Just canceled my MX order - here's why

[john85775]

I'm going to wait for Tesla to get serious about reliability and delivery consistency.

Despite some on these boards saying MX builds are improving, the consensus from independent sources like Consumer Reports is the opposite -- reliability on the MX is going DOWN. CR notes Drive System, Body Integrity, In Car Electronics have all declined over the past three years. Climate system is the only thing that improved. I can't risk a $120k purchase with screens going black mid-trip, doors unexpectedly opening or refusing to close.

It is clear that MX and MS are the bastard stepchildren of Tesla's focus, which is squarely on the M3. It's a shame but it's truth. I have two friends that recently ordered M3s and have already taken delivery. Meanwhile I'm waiting for the Fremont crumbs on a vehicle over 2x the price. And for what...? The LOWEST RELIABILITY SUV in the country? I'm fine to lose my $2500. I fear the loss would be even greater stewing in regret 6 months from now.

I just can't unsee this chart -- the damn car needs to work.

 

[muncheroo]

In a similar boat as you, but I just can’t get myself to buy a fossil fuel car. If you can hold out for a little longer probably maybe these scores will go up one day.

 

[Tam]

...reliability on the MX is going DOWN...

Consumer Reports might be a bit overreacting.

I got my Model X for almost 2 years now and the only problem was yellow ring around the 17" display but most people wouldn't notice.

I love the Falcon Wing Doors. It's much more convenient.

Consumer Reports may complain about electronic failure when a knowledgeable user can just simply do a reset/reboot.

 

[skitown]

I’ve owned 3 Teslas. Can’t imagine owning a car that will kill me if I let it run in the garage with the garage door shut. (ICE). It’s all about a person’s priorities I guess. For me, the drivetrain is clearly heads and tails more important than reliability scores. Love our Teslas.

 

[thegruf]

I went through a similar decision process when buying my Tesla.

Anybody can take data and make it look like anything they want.
The chart above for example could easily be distorted by a minor fault that was a known supplier issue and is now resolved.
I am not saying that this is definitively the case, and like most I believe Tesla do have to work on their quality.

However, without looking too hard I bet you could also find a chart where Tesla are at or near the top for owner satisfaction.

In many ways I would argue that that is even more important, as it could be said that despite a few niggles which usually Tesla are generous in resolving, Tesla owners love their vehicles.

I made the call to go with Tesla, spent 6 months waiting for my car terrified whether I had made the right decision, drove off the forecourt and simply cannot imagine buying something else now. Yeah I had to make a trip to the SC to get a couple of things sorted, but since then the car has been perfect. For me - no big deal, and I have a car that I enjoy every day which remains unique in its abilities and this far outweighs that one trip to the SC.

 

[outie]

Went from a 2016 to a 2018 build. Can’t really see how it’s declining. Car needs some work but no issue after initial service visits. Been 7k miles since. The chart is meaningless based on my own experience. It’s not a car for everybody. Glad you made a personal choice. I’ve made mine and like @thegruf said I can’t imagine driving anything else until other comparable EVs come around. Good luck with whatever car you end up with.

 

[nilspjac]

Wait, don't cancel. As per Elon, you can take delivery the car and return it the next day for a full refund if you are not satisfied. (Or after 3 days if you did not test drive it.) I had the same reservations, but after test driving, talking to other owners, seeing stats on user satisfaction, and re-evaluating my needs, I just had to go for it. Crossing fingers for not getting a lemon.

 

[LoveEV]

Let’s not worry about something that’s not happened already! Enjoy the car and if there are any issues the service centre have a no quibble policy. You won’t find any of car like this at the bleeding edge of technology and innovation

 

[boaterva]

I’ve had zero problems in a year besides the minor software issues we all know about. I used to follow CU/CR closely but I think they’ve gotten a bit too picky recently.

