Model 3 - LR AWD Waiting Room

[ZZ118]

I had a hard time trying to find a difference at a glance. Only if I was 2 feet tall would that difference be that apparent

I was so sure the P was guaranteed matrix and the RWD was guaranteed premium. Guess you learn something everyday

 

[drewsky]

Youre gonna try to lemon a car because of a couple of rattles? All I can say is good luck with that. I'm not there so I don't really know what the sounds are but from your post this whole thing sounds a little nit picky to be honest. It's still a car it might make a little noise. You already had them open the door up which made things worse. Maybe just see if you are having too high of expectations because the more they rip the car apart the more problems you are going to have

I was implying that if there are these problems at 5 miles on the odometer, what's 10,000 miles going to look like? Obviously a few rattles doesn't warrant a lemon. What does it sound like in the car? Rattle here, rattle there, wind noise from the outside, etc... Not a very fun drive without having loud music on.

I didn't choose to open the door up, they did. The mobile service tech was a complete idiot, it looked like they hired a guy from a jiffy lube and put him in a model X to go around and "try" to "fix" cars. I've bought tons of cars, both used and new, and never did I encounter an issue almost immediately after driving off the lot (let alone wait a hundred days for it). Not talking down on Tesla but rather making an observation.

 

[DualMotorinBC]

Youre gonna try to lemon a car because of a couple of rattles? All I can say is good luck with that. I'm not there so I don't really know what the sounds are but from your post this whole thing sounds a little nit picky to be honest. It's still a car it might make a little noise. You already had them open the door up which made things worse. Maybe just see if you are having too high of expectations because the more they rip the car apart the more problems you are going to have

Most cars I've owned or driven rattles here and there. Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Sienna, Mercedes CLK & SLK. They all rattle at some point. That's just the fact. The car will flex somewhat driving along especially with the amount of plastic components within a car. It's bound to happen. Even if the car is parked you can hear clicks and pops from the materials expanding and contracting due to temperature fluctuations.

 

[ZZ118]

I was implying that if there are these problems at 5 miles on the odometer, what's 10,000 miles going to look like? Obviously a few rattles doesn't warrant a lemon. What does it sound like in the car? Rattle here, rattle there, wind noise from the outside, etc... Not a very fun drive without having loud music on.

I didn't choose to open the door up, they did. The mobile service tech was a complete idiot, it looked like they hired a guy from a jiffy lube and put him in a model X to go around and "try" to "fix" cars. I've bought tons of cars, both used and new, and never did I encounter an issue almost immediately after driving off the lot (let alone wait a hundred days for it). Not talking down on Tesla but rather making an observation.

Like I said I'm not there so idk. My car right now is an oldie so it makes all kinds of weird sounds. If i can't hear it with the radio on then I'm happy. No matter I hope it all works out

 

[QueenSundodger]

I was implying that if there are these problems at 5 miles on the odometer, what's 10,000 miles going to look like? Obviously a few rattles doesn't warrant a lemon. What does it sound like in the car? Rattle here, rattle there, wind noise from the outside, etc... Not a very fun drive without having loud music on.

I didn't choose to open the door up, they did. The mobile service tech was a complete idiot, it looked like they hired a guy from a jiffy lube and put him in a model X to go around and "try" to "fix" cars. I've bought tons of cars, both used and new, and never did I encounter an issue almost immediately after driving off the lot (let alone wait a hundred days for it). Not talking down on Tesla but rather making an observation.

I think sometimes it's a luck of the draw, I have mostly been in the same bucket. However my last car was transferred to my dealer, my salesman drove it to pick me up at work to go back and sign the paperwork (the first car he got me some lady backed into in the dealership lot and tried to hit / run). I started the car up after signing the paperwork and it threw an airbag light, stuff happens.

Since it was an airbag they got me a loaner to drive while they got a new airbag. My salesman felt absolutely awful and threw in a ton of stuff for free. Honestly the best purchase experience of my life, the way they handled it made all of the difference. I still have the car (VW GLI with 55k on the clock), it's been mostly bulletproof ever since.

 

[Mythbredor]

Like I said I'm not there so idk. My car right now is an oldie so it makes all kinds of weird sounds. If i can't hear it with the radio on then I'm happy. No matter I hope it all works out

I definitely understand where both you and drewsky are coming from. I'll toss my noodle into the spaghetti. I'm young and have pretty much driven whatever was around and cheap 94 explorer for awhile, 2003 explorer, a some year town and country van haha, now a 2012 dodge journey. This is the first brand new car I am buying and with it being a nearly $60k car I really do expect a lot from it. I know problems are going to come up that have to be fixed. And it's probably an unrealistic expectation for it to be perfect. But squeaks and rattles from a brand new car seems unacceptable.

