At roughly 6000 miles, I started to experience a "wobble" during acceleration and deceleration. Using an airplane analogy, it felt as if the car would yaw to the right under acceleration and to the left under deceleration.
First thing Monday (7 AM) I brought it in to the Scottsdale Tesla Service Center. I did this *without* first calling and making an appointment. They took me right in, wrote down my concerns, and even went on a drive with me so I could demonstrate the problem. Since I was there, I mentioned a few minor squeaks and rattles, and they said they would look into these as well.
Chris Swann was my Service Advisor, and he gave me a ride over to Enterprise where they got me on my way with a nice, new Cadillac ATS. The rental and first tank of gas was on Tesla. During the rental walk-around, the agent started the Caddy for me. I asked him what the loud groaning and roaring sound was, then, before he could answer I said: "Oh yeah, that's the motor!"
He gave me that "another Tesla A-hole" look, as that was probably not the first time he had heard that joke.
Chris called me around 11:00 AM with a status update. They had found some loose suspension bolts, and also needed to do a "Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation" service bulletin. They were also going to look into the aforementioned minor buzzes and rattles and would probably be done by 3:00 PM.
Around 3 PM, Chris called me again and said the car was done, and would I like them to valet it to me and take the rental back. Wow. I declined, having been trained by all prior automobile dealers to bring the rental car back on my own and then schlep over to the dealer to pick up my car.
The Enterprise rental place that the Scottsdale Tesla Service Center uses is easily within walking distance, so I dropped the Caddy at Enterprise first. The agent asked how I liked the Cadillac, and I said: "it was fine." He then said: "But, I bet it's not as nice as a Tesla." I responded: "Im sure GM is doing the best they can." My inside voice however agreed with him, and I wondered how much longer GM will survive. Maybe they can find a niche for themselves as a pickup truck manufacturer.
Anyway, back to Tesla. Chris brought my car around, all shiny and clean thanks to a courtesy detail they had done. Nice! We went through the items they worked on, and the resolution of each. We then shook hands and I was on my way. Total cost to me $0.00.
Here were the items they worked on:
1. Panoramic Roof Creak.
I didn't mention this, and had no roof creak. I guess they are pro-actively checking these whenever a car comes in.
2. Front Lower Control Arm Washer Installation
3. Rattle in right rear area
They found a loose fastener on the right side of the headliner and fixed it.
4. Right rear and left rear seat belts will sometimes fail to extend
This they could not duplicate, and I admitted it was relayed to me from a passenger that might have "been doing it wrong."
5. Rattle just above 17" touchscreen
Tesla fixed this by applying "felt" and re-securing some clips on the dash pad.
6 & 7. These were related to the "yaw" problem I was experiencing, and Chris experienced as well during our test drive.
Chris said they went around and loosened and then re-torqued all suspension bolts to specification and that cured the problem. We then had a brief discussion on the chances that the bolts would just loosen again, and I would be back for a repeat performance. For example, are the bolts safety wired? No. Are they torque-striped to enable visual inspection? Not all of them. After consulting with some of the technicians, Chris and I reached consensus that the bolts of concern are similar to wheel lug nuts, that is, applying the proper torque value will allow them to maintain tightness. We both agreed to leave unanswered the obvious question as to why they were either delivered, or became loose, as we didn't have enough data to speculate. Personally I made a mental note to take the wheels off and torque-stripe the bolts and do a visual inspection when I rotate the tires. My guess at this time is that will likely turn out to be a waste of my time, as my situation was probably just a glitch.
8 & 9. Update Firmware
I didn't ask for this, so it was probably just another standard process thing Tesla does when you bring your car in.
All in all, an excellent service experience. I recommend that if you have any concerns you should take your car to the Service Center. Unlike other dealerships, they will not try to "up sell" you, and your car will love it!
