Is This "In Spec?"

[RyanC1384]

We ordered a Model X Plaid on 12/18 and was initially given an EDD of February 11th - March 24th.
Right before the New Year that date was updated to 1/3-1/12. Today I was asked to schedule my delivery for Monday (1/8).
The VIN is a 2023 model year and build date was 12/8/2023.
This afternoon I was down by the delivery center and decided to swing by to see if I could get lucky.
2 ultra red Model X's were parked next to each other. One matched my VIN.

While doing a quick once over, I noticed some issues with the build quality...I'm not sure how worried I should be though.
Here are 4 pictures comparing each side.

The 1st is showing one wheel fender slightly misaligned, while the other side was not.
The 2nd shows the back trunk...one side is tight while the other allows for my entire pinky.
The 3rd shows the back window gap...on both sides I can fit my entire pinky inside the gap.
The 4th is a lower fender view, one of them is clearly misaligned.

After feeling a little uncomfortable, I took a look at the other one parked next to mine and the gaps were no where close.

Questions for the forum:
Do you think this will be considered "in spec"?
Am I over thinking this and it's totally fine?
If I ask for a 2 week delay in my delivery is it likely I'll lose this VIN and be reassigned a different one?
Is this worth denying delivery and asking them to fix it?
Is this worth denying delivery and losing the $250 to order another one?

 

[Tam]

Do you think this will be considered "in spec"?

In general, I would say that you should expect some "flexibility" in the fit and finish of Tesla. Thus, "within specs" is up to you. If you ask Tesla to fix it, it would say, "It's within specs."

Am I over thinking this and it's totally fine?

No. Not overthinking. It's a new car and you should expect that the fit and finish meet your standard.

If I ask for a 2 week delay in my delivery is it likely I'll lose this VIN and be reassigned a different one?

Possibly.

Is this worth denying delivery and asking them to fix it?

You can try.

Is this worth denying delivery and losing the $250 to order another one?

If you buy another one, your Sales Advisor can manually transfer the $250 order fee to the new one so you don't have to lose it at all.

 

[RyanC1384]

In general, I would say that you should expect some "flexibility" in the fit and finish of Tesla. Thus, "within specs" is up to you. If you ask Tesla to fix it, it would say, "It's within specs."


No. Not overthinking. It's a new car and you should expect that the fit and finish meet your standard.

Possibly.

You can try.

If you buy another one, your Sales Advisor can manually transfer the $250 order fee to the new one so you don't have to lose it at all.

Would you recommend I text my advisor the truth (that I visited the site, saw the vehicle, and I’m not happy with the fit and finish, would like a new one?)…or, just go through the 2 week delay, then decline if not given a new VIN?

 

[Tam]

Would you recommend I text my advisor the truth (that I visited the site, saw the vehicle, and I’m not happy with the fit and finish, would like a new one?)…or, just go through the 2 week delay, then decline if not given a new VIN?

Tell the truth and get what you want. You paid for it. There's no need to beat around the bush.

 

[Ami-Sven]

Reject it if you do not like it. This is what I did. They used a dirty pressure cooker tactic to get me to sign off and then get it repaired. Don’t go for that. Only accept a vehicle if you will be happy with it. Don’t count on repairs later.

 

[RyanC1384]

Reject it if you do not like it. This is what I did. They used a dirty pressure cooker tactic to get me to sign off and then get it repaired. Don’t go for that. Only accept a vehicle if you will be happy with it. Don’t count on repairs later.

My worry is that if I reject it they're going to charge me the NEW price on the Plaid that came out last night. It's another $6,500 above what I paid. Do you think if I was to reject it they'd cancel my order and I'd be stuck paying the higher price?

 

[Milan Djabirov]

I'd reject. I picked the same color Plaid in Nov and have spent 10 days and 2 service visits for them to fix what I thought were fix-able trim misalignments not on your spots but different and they have addressed a few issues but mostly ignored others and just dirtied and in 1 case damaged my car. They don't deserve your money until they can deliver a vehicle that is up to your standard. I got suckered into the "great discount, loyalty, service has done right by me before" mentality and no more. Service is bad and you don't want your car body worked on.

