LIftgate glass contacted body during closing, cracked glass, warranty refused!

[whitex]

Great. Now I have to regularly check my trunk lid for debris on a regular basis...

Actually, if this goes the typical Tesla way, their legal will probably sneak a sentence somewhere in the user manual that will say the customer is responsible for checking that gap before every open or close of the liftgate. The online version will be updated, Tesla service will claim it has always been that way (because you know, that's the only version they can see, and there are no revision dates showing).

 

[aerodyne]

Tysons Corner, VA, which has traditionally been pretty good. I miss Michael Lightly, I think he moved to Richmond, he had common sense, and understood the customer point of view and always found a solid middle ground, but then again, this was pre-Model 3 non-mass market Tesla, also a warranty meant something back then, now they play an avoidance strategy on repairs, unless of course you are out of warranty then game on.
I am out of warranty on my 2014 and was able to source a new screen for $500 (de-lamination at ~97,000), also getting the new eMMC from Tony, which is another ~$500... hopefully that will get me another 100K miles into this car.

Thanks, I don't think I will ever make it that far east!

I think we can expect Tesla SeC quality to continue to degrade. Our best hope is to support the third parties like Tony...

 

[demundus]

Last time I looked third party glass for the model S didn’t exist.

Not true. I have an aftermarket windshield.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Perhaps a video of your car doing exactly what you are claiming will seal the deal for a warranty repair.

It is understandable that the service center technician might not be able to replicate what you say is happening, but if you can send them a video of it rubbing, then it might be easy for them to accept this as a warranty claim, and also to make running production changes to assure that it does not continue happening.

 

[Ericsch]

Thanks, Paul, I did make a video and send it to the SC. They claim to have included it in the escalation report. A week later, still waiting for a response.
Since then I have taken it to two other SCs and gotten pretty much the same response. I did get some insight from the last service writer I talked to (about 65 miles south of here): He said that as a general practice, SCs will reject any glass breakage as a warranty item UNLESS it is escalated to the next level and is approved from there. He said a local SC manager would catch hell for approving any glass breakage under warranty. Understandable, I guess. Sure wish my SC manager had told me that. Still waiting for the response on the esclation.
BTW, I checked with Safelite Glass and the website said they would replace it for $650. However, when I talked in person to the guy at the Safelite storefront, he said they cannot get that glass from Tesla - Tesla has stopped selling to 3rd parties! THEN, I checked with a local glass place and he insisted that he could get a replacement glass in a day - Total charge: $750 (yes, it has the glass heater and antenna connections). That would sure beat Tesla's quote of $1250!!! My deductible is $1000. I'll wait for the results of the escalation and if they refuse it, I'll probably go with the local glass guy (but I'm going to take a very close look at it before I have it installed.)

 

[Diamond Hills]

Good luck Ericsch. Wish you were a bit closer. We could have helped you out on the glass and/or pushed our SC down here to move your case along. Hope it gets resolved soon!

 

[FatherTo1]

I am curious if they confirmed the root cause though. If OP replaces the glass, won't it just happen again? Was it confirmed that the hatch shifts during closing/opening? After inspecting mine, I don't see how the hatch can shift with those two fixed hinges.

 

[Ericsch]

Father: Yes, root cause is bothering me too. It is one of the reasons why I'm thinking I might spring for the extra $250 just to have the backup that if it happens again I can raise hell about it with the SC Manager. I've checked the hinges, and they seem intact and tight . Only thing I can think of is that the pin in the hinge is loose or damaged. IF I have the SC do the job I'm going to specifically request that the hinges be checked. Also, if there is any slop in how the glass is mounted within the liftgate, I'll ask them to shift it away from the hinges.
One week now, and still waiting for the escalation report.

 

[Kandiru]

To use current parlance "I feel for U homes", unbelievably unethical treatment of a premium luxury sedan new customer.

 

[cellphonechris]

My deductible is $1000.

Are you sure? Glass claims are usually independent of your comprehensive coverage, and not subject to a deductible. I had a windshield replaced and was fully reimbursed, with no impact to my premium.

 

[Ericsch]

GREAT NEWS! The case was escalated and after 3 weeks, they agreed to repair on warranty!!! I think the video helped a lot.
Just picked it up and somehow, the slop in forward window movement when retracted by the struts is magically gone - Hoping they found the root cause, though the service writer was not aware of it. Anyway, my faith in Tesla service is on the mend (at the moment).
Thanks for everyone's support!
Eric

 

[Bad Dolphin]

Are you sure? Glass claims are usually independent of your comprehensive coverage, and not subject to a deductible. I had a windshield replaced and was fully reimbursed, with no impact to my premium.

Depends on your insurance company! I like yours better than ours....or his!

 

[GoBlue88]

that would have to be absolutely the worst case scenario because many of these claims will use 3rd party glass (ie non tesla made) at a glass shop like safelite. imagine a manufacturer defect in your 3 month old tesla and you have to go through your own insurance and replace it with a cheaper glass

When my car got broken into a couple of years ago, the thief destroyed the passenger side front window. Safelite replaced it with OEM Tesla glass.

