DrC, thanks for the update. That's quite unfortunate. It seems that Tesla has taken a certain approach to be extremely cautious with communications on timelines etc and not committing to anything. I've communicated to Tesla that I'm a big boy and can take "bad"news, and that it's much better to hear proactively from them about any setbacks rather than letting me sit and think everything's OK until I contact them. My understanding is that this was their approach with the Roadster. I'm not sure why they are taking a different approach with the S. If I had to guess, it's either that they would be overwhelmed trying to communicate with everyone, or that they think S owners would be less forgiving than Roadster owners were.
I think they may have a point if it's the latter, but I think it's a mistake with Signature owners, who are clearly their biggest enthusiasts, and will only be more frustrated/angry if the bad news is delayed. If it's an issue of a "punch list" of things that would need to be fixed afterwards (like adding rear seats or something), why not give Sig owners that choice? I'd want as perfect a car as possible, but wouldn't want to wait two extra months for something that could just be added to the car later.
Keep us in the loop -- I'm very curious to hear what ends up happening with you car. If you don't get your car until mid-November, that probably resets a lot of people's expectations, including mine! Thanks again.