 

[RyanC1384]

I'd reject. I picked the same color Plaid in Nov and have spent 10 days and 2 service visits for them to fix what I thought were fix-able trim misalignments not on your spots but different and they have addressed a few issues but mostly ignored others and just dirtied and in 1 case damaged my car. They don't deserve your money until they can deliver a vehicle that is up to your standard. I got suckered into the "great discount, loyalty, service has done right by me before" mentality and no more. Service is bad and you don't want your car body worked on.

Thanks! I'm right there with you and will reject if I'm not happy. After watching a few more YouTube videos and looking at pictures I wonder if I'm just being over critical and this isn't bad at all. We'll see on the morning of my delivery.

The biggest worry I have is with the back gap between the FWD and back windows. This picture...I can literally fit my entire finger in between the gap. Not sure if that's normal or what?

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Here are some gaps on my car. Rear is fine no issues that I can be bothered to notice.

But then if you start looking closely you start seeing the stuff you can’t unsee if you’re picky about fit and finish.

Like why is my driver side FWD more flush than the front driver door to the car but it’s the opposite on the passenger side or why is my frunk having a weird non uniform gap with the fender on driver side and other issues. They just ignored it. And I am not sure I want them to touch it tbh. You don’t want to either. Live with it or reject.

Otoh I didn’t see a perfect X on my SC lot. So all have some issue keep in mind. Worst assembly quality of all models imho.

 

[WiseShepherd]

With all the rumors about upcoming changes, I would highly recommend you reject and put a 2 week vacation hold and hope for a 2024 VIN. It's always possible you reject and get a 2023 VIN that is worse that the current one though, FYI.

 

[RyanC1384]

Here are some gaps on my car. Rear is fine no issues that I can be bothered to notice.

But then if you start looking closely you start seeing the stuff you can’t unsee if you’re picky about fit and finish.

Like why is my driver side FWD more flush than the front driver door to the car but it’s the opposite on the passenger side or why is my frunk having a weird non uniform gap with the fender on driver side and other issues. They just ignored it. And I am not sure I want them to touch it tbh. You don’t want to either. Live with it or reject.

Otoh I didn’t see a perfect X on my SC lot. So all have some issue keep in mind. Worst assembly quality of all models imho.

Gotta be honest, I just reviewed your pictures back and forth, outside of the door jutting out a little in this picture, I didn't see too much there. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/attachments/img_1236-jpeg.1006359/

 

[mathnerd88]

We ordered a Model X Plaid on 12/18 and was initially given an EDD of February 11th - March 24th.
Right before the New Year that date was updated to 1/3-1/12. Today I was asked to schedule my delivery for Monday (1/8).
The VIN is a 2023 model year and build date was 12/8/2023.
This afternoon I was down by the delivery center and decided to swing by to see if I could get lucky.
2 ultra red Model X's were parked next to each other. One matched my VIN.

While doing a quick once over, I noticed some issues with the build quality...I'm not sure how worried I should be though.
Here are 4 pictures comparing each side.

The 1st is showing one wheel fender slightly misaligned, while the other side was not.
The 2nd shows the back trunk...one side is tight while the other allows for my entire pinky.
The 3rd shows the back window gap...on both sides I can fit my entire pinky inside the gap.
The 4th is a lower fender view, one of them is clearly misaligned.

After feeling a little uncomfortable, I took a look at the other one parked next to mine and the gaps were no where close.

Questions for the forum:
Do you think this will be considered "in spec"?
Am I over thinking this and it's totally fine?
If I ask for a 2 week delay in my delivery is it likely I'll lose this VIN and be reassigned a different one?
Is this worth denying delivery and asking them to fix it?
Is this worth denying delivery and losing the $250 to order another one?

Yeah, I'll keep repeating this everytime. There is no perfect Model X. Every one of them will have issues. It's up to you with which one bothers you more. Some SC are good at fixing these issues, others will say it's within spec.

 

[Q-ship]

We ordered a Model X Plaid on 12/18 and was initially given an EDD of February 11th - March 24th.
Right before the New Year that date was updated to 1/3-1/12. Today I was asked to schedule my delivery for Monday (1/8).
The VIN is a 2023 model year and build date was 12/8/2023.
This afternoon I was down by the delivery center and decided to swing by to see if I could get lucky.
2 ultra red Model X's were parked next to each other. One matched my VIN.

While doing a quick once over, I noticed some issues with the build quality...I'm not sure how worried I should be though.
Here are 4 pictures comparing each side.

