My last EV was a Kia Soul and it had zero panel gaps or other QC issues on delivery..just sayin'...
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It puzzles me why Tesla cannot get quality control right?
- Thread starter canbonbon
- Start date
My last EV was a Kia Soul and it had zero panel gaps or other QC issues on delivery..just sayin'...
empiredown
Member
And do you still have it? Would you choose it over a Y? Is the whole package better than what Tesla provides?
SS
NY_Rob
Member
My current vehicle- 2017 Chevy Bolt also had zero defects upon delivery and has only been back to the dealership one time in 3yrs/44K mi to address a non-operational (cosmetic) issue.
It is possible to mass produce cars with zero or close to zero defects. I had a 2014 Volt before the Bolt, that had no defects on delivery, and before that I had a 2012 Plug-In-Prius, that also had zero defects.
Some of the defects we're seeing on these early MY's are just due to rushed/sloppy workmanship due to extreme circumstances during the manufacturing process.
It is possible to mass produce cars with zero or close to zero defects. I had a 2014 Volt before the Bolt, that had no defects on delivery, and before that I had a 2012 Plug-In-Prius, that also had zero defects.
Some of the defects we're seeing on these early MY's are just due to rushed/sloppy workmanship due to extreme circumstances during the manufacturing process.
I still think the issue is the direct to customer sale. Who knows if other legacy cars are received by the dealers with similar QC issues, and then the dealers just detail and fix them prior to selling to the customer. Tesla doesn't have that middle man to make it look pretty before you come pick it up. The dealer still has to sell the car, and that would be hard to do if it looked like crap. Tesla has already sold that car, and they know it's pretty likely you are going to take delivery.
If I had to bucket the issues, it seems like they fall into two categories:
- Delivery Prep: I agree -- this is what the dealer does and what you'd expect Tesla's delivery team to do. Things like inspect and repair paint chips, fix misaligned panels, clean or repair scuffs and grease marks inside the car, make sure everything works before delivery, etc. Not sure if the current pandemic conditions are to blame, or if this was business-as-usual for delivery.
- Assembly/Factory Issues: these would be things like poorly assembled or installed rear seatback trim, rear seats that don't reliably fold down, defective coat hooks that can't close, etc. We've seen multiple Model Ys with the same or similar issues. These seem like they should have been caught during testing or post-assembly quality control and then traced back to a bad batch of parts or, worse, faulty design. Perhaps taking some short cuts on testing was one way Tesla accelerated the launch months ahead of schedule.
Sunlight
Member
As a Tesla shareholder and potential Tesla owner, I am both bewildered and irritated by these QC issues and wish Third Row or someone at an ER event would directly ask Elon about this. Maybe they have but I haven't seen the response from the horse's mouth.....
It feels to me like someone has gone to university; has fantastic qualifications and abilities and is charming and good-looking and then they turn up at a job interview with an unwashed face; grubby shoes; skew tie and smelly armpits! The hard work has been done and it is only the 'simple' presentation that is missing.
Of course many interviewers will just dismiss the applicant as careless and unappealing - but some will see through the mess and see the potential and hire the person. But if you're the applicant, why take that risk?
Many of the points made in this thread are true and certainly not having dealers exacerbates the situation but you'd imagine that the Tesla delivery team would play that role more effectively. Surely it is more expensive for Tesla to repair the faults after the fact rather than before delivery?
It gives Tesla a 'desperate' and disorganised feeling with little concern for presentation and I think this reflects so badly I can't see how Tesla let it persist...…..We all know that early-run cars can be problematic so surely extra effort should be expended on them.
One would imagine that Tesla would move heaven and earth to ensure that early cars were as close to perfect as dammit - even if this wasn't completely cost effective. The spin-off perception would be so beneficial. Once cars are being churned out, the odd poor apple would have less impact.
It all seems so poorly thought out I wonder what the rationale is.....?! Maybe it is a Silicon Valley failing where 'odd people' can thrive if they are capable and bright? Superficial presentation is just that......
It feels to me like someone has gone to university; has fantastic qualifications and abilities and is charming and good-looking and then they turn up at a job interview with an unwashed face; grubby shoes; skew tie and smelly armpits! The hard work has been done and it is only the 'simple' presentation that is missing.
Of course many interviewers will just dismiss the applicant as careless and unappealing - but some will see through the mess and see the potential and hire the person. But if you're the applicant, why take that risk?
Many of the points made in this thread are true and certainly not having dealers exacerbates the situation but you'd imagine that the Tesla delivery team would play that role more effectively. Surely it is more expensive for Tesla to repair the faults after the fact rather than before delivery?
It gives Tesla a 'desperate' and disorganised feeling with little concern for presentation and I think this reflects so badly I can't see how Tesla let it persist...…..We all know that early-run cars can be problematic so surely extra effort should be expended on them.
One would imagine that Tesla would move heaven and earth to ensure that early cars were as close to perfect as dammit - even if this wasn't completely cost effective. The spin-off perception would be so beneficial. Once cars are being churned out, the odd poor apple would have less impact.
