Just dropped off my month-old 100D for a surprisingly open-ended service appointment

[pdxgibby]

The pyrotechnic battery disconnect switch is a safety device. If a malfunctioning pyrotechnic battery disconnect switch is likely to cause injury or death, then you may already qualify for the Oregon Lemon Law.

To qualify for protection under Oregon’s Lemon Law:

• A part or system under warranty must not be working. The problem must be significant enough to substantially reduce the vehicle’s use, value or safety.
• Each malfunction must be reported to the manufacturer or dealer. They will have an opportunity to fix the problem.
• At least three failed attempts to fix the problem must be made (at least one attempt if the problem is likely to cause injury or death), or the vehicle must be in the shop for 30 or more business days. You should participate in an informal dispute resolution procedure if the manufacturer uses one.

 

[pdx3181]

The pyrotechnic battery disconnect switch is a safety device. If a malfunctioning pyrotechnic battery disconnect switch is likely to cause injury or death, then you may already qualify for the Oregon Lemon Law.

To qualify for protection under Oregon’s Lemon Law:

• A part or system under warranty must not be working. The problem must be significant enough to substantially reduce the vehicle’s use, value or safety.
• Each malfunction must be reported to the manufacturer or dealer. They will have an opportunity to fix the problem.
• At least three failed attempts to fix the problem must be made (at least one attempt if the problem is likely to cause injury or death), or the vehicle must be in the shop for 30 or more business days. You should participate in an informal dispute resolution procedure if the manufacturer uses one.

True - although the actual statute says that they have to have made one failed attempt to correct the defect, and then been given a "final" opportunity to correct it. So really two times - when both fail. Here I have one attempt to correct, with a failure. I do not have a second attempt with a failure.

 

[pdx3181]

This saga is over.

After the last clean bill of health from the SC, this car has now been traded in for a another brand.

A few notes about the transition:

1. The vehicle was traded in well below KBB value. I tried four different dealers, including three different vehicle brands. Two told me they would not take a Tesla in trade, and two offered me below KBB - without knowing the service history. I took the highest of the two, and did disclose the previous issues with the car.

2. Tesla wasn't much help - although I admittedly gave them a very brief period of time to respond. I reached out to my contact at my SC and proposed that Tesla buy back my vehicle at KBB value. That would eliminate risk for me, and for Tesla - they could essentially have made the profit on my vehicle and avoided any risk that I would have another airbag-related failure in the next 14 months which would have resulted in an almost full refund given that I had 5700 miles on the car. The first response was, "Let me look into it." The second response was from a salesperson with a couple of vehicles that would soon be available. This was not an offer to trade, but an offer to sell me another X at MSRP.

3. I still believe in Tesla's mission and vision - but I would not, at this time, buy another Tesla. I took an immense bath on this one, losing about $25K in value in 10 months. And while the SC experiences were great, the reality is that my 55 days in service equated to 1 service day for EVERY 105 MILES DRIVEN.

Imagine driving 105 miles and then turning your car over for 24 hours to the service center. Every single time.

I briefly considered purchasing a Model 3, knowing that, at a minimum, my financial risk would be less than on another X, but at the end of the day I just couldn't sign up for another go-round with this manufacturer.

I loved many things about this car - but it just wasn't there enough when I needed it.

Good luck to all of you.

 

[mxnym]

Thank you for the final update. Seems most people in most forums don't give a final update, much less in a situation like this. I'm also impressed with the professionalism and courtesy in your final update.

 

[mongo]

This saga is over.

After the last clean bill of health from the SC, this car has now been traded in for a another brand.

A few notes about the transition:

1. The vehicle was traded in well below KBB value. I tried four different dealers, including three different vehicle brands. Two told me they would not take a Tesla in trade, and two offered me below KBB - without knowing the service history. I took the highest of the two, and did disclose the previous issues with the car.

2. Tesla wasn't much help - although I admittedly gave them a very brief period of time to respond. I reached out to my contact at my SC and proposed that Tesla buy back my vehicle at KBB value. That would eliminate risk for me, and for Tesla - they could essentially have made the profit on my vehicle and avoided any risk that I would have another airbag-related failure in the next 14 months which would have resulted in an almost full refund given that I had 5700 miles on the car. The first response was, "Let me look into it." The second response was from a salesperson with a couple of vehicles that would soon be available. This was not an offer to trade, but an offer to sell me another X at MSRP.

3. I still believe in Tesla's mission and vision - but I would not, at this time, buy another Tesla. I took an immense bath on this one, losing about $25K in value in 10 months. And while the SC experiences were great, the reality is that my 55 days in service equated to 1 service day for EVERY 105 MILES DRIVEN.

Imagine driving 105 miles and then turning your car over for 24 hours to the service center. Every single time.

I briefly considered purchasing a Model 3, knowing that, at a minimum, my financial risk would be less than on another X, but at the end of the day I just couldn't sign up for another go-round with this manufacturer.

I loved many things about this car - but it just wasn't there enough when I needed it.

Good luck to all of you.

Thanks for the update.

