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Model 3 HW3 retrofit questions, wait time, issues
- Thread starter T3M3T
- Start date
My experience has been the biggest headache, sadly. Dropped off my car at noon on Thursday, car still isn't ready because of firmware/software issues. That's fine, but I had a panic attack yesterday because they gave me a loner P85D model S with 45% charge, and I only have 120V charging at home and had planned day trip to delivery birthday gifts to my grandmother. She lives near a supercharger and the SC (service center) told me supercharging is free with the loaner, so I had planned my trip accordingly to visit, supercharge, and come back home. The car did NOT supercharger. Sat there on the phone w/ support for 50 minutes from 8pm to 8:50, and we decided I could either get a tow, or try to make it back home. I thankfully made it home with less than 2% battery remaining and had a mini panic attack while driving in the process 
Got the computer notification about 10 days ago, HW3 installed yesterday morning in Watertown(MA). Dropped Stacy's Mom off at 8:20 am, was told it would be 3-4 hours to change her brain so they offered a loaner. Got a hobbled 2014 P60 model S with ~49k miles on it. They sent a text at about 10:45 that it was ready, which sorta bugged me because its a 40 minute drive each way to the SC. It was neat to find a usable built-in AM radio, and that Tesla wasn't really all that far off with the description that the inverter/motor causes significant AM disruption.
In any case, by the time(distance) I got home, HW3 had gotten calibrated to the car and I enabled navigate on autopilot again. Had to re-update all the map information via wifi, which was a drag. Lost only the FIRST homelink preset, the others were fine. Was a little surprised it didn't forget the 'location' of the garage door it had to open/close, just the ability to activate the door.
The new visualizations are neat, but I haven't noticed any other differences. I'm hoping it does a little less ping-ponging between lane markers, not that it was all that before.
Also had to re-pair phone for bluetooth and re-enter Netflix credentials, neither of which was all that surprising.
In any case, by the time(distance) I got home, HW3 had gotten calibrated to the car and I enabled navigate on autopilot again. Had to re-update all the map information via wifi, which was a drag. Lost only the FIRST homelink preset, the others were fine. Was a little surprised it didn't forget the 'location' of the garage door it had to open/close, just the ability to activate the door.
The new visualizations are neat, but I haven't noticed any other differences. I'm hoping it does a little less ping-ponging between lane markers, not that it was all that before.
Also had to re-pair phone for bluetooth and re-enter Netflix credentials, neither of which was all that surprising.
Set up an appointment for July 1st on June 13th after seeing the message in the app that said HW3 upgrades are ready.
Got a text msg Wed the 17th saying that the HW3 retrofit is not mobile capable and that parts are on back order.
Why would Tesla send a message out to everyone saying to schedule an upgrade, but not have the parts in stock? Pretty annoying.
Got a text msg Wed the 17th saying that the HW3 retrofit is not mobile capable and that parts are on back order.
Why would Tesla send a message out to everyone saying to schedule an upgrade, but not have the parts in stock? Pretty annoying.
Well, got my first cancellation. Setup an appointment via the app last Monday (6/15) for a Tuesday (6/23) appointment. Service center did reach out early and tell me parts maybe delayed and will keep me informed. Got a text from the SC at 5:00 pm today (6/22) that the part is not in and they immediately cancelled my appointment and told me they will not reschedule until the parts come in hopefully later this week.
The problem is that I was having them put on 4 new tires while it was in because I just realized what I though were perfectly fine tires are in immediate need of replacement due to the inner tread of the front tire being worn nearly to the belts. This is after having two alignments completed; one by Tesla and one by a third party. Now I have to scramble to have tires replaced somewhere else. Of course no one carries the OEM tires in stock. I’m really getting tired of the uneven wear in the front. I thought by the second alignment I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
The problem is that I was having them put on 4 new tires while it was in because I just realized what I though were perfectly fine tires are in immediate need of replacement due to the inner tread of the front tire being worn nearly to the belts. This is after having two alignments completed; one by Tesla and one by a third party. Now I have to scramble to have tires replaced somewhere else. Of course no one carries the OEM tires in stock. I’m really getting tired of the uneven wear in the front. I thought by the second alignment I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
Quick follow-up.
After nearly 4 months, 3 cancelled appointments, and any number of excuses and lies, Tesla finally managed to keep an appointment for the FSD computer install.
(Mind you- a month after I had being told last time they'd ordered one "specifically for my car and we will call you as soon as it comes in" I had heard 0 from Tesla- so I just scheduled appointment #4 for today- and they didn't cancel this time... never said a word about the repeated previous brush offs or lies, or "oh yeah, the one we ordered JUST FOR YOU came in!', etc).