 

[tm3lrawd]

Hey gang.. so I've had my car (m3lr) for about 2 weeks and thought I'd give you my review so far. I was super excited like all of you but trust me, your day will come. My goal is here to manage your expectations for delivery. Here's what I have for you:

I took delivery on June 28th. There were no immediate problems with my car that I noticed. I didn't look at it with a microscope, so who knows if there's some gaps here and there, overall it looked fine. The ONLY issue I had was the center arm rest console between the driver and passenger seat had some play to it. So everytime I put my arm on it, it sits as if there was a millimeter space between the latch and the hook. It can be a little annoying, as if you constantly move your arm onto/off of it, it will make a slight click sound. More on this later....

The Good - the driving is nice, smooth, and a bit sport if you set it up to be. braking feels good, nothing out of the usual. Phone key is great, just walk towards/away and it locks/unlocks (never had an issue, yet). Seats feel good to me, a little on the firm side and that's what I prefer. Autopilot (i did not get FSD) is really great, took me only 2-3 days to finally trust it, and now I trust it somewhat dangerously (dont text and drive, friends). Infotainment is wonderful, no complaints there other than some glitches with the TuneIn app, oh well.

The Bad - center arm rest console doesn't fully sit. I have a total of 3 rattles in the car, 2 on the dashboard (each side) and one on the driver side pillar (more of a ticking sound). It is super annoying. I called service for the center arm rest console and the guy told me "they're all like that". I find that REALLY hard to believe. Then he attempted to look for the rattling in the driver side pillar, took apart the whole damn thing including the seal. when he put it back together, he didn't do it properly and now i hear A LOT of road noise. if i wash the car, water will get inside. thank god we haven't had any rain in california yet. i took it in the service, they said they have to wait 2 weeks to get a new seal.

Overall, was I excited? hell yea. how do i feel now? like tesla seriously needs to work on their build quality. even my buddies that have teslas have visiting the service center 4-5 times in less than a year from receiving their car. please manage your expectations because it can really, really make you feel down once (not if, but when) you notice something iffy with the car. my drive to work sounds like this "TICKTICKTICK PSHHHHHHHHHHHHH TICK TICK TICK PSHH TIPSHHHHHHCKKKK" from the window seal AND the rattling from all over the vehicle.

would i buy another tesla again? as of now, probably not. if they haven't improved on their build quality, then most definitely not. i am REALLY glad that the car cost $52k because if this was a plaid or even an S or X, I would be losing my *&!@ right about now.

Just for some perspective, I might just be lucky, but I have no rattles or poor fit/finish on my three-week old M3LR. Just a very smooth, quiet ride.

I do have a different gripe. Something I did not notice so much on my test drive. Rear-end visibility is poor due to the high trunk on the M3. This increases my anxiety level when changing lanes, merging, or backing up. I never had a car with a camera display on a screen, so I have not really learned how to use the display to help see behind the car. I much prefer to just look out the back and side windows. Came across this on YouTube which shows how to optimize seat and mirror adjustment to improve rear visibility.

 

[ZZ118]

I definitely understand where both you and drewsky are coming from. I'll toss my noodle into the spaghetti. I'm young and have pretty much driven whatever was around and cheap 94 explorer for awhile, 2003 explorer, a some year town and country van haha, now a 2012 dodge journey. This is the first brand new car I am buying and with it being a nearly $60k car I really do expect a lot from it. I know problems are going to come up that have to be fixed. And it's probably an unrealistic expectation for it to be perfect. But squeaks and rattles from a brand new car seems unacceptable.

I'm ngl I'm stirring the pot a little. Of course I want my car to be perfect and for the price it better be close. However, I'm also concerned (not saying this to OP) about how some people act with these cars. They look over the car for literally an hour and bring special tools and then post pics of things that tbh I just don't see. All I was telling OP was to be careful chasing perfection because each time you take something apart it becomes more prone to mistakes and malfunction.

 

[gators918]

To anyone still waiting for a car I was thinking of this today and maybe it will help out others. I was a little bummed my EDD moved back (but tightened) but then I thought about what EDD stands for. I know the E is for estimated which I think most of us here understand. But what about the DD? It stands for delivery date. Not VIN date, Not shipping date, but DELIVERY date. It is the date Tesla thinks YOU will HAVE the car. So this made me realize the car may start production soon even with the EDD pushback but it is still gonna take time to travel cross country. If you are on the East Coast and you don't have a VIN yet you will likely not have a car until the middle of August like myself. Hope this helped put things into perspective. Just a little longer....

ZZ118 What an Awesome perspective on EDD! Thanks for sharing that with us! You know we're so use to living in a world of instant gratification, it makes this waiting game tough and stretches our patience! Whatever we need or fancy we pretty much get it whether cash or credit. Except for our Teslas! These are crazy times.
But Hold On...it's Gonna Happen Soon! Q3

 

[ZZ118]

Just posted this in the P forum ( I like to keep them in the loop since they seem more inpatient ) I think its a good fyi though for anyone wondering the logistics of tesla delivery

How Tesla ships by rail to East coast

Ok, so I've been geeking out over how my MY is being shipped by rail to the East coast and thought I'd share what I've found for those of you who are also waiting. The below info is by no means definitive since I've put it together based on what I've heard from my SA and what others have been...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[HeatherW22]

I can't wait to see April order dates starting to get delivered

Me too!!!! We need April done so we can get to May!

