Interesting Comments from Tesla "Used Vehicle Sales Advisor"

[raeB etaN]

Been lurking and reading for a month as research - great info here.
Especially enlightening on the new non-refurb CPO/Used purchasing process and what to expect.

I saw a P85D I liked in the Used inventory Monday morning.
Clicked "Request Photos" and filled out the form.
Was told it could take up to 24 hours for photos.

Tuesday afternoon rolls by, no photos, so I called the (888) number and spoke to Tesla representative.
He reached out to one of the local Tesla Used Vehicle Sales Advisors, and I got an email 5 minutes later with links to images of the actual P85D.

It has a rather large ding above the front driver's wheel.
That explains the pricing on this one.
[Image attached]

Playing dumb, I asked about the ding and was told:
"This Tesla has undergone a 70-point mechanical inspection, but no further service will be provided before pick-up. For cosmetic repair, we can reference you to a Tesla Approved Body Shop."

I asked what exactly is meant by, "no further service will be provided before pick-up" and specifically, "Does Tesla wash & clean, or do they detail the used cars before delivery?" That was yesterday about 4pm.

Thought I knew the answer was going to be an immediate, "Yes, Tesla details used cars before delivery."
That is what I expected on deliveries in SD from reading @noah82 's excellent writeup:
My CPO Play By Play

But maybe not - I'm still waiting for a response...almost 24 hours later.
Maybe they don't want to put it in writing either way?
Or maybe I got stuck with the B-team?

 

[croman]

Tesla communication is very poor. Sounds like you actually got the A team.

 

[raeB etaN]

or maybe its bc they don't have my $1000 deposit yet...

 

[whitex]

Been lurking and reading for a month as research - great info here.
Especially enlightening on the new non-refurb CPO/Used purchasing process and what to expect.

I saw a P85D I liked in the Used inventory Monday morning.
Clicked "Request Photos" and filled out the form.
Was told it could take up to 24 hours for photos.

Tuesday afternoon rolls by, no photos, so I called the (888) number and spoke to Tesla representative.
He reached out to one of the local Tesla Used Vehicle Sales Advisors, and I got an email 5 minutes later with links to images of the actual P85D.

It has a rather large ding above the front driver's wheel.
That explains the pricing on this one.
[Image attached]

Playing dumb, I asked about the ding and was told:
"This Tesla has undergone a 70-point mechanical inspection, but no further service will be provided before pick-up. For cosmetic repair, we can reference you to a Tesla Approved Body Shop."

I asked what exactly is meant by, "no further service will be provided before pick-up" and specifically, "Does Tesla wash & clean, or do they detail the used cars before delivery?" That was yesterday about 4pm.

Thought I knew the answer was going to be an immediate, "Yes, Tesla details used cars before delivery."
That is what I expected on deliveries in SD from reading @noah82 's excellent writeup:
My CPO Play By Play

But maybe not - I'm still waiting for a response...almost 24 hours later.
Maybe they don't want to put it in writing either way?
Or maybe I got stuck with the B-team?

Did they provide you the list of the 70 things they checked?

 

[raeB etaN]

Did they provide you the list of the 70 things they checked?

no - and that is an excellent point - i shall ask!

 

[raeB etaN]

I asked what exactly is meant by, "no further service will be provided before pick-up" and specifically, "Does Tesla wash & clean, or do they detail the used cars before delivery?" That was yesterday about 4pm.

Got a response from the Advisor stating

"No additional cosmetic reconditioning will occur, and the pictures should be used as a guideline for pick-up expectations. The car will be washed and vacuumed ahead of your pick-up, but there will not be paint or dent repairs. We can refer to you to a Tesla Approved Body Shop for any cosmetic refurbishment you’d like to explore after taking possession of your Model S."

Sounds like boilerplate language being copied and used for consistency of response and setting customer expectations.
The word choice is telling:
Used instead of CPO;
Pick-up and/or Take possession instead of Delivery.

This is the new normal.
Not sure it is what I want.
Maybe a used Tesla is not for me...

 

[AndrewTX]

Got a response from the Advisor stating

"No additional cosmetic reconditioning will occur, and the pictures should be used as a guideline for pick-up expectations. The car will be washed and vacuumed ahead of your pick-up, but there will not be paint or dent repairs. We can refer to you to a Tesla Approved Body Shop for any cosmetic refurbishment you’d like to explore after taking possession of your Model S."

Sounds like boilerplate language being copied and used for consistency of response and setting customer expectations.
The word choice is telling:
Used instead of CPO;
Pick-up and/or Take possession instead of Delivery.

This is the new normal.
Not sure it is what I want.
Maybe a used Tesla is not for me...

It sounds like they're being straightforward with you on the terms of the deal. Can't really ask for much more than that. How much are they asking for a car with such a large ding?

 

[raeB etaN]

It sounds like they're being straightforward with you on the terms of the deal. Can't really ask for much more than that. How much are they asking for a car with such a large ding?

Yes.

I appreciate the clear language and that they are being honest with me.
Did not mean to imply any negativity towards my Advisor or feeling misled somehow.
[In hindsight my "B Team" comment was ill-advised...was frustrated with delay in response]

I should direct any negativity about this towards myself for waiting and missing out on the good old days of CPO.

The price is discounted by maybe $3k from similarly-equipped ones that (I assume - no pics to verify) lack the large ding.

 

[Macbest]

That is min $2000 to fix.

 

[xanatos]

similar response from my advisor:

Do they still fix dents, scratches, and wheel rashes?


No


What about detailing/cleaning inside the cars?


Yes. A full detail is still included.


3) if they find something wrong during the inspection do they still fix it or just make a note of it?


If anything pops up that would be considered a cosmetic concern, it would be noted and photographed. As for mechanically, we would repair any safety concerns. Anything that needed an immediate fix, we would also take handle. Past that, you have the same wonderful extended warranty to cover you.

Indeed, the warranty on my current CPO was so "wonderful", I've had to use it at least 10 times in the past 1.5 years...yay...

 

[BigNick]

This wouldn’t happen to be P73733, would it? That one recently disappeared from my ev-cpo hunter list.

 

[raeB etaN]

This wouldn’t happen to be P73733, would it? That one recently disappeared from my ev-cpo hunter list.

nope, not that one.

 

[dethman]

that is a HUGE f'in ding.

 

[andrewket]

That’s not a ding. That’s a crater.

 

[.Supercharged.]

Paintless dent removal? It's amazing what some of those folks can do at a fraction of cost and time.

 

[Dborn]

Actually, while the photo looks bad, paintless dent removal would probably work. There is some paint scratching in the middle of that and touch up guys could probably handle it. All up, maybe a grand. I had a similar dent fixed in a previous car and could not see where it had been afterwards. Mind you, that was steel, not aluminum. I would call one of those folks up, ask about aluminum, and send them the photo for a quote. Then make up your mind.

 

[boaterva]

Have to say, the 'Used' vs 'CPO' was mandated by Elon, what, a year ago? He wanted truth in advertising... It wasn't part of the recent 'realignment' of process. The other stuff is a bad idea, I think, if they really want to move these cars and uphold Tesla's image. (lol)

 

[HankLloydRight]

^^^^^ Yes, thanks for posting this, I was just about to say the same thing.

 

[bro1999]

that is a HUGE f'in ding.

 

[TaoJones]

What would it cost to replace, color match, and of course re-align that entire piece? I’d start there as a baseline and see how the various repair options stacked up cost-wise.