Update:
MYLR Midnight Silver Metallic, 19" Gemini
OD 1/14 1:00pm CST
EDD Originally gave Jan-March
EDD changed to Jan 26 - Feb 23 on 1/18
EDD changed to Feb 3- Feb 17 on 1/27
EDD changed to Feb 12-19 and VIN assigned at 8:30 pm 1/29
EDD changed to Feb 6-15 on 2/4
Text received to schedule delivery: 9:00 am (CST), Sunday, 2/5
Delivery Saturday, 2/11
VIN: PF668xxx
Delivery report:
We showed up at the Tesla dealership at our appointed time. We signed one page of paper for MN registration, then we accepted delivery in the app in order to unlock the car. I must admit that this was both easy and scary at the same time. More on this later.
The gaps and paint were nearly perfect on the car. The interior was very clean. All door gaskets were well aligned. There were 4 miles on the odometer. Mud flaps were installed on front wheels, and PPF was installed in front of rear wheels. The Fremont car came with matrix headlights and a rear cargo area shelf. Upon the drive home and after a few more drives at highway speeds, I could detect no whistles from the windows and no pulling from wheels. All in all, again, everything was nearly perfect.
I am reporting the following issues to Tesla, but even if they were ignored, I would be satisfied. As in my pre-delivery post, the rear wheel trims are slightly out of flush. I was able to look at several other Model Y’s, and most had similar trim alignment. So, I am guessing that mine are within “Tesla spec.” I did find one small scratch in the clear coat behind one rear wheel. It looks shallow enough that I could buff it out myself, but I’ll report it anyway. The charge port door opens but is slightly misaligned. In my opinion, all of these are minor issues. Photos are attached below.
More on the payment-delivery process: Although there are a lot of posts insisting on the use of a Cashier’s check, I simply used the Plaid electronic payment process. It was painless. My logic in this process was:
I. I am entering into this transaction with the desire to actually purchase a Tesla, so the ability to withhold payment if the first car was unacceptable seemed unnecessary. If I rejected the first vehicle, I still wanted to pay for and receive a Tesla.
II. Per the “Tesla” is holding your cash” argument while waiting for the next car, my Cashier’s check would have been issued from a checking account that paid 0.5% interest. Withholding payment for, say, two weeks would cost me about $11.50, which is less than the fees associated with issuing the check in the first place. In fact, I recall the Cashier’s check cost was about $35.00, so I come out ahead on costs even waiting 6 weeks for a replacement vehicle.
In the end, the paranoia about the whole delivery process seems overblown. Sure, Tesla should be doing a better job on quality control, but how many horror stories are there? One in 100? One in 1,000? Even fewer? I don’t mean to minimize those who have had a terrible experience, but are these cases skewing all of our expectations?
I’ll finish with a few comments for Tesla (as if they’d ever listen). The terse, minimalistic approach they have implemented, e.g., using an app to replace human interactions, may make things simple, but it also creates an unhealthy environment of “what will go wrong and how will I be screwed by Tesla?” The demand to “Accept” the car even before it is unlocked is just stupid; it produces high anxiety in the customer (justifiably so, given the QC problems with their cars). Tesla should have a way to put the payment in place but hold off on the actual transaction until the buyer is happy with the car. If so, boom, transaction is enabled and car is delivered. If not satisfied, the car is rejected, the payment is not yet made, and a replacement vehicle is found and delivered.
Sorry for the long post and thank you to forum members for the very valuable information provided. I’m checking out of the order/delivery thread but hope to interact again in the ownership experience threads!
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