After hearing so many "horror stories" about M3 build quality and regularly being asked by friends what problems the car came with I figured I would start a post on the subject. This is mainly due to the amount of "negative" information floating around about how inconsistent the build quality is on the Model 3. The intent of this thread is to get new Model 3 owners to share their experiences and provide new buyers with a source of first hand information. Hopefully over time this will show a pattern in Tesla quality control direction and give new buyers a reference point for helping them in their buying (brainwashing 
) process.
My experience... (Shanghai Gigafactory M3LR 2021/22)
I ordered a Model 3 Long Range Black with Black interior on October the 28th. The initial time to delivery was estimated at November 22nd to December 10.
Regular updates from Tesla continued to narrow the delivery estimate window and I finally scheduled my pickup time and date to the 30th of November.
It's easy to be excited on the day of pickup and miss any major blemishes or gap/alignment issues. I certainly fell into the excited camp so spent a few minutes having a look for anything obvious before jumping in and driving off.
I picked my car up from Mulgrave. The warehouse is not well lit so you really won't see any major paint issues inside so you are better off driving outside and doing a thorough check or driving home and reporting anything you find immediately.
On pickup you will have already installed your Tesla app on your phone and as you approach your car the app and the car connect to each other and you are pretty much good to go.
Exterior - My first "proper" checks were done at home. I really couldn't see any major defects in the paint apart from some residue from whatever the cover the car in to protect it in transport. Nearly every panel was well aligned so overall I would say the build quality was excellent! The only thing my amateur inspection could find was a very slight discrepancy in the tail lights. The right tail light gap between the boot lid was marginally wider and slightly further out than the left, but you really had to be looking to notice this.
The real paint inspection was done at Peninsula Tint where I had the car paint corrected and ceramic coated and tinted. Under lights there were a couple of small blemishes. On the right passenger quarter panel there was a circle about 5cm in diameter that could be seen under the inspection light. I have seen these circles on a youtube video from a black model 3P in the US. No idea what they are, possibly from transport or maybe even from the paint gun? Although I know it's there you can't see it unless you are looking for it and have a really good light. There were a couple of dust nibs on the left passenger front door sill which buffed out during paint correction.
Interior
Inside I couldn't find any issues with roof panel and trim alignment or gaps as I have previously seen on reviews. Seats and carpets were all blemish free. The first item I found that would be a "fault" was under the drivers seat. I purchased the dust covers for the air vents from Tessories and when I installed them I noticed the drivers vent was "floating". I'm not sure if this is how it's meant to be as the passenger side is definitely locked in place. I have contacted Tesla and they will be sending a service agent to check next week. The only other gripe I have with the interior is a slight rattle on course chip surfaces. Maybe it's the floating vent?
Overall I would say the car deserves an 8 to 8.5 out of 10 for delivery quality. I have bought many brand new cars over the years and none have been "perfect" and to be honest I was expecting the Tesla to be have more issues than I found, but I went in with my eyes open as it were and all I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised. It will be interesting to hear others experiences and see how quality is improving over time.
) process.My experience... (Shanghai Gigafactory M3LR 2021/22)
I ordered a Model 3 Long Range Black with Black interior on October the 28th. The initial time to delivery was estimated at November 22nd to December 10.
Regular updates from Tesla continued to narrow the delivery estimate window and I finally scheduled my pickup time and date to the 30th of November.
It's easy to be excited on the day of pickup and miss any major blemishes or gap/alignment issues. I certainly fell into the excited camp so spent a few minutes having a look for anything obvious before jumping in and driving off.
I picked my car up from Mulgrave. The warehouse is not well lit so you really won't see any major paint issues inside so you are better off driving outside and doing a thorough check or driving home and reporting anything you find immediately.
On pickup you will have already installed your Tesla app on your phone and as you approach your car the app and the car connect to each other and you are pretty much good to go.
Exterior - My first "proper" checks were done at home. I really couldn't see any major defects in the paint apart from some residue from whatever the cover the car in to protect it in transport. Nearly every panel was well aligned so overall I would say the build quality was excellent! The only thing my amateur inspection could find was a very slight discrepancy in the tail lights. The right tail light gap between the boot lid was marginally wider and slightly further out than the left, but you really had to be looking to notice this.
The real paint inspection was done at Peninsula Tint where I had the car paint corrected and ceramic coated and tinted. Under lights there were a couple of small blemishes. On the right passenger quarter panel there was a circle about 5cm in diameter that could be seen under the inspection light. I have seen these circles on a youtube video from a black model 3P in the US. No idea what they are, possibly from transport or maybe even from the paint gun? Although I know it's there you can't see it unless you are looking for it and have a really good light. There were a couple of dust nibs on the left passenger front door sill which buffed out during paint correction.
Interior
Inside I couldn't find any issues with roof panel and trim alignment or gaps as I have previously seen on reviews. Seats and carpets were all blemish free. The first item I found that would be a "fault" was under the drivers seat. I purchased the dust covers for the air vents from Tessories and when I installed them I noticed the drivers vent was "floating". I'm not sure if this is how it's meant to be as the passenger side is definitely locked in place. I have contacted Tesla and they will be sending a service agent to check next week. The only other gripe I have with the interior is a slight rattle on course chip surfaces. Maybe it's the floating vent?
Overall I would say the car deserves an 8 to 8.5 out of 10 for delivery quality. I have bought many brand new cars over the years and none have been "perfect" and to be honest I was expecting the Tesla to be have more issues than I found, but I went in with my eyes open as it were and all I can say is that I am pleasantly surprised. It will be interesting to hear others experiences and see how quality is improving over time.
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