 

[NewTMSMan]

Sorry to say, but buying a Tesla is honestly a risk regarding issues with the cars. I have all 3 (s, 3 and X) and have had the following issues with the Model X;

• Trailer hitch missing on delivery and only installed months later
• Car would not leave Park, and had Parking Brake Needs Service Warning - Needed to be picked up at my home from the garage
  
• Fogging of the taillights - Both replaced
• Car Needs Service - Steering Assistance Reduced and Automatic Emergency Braking is Disabled - Wiring issue
  
• Drivers window opens extremely slow - still not rectified
• Screen yellowing issue and replaced

The car was out of service so many days in the first year I filed for protection under NJ Lemon Law.

Now having said all of the above I decided to keep the car and after the first few months of issues the car has not had any other problems so far. Even though it has been problematic for us (as has my Model S and our Model 3 is now starting with it's first issue - replacement of 12V battery), we still like these cars better than any others we have owned including Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes and Audis.

I tell most people it is a lot like owning the first generation iPhone, it is awesome most of the time, but be prepared for some issues. I still recommend Teslas to everyone that asks, but I explain that while you can have a trouble free experience, you should prepare for the Tesla Experience

 

[mal_tsla]

Our X has only needed service four days out of over two years.

Everything works great, except it does have the "acceleration shudder" known issue. This is not a deal breaker issue at all... Just a nuisance.

 

[bob_p]

Purchased our first Tesla in January 2013 - an S P85. It was built at the end of 2012, in a push by Tesla to build as many Model S cars as possible at the end of the first year of production - so there were many rumors of poor quality with those cars. At the time, the nearest service center was over 1000 miles away; Tesla shipped the car by UPS (who subcontracted) for delivery directly to our front door, with no one from Tesla present at delivery. Plus, we were required to pay for the car, before it was shipped from the factory. So there were clearly concerns, compared to vehicles purchased through dealers from other manufacturers.

And while that early production car (VIN 3xxx) had some issues, the amount of service required over the life of the car (we owned it until June this year, with 95K miles) was much less than what we've had with our ICEs.

In 2017, we purchased an S 100D - and other than the adhesive issue with the console display touchscreens - that car has been rock solid, requiring only annual service.

And in June this year, we purchased an X 100D, and the only service it has required so far was replacing the accessory outlet fuse, because we plugged in a portable tire pump that had a short in it.

While Tesla clearly has issues, especially with bugs in major new releases - overall, our experience with 3 Tesla vehicles has been much better than any of the luxury cars we've owned - now only needing annual maintenance, plus a tire rotation periodically.

Besides looking at CR's reliability reports - also look at customer loyalty - Tesla continues to have a high customer loyalty rating, with existing customers purchasing additional Tesla vehicles - something that wouldn't happen if many owners were seeing major problems.

Could Tesla do better quality control on their major releases - yes. But you do have control over when new releases are installed on your vehicle - so owners can monitor what others are saying about the new software - and wait until the obvious issues are fixed, before installing the update on your car. Plus, Tesla tends to fix the major issues pretty quickly, often before the software gets distributed to everyone.

 

[john85775]

Consumer Reports doesn't bias the data - the data is what it is and all the cars are on the same playing field.

If it were just me, I'd be GREAT with this. I don't mind rebooting or whatever.

My spouse on the other hand will not be willing to look past a few faults for the big picture. The thing is a damn appliance, it needs to work and not inconvenience.

It's clear Tesla's approach needs some course correction to improve reliability scores.

 

[mswlogo]

Well something must be a miss because the same exact agency also published this.

Car Brands Ranked by Owner Satisfaction

There is also this.

NHTSA On Tesla Model 3: Lowest Probability Of Injury Of Tested Vehicles

 

[Saghost]

Your money, your choice. For my money, the X is a much better car to drive (and not drive) than those others - or pretty much anything else on the planet.

Tesla service has been solid, and I'd much rather have a better car that might require a service visit or two for non critical systems than a worse car that doesn't need the service visit but has to go to the dealer regularly anyway for oil changes and the like...

 

[CharlieLab]

As a March 2017 MX owner, yes I’ve had the odd issue such as FWD needing to be reset, yellow ring around the screen but here’s the difference about Tesla.. they seriously care about you. Every single little issue has been rectified is short order and the service team while sometimes slammed are fantastic to work with. I’ll take that all day. Plus I love the car.

