Model X damaged in transit to delivery center. What should I do?

[Swifta]

Hi Everyone!

Ordered on October 9 and last Monday (Nov. 26) I get a text that my car has arrived and to schedule an appointment, so I did. Later on that day I receive a phone call from the delivery center saying my car didn't pass the pre-delivery inspection and then proceeds to schedule me 12 days out..... Here I'm thinking what needs 12 days to fix that could have been damaged in transit but he assures me it'll be done before that and they'll call me before then to reschedule....

So we schedule it out and yesterday I called to see if they were still set to make the delivery date.... after some time they get back to me say that it actually has to be pushed out a few days more. Now I'm starting to worry and so I ask what exactly is being fixed on the car to which they say don't know but they say don't worry it's just cosmetic.

I'm seriously thinking to just call them and tell them to make a new one. Am I overthinking this? Does it still make it a new vehicle? I mean who wants to know they paid 100k for a car that was just repainted or had windshield replaced or whatever it may be, it's not in its original build ? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I really don't know what to do.

 

[ewoodrick]

You wait, you see what they offer and then decide.

 

[Swifta]

Just got off the phone with them and asked them to either tell me exactly what the damage was and where or just build me a new one, they didn’t seem to like the second option. Rear bumper was scuffed/scratched during transport, they say they’re unsure how the body shop is going to fix it, wether replace or repaint the bumper. They told me to call them the day before delivery to see what they did at that point.

 

[Big Dog]

I'd continue to push for details. What part of 'cosmetic' are they fixing? A new bumper cover or broken side mirror, sure, ok. Repainting the whole car, no thanks.

Sure, a repaint still makes it new, but it won't last as long as a factory paint job unless you wrap it.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi Swifta,

You do not need any more pressure...
The end of this week is what they are quoting for getting a new car by the end of the year...

Are there any special options they could not duplicate with a new car in stock???

You may want to look at it to see what they are working with...

Good Luck,

Shawn

 

[Swifta]

They haven't even offered me a different car, I think they're expecting me to take this one. The delivery center is 2.5 hours away, and I don't have the time between now and Saturday (our new delivery date) to get up there. Thank you for the suggestions so far guys!

 

[pereiks]

I have similar issues - waiting for Tesla to fix FWD glass which was cracked during transit. I never saw the car but according to Delivery spec - everything else is fine. Their estimate is some day around next week - we'll see how it goes. I've already mentioned that if it takes too long I'd rather get another car

 

[MP3Mike]

I'm seriously thinking to just call them and tell them to make a new one. Am I overthinking this? Does it still make it a new vehicle? I mean who wants to know they paid 100k for a car that was just repainted or had windshield replaced or whatever it may be, it's not in its original build ? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I really don't know what to do.

Just know that traditional dealers do repairs to cars damaged in transit and they aren't required to disclose it. So if you are buying a $100k car from BMW/Mercedes/etc. you have no way of knowing if it was repainted or they replaced the windshield, etc... (There are reporting requirements in some states, like if the repair costs more than 5-10% of the cost of the vehicle. But of course they use their cost for the repair, not what it would cost if you had it done, so they hardly ever reach the threshold of requiring reporting.)

 

[Uncle Paul]

Your mind will drive you crazy, trying to imagine all sorts of issues.

Tesla stocks factory painted bumper covers for most of their vehicles. Perhaps they are just waiting to get one to the body shop and a slot of time to put it on.

Or, perhaps they are going to repaint it. Approved shop will use factory paint and good equipment. Should look great done as well. Professional painters often blend in the new paint to adjacent areas, so everything matches to the eye. Common practice.

Of course you are going to give it a close look on delivery, but as others have said, most all manufacturers will do minor repairs prior to delivery, and do not disclose it to the customer.

 

[Swifta]

Thank you all for the replies! Having done some more research I’ve found that damage in transit is not too uncommon. I’ll do a thorough check when picking it up and hope for the best. If it’s not done right I’ll just have them re-order.

We’re now scheduled for delivery this Saturday.

 

[racerx43]

Thank you all for the replies! Having done some more research I’ve found that damage in transit is not too uncommon. I’ll do a thorough check when picking it up and hope for the best. If it’s not done right I’ll just have them re-order.

We’re now scheduled for delivery this Saturday.

Hope for the best for you - let us know how it goes.

 

[jboy210]

Read this story for pre-delivery damage and the related disclosure laws.

Your brand new car might not be completely new after all

At least Tesla was disclosing the damage to you.