So anyway, last night they confirmed the appointment- and told me sorry no loaners so make sure you figure out your own transportation since our lobby isn't open to wait in either.
Only when I pointed out to them their own automated appointment emails states THEY will arrange transportation options did they finally at least offer uber credit.
So anyway- dropped car off around 11, left keycard- used link given night before to check in... they call me, say ok good to go, just leave the car, let it lock, you'll get your uber credit in a few minutes and we'll let you know when done. Great.
Took them about 5 hours.... once I got back there it took about 10 minutes for the cameras to recalibrate.
I kept my lifetime odometer stuff, but lost my phone/contacts stuff so had to re-pair... also lost my homelink so had to reprogram... and lost my wifi so had to re-add... now waiting on new maps to download and eventually new firmware.
Oh- and I realized when I got home they didn't leave the keycard back in the car...so they still have it.
I texted them back as soon as I noticed to ask about it- never got any reply.
2017->2018 Tesla about doubled their fleet size... and increased service centers about 15%.
18->19 Tesla increased fleet size roughly another 75%...and increased service centers about 15%.
19->20 Tesla plans to increase fleet size roughly another 50%... and will probably maybe increase service centers about 15%.
That is simply not sustainable (not even with mobile fleet size bumps)
Awesome car. Garbage customer service.
StealthP3D
Well-Known Member
My wife and I have had excellent customer service for our two Model 3's over the last 2+ years (but they have needed very little). I have read a lot of customer service stories, both good and bad, but our experience with Tesla just puts Mazda to shame and is tied with Volvo (which was also very good). Of course every dealer or service center is only as good as the manager running the place and those people that are hired.
As to the service centers expanding in proportion to the size of the fleet, one of Tesla's strategies has been to increase the mobile service fleet faster than the number of service centers. This is MUCH more convenient for the customers and less expensive for Tesla. Also, there is a geographical component to it. In the early days Tesla needed service centers based on geography even though those centers wouldn't be fully utilized or staffed until the fleet size grew enough to justify it. So you can't expect the number of service centers to scale anywhere near as fast as the fleet size, at least not at this point in time.
We've only had good experiences with Tesla service and are treated with the utmost respect. The only thing I've paid them for is to mount some new winter tires on some rims I bought from another TMC member who bought aftermarket wheels and tires and the charges were very reasonable compared to other shops in the area. Unlike any other tire work I've paid to have done, Tesla performed it perfectly. Other shops in the area would have the tire pressures unmatched and improper torque on the lug nuts (yes, I check).
I was looking and although I agree they need more SCs and their customer service can be horrible depending on the SC, I think they do have a decent amount of SCs based on the number of cars in the US.
It is hard to get an exact number of SC out there. I tried to count but it is difficult because some are listed without service numbers but do have service available.
I looked at Honda as one of the larger car companies in the US. They have a total of 75 facilities (manufacturing, sales, service, etc.) in the US. They have many more vehicles in the US than Tesla at this point but they can handle the business.
I wonder if it is not just a number issue with SCs but the number of techs and size of SCs.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
It's not difficult at all. Tesla publishes this in their annual report. Note these are worldwide totals.
284,233 cars was the total Tesla fleet end of 2017. They had 330 service centers... or about 861 cars per service center.
End of 2018 Tesla was operarting 378 service centers- they delivered 245,162 cars that year-essentially doubling the fleet while only increasing service centers about 15%- resulting in just over 1400 cars per service center.
End of 2019? 429 service centers- again a 15% bump- while delivering ANOTHER 367,000 cars. Now we're at almost 2100 cars per service center.
This year they expect to delivery over 500,000 MORE cars... If they only bump service centers by 15% (and I've seen nothing to suggest they will do better) you're talking over 2800 cars per service center... or 3.5 times more cars per service center than end of 2017.
I mean, they're certainly in the top 10.... top 3 are Ford, Toyota, and GM though.
..huh?
Where are you getting Honda as having only 75 dealerships in the US? They've got WAY WAY more than that. MANY hundreds more.
They list themselves as providing 169,000 jobs via their US dealership network. At only 75 locations that'd be a laughable 2253 employees per car dealership
Further- most legacy car dealerships I've seen have large service centers... 8-12 bays at least.
Our local Tesla SC has room for maybe 3 or 4 cars tops, as long as they don't all need a lift at the same time.
And while rangers are great- obviously they can only handle 1 car at a time... (or 0 if the job needs a lift)
My situation is a little odd, but I did get a HW3 upgrade at Shaumburg (Chicagoland) center (finished yesterday) on my Dec 2016 Model S, purchased (by me) used in 2019. Had the car in to service a yellow band around my touchscreen (some UV treatment). Since they updated the UI/app, I noticed the FSD wasn't listed on the car even though I had the original Monroney sticker that listed it as included. I noted the issue as part of my service (and provided the Monroney sticker by email).
