I was a delivery specialist for many years- Ask Me Anything

[MP3Mike]

Are new inventory cars with 2-3k miles ever in prior major collisions? If so, would these incidents be reported on a carfax even if sold as “new”, or does Tesla repair these cars in house to avoid reporting?

If a new car that has more than a certain amount of bodywork done it has to be shared with the buyer. (I don't think they have to proactive tell the buyer, but if the buyer asks they have to tell them. And I don't remember the dollar amount, but I think it was like $2-3k.)

I doubt it would make it to Carfax.

 

[Destiny1701]

If a new car that has more than a certain amount of bodywork done it has to be shared with the buyer. (I don't think they have to proactive tell the buyer, but if the buyer asks they have to tell them. And I don't remember the dollar amount, but I think it was like $2-3k.)

I doubt it would make it to Carfax.

That seems a bit odd that a vehicle with non-oem paint and a repair would not have to be reported automatically as its being sold as a ‘new’ inventory vehicle with brand new warranty. ?

 

[MP3Mike]

That seems a bit odd that a vehicle with non-oem paint and a repair would not have to be reported automatically as its being sold as a ‘new’ inventory vehicle with brand new warranty. ?

New pretty much only means that it hasn't been titled before.

The limit for repairs varies by state. Some states say repairs that cost more than 5% of the MSRP have to be reported. (So on a $100k car they could do $5k of repairs before they have to say anything.) Other states say any re-painting over $500 has to be reported. I think most states exclude tires, bumpers, and windshields from the repair bill costs; as long as OEM parts are used.

 

[DESinUS]

I have just one question....Are you really Sorry you signed up for this Forum? But hey Thanks, appreciate the honest response's even though a lot of folks don't want to hear that!!

I have never been in a forum and it's tough keeping up with all of these!! It's kind of hard to find posts that I haven't responded to because I have to literally scroll through and read every one when I get a notification of a new comment.

 

[Fiver]

I have never been in a forum and it's tough keeping up with all of these!! It's kind of hard to find posts that I haven't responded to because I have to literally scroll through and read every one when I get a notification of a new comment.

At the top (and bottom) of the thread pages, where the number of pages is listed, there's the option to "go to first unread". That will pop you to the first one you have yet to see.

 

[DESinUS]

So appreciative you’re helping here!
I have a dilemma..I ordered a new 100D MC red to arrive eta end of July. Recently found a P100D MC red with virtually identical features with a 30k adjustment and 3000km on it. When I push the lease numbers, the capital cost reduction puts the monthly payment on the P within $200 of the 100D new.

Dilemma is I’ve had an inventory car before and by about 3000km driven, I saw pits in the paint, scratch on windshield, creases in seats etc. It’s hit and miss I know and some demos were well kept whereas others not.

I love the range of the 100d and the ‘real world’ 3.6sec 0-60 vs the 2.4 0-60 (rollout spec) and lower range of the P100D. But at only $200/month apart? Arghh...it’s the red rocket vs the little less red rocket? Lol

I would be putting ppf on either car! Is there any way I could get pictures up close of the P from someone at the SC where it’s located? Who would I ask for this?

Thanks

Good question!!! The best way is to ask a sales person for the VIN. They can ping the vehicle to see where it's located and then somebody can snap photos for you.

 

[DESinUS]

I assume you mean recently. When I ordered my first S in 2012 it was promised they would deliver it to "wherever makes [me] smile," but by the time it was ready for delivery in 2013 they weren't doing that any more, I was told, and I had to go pick it up. I wasn't happy that I was promised something when I ordered and after waiting a year for the car the promise was not kept.

In the early days we could definitely be more accommodating. The problem with promises being broken is that sales will promise a lot of things that are completely out of their control. Delivery is the department that actually makes things happen once a car is ordered. Sales people basically explain the car, help you configure, and take a deposit. Outside of that, they can't do much more than asking delivery to make things happen.

 

[DESinUS]

DESinUS I just want to say thank your hard work and for the fantastic service I have received from Tesla delivery and service specialists. I have been in service industries all my life {I'm currently work in education, which has some of the toughest customers on Earth } and I know how much diligence and patience it takes to please customers everyday. My experience with Tesla has not always been perfect, but considering the context of a rapidly growing, disruptive company making large complex devices, I consider the service to be exemplary. It's like eating at a restaurant on the busiest day of the year, yes service won't be perfect, but considering the context, they are doing a great job.

Thank you! You said it perfectly! Tesla is second to none when it comes to scaling within and disrupting an industry. It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while I imagine, but eventually processes and operations will normalize. During my time at the company, it was like having a new job every couple of months due to all of the management and strategical changes internally.

 

[SoCalNick]

Ev-cpo or cpo Hunter. You can also speak to a cpo specialist.

When I go to ev-cpo there are ZERO new inventory MS cars in the USA.
The links in the orginal post show this to be false.

When I go to tesla.com it shows zero new inventory.
Again, the fact that there were links posted (that still work) show that this is false...

Honestly, when I'm ready to buy I see myself spending a lot of time with a sales person looking at all these options.

 

[DESinUS]

How much insight did you have on when a delivery would really happen? I have S100D that was supposed to be a late June delivery but, today, my DS said that it will probably be July instead. Should I trust that information?

Yes, always trust your DS rather than the updates that MyTesla gives you. Those MyTesla updates are for massive amounts of vehicles based on their end of line production date. Delivery estimates were always the hardest part, because it's basically a guessing game until the car is on a truck making its way to the delivery center.

 

[DESinUS]

When I go to ev-cpo there are ZERO new inventory MS cars in the USA.
The links in the orginal post show this to be false.

When I go to tesla.com it shows zero new inventory.
Again, the fact that there were links posted (that still work) show that this is false...