The 1st is showing one wheel fender slightly misaligned, while the other side was not.
The 2nd shows the back trunk...one side is tight while the other allows for my entire pinky.
The 3rd shows the back window gap...on both sides I can fit my entire pinky inside the gap.
The 4th is a lower fender view, one of them is clearly misaligned.

After feeling a little uncomfortable, I took a look at the other one parked next to mine and the gaps were no where close.

Questions for the forum:
Do you think this will be considered "in spec"?
Am I over thinking this and it's totally fine?
If I ask for a 2 week delay in my delivery is it likely I'll lose this VIN and be reassigned a different one?
Is this worth denying delivery and asking them to fix it?
Is this worth denying delivery and losing the $250 to order another one?

Make sure nothing rubs or impinges on adjacent structures during normal operation, particularly the FWD’s. Check all the doors when they are open as well as when they are closed. Some of these issues can be nearly impossible for the SC to fix. I carefully checked the FWD’s on my MXP, but didn’t check the top of the door when it was open. I had a badly pinched seal on one side that the SC was not able to completely fix after three attempts (it did improve). I finally gave up. I also had some of the more minor cosmetic issues that you have. I just let those slide because they weren’t interfering with the normal operation of the vehicle.

 

[RyanC1384]

Make sure nothing rubs or impinges on adjacent structures during normal operation, particularly the FWD’s. Check all the doors when they are open as well as when they are closed. Some of these issues can be nearly impossible for the SC to fix. I carefully checked the FWD’s on my MXP, but didn’t check the top of the door when it was open. I had a badly pinched seal on one side that the SC was not able to completely fix after three attempts (it did improve). I finally gave up. I also had some of the more minor cosmetic issues that you have. I just let those slide because they weren’t interfering with the normal operation of the vehicle.

I think my biggest concern is in this photo…is it normal to have this wide of a gap between the FWD window and the back window? I can fit my whole finger in between the 2 panels of glass. Based on what you recommended, that might be a good thing because it will ensure nothing impinges on normal operation.

 

[Tam]

My worry is that if I reject it they're going to charge me the NEW price on the Plaid that came out last night. It's another $6,500 above what I paid. Do you think if I was to reject it they'd cancel my order and I'd be stuck paying the higher price?

True. Each new order might have a different price.

 

[RyanC1384]

True. Each new order might have a different price.

Spoke to Tesla today and expressed my concerns and sent pictures. They were rather non committal but did offer options for me.

I will go to the delivery on Monday and see if I can live with these issues on 2nd observation.

If not, I’ll ask for a 2 week delay and hope the VIN is reassigned. Then it’s a coin flip as to whether the newly assigned vehicle is better.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Gotta be honest, I just reviewed your pictures back and forth, outside of the door jutting out a little in this picture, I didn't see too much there. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/attachments/img_1236-jpeg.1006359/

Sorry there were a few other issues but the pics got rejected due to size. That door jutting is worse than it looks, I have never seen a car where the doors are not shutting flush on that body-orthogonal axis. Not a 1993 one, not a 2003 one and not a 2023 one.


Your problem in my mind is more tolerable than some of mine - like I saw these and picked the car anyways since I thought - eh just some trim sticking out will reapply by service and all is good. None of this has been fixed after 10 days sitting in service waiting for a damaged rear quarter trim window they effed up while trying to adjust FWD.

My point is - your gaps look overall not worse than mine - maybe even something I’d ignore - but is your money and it bothers you and it will require extensive body work to fix and chances are Tesla won’t fix or will screw it up while trying to. So - don’t overthink it. Accept as is and don’t fix or reject. But don’t be afraid to reject - Tesla doesn’t deserve your money if they don’t do better.

 

[mathnerd88]

I think I would try to test drive it first to see if there is any wind noise or squeaks or any leaks. Obviously if it's there ,then it would be an instant reject for me.

 

[RyanC1384]

I think I would try to test drive it first to see if there is any wind noise or squeaks or any leaks. Obviously if it's there ,then it would be an instant reject for me.

There’s no chance they’ll let me test drive. The delivery specialist told me they wouldn’t let me inside until I accept today.

 

[mathnerd88]

There’s no chance they’ll let me test drive. The delivery specialist told me they wouldn’t let me inside until I accept today.

This is the type of experience that really pisses me off, and why Tesla should never be considered a luxury brand although everyone else keeps touting it as a luxury brand.

Even non-lux brands allow you to even look inside. It doesn't take long to just wipe it down again.