 

[MikeQ]

It boggles my mind how one vehicle can have so many issues. I bought my X within months of the OP and it hasn't been in service once since I bought it.

 

[jelloslug]

It boggles my mind how one vehicle can have so many issues. I bought my X within months of the OP and it hasn't been in service once since I bought it.

Many times, I have seen a new car (not just a Tesla) brought in for a warranty repair only to have the wrong thing replaced and replaced poorly. That leads to two things now being wrong with it and it can go down hill fast from there.

 

[mongo]

It boggles my mind how one vehicle can have so many issues. I bought my X within months of the OP and it hasn't been in service once since I bought it.

Many times, I have seen a new car (not just a Tesla) brought in for a warranty repair only to have the wrong thing replaced and replaced poorly. That leads to two things now being wrong with it and it can go down hill fast from there.

Ever find out a problem was caused by one terminal on one connector that had a manufacturing defect? Yeah, that's fun...
Theoretically, at some point the vehicle can get a voltage spike (close lightning strike perhaps) and everything ends up on the wrong end of the reliability curve.
And then there is straight probability, rare events can converge...

 

[Peteski]

It boggles my mind how one vehicle can have so many issues. I bought my X within months of the OP and it hasn't been in service once since I bought it.

It's the inconsistency that seems to plague Tesla. My X has now done 11k miles with only 1 very minor issue with the tailgate sensor, which was fixed in an hour at the SC. It's due for its first 12k service next month and my list of gremlins for them to look at is very trivial - basically a slight buzz coming from the front RH door speaker (which only started last week) and maybe check the FWD seals for leaking water in heavy rain. That's about all I can think of. Couldn't be more different to this poor guy's experience!

 

[jboy210]

It's the inconsistency that seems to plague Tesla. My X has now done 11k miles with only 1 very minor issue with the tailgate sensor, which was fixed in an hour at the SC. It's due for its first 12k service next month and my list of gremlins for them to look at is very trivial - basically a slight buzz coming from the front RH door speaker (which only started last week) and maybe check the FWD seals for leaking water in heavy rain. That's about all I can think of. Couldn't be more different to this poor guy's experience!

If it is leaking in the rain, I would have them look at this ASAP. There are high voltage connectors under the rear seats.

 

[mongo]

jboy210, post: 3072523, member: 55239"]If it is leaking in the rain, I would have them look at this ASAP. There are high voltage connectors under the rear seats.[/QUOTE]
Which had best be waterproof. Spills happen in life.

 

[Peteski]

If it is leaking in the rain, I would have them look at this ASAP. There are high voltage connectors under the rear seats.

No need to get too dramatic, we're talking about the odd little dribble of water onto the centre seat when opening the doors in the pouring rain. Not flooding in or continuously leaking!

 

[jboy210]

No need to get too dramatic, we're talking about the odd little dribble of water onto the centre seat when opening the doors in the pouring rain. Not flooding in or continuously leaking!

The center seat, more specifically under the center seat is where the connectors are. Someone recently posted that his car stranded him because of failed connection in this area.

 

[Peteski]

The center seat, more specifically under the center seat is where the connectors are. Someone recently posted that his car stranded him because of failed connection in this area.

Thanks for the heads up but with the trivial amount of water I'm seeing drip in, I think the chances of shorting out the wiring loom underneath are close to zero. Will get the seals checked at service next month though.

 

[mattack4000]

Don't mean to bring this back from the dead, but why didn't you go through the arbitration program? It is free and you can make a good case on your situation. Has anyone used the arbitration program?

 

[manitou820]

It boggles my mind how one vehicle can have so many issues. I bought my X within months of the OP and it hasn't been in service once since I bought it.

For many complicated products, this is common. The company I work for purchased 4 very expensive 3D printers ($80k each) all the same model from the same company. 3 of the printers have worked flawlessly for several years. No repairs required. The fourth printer has been a disaster. It has been down 50% of it's life, and at this point has essentially had every single component replaced. I can't explain it, but it seems that when some products aren't built correctly from the beginning, they never work right.

 

[Vitold]

OP experience is a great example why we need better consumer protection laws.

 

[MP3Mike]

OP experience is a great example why we need better consumer protection laws.

Why? Didn't the lemon law protection take care of things?

 

[Vitold]

Why? Didn't the lemon law protection take care of things?

Although it sounded like OP car did qualify for Lemon Law he did not pursue it and traded the car in instead.

Lemon Law is not strong enough with ambiguities such as “reasonable”, “serious”, “substantial” that make the process to difficult and burden on a consumer.

 

[Uncle Paul]

The lemon law was instituted for this very reason. Any high volume manufacturer will from time to time produce a "Lemon". While most of their production will perform well, occasionally one comes out with major issues that is difficult to remedy.

Sounds like OP got one of those. Does not mean that Tesla is bad or that it is good, just that his was a pain in the butt.

With all cars, getting a perfect one or one that quickly developes issues is a roll of the dice. If you read most forums, they are full of individuals that have "gotten a lemon" while most of the customers are quietly content.