 

[HeatherW22]

New EDD lmao this car is never coming

It's actually Sept 10th it's just cutoff and yes it's a push back but a shorter overall EDD

Yeah but that black on black looks really sharp! Bet you can’t wait to see it in real life!

 

[blonded]

Bought my first accessories today: between prime day deals knocking a couple bucks off, and an amazon promotion for 40% off things sold and shipped by amazon when using my discover points, I ended up buying a screen protector, and a high endurance sd card + usb connector for it. Aside from floor mats and a rubber insert for the comically large cupholders, I don't think I will be buying anything else, at least until I have owned the car for a bit.

 

[Tgwolfwood1981]

Prime day claimed a bit of my money as well towards some accessories.

 

[IWRBR]

Bought my first accessories today: between prime day deals knocking a couple bucks off, and an amazon promotion for 40% off things sold and shipped by amazon when using my discover points, I ended up buying a screen protector, and a high endurance sd card + usb connector for it. Aside from floor mats and a rubber insert for the comically large cupholders, I don't think I will be buying anything else, at least until I have owned the car for a bit.

Very good decision on your part to only get the necessary accessories! In hindsight I’m starting to think I should have done the same. I’ve filled up a room in my house with accessories for a car I don’t even own yet and every time I look at the door sills that light up and rear seat vent covers (to name a few) I think to myself did I really need to buy those things

 

[Tgwolfwood1981]

Very good decision on your part to only get the necessary accessories! In hindsight I’m starting to think I should have done the same. I’ve filled up a room in my house with accessories for a car I don’t even own yet and every time I look at the door sills that light up and rear seat vent covers (to name a few) I think to myself did I really need to buy those things

Yes, yes you did. Don’t ever doubt the power of justification when it comes to enjoying the purchases of vehicle accessories.

 

[GreenShell]

Most cars I've owned or driven rattles here and there. Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Sienna, Mercedes CLK & SLK. They all rattle at some point. That's just the fact. The car will flex somewhat driving along especially with the amount of plastic components within a car. It's bound to happen. Even if the car is parked you can hear clicks and pops from the materials expanding and contracting due to temperature fluctuations.

Not saying that I prefer it but my Lexus never rattled one bit during the 8+ years of ownership. The quality is golden but tech is close to non existent lol. There’s something about mature car manufacturers doing something to perfection. But you buy a Tesla for the tech not the interior quality. (Not saying rattles are acceptable.)

 

[sbmike]

Most cars I've owned or driven rattles here and there. Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Sienna, Mercedes CLK & SLK. They all rattle at some point. That's just the fact. The car will flex somewhat driving along especially with the amount of plastic components within a car. It's bound to happen. Even if the car is parked you can hear clicks and pops from the materials expanding and contracting due to temperature fluctuations.

Hmm, I wonder about this... I've only owned one car in my lifetime a 2010 Nissan Sentra I got in 2013 for college that I drove all over the place state to state during those years in college. And only this year did I start hearing creaking (no rattling that's weird to me in general) and such. I've kind of at this point though accepted that Tesla will have some quirk, good thing I ride with music on all the time so won't really bother me like others.

 

[Tgwolfwood1981]

I think most people have forgotten that Tesla is a tech/software company that happens to make cars.
Green shell brings up a great point when they mention Lexus. Every Car Company has one or two core tenants by which they build cars.
Lexus=reliability/durability
Ferrari=sex appeal/sportiness
Porsche=Obtaining perfection
Volvo=safety
Etc

Tesla=bleeding edge tech and software.

There is always one or two main reason a car company is chosen over another. I would say for the most part, we chose Tesla because we value the tech more than the “QC”.

Teslas top priority is obviously not QC, but there isn’t a car company out that can claim they prioritize every aspect of what makes a car company great. If there was, we would be buying from said company.

 

[JB47394]

There is always one or two main reason a car company is chosen over another. I would say for the most part, we chose Tesla because we value the tech more than the “QC”.

This is an essential truth and was a topic I wanted to broach as well. I'd put a different spin on it, however. Tesla will get to the quality control stuff later. Before getting to that, they had a few other things to get to. Like reinventing the personal vehicle. I don't mean that from a philosophical standpoint, but literally. They had to start from a blank sheet of paper and reinvent the way they work, the way they're built, the way they're sold, the way they're maintained, and the way they're retired. It's an entirely new industry, and the existing industry that it plans to replace is not very happy about it. Then there's the whole Supply Chain Gone Wild aspect to make things more challenging.

This is the wild west, folks. We're not out of the early adoption phase for these vehicles, and it shows in every aspect of Tesla's operation. There are squeaks and rattles at every step along the way.