 

[Swifta]

Update: Picked car up on the 11th (sorry for late update was busy enjoying the car). Everything looks very good on it. Edges align well and I can’t tell any merging different between mine and the showroom one. One small issue I’ve set a service request for is whistling wind noise in driver side mirror window area, which upon searching it seems to be common on the new X. Thanks again for all that replied!

 

[pepper's S]

I have similar issues - waiting for Tesla to fix FWD glass which was cracked during transit. I never saw the car but according to Delivery spec - everything else is fine. Their estimate is some day around next week - we'll see how it goes. I've already mentioned that if it takes too long I'd rather get another car

Pereiks,
We just had our 2019 Model X delivered to our home today. My wife was in the driver's seat, I was in the front passenger seat, spending an hour going over settings, etc. Then, she noticed a large crack in the inside of the front windshield, up high, above the passenger. I looked outside, and no blemish. Must have been an installation stress? Also, I hadn't realized there were two layers.
We had never moved the car from the time the Tesla worker delivered it. I phoned him, he said use the app for a service appointment right away. Apparently you have 100 miles before they challenge you on the source of the defect.

Pretty disappointing letdown of what was an exciting moment. I don't know how common this is, the interior cracks with intact outside.

I have similar issues - waiting for Tesla to fix FWD glass which was cracked during transit. I never saw the car but according to Delivery spec - everything else is fine. Their estimate is some day around next week - we'll see how it goes. I've already mentioned that if it takes too long I'd rather get another car

 

[jboy210]

View attachment 491758
Pereiks,
We just had our 2019 Model X delivered to our home today. My wife was in the driver's seat, I was in the front passenger seat, spending an hour going over settings, etc. Then, she noticed a large crack in the inside of the front windshield, up high, above the passenger. I looked outside, and no blemish. Must have been an installation stress? Also, I hadn't realized there were two layers.
We had never moved the car from the time the Tesla worker delivered it. I phoned him, he said use the app for a service appointment right away. Apparently you have 100 miles before they challenge you on the source of the defect.

Pretty disappointing letdown of what was an exciting moment. I don't know how common this is, the interior cracks with intact outside.

All windshields are 2 layer. Not sure if that is a legal requirement but there are two layers of glass and film layer in between.

It is not unheard of for cars to get damaged in transport. Rock, potholes, etc all play havoc on a car in transport.

Read the article I posted earlier if you want to get some information on this.

 

[bob_p]

For the last Lexus we ordered, the dealer called us just before our scheduled delivery appointment and told us there had been damage during transit and that they would have to do body repairs (bumper/side panel).

We had been waiting months for our configuration to get here from Japan - so we asked if they would sell us the vehicle after the repairs?

And they said they wouldn't be able to do that, once they did the repairs, they couldn't claim it as a "new vehicle" - and would instead search the incoming nationwide inventory and get a replacement vehicle routed to us.

If it's just a matter of repainting a small area of the vehicle, this likely happens all of the time, and owners probably aren't aware of minor touchup done during delivery preparation.

But, if any portion of the exterior has to be replaced - bumpers, body panels, … - that's a different matter; and we would probably not accept that vehicle and ask for a new one without the problems to be delivered to us.

Windshields are a different matter - it's the most fragile exterior component, and if we discovered a crack in the glass, we'd likely accept delivery with a promise to get the glass replaced. Our 2012 S P85 had an issue with the windshield encountered after delivery, and Tesla replaced it (and I believe we had it replaced again later after getting hit by road debris).

 

[pereiks]

View attachment 491758
Pereiks,
We just had our 2019 Model X delivered to our home today. My wife was in the driver's seat, I was in the front passenger seat, spending an hour going over settings, etc. Then, she noticed a large crack in the inside of the front windshield, up high, above the passenger. I looked outside, and no blemish. Must have been an installation stress? Also, I hadn't realized there were two layers.
We had never moved the car from the time the Tesla worker delivered it. I phoned him, he said use the app for a service appointment right away. Apparently you have 100 miles before they challenge you on the source of the defect.

Pretty disappointing letdown of what was an exciting moment. I don't know how common this is, the interior cracks with intact outside.

View attachment 491755

In my case it was pretty obvious external impact to the FWD roof glass. They replaced it and I couldn't even figure out on which side it was.

 

[Sigma4Life]

I had a similar issue where my red P85D Model S was damaged in transit. My car was last in the truck and apparently the back of the car rubbed against the truck. By the time it got to the the service center the Tesla logo was gone and the truck had rubbed through to the metal.

Initially they offered to repaint it at a local body shop. I insisted that they get a new trunk assembly painted at the Tesla factory to ensure a perfect paint match. They obliged and after about a 2 - 3 week delay all was good.