Have around 5,000 miles on my Model S and just noticed two small interior issues. First, the headliner where it meets the windshield is not tucked under the trim. Over time, I'm sure this will start to fray. Second, the silver trim around the center screen, on the top right side there is a gap unlike the left top side. Small nitpicky quality issues. Anyone else notice these or have these in theirs? I haven't checked other Model S' or the store display one but I can't imagine mine being the only one.
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Interior Nitpicking (Headliner & Center Screen Trim)
- Thread starter Lou in SoCal
- Start date
ZBB
Emperor
I'm surprised I didn't notice that gap on mine (which is exactly the same too) -- I usually notice things like this. Now thanks to this post, I'll notice it every day (at least until the car is in service for something else...).
I can push the top of the dash down to make it go away -- makes me wonder if a clip just didn't catch or something...
I can push the top of the dash down to make it go away -- makes me wonder if a clip just didn't catch or something...
wdimagineer
Member
Mine's the exact opposite. The dash sits too low. Once you notice it, you'll never stop noticing it.
Lots of 'little' issues with this car. I love it, but I'm puzzled at some things:
- I have a 'bubble' in the fabric on my passenger B-pillar
- The alcantara above my head, where the headliner meets the door seal, is peeling
- Various rattles
- Knocking from the seat belt holder on my side of the car
2 weeks in - not what I was expecting. Service seems incredibly backed up, so I don't know when these things will be addressed.
IMO it is important to note all the things that are less than optimal in the interior and we should not consider this nitpicking. Model S is one expensive car and the interior should be as close to perfect as possible.
I am not talking about interior design--cup holders, door pockets, etc. That is a separate discussion. I mean the interior Tesla has chosen should be about as perfect as possible for a car of this price and category. On each car.
But the quality control on the rest of the car just isn't in the same league as the quality of the drive train.
Cars going into service centers for quality control issues appear to be a significant portion of their being so swamped. Who cares if they are selling 500 cars a week if most of those are going to wind up in service within a short period. As more cars are sold quality control issues will crush the system.
I have had my car for a little over two months. It has been into service for headlights being set too high and a rattle in the passenger's A pillar, both quality control issues. It has now developed little rattles and squeaks in a number of places which I expect will soon get to the point of requiring service again. My situation is minor compared to many reports on the forums but it highlights the quality control issue.
My prior car was a Leaf. It was rock solid. Not one squeak, rattle or problem of any kind after a year and a half of ownership. Not nearly as good as a Model S overall but extraordinarily, exceptionally, vastly superior quality control.
I am not talking about interior design--cup holders, door pockets, etc. That is a separate discussion. I mean the interior Tesla has chosen should be about as perfect as possible for a car of this price and category. On each car.
But the quality control on the rest of the car just isn't in the same league as the quality of the drive train.
Cars going into service centers for quality control issues appear to be a significant portion of their being so swamped. Who cares if they are selling 500 cars a week if most of those are going to wind up in service within a short period. As more cars are sold quality control issues will crush the system.
I have had my car for a little over two months. It has been into service for headlights being set too high and a rattle in the passenger's A pillar, both quality control issues. It has now developed little rattles and squeaks in a number of places which I expect will soon get to the point of requiring service again. My situation is minor compared to many reports on the forums but it highlights the quality control issue.
My prior car was a Leaf. It was rock solid. Not one squeak, rattle or problem of any kind after a year and a half of ownership. Not nearly as good as a Model S overall but extraordinarily, exceptionally, vastly superior quality control.
ZBB
Emperor
I just have the fabric headliner... But I noticed that the door seals sometimes curl inward, revealing the edge of the headliner. I can reset the interior portion of the seal to re-hide that edge. I'm guessing Tesla went a little short on the tolerances here -- another couple mm of fabric would have allowed the headliner to tuck under and hide the edge...
I also noticed the chrome trim surrounding the windows did not properly align. Probably about 2-3mm. I did bring this up when I picked up the car, but the Tesla rep told me it is within "tolerance." These things bother me a little, but I guess it comes with a newer company.
This is still present, though. I noticed it at the rear pointed portion near the hatchback. With the back open, there is a little leeway to be able to push it in a little bit. I'm not sure if this is the same area you're talking about though. My trunk was a little misaligned as well but this improved with a little adjustment of the rubber stoppers in the jamb.
wdimagineer
Member
I agree with you completely. My out the door price was nearly $130K. At that price you're in loaded 7 Series and S Class territory. I've not owned one but friends who do say the cars are rock solid.