It all seems so poorly thought out I wonder what the rationale is.....?! Maybe it is a Silicon Valley failing where 'odd people' can thrive if they are capable and bright? Superficial presentation is just that......
It was a lease, I gave it back. It was actually a pretty fun car, just didn't have enough range to keep it long term.
LasVegas2019
Member
How are your seats in the Bolt? I was looking to get one for my daughter and there were a lot of complaints about the seats being uncomfortable due to some brace bar in the butt area.
NY_Rob
Member
Ummmm, well... they're not the best I've ever sat in. They are very narrow for a man (I'm 5'11' 195lbs), if your daughter is of normal size/build she may not have any issue with them. My 22yo daughter fits in them just fine, but she complains about the lack of lumbar support.. there is none and no adjustment for it either. I offered to give her the car, but she dislikes the seats that much (to be fair, she is used to the power/leather seats in her 330i) that she declined my offer.
NY_Rob
Member
When you look at the entire picture, the Model Y introduction was really the perfect recipe for quality control issues:
1) New car release... very possible to have 'teething' issues.
2) End of the fiscal quarter... rush to push out as many cars as possible to show good Q1 sales numbers.
3) Freemont plant shutdown... with no defined re-start in site, clear out the factory of everything on 4 wheels.
Any one of the above on it's own would or could foster QC issues, any two combined spells trouble, all three? It's amazing there aren't more QC issues then we already see!
strider
Active Member
Well, the older cars used the same 3rd party sensor (Bosch?) as MB (and tons of other manufacturers). There was a fair amount of tech transfer between the 2 companies back then. So yeah, it "just worked."
Um, yeah. You live in the desert. You don't know what rain is. Well, that and you are an unequivocal Tesla Fanboi. The neural net wipers DO NOT WORK.
There is no royalty, it's buying a part from a 3rd party. They already did it and had it working in Model S. Then they broke it just to save a few pennies per car.
Further, please show me a completely vertically integrated company that is world class. There isn't one. No company can be excellent at everything. That is why it makes sense to buy the best products from different vendors. Every successful company does this.
Can't wait for my garage door opener to suck as bad as the wipers. Come on Atlis, Rivian, Hummer, and Ford!!!!!!!
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
How did we ever survive before automated rain sensing windshield wipers?. Classic first world problem.
We had a convenient lever to move or knob to twist to adjust the wipers, that's how. With the touch screen wiper control, I sure hope the auto wipers work fairly well
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
I would add a 4th factor (or maybe it’s a “1b”) — not only was it a new vehicle, but Tesla went to production months ahead of schedule, and made a big deal about it too. I suspect some of the issues that are more design or assembly related are a result of rushing it into production to fulfill the commitment to ship the first units before the end of the quarter.
The problems with the rear seat come to mind since it’s a new part for the Y vs. a carryover from the 3.
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NY_Rob
Member
That seat misalignment issue is a real head scratcher... didn't the factory guys putting it in/together notice the obvious height differences? So you just keep on building them anyway?
rxlawdude
Active Member
I don't live in the desert, and I (and my M3) are well acquainted with rain. The automatic wipers work, perhaps turning on when I'd not have turned them on, but in a deluge, have always performed competently.
You really own three Teslas and are rooting for other brands? Odd.
IdaBish
Member
strider
Active Member
Yes. Like taking a perfectly functioning feature in our car and then breaking it because our way is better. Classic Tesla problem.
I see you own an older Model S. I don't know when the switchover from the dedicated rain sensor happened but I can tell you that the wipers in my 2012 worked great and the ones in my 2018 work very poorly. They often wipe when it's not raining and don't wipe enough when it is raining. I switch them on after ever software update to see if they're improved but always end up turning them back off again.
And yes, I am rooting for other brands so they will push Tesla to fix these stupid mistakes. Tesla does so many things right only to score own goals with stupid mistakes like poor QC or this thing with the rain sensor. Also, the more EVs in the world the better. Just like ICEs, there is room for more than one EV manufacturer.
Proflig8tor
Member
Suggest those interested in this thread check out the Model Y tear down Sandy Munro is doing on YouTube under MunroLive.
The Model Y is easily and by far the best built Tesla yet and matches or exceeds the body and systems designs of more established manufacturers. I am not saying early build MY s are perfect, but they are much easier to build correctly than a 3. I think QC will get sorted much more quickly than on the last 2 cars.
The Model Y should also be quite a bit more robust over the long haul. I am confident to buy one as soon as the 3 row comes out.
The Model Y is easily and by far the best built Tesla yet and matches or exceeds the body and systems designs of more established manufacturers. I am not saying early build MY s are perfect, but they are much easier to build correctly than a 3. I think QC will get sorted much more quickly than on the last 2 cars.
The Model Y should also be quite a bit more robust over the long haul. I am confident to buy one as soon as the 3 row comes out.