 

[InnovativeDoc]

When my car got broken into a couple of years ago, the thief destroyed the passenger side front window. Safelite replaced it with OEM Tesla glass.

I hope the replacement process is robust, means, no rattling or any noises after the door panel is opened to replace glass? I am asking because my brand new car had left rear window scratch which i discovered after getting delivery. the tesla shop is going to replace but I am scared opening door panel and closing it again will not be as robust as factory setting!! Please let me know?

 

[croman]

I hope the replacement process is robust, means, no rattling or any noises after the door panel is opened to replace glass? I am asking because my brand new car had left rear window scratch which i discovered after getting delivery. the tesla shop is going to replace but I am scared opening door panel and closing it again will not be as robust as factory setting!! Please let me know?

You assume the factory did a good job. Maybe they didn't and the fix makes it better? They'll actually be humans looking and evaluating the car rather than clumsy preprogrammed robots.

 

[eAdopter]

GREAT NEWS! The case was escalated and after 3 weeks, they agreed to repair on warranty!!! I think the video helped a lot.
Just picked it up and somehow, the slop in forward window movement when retracted by the struts is magically gone - Hoping they found the root cause, though the service writer was not aware of it. Anyway, my faith in Tesla service is on the mend (at the moment).
Thanks for everyone's support!
Eric

Only three weeks to get Tesla to acknowledge a flaw that would be immediately obvious to anyone?!
Wow! That's such good service - NOT.

 

[GoBlue88]

I hope the replacement process is robust, means, no rattling or any noises after the door panel is opened to replace glass? I am asking because my brand new car had left rear window scratch which i discovered after getting delivery. the tesla shop is going to replace but I am scared opening door panel and closing it again will not be as robust as factory setting!! Please let me know?

Well, Safelite guys are used to replacing windshields, so it was actually this particular tech's first time replacing a Tesla side window, and he didn't do a particularly good job with the alignment, but at least it was an OEM window. Also there was a bunch of broken glass inside the door that the Safelite tech didn't get out which would rattle every time the door got shut. I just used some pry tools to pop off the inside door panel and vacuumed all the glass out myself.

Next time I visited a service center I asked them to re-align the window, which they did for free. Now it is like the break-in never happened - no noises or rattling and it functions normally.

 

[arman1010]

Actually, if this goes the typical Tesla way, their legal will probably sneak a sentence somewhere in the user manual that will say the customer is responsible for checking that gap before every open or close of the liftgate. The online version will be updated, Tesla service will claim it has always been that way (because you know, that's the only version they can see, and there are no revision dates showing).

Similar to this. When u call in‚ send a bug report from the car or email an issue‚ there are no acknowledgements or any other means provided to you to track progress. This is not how defect tracking is expected to work in a tech company.

These are systemic issues indicative of poor focus on customer satisfaction.

Elon thinks he single handedly quashed the shortsellers by managing financial projections. But he ignores the fact that the financial projections were made possible solely because of the enthusiasm and brand loyalty that WE created for the future Model3 owners.

 

[erniejenson]

I just don't see any way that the rear glass could be broken as described unless the bolts that hold the brackets to the body were loose and allowed to pivot. That is a real danger in the front. When anyone tries to adjust the gaps on the frunk lid, the gas shocks can easily make the brackets slip back 1/4 inch and hit the sharp edge of the windshield and crack the glass. The windshield is dangerously exposed to the bracket hitting it, just look at your car. Tesla knows this and people that replace glass know this. My car recieved a bump in the front. The windshield brackets bolts must not have been tightened at the factory enough to prevent the frunk lid sliding back 1/4 inch and breaking the windshield. My local glass company replaced the windshield with a Tesla windshield. When talking to him I told him that I had some gap problems with the frunk and was going to take care of it. He said I won't put in the windshield until you have completed any adjustments to gaps to that frunk and described to me the danger. He said guess how I know this. There are risks with a Tesla that have not been engineered out of the vechicle. Never loosen the frunk brackets unless you have placed a 1/4 inch plywood between the sharp edge of the glass and the sharp edge of the bracket.

 

[whitex]

Similar to this. When u call in‚ send a bug report from the car or email an issue‚ there are no acknowledgements or any other means provided to you to track progress. This is not how defect tracking is expected to work in a tech company.

During one of the SpaceX events (I think it was the starship reveal), Elon stated that "Best process is no process". He's built Tesla on some very gifted individuals, most of whom he burnt out in 2-3 years (so they left). When everyone is a superstar, you can build something coherent, even if you miss a few things like proper defect tracking. Elon also took a lot of risks with Tesla, getting away with things other manufacturers would not (in terms of what he sold vs. what was delivered, inconsistent quality, increasingly worse parts and service, etc). Unfortunately this method does not scale long-term as eventually you run out of superstar developers to hire (either because your organization has grown, or simply you chewed through most of the superstars available in your market), and your customer base becomes a lot less forgiving as it grows beyond devoted Elon fans.