I can forgive some things but the multitude of small problems so soon into ownership casts doubt on the long term reliability of the car. I admit that I knew I'd be perpetually beta testing this vehicle but I still feel that for the price of admission we should be getting more for our investment.
What route do you typically take to address these concerns with Tesla?
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
Perhaps that is a leftover part of the standard American car build philosophy.
See this highly factual
wink video detailing the differences between European and American thinking when it comes to cars:Top Gear - The best selling car...IN THE WORLD - YouTube
By the way, even though I think Jeremy and his colleagues often haven't got the slightest clue what they are talking about, the general idea of this video seems to present some valid points. Still funny, especially having a Brit tell us about quality in cars
I contact our local SC directly via email or voice mail. They have always been prompt in replying. We are very fortunate in Hawaii to have an excellent SC staff which is quite busy but not yet overwhelmed like so many other SCs in the country. In reading these forums ours sounds like a far above average SC so I don't think my experience here is typical.
This is why I feel that TSLA stock is highly overvalued at this point. A bad review, report of major defect, or widespread quality control issues would be enough to derail the company's recent spate of successes. I believe that internally Tesla made a conscious decision to sacrifice initial build quality, pushing those off onto service centers for the benefit of increasing production numbers and meeting or exceeding Wall Street's expectations. Can someone tell me, does Wall Street count the number of defective vehicles or lack of quality control? No... they look at sales figures and gross margins, so as long as the service issues don't cut into the margins, the company will continue growing at the expense of existing customers who have to address quality issues after the vehicle was purchased and after Tesla got your money.
Does anybody wonder why it takes so long to source parts for repair? Some say it's because the entire production line is geared towards new vehicles... well if that's true, it proves my above point nicely. Screw the existing owners by taking their money and making them wait in line to fix things that shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. Slow down parts production because those are losses, and the longer you make your customers wait for parts, the lower your losses are and the longer you can stretch out the story to Wall Street about high margins and better than expected production numbers. Anyone seeing a pattern? Tesla is a business, so maybe we shouldn't be surprised that they are acting like one?
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
It costs 5x to 10x as much to fix a defect in the field as it does on the line. There's no way Tesla would make this decision, certainly not for Wall Street. Rework, whether on the line or at a service center, costs Tesla money. Money they have to account for right now, as it happens, each quarter. Intentionally pushing this to later as you suggest would be financial suicide. In addition, the cost of goods for each car manufactured includes a warranty reserve which does impact margins. Having more warranty repairs come in each quarter requires they take a charge against that. This is something Tesla does not want to see happen. Your thesis has no basis in accounting or connection to reality.
Give the folks at Tesla a little more credit than that. They are most certainly doing everything they can to improve quality at every step along the way. It's not easy. It takes time. They are doing this from scratch for the first time. What they've produced is, in my opinion, absolutely stunning. Yes, there will be some problems, and so far the vast majority of them I've read here are minor and quickly and professionally dealt with.
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wdimagineer
Member
I wouldn't say that they're doing this for the "first time" and "from scratch". The drivetrain - sure. But most other components in this car are sourced from other automotive parts manufacturers that have been in business for many years and adapted to Tesla's specifications.
Brembo, Continental, Webasto, TRW, etc. are all involved. Some other very common ones escape me right now. I got to see many logos from many brands while on the factory tour.
It's how these parts come together that forms the issue.
Just driving home today, these are the issues I noticed:
- my door panel creaks when I put my elbow on it
- knock from seatbelt guide in b-pillar
- bad wind noise from sunroof (both at speed and from cross-winds on elevated road)
- brake squeal at stop
- muffled paper sound from speakers
- rattle from upper side of dash on passenger side
- rattle from rear
I can deal with the minor issues, like rattles. I've always been good at fixing them. But the other stuff are major issues.
AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
Which I hope they manage to fix before too many European car magazines / autoclubs like ADAC etc. test the car and publicize that the car drives great but leaves a lot to be desired quality-wise. Such reports would certainly kill off the customer base over here as people buying cars of that price category here expect perfection in every detail.
Wdimagineer - please post your solutions for fixing any of these rattles! I have #2 and #6 and would love to know how to address them myself. Thanks.
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