Dropped off Wed (loaner from Enterprise). They were way behind so they asked me again for a copy of the sticker on Friday. Service completed the following Tuesday. While the car was in for service, I received failed and successful software updates so I was optimistic that HW3 happened and the upgrade was confirmed when the service completed. I'm 17 miles from the SC so the Autopilot calibration completed about half way home (progressed MUCH faster on the highway). Had to come to a full stop to enable navigate on autopilot and I was off the highway by then.
Car won't enable lights/stop signs due to old maps -- version like NA-180623-... which sounds like a very old 2018 version. Car had access to Wifi overnight (and connected roughly hourly, I have enterprise-grade networking) with no update. With nothing to lose, I've turned off energy savings and enabled always connected to see if that helps (but I'm not optimistic).
Obviously FSD was purchased for this car in 2016 and I certainly expected (hoped?) that they'd prioritize the people who bought it "first". That may be part of the issue for some of the recent purchasers and a reason why my vehicle got it immediately (though being in the SC for something else didn't hurt).
Dropped off Wed (loaner from Enterprise). They were way behind so they asked me again for a copy of the sticker on Friday. Service completed the following Tuesday. While the car was in for service, I received failed and successful software updates so I was optimistic that HW3 happened and the upgrade was confirmed when the service completed. I'm 17 miles from the SC so the Autopilot calibration completed about half way home (progressed MUCH faster on the highway). Had to come to a full stop to enable navigate on autopilot and I was off the highway by then.
Car won't enable lights/stop signs due to old maps -- version like NA-180623-... which sounds like a very old 2018 version. Car had access to Wifi overnight (and connected roughly hourly, I have enterprise-grade networking) with no update. With nothing to lose, I've turned off energy savings and enabled always connected to see if that helps (but I'm not optimistic).
Obviously FSD was purchased for this car in 2016 and I certainly expected (hoped?) that they'd prioritize the people who bought it "first". That may be part of the issue for some of the recent purchasers and a reason why my vehicle got it immediately (though being in the SC for something else didn't hurt).
ceekz
Member
Factory FSD, took delivery in Sept 2018. I scheduled the HW3 install two weeks ago and received a mobile service confirmation for this Friday. I've received a couple of notifications that parts have been ordered, so it looks like things are moving forward. Will report back on Friday to update!
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Bad information on the 75. Came from some website that is not correct.
I agree and said at the end that it may not be a matter of how many SCs but the size and how many techs available.
Honda probably has well over 500 dealerships in the US but their sales in the US was around 7.2 million cars. That still would put them at, and this is fuzzy math because I do not have an accurate count of Honda dealers, 8-10k cars per dealership. So, lets say dealerships have 12 bays on average that is ~800 cars per bay per dealership.
With Tesla, and your math, per bay we are talking approximately 700-800 cars per lift. So with fuzzy math they are aligned.
Now, I know in the real world that that math does not always help. I agree the larger car companies can handle the load better.
I also agree that customer service could be much better. You should always be able to reach a person at the SC.
Knightshade
Well-Known Member
Toyota/Lexus has 1500, so I doubt Hondas is anywhere near that low.
Again- what?
TOTAL new vehicle sales, of all brands, in the US is only about 17.5 million annually.
Honda is like 1.4-1.6 million a year (depending if you count Acura as Honda or not), not 7.2
So basically Honda sales are about 3x what Tesla hopes their 2020 sales are.... and Tesla hopes to be pushing a 1 million/yr run rate by end of 2021.
Quick update. My original maps version was showing NA-180906-xxxx. I pinged the service center on the text chain. They seemed to think I was on the latest but "pushed" it again. An hour later the car was at NA-2020.12-11866, but the Light & Stop Signs still said "... requires updated maps" (firmware version 2020.20.12). I finally stumbled on this thread where a lot of owners had to wait several hours before the option became available. If it doesn't resolve itself on its own, I'll circle back with any "next steps" for resolution
OK. Finished reading that other thread. While a hard reboot did not work (also the next suggestion from the SC), powering off the car from the Safety & Security menu did the trick!
(would have edited my last but don't see a place to do so)
(would have edited my last but don't see a place to do so)
I have a 9/18 build and have been requesting the upgrade for months with no success. You getting it by mid-July is very unlikely.
Update. I submittted an upgrade request today 6/26 and cancelled via text. I asked how they are prioritizing and got the following reply.
Hello Xxxxxxx, we are ordering the parts as the request for the upgrade is coming in and not by the purchase date. The parts are then send to us with your vehicle identification attached to it from the factory. We will get the order in for you and schedule you as soon as we receive all the necessary parts.
