Is it really worth it?

[chewystuey]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a few months and I am about ready to push the button on a Model 3 LR but I've noticed a LOT of problems that you all seem to have!

I get that this is a forum and most forums are where people express displeasure rather than pleasure but from a brief scan it would seem that if I order a Model 3 I can expect:

1. No communication between order and about a week before delivery with no timescales ever given
2. A rushed handover (I live in London) with a high probability of panel misalignment and/or missing cables
3. A long wait time for any repairs from above to be fixed
4. Absolutely no answer to any phone calls or emails about the above

So my question is - is it worth it? I know there a few very vocal guys on here who clearly wish they hadn't of purchased one but how about the rest of you? Is the car worth the hassle?

Thanks!

 

[Vapormat]

Its very worth it, but like any new car before you sign for hand over, make sure you check your new car over. don't let your heart of wanting one rule your head if its saying reject the car.

All car makers can get defects or damage in transport, thing is tesla cant keep up with demand and they can be rushed out the door. mine was mint on delivery, perfect infact so not all are horror stories.

once you have it, and are happy it will make you smile ear to ear!

 

[NorfolkMustard]

Yep, worth it. I took delivery of mine at west drayton on a very busy end of quarter day - I still had plenty of time to inspect the car.

Initially phones weren't answered but that changed and phones, emails and txts were answered promptly. If you take a test drive you'll get a contact in sales too which may help.

 

[Generator]

1/ correct
2/ yep
3/ can’t tell you yet,
4/ emails no, but oddly they were answering my phone calls...

Is it worth it?

Yeah, it’s a decent car. And the experience has been no worse or better than I had with premium durch-technic-ists Audi, who ordered the wrong colour, ballsed up delivery, left me hanging without a car for a simple warranty job, failed to communicate with me or internally leading to delays and multiple visits for electronics repairs... Ford were much the same...

If you want good customer service, buy a Toyota. If you want a Tesla, then 2nd rate service is a necessary evil.

 

[chewystuey]

Yep, worth it. I took delivery of mine at west drayton on a very busy end of quarter day - I still had plenty of time to inspect the car.

Initially phones weren't answered but that changed and phones, emails and txts were answered promptly. If you take a test drive you'll get a contact in sales too which may help.

Ahh thanks for this - I did have a test drive from the showroom at Westfield White City, but the system wasn't working that well so I think the guy emailed me which of course I now don't have!

It's great to hear some of you being positive I have to say!

 

[chewystuey]

1/ correct
2/ yep
3/ can’t tell you yet,
4/ emails no, but oddly they were answering my phone calls...

Is it worth it?

Yeah, it’s a decent car. And the experience has been no worse or better than I had with premium durch-technic-ists Audi, who ordered the wrong colour, ballsed up delivery, left me hanging without a car for a simple warranty job, failed to communicate with me or internally leading to delays and multiple visits for electronics repairs... Ford were much the same...

If you want good customer service, buy a Toyota. If you want a Tesla, then 2nd rate service is a necessary evil.

I think that's a very fair point. I had Audis for years and I felt the customer service was just a process - in that if your problem fell outside of an established process you just lost in the cracks. It was one of the reasons I moved away from them.

I'm not too worried about getting a free cup of coffee or being called "sir" when I arrive etc. but I am a bit concerned about ongoing communication if there are issues - which as has been pointed out - is understandable given the time and quantity constraints Tesla are working too.

 

[ciawalsh]

Hey Stu,

I just picked up my Model 3 Performance 10 days ago so I can hopefully answer some of the questions you have above.

1). There wasn't much communication apart from a text message confirming your delivery date and then an email from a lady at the delivery centre a few days before asking you to do your final payment/final deposit. She then ran through a few things with me there and then, to take any worries I had away.

2). This is probably the only thing I had an issue with. It was very impersonal. I have bought cars ranging £20k up to £110k and each one has made it feel special... A little unveiling ceremony, flowers, champagne etc... I picked up at the heathrow tesla garage and it was a 'batch' pick up. They sorted you into timed groups where you would sit and watch the tesla owner presentation then you line up to state your name and get walked over to your car. Again, no one sat with me to go through anything, they just said: "Keys in the cupholders. Any questions, let me know, otherwise have a nice day". I just spent ~£63k on this car... was a bit of let down. (Thankfully nothing wrong with the car, I did have a missing adaptor, but that's being shipped to me Q1 2020 as I didn't need it. There were spares if you did need one there and then, however). The only saving grace is, of course, the car itself. So thankfully all of those emotions melted away once I started driving her home.

