parts in stock when I arrive, and I can't afford to stay in a hotel until they do arrive. I also can't drive two cars and leave the Tesla until it's repaired. As you can see from the mileage, this is our daily driver and I need it back as soon as possible. I need to know the parts will be available when I arrive, so service can be done that day. Iv'e tried calling their local number and just get stuck in an endless loop that says go online or through the app. Even when I tried the option for new sales, it wasn't possible to speak to a real person. How are you going to tell people how great Tesla is, if you don't answer the phone!

Schedule in the app and put in the comments to let you know if parts are in.

But what I would do is look for a Tesla certified repair shop closer to you and take it there. (Unless you think it would be covered by warranty....which I doubt.)

Body Shop Support

I know these are body shops but they may also do that repair for you. One near me was willing to do repairs like that. I see there is a repair shop in Oklahoma City (about 2 hours from Tulsa). Call them.

 

[Brentt]

If service looked at the car already and didn’t indicate it’s not safe to drive, why do you feel it’s unsafe to drive. ?

Ball joints, brakes, and a bunch of parts wear out on cars, but doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t safe to drive.

I’m not a mechanic, so maybe one will chime in on ball joint wear and how safe they are to drive on.

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I've owned and built lots of cars from the ground up, including a "36 Ford and Factory Five Roadster.
Ball joints are not something to take lightly. If one fails, the wheel falls off!

 

[Brentt]

Schedule in the app and put in the comments to let you know if parts are in.

But what I would do is look for a Tesla certified repair shop closer to you and take it there. (Unless you think it would be covered by warranty....which I doubt.)

Oklahoma doesn't have a service center, and as far as I know there aren't any certified shops. It should be covered under warranty since the car has less than 50,000 miles. It won't be long before the car is out of warranty and I'm not even sure parts are available if a local shop wanted to repair it?

 

[Nocturnal]

I got through no problem last week when I called with a question. You can also try calling your target SC directly.

 

[SO16]

Oklahoma doesn't have a service center, and as far as I know there aren't any certified shops. It should be covered under warranty since the car has less than 50,000 miles. It won't be long before the car is out of warranty and I'm not even sure parts are available if a local shop wanted to repair it?

I question if that will be under warranty. That may fall under wear and tear.

I updated my original comment. You may want to at least just call the place in Oklahoma City. Can find them using the link I put in my previous comment.

 

[Daniel in SD]

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I've owned and built lots of cars from the ground up, including a "36 Ford and Factory Five Roadster.
Ball joints are not something to take lightly. If one fails, the wheel falls off!

Well the good news (?) is that you're almost out of warranty so the next time you can just replace them yourself. You can get parts off of eBay, there are a huge number of wrecked Model 3.

 

[Brentt]

I got through no problem last week when I called with a question. You can also try calling your target SC directly.

I've tried calling both KC and Dallas. It's not possible to get through. You get stuck in an endless phone loop :-(

 

[Brentt]

Well the good news (?) is that you're almost out of warranty so the next time you can just replace them yourself. You can get parts off of eBay, there are a huge number of wrecked Model 3.

Sorry, Not interested in wrecked parts for my wife's car. There are getting ready to be thousands of Model3's out there that will need out of warranty service. Tesla needs to make sure the parts available over the counter.

 

[Nocturnal]

I've tried calling both KC and Dallas. It's not possible to get through. You get stuck in an endless phone loop :-(

That blows. I don't think I've ever had problems getting in contact with the KC location directly. Keep trying. Mid week is always the best time to call anywhere.

 

[Brentt]

I question if that will be under warranty. That may fall under wear and tear.

I updated my original comment. You may want to at least just call the place in Oklahoma City. Can find them using the link I put in my previous comment.

Thanks. The problem goes beyond the Ball joints. The VC right module also needs replaced,. with it bad, the right rear door won't open, which could be dangerous in an accident. To replace it, it must be re-programmed by Tesla. I've already had one replaced, but apparently it was bad out of the box

 

[Az_Rael]

Only way I have had luck was to call the service center number then choose the options that get you to ask about your car in service. That gets the call in my area directed to the service center phone. However, that doesnt guarantee you will get someone, you just have to keep calling until you get lucky and someone picks up.

Being that far from a service center is not going to be a fun ownership experience, honestly. You will need to be prepared to pay to tow the vehicle once it goes out of warranty.

 

[Brentt]

Only way I have had luck was to call the service center number then choose the options that get you to ask about your car in service. That gets the call in my area directed to the service center phone. However, that doesnt guarantee you will get someone, you just have to keep calling until you get lucky and someone picks up.

Being that far from a service center is not going to be a fun ownership experience, honestly. You will need to be prepared to pay to tow the vehicle once it goes out of warranty.

Thanks. I tried again but the KC center doesn't have the option for cars in service.

 

[hpartsch]

Mobile service came and looked at my car Monday and said it needs new upper ball joints (at 47k miles) and a new VC right control board. (this will be it's third one). The last one was replaced two weeks ago in St. Louis during a road trip. The car is operable, but the ball joints are getting exponentially worse each time it's driven. I'm not sure I would trust it to on a 300 mile road trip. I asked what to do and Mobile said they would escalate my case but it would need to go to the nearest service center which is about five hours away. That was Monday and so far, I haven't heard anything. I can set up an appointment through the app, but there's no way on knowing if they will have the parts in stock when I arrive, and I can't afford to stay in a hotel until they do arrive. I also can't drive two cars and leave the Tesla until it's repaired. As you can see from the mileage, this is our daily driver and I need it back as soon as possible. I need to know the parts will be available when I arrive, so service can be done that day. Iv'e tried calling their local number and just get stuck in an endless loop that says go online or through the app. Even when I tried the option for new sales, it wasn't possible to speak to a real person. How are you going to tell people how great Tesla is, if you don't answer the phone!

I just had the issue of getting a person in service. It's crazy. Try pressing the number for sales and explaining to them and asking them to transfer you to someone in service.

 

[Brentt]

Only way I have had luck was to call the service center number then choose the options that get you to ask about your car in service. That gets the call in my area directed to the service center phone. However, that doesnt guarantee you will get someone, you just have to keep calling until you get lucky and someone picks up.

Being that far from a service center is not going to be a fun ownership experience, honestly. You will need to be prepared to pay to tow the vehicle once it goes out of warranty.

Bingo! You were right, but I had to jump through several more hoops to get to the "car in service" option. I was at least able to leave a message. We'll see if they return the call.