Honestly, when I'm ready to buy I see myself spending a lot of time with a sales person looking at all these options.

That's the best way. Purely online orders are always the toughest cookies to work with.

 

[DESinUS]

Sounds like a bad fit. That happens. Not everybody is a good fit everywhere.

At first it was a good fit. The luster of it all disappeared after a while for me and many others. I'm very thankful for the insane experiences I had with Tesla, but I'm glad I got out when I did. The job just took over my life, and wasn't worth the stresses and low pay.

 

[yo mama]

What are you talking about? Your opportunity for a tour doesn't expire. Just contact Tesla and ask about getting on a tour. Try [email protected]. Of course things may have changed, but that's the way it always worked before.

Meh, I just leased a new P100D. I'll get the tour when I pick that up. That said, I did *not* know I could have rescheduled the tour myself. My prior DS suggested they would take care of that for me, but never did. My bad for not exercising more self-help, I suppose. Live and learn!

 

[DESinUS]

@DESinUS
Literally every instance of contact with a Tesla Employee has been a joy for me in this past year of ownership. Always professional, helpful and eager to resolve any issues. (Over the top, bending over backwards)
Better than any experience I’ve had with other car brands that I have owned in the past 40+ years.
(AMC, Honda, Chrysler, Mercury, Infiniti, Lexus, Toyota)
I always make an effort to be demonstrative of my appreciation. I know, not everyone is. I’m sorry you’ve had to endure the brunt of that lack of appreciation. Not everyone realizes that way you are treated is often a reflection of how you treat them.

Bingo! Owners like you are the ones that we love!!

 

[dramsey]

If you visit other threads, yes, to this segment of the population they are paying x dollars for a car and it not only needs to be perfect, but they are also expecting to be treated like royalty and all the other stuff. For some, objects are who they are.

It's not that they expect to be treated like royalty: it's that they expect their $100K+ car to be delivered free of painfully obvious defects, and that issues that do arise will be handled quickly and competently.

You know, like your typical Toyota or Honda.

 

[Tes La Ferrari]

Thank you! You said it perfectly! Tesla is second to none when it comes to scaling within and disrupting an industry. It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while I imagine, but eventually processes and operations will normalize. During my time at the company, it was like having a new job every couple of months due to all of the management and strategical changes internally.

Firstly - Thanks for coming into these forums to share your knowledge and experience.. it is much appreciated.

Question: #1: how are inventory / demo / service loaner price adjustments calculated? - are they done by a person at the local sc or is it someone from Tesla headquarters?

Question # 2: how much mileage is the cutoff point where a loaner / demo will be “grounded” for too much mileage rendering it more difficult to sell ? If you don’t know what the limit is what’s the highest mileage demo you have seen ?

Thanks!

 

[Krugerrand]

It's not that they expect to be treated like royalty: it's that they expect their $100K+ car to be delivered free of painfully obvious defects, and that issues that do arise will be handled quickly and competently.

You know, like your typical Toyota or Honda.

No. Some of them definitely wanted to be treated like royalty. And some of them aren’t even talking about painfully obvious defects but rather things that also happen on every other car in that price range. And when you don’t act like a dink, but rather as a reasonable person, Tesla will bend over backwards to make things right. Emphasis on reasonable, which escapes some people.

 

[DESinUS]

Firstly - Thanks for coming into these forums to share your knowledge and experience.. it is much appreciated.

Question: #1: how are inventory / demo / service loaner price adjustments calculated? - are they done by a person at the local sc or is it someone from Tesla headquarters?

Question # 2: how much mileage is the cutoff point where a loaner / demo will be “grounded” for too much mileage rendering it more difficult to sell ? If you don’t know what the limit is what’s the highest mileage demo you have seen ?

Thanks!

1- Prices are adjusted based solely on mileage if my memory serves me correctly.

2- Not sure what the cutoff point is. I think the rule was anything over 30k miles is considered a CPO rather than inventory. Which is pretty high. Again, not really positive on this one. I don't recall what the highest mileage demo car I've seen was. They're all usually 7k miles or less from what I remember.

 

[Krazaak]

1- Prices are adjusted based solely on mileage if my memory serves me correctly.

2- Not sure what the cutoff point is. I think the rule was anything over 30k miles is considered a CPO rather than inventory. Which is pretty high. Again, not really positive on this one. I don't recall what the highest mileage demo car I've seen was. They're all usually 7k miles or less from what I remember.

It's pretty obvious that the showroom adjustment is calculated based upon more than just mileage; likely the age of the vehicle, mileage and any features that are missing that would be considered standard on a new model. The exact calculation probably varies by trim level, but for the Model X P100D I purchased and the others that I considered at the time, you could get within a few $100 of the showroom adjustment if you deducted 1% of the base price per month since manufacture, $1 per mile and the price of any options missing at the time of manufacture that would be considered standard equipment at time of purchase. That may not be the actual calculation, but it matched the dozen or so P100Ds I was considering when I purchased.

My new inventory model was a demo car with 7700 miles, but I've seen them offered with 15,000 miles or more. A car that has been previously titled is pre-owned, one that has not is new. With traditional dealerships, it's possible for a car to be placed into service (as far as the manufacturer is concerned) by the dealership and then still sold as new. In those cases, the manufacturer's warranty is usually calculated from the "in-service" date and mileage. Tesla calculates the warranty (both age and mileage) from delivery, so even demo cars have full warranty. I suspect that's a result of not having independent dealerships. There are some EV rebates that consider the vehicle mileage and a demo car may not qualify even if technically new. For the federal tax credit though, all that matters is that it hasn't been previously titled.

 

[jboy210]

In your experience how unusual is it for a car to fail and have to be towed in right after delivery. Is the 12 volt battery usually the culprit?