3. I haven't had to repair anything yet thankfully, so someone else will need to comment on this for you.

4. As I said in point one, I was able to eventually get a point of contact (the lady at heathrow delivery) once they finally reached out and since then hasn't been an issue.

All in all, it's an impersonal service, I ordered the car online after all, however, the car itself is fantastic and a tech nerds dream - It's made my inner child very happy. I am also very happy I got the Full Self Driving package as well and the performance upgrade... Wowza she is fast. Like... feeling like you're on Stealth at Thorpe Park fast! ha.

Hope this helps.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

1. What additional communication do you need between ordering and taking delivery? Once you place your order, you should already have the funds available or financing approved. Once you are notified that your car is ready for delivery, you should already be ready to take delivery.
2. We've bought 10 Teslas over the past few years. While the first few had minor issues, the more recent cars have been flawless. While you may see several reports of issues from other new owners, they are most likely the exception, not the rule. The thousands of people receiving perfect cars aren't going to post that they didn't have problems. Typically you will hear more from those with complaints than from those with no issues.
3. If there isn't anything wrong, then this isn't an issue.
4. If there isn't anything wrong, then this isn't an issue.

Don't worry. You will love the car and there most likely won't be anything wrong with it. If there are any issues, Tesla will take care of it. If it is a minor issue, most likely no one will notice it but you so there shouldn't be a rush to get it fixed. If there is a major issue, you can refuse delivery.

Try to be optimistic and don't assume there will be problems. Most likely, there won't be any hassle. Several of our deliveries have just required a few minutes of our time and only a signature or two before we were out the door and driving home in our new car.

 

[Ant M3]

1. What additional communication do you need between ordering and taking delivery? Once you place your order, you should already have the funds available or financing approved. Once you are notified that your car is ready for delivery, you should already be ready to take delivery.
2. We've bought 10 Teslas over the past few years. While the first few had minor issues, the more recent cars have been flawless. While you may see several reports of issues from other new owners, they are most likely the exception, not the rule. The thousands of people receiving perfect cars aren't going to post that they didn't have problems. Typically you will hear more from those with complaints than from those with no issues.
3. If there isn't anything wrong, then this isn't an issue.
4. If there isn't anything wrong, then this isn't an issue.

Don't worry. You will love the car and there most likely won't be anything wrong with it. If there are any issues, Tesla will take care of it. If it is a minor issue, most likely no one will notice it but you so there shouldn't be a rush to get it fixed. If there is a major issue, you can refuse delivery.

Try to be optimistic and don't assume there will be problems. Most likely, there won't be any hassle. Several of our deliveries have just required a few minutes of our time and only a signature or two before we were out the door and driving home in our new car.

My only issue with the comms is the unknown delivery time... when you have another car to sell privately (and the Tesla trade in values are so unrealistic, forcing you to sell privately) you need to know when the car will turn up with a reasonable degree of certainty.

But is it worth it .... HELL YES

 

[MorrisonHiker]

My only issue with the comms is the unknown delivery time... when you have another car to sell privately (and the Tesla trade in values are so unrealistic, forcing you to sell privately) you need to know when the car will turn up with a reasonable degree of certainty.

But is it worth it .... HELL YES

Good point. We sold our other cars privately or traded them into Tesla directly. Not all new Tesla buyers can be as flexible.

 

[nightowl]

With any product or service, happy customers tend to make less noise than unhappy customers. Despite a relatively minor cosmetic issue with the rear seat material (stained upon delivery), I'm very happy with my LR M3.

1. It would be nice to have a more accurate delivery timescale than e.g. "1 to 3 months" and get delivery progress updates. Once there's a European factory that should help reduce times. It's a big exercise in patience at the moment. I found it interesting to follow updates regarding Tesla shipments (people on Twitter tracking which ships are going to pier 80 at San Francisco, taking photos of the cars waiting at the pier etc.) It got pretty exciting once I worked out which ship had my car on it.