 

[manitou820]

Why cancel now and lose $2500? The Model X holds it's value very well compared to other luxury SUV's, and on top of that if you take delivery before the end of the year and get the tax credit, your car will be worth even more as the tax credit fades out.

Worst case sell the car after six months if your are having that many issues.

I'm trading my wife's Volvo XC90 in for our Model X. So according to consumer reports I'm going from the second least reliable SUV to the least reliable. We've had the Volvo for two years without a single issue.

I'm willing to bet almost all of the Volvo and Model X issues are related to advanced tech. Look at the top two SUV's on your list. Toyota's (Lexus) aren't really known for advanced tech. Every little tech issue gets reported as a problem, but in reality they are usually very minor.

 

[Mke111]

I have been an avid reader and fan of consumer reports, for over 30 years.
How ever, I would strongly suggest that you just not pay attention to their rating of Tesla's repairs, for the following reason:
1. They have rated the jaguars very low. I have a 2012 and 2013; both have been extremely reliable. Even more reliable than my Lexuses.
2. Consumer reports, publishes these ratings, based on subscriber feed back. They are simply compiling. It is very possible that the Tesla owners do not reply to the ratings request, except for those who have had issues. This would skew the ratings. Even as a loyal subscriber for 30 years, I don't reply to their car rating feed back. It is very lengthy and very cumbersome.

Please don't let consumer reports dissuade you. If there are issues (they might well be), they would be taken care of, under warranty.

 

[john85775]

"the occasional reboot"
"other than the adhesive issue with the console display touchscreens"
"besides the minor software issues we all know about"
"the only problem was yellow ring around the 17" display"
"except it does have the "acceleration shudder" known issue"

Cold comfort.

This is a $120,000 purchase, not a cheap android device.

Why the defenders are willing to look past issues that, for other marques, would be completely unforgivable? Major double standard.

It is extremely clear there are MAJOR inconsistencies in Tesla's manufacturing.

As for the "if there are issues (they might well be), they would be taken care of, under warranty" argument, my time is worth more than that.

Curious that no one has addressed the other concern that the MX and MS have become second fiddle to the M3. For every other brand, the inverse is true -- the larger the purchase, generally the more exclusive the experience. Seems to be the exact inverse here. The DS doesn't return emails, the showroom manager basically lied ("4 weeks on the outside for your build" - we are now past that with no clarity).

 

[Mke111]

I agree with you about the sales experience to being very good. They simply don't return emails!
Having said that, I sense anger in your post (I mean no disrespect). MX and MS "2nd fiddle" to M3 is probably debatable. I would imagine that all cars are important to them, even while they are simply trying to produce more mass volume lower end cars, they would obviously know the importance of their high end brand value.

More importantly, the X is a very unique experience. You are either "wowed" by it or you are not. For example, the range rover makes wonderful SUVs - better looking than the X. Please make your decision on your "wowed" experience and please don't pay attention to consumer reports (as I explained in my prior post). It is quite possible, Tesla's have issues but based on comments from friends who have owned Teslas, I heard only rave reviews.. they love the service experience - that some one comes over to take care of issues, right in your drive way/parking lot (in Milwaukee).

Spending $120,000 is an emotional experience - I get it.. but please try to make a rational decision, based on what you like or dislike about the car itself and NOT on some ratings (which are really skewed at this time!). Tesla has small volume, compared to Toyota.. The people who reply are even a much smaller percentage and that too, only those who have had issues would reply. The good experience people don't bother to reply to surveys of CR; hence the negative skew.

I am very annoyed with the sales experience, myself but it is like, that car is so good, so deal with it! This is not about defending any brand.. People take the brand of their own car too seriously.. not realizing that the companies don't really care about us! They just want to sell cars.. Mercedes or Tesla.. So, no need to defend any brand, including tesla.. Many here are simply offering their own experiences and suggestions; biased with their own preferences/enjoyment.. If this were a post about S class or a Lexus ls500 or an Audi, I would not have replied.. . Tesla's seem to have high owner loyalty and following.. hopefully for a valid reason (I have not gotten delivery of mx yet).