So, Little Nightmare story for everyone. Sharing in case some of this info is useful as you all take delivery.
The background: For those that remember me, I was part of the early 2023 delivery groups... as I saw my delivery date get pushed a couple times, I found a little gem on a lot: late 2022, had some front end damage at delivery to the Tesla dealership, and it just got put back on the lot. The price was dropped ~$10k so I figured for HW3 that wasn't bad... now to see that there was a $10k drop... ugh. That kind-a sucks! Because I should be getting my original order (ordered 7 Jan) around now... Here is what has happened since.
What has occurred: So I get the car and it has 7 issues, not major... I didn't think.
- Trunk made a strange noise when closing
- trim in trunk (left rear) needed to be replaced/aligned as it didn't cover weld lines as intended
- Hood alignment off and touching at top drivers side
- Rear drivers quarter panel window trim not seated properly
- Passenger rear door handle works intermittently
- Paint chips near top of hood in pillars next to windshield
- Noted minor paint scratches and buff marks
So, overall, I don't think that was too bad for a Model S delivery... I figured I would take the car. I am a QE (Quality Engineer) for Lockheed Martin, so I have an eye for all those little minor details. I think the car looked good! I drove it home and around a bit, put ~300 miles on the car. My plan was to drive the car for a bit, drop it off at my local SC the next week, have the issues addressed while on vacation (22 Feb - 6 Mar), and pick up my nice, shiny, fixed-up Model-S. I checked the car in at the Tesla SC on the 21st, had a good service rep, looked at the issues, notated things... I figured I was in good hands. They said my appointment was on 2 March, but they should be able to get me in early with the vehicle on site. I looked at my app a few times on vacation, (we have had a few Tesla's so I know how the service check-in works) the vehicle was never moved nor did I get any service updates. So, the day after the appointment (mistake #1, should have called day of with no app update) I text them to see what the status is. I get the corporate worded excuse for "we forgot" and they will now get me in later in the month. I gave them a sternly (but professional) worded reply that I expected more from them. They then squeezed me in yesterday, 3 days later than the appointment.
Totally cool! I am a day late, but they are fixing things, I got time... so all is good, right? Wrong. I get a text. Apparently an "oops" occurred and they cracked my windshield. They are going to replace it, np. Frustrating... but ok. We go back and forth a bit, they couldn't figure out the trim thing in the trunk, so this morning I went over to the Tesla center to point out the issue. When I showed them, they had an "ah-ha" moment, and they said they would get right on it. 11:30, I get the message that all is done! Great! Let's go see.
What... The... Hell... So,
Trunk noise - Fixed.
Trunk trim - no change,
Hood alignment - Fixed,
Window trim - no change,
Passenger Handle - Fixed,
Paint chip - no change, B
uff marks/Scratches - no change. Also, I notice that the passenger front quarter panel is protruding significantly away from the body near the top... this is not the way it was (like I said, I am fairly neurotic about things) I am not thrilled. So, I go back in, get the service writer, and they then hit me with a "yeah, this will have to go to a local body shop, we will need the car for 3 weeks. They gave me a loaner... a Model S... think it is a 2015 P85 or something... looks like a recent trade-in, kind-a beat up... dirty. At least I have wheels... but damn man...
So... not going well and not happy. Should have stuck with my order. Don't get impatient gentlemen. And be meticulous... be a self-advocate, stay calm and professional, but be persistent and don't accept a half-done job.