2. I picked up from West Drayton, where there were a few other people collecting. I spent ages checking over the car and was not rushed. All accessories/cables I was expecting were present. No panel or paint issues. Noticed issue with rear seat material which was noted down when I brought it to the attention of one of the staff.

3. Yep that's a bit of a concern. If something unbearable is wrong at pick-up, reject the car. You might as well wait for a better one to be delivered rather than waiting to get it fixed at a service centre. In my case I didn't mind waiting to get the seats fixed later. That said, I did drive an hour to the SC after waiting several weeks just to find out they didn't have the replacement part and had planned to try and scrub the stain. So now a further wait - it'll be fixed at home eventually though. Booking a service appointment through the app was a fairly streamlined process though (choose what the problem relates to, describe problem, take photos, pick when/where to have it serviced, and then you get a confirmation SMS/e-mail and just turn up at the arranged time/place.)

4. I contacted the sales person at the Bristol showroom who I'd taken a test drive through to ask a couple of things after buying. It can be difficult to get through to anyone regarding delivery but really they don't tend to know any more than you will regarding the delivery progress. You'll hear close to the delivery date when it'll be ready. Other than that it's just best to wait.

A couple of things to consider:

Firstly, end of quarter tends to be insanely busy with lots of deliveries. I'd expect people to be getting rushed more during such times. You won't have control over when delivery will happen but you will at least be able to get a rough idea of how busy/rushed it's likely to be once you have a delivery date.

Secondly, check out the "new inventory" page on the Tesla website occasionally to see if you spot a car there that you want. Cars often get added there whilst they are on the way across from the US. It can be a 2-3 week wait in such cases. I'd already ordered but eventually ended up asking the sales person in Bristol to switch me to one of the new inventory stock when I spotted a vehicle matching the one I wanted.

 

[Alan J]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking here for a few months and I am about ready to push the button on a Model 3 LR but I've noticed a LOT of problems that you all seem to have!

I get that this is a forum and most forums are where people express displeasure rather than pleasure but from a brief scan it would seem that if I order a Model 3 I can expect:

1. No communication between order and about a week before delivery with no timescales ever given
2. A rushed handover (I live in London) with a high probability of panel misalignment and/or missing cables
3. A long wait time for any repairs from above to be fixed
4. Absolutely no answer to any phone calls or emails about the above

So my question is - is it worth it? I know there a few very vocal guys on here who clearly wish they hadn't of purchased one but how about the rest of you? Is the car worth the hassle?

Thanks!

Every Car Manufacturer has issues with new Model, personally my M3 was pretty much perfect and just gets better with every Software Upgrade and I've loved astonishing Family and Friends with it's features. One Workmate described it as 'Superb' and when I showed another one how the Ventilation worked he went 'No No !', I feel it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

[TestPilot]

Even though my Model 3 is very much an indoor cat (it hates living outside), I love it, and would buy another.

 

[Keeper]

If it were me I'd wait for the Model Y. IMHO its overall package would seem better and hopefully all the lessons learnt that the Model 3 production (and hopefully sales too) has brought will have been dealt with. I don't see the Model 3 surviving unless it gets the tailgate too.

 

[jefoth]

For me, the most astonishing car(?) I’ve ever driven. (It’s really a spaceship).

Keep finding reasons to need to drive somewhere....

 

[Uncle Paul]

Many of these issues are because Tesla has become perhaps the most aspirational vehile in the World. Tremendous demand has Tesla moving into maximum efficiency mode.
You will get all the information you need to take delivery at the earliest possible moment. You will not be able to get constant estimates along the way because they will not get your car to you any earlier. Doing so also burns up a tremendous amount of the companies time and resources. These pre delivery estimates are typically not precise.

Buyers with used cars to sell will need to be flexible. You can either take the low trade in offer, arrange to sell to a wholesale 3rd party or private sale to maximize your return, but you will find it difficult to time its sale perfectly with your new car delivery date.

Upside is that these cars are truly life altering. They are years ahead of the competition and put the smelly gassers to shame.

 

[Ant M3]

Many of these issues are because Tesla has become perhaps the most aspirational vehile in the World. Tremendous demand has Tesla moving into maximum efficiency mode.
You will get all the information you need to take delivery at the earliest possible moment. You will not be able to get constant estimates along the way because they will not get your car to you any earlier. Doing so also burns up a tremendous amount of the companies time and resources. These pre delivery estimates are typically not precise.

Buyers with used cars to sell will need to be flexible. You can either take the low trade in offer, arrange to sell to a wholesale 3rd party or private sale to maximize your return, but you will find it difficult to time its sale perfectly with your new car delivery date.

Upside is that these cars are truly life altering. They are years ahead of the competition and put the smelly gassers to shame.

I think that’s the problem, because the estimates are so far out from reality it causes unrest with people. If they can simply work on the estimated delivery part of things and get a reasonable amount of accuracy then I think people will feel much better about it.
I’ve purchased cars before and waited between 3 weeks and 9 months! From Ford, Honda, BMW, Toyota, Mercedes etc etc... guess what ... their predicted delivery times were both accurate and trustworthy.
Uncertainty plays with people heads and doesn’t allow them to plan accordingly. It is massively disruptive to them. This should be No1 priority for Tesla as people need to be able to trust the brand first and foremost

Stressful process, but still worth it when the car arrives

 

[holmgang]

Nobody but you can answer "is it worth it" and "is it the right time to buy".

But I can advise that (a) if you want one, the right time to order is NOW and (b) anticipate what to expect (like you have below...)

1. No communication between order and about a week before delivery with no timescales ever given
2. A rushed handover (I live in London) with a high probability of panel misalignment and/or missing cables
3. A long wait time for any repairs from above to be fixed
4. Absolutely no answer to any phone calls or emails about the above

Thanks!

While I think Tesla could do far better job informing people about the buying process - particular from a company whose boss tweets things relentlessly - I do somewhat understand the reluctance of their employees to cater to every whim. People seem to demand a tremendous amount of information ("omg my VIN code has appeared on the source code why havent you SMS'ed me"), but the employees only have access to so much information, given the car is in massive undersupply.

1. If they don't know, they don't have anything to share with you. Just know, if you order at beginning of quarter, you'll likely receive your car by end of quarter.

2. That's dependent on you and the delivery center. Regardless of whether you are given all the time in the world, it won't change the (high'ish) likelihood your car will have misalignment and other issues.

3. Can't comment, I haven't scheduled service

4. See #1 and preface

 

[Uncle Paul]

A good comparison is what Chevy just went through with their new Mid-Engine Corvette.

Before anyone could get a test ride, or the magazines could post their embargoed details, Chevy dealers were bombarded with orders. Their customers were placing blind orders, not knowing when they could expect deliveries. Dealers did not know for sure which configurations they would be getting or when. They did not have color samples or brochures to hand out.

Dealers began to build their own order sheets, with the configurations their customers wanted. When they are notified of a car coming in, close to an ordered configuration they will reach out to see if the customer would accept the incoming car, or be moved back to the bottom of the list. They often did not even have a final negotiated price, but often an additional dealer markup would be involved. If not with the car then with financing rate, set up fees, manditory unwanted accessories, paperwork fees etc.

Then GM workers went of strike for a few months. Everything went on hold and expected deliveries moved back as well.

In spite of this, the entire 2020 production was pre-sold out. Nobody else can order from the factory. Sales people will not get their comissions until the cars are delivered, so find it hard to budget for the coming year. They need to deal with potential customers coming in to see the new car, get a test ride, take home a brochure etc. Super frustrating for everyone.

This is normal for when more people want the cat then the company can deliver. Chevy will not open another factory to build these cars and they have seen from before that their customers are fickle and when something better comes out, customers will cancel their orders and jump ship.

Tesla seems to be making more of an effort to fulfill their demand. They build additional factory, put in high tech free standing tent structures to enable another assembly line, build giga factories in other countries and continue to expand and improve their battery capabilities.

Interesting that some will complain about body gaps, inconvenient service provided, lack of hand holding and friendly chit chat, and heads up displays, while not considering buying a car that offers all these items in spades. They could easily go over to their friendly local Toyota dealership and drive home with a brand new Camry. For some reason (believe it is the car) they will choose to go the Tesla route.

 

[Rooster6655]

Right I’ve had the car 3 months It’s great what is not great is Tesla customer service.

It’s been over 3 months and customer service is none existent leaving me on a never ending wait for parts that may arrive next year, after having been to an appointment after waiting months only to have to come back at a unspecified date in the future, so for this reason I don't recommend them currently.