Model Y Delivery Day: Do's and Don'ts

[COTrekkie]

Hi Everyone, I just joined the Club.

I'm picking up my 2023 Model Y long range on Monday. I hear about how Tesla build quality has vastly improved over the years. Having said that, what should I be looking for while taking delivery? Do's and Don'ts?

Hoping for a smooth process

 

[Johnnykoko23]

Hi Everyone, I just joined the Club.

I'm picking up my 2023 Model Y long range on Monday. I hear about how Tesla build quality has vastly improved over the years. Having said that, what should I be looking for while taking delivery? Do's and Don'ts?

Hoping for a smooth process

Mine having issue with sunroof seal on both sides stick out; then they fixed it, the next day I saw there is a big palm sized dent on the c pillar (someone must've used ladder or something lean against it). I rejected the deivery and waiting for 2nd VIN.

 

[COTrekkie]

Mine having issue with sunroof seal on both sides stick out; then they fixed it, the next day I saw there is a big palm sized dent on the c pillar (someone must've used ladder or something lean against it). I rejected the deivery and waiting for 2nd VIN.

Dang! Sorry to hear you had so many issues on your delivery. Hope I get to drive home with the VIN I was assigned.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

I did no more than I have ever done on any other car I purchased. Did a walk around, made sure there was no obvious damage to the exterior or the interior. Nothing seemed out of alignment or out of place. Lights and everything worked. I certainly wasnt one of the people measuring ground clearance to see if it was within "spec". Do what you feel comfortable with and enjoy the new ride!

 

[JMGNC]

ThunderBay, thanks for the advice. I pick mine up soon and it.s easy to lose your mind worrying about the small details.

 

[YisPatHere]

I haven't been through a delivery appointment yet so I have no firsthand experience on that side, but I've noticed there are people who prefer to use a checklist when looking over the car to make sure they remember to check some of the things that are easy to miss, and there are others who think that's inappropriate. I'm slightly pro-checklist, as a car is a complicated product and this one still has a reputation for lingering build quality issues in spite of improvements. Since there was a swell of new orders after the price cut, production and QC may be more rushed recently than they were in the previous few months. I will tailor my checklist to things I'm likely to forget or miss, and I'll keep it on my phone so that I'm not the guy looking like the county inspector writing up a fast food restaurant. I'll also take a lot of detailed close-up photos in case I notice something later.

Above all, I think the most important thing is to enjoy it, be friendly to the staff, and make it clear you're just excited to check out the car, you're not a cynical person looking to make their lives more difficult over petty things. While it shouldn't be this way, their perception of you will make a difference in their willingness to try to find a solution if there is a problem. If you find problems that are small, make it clear that you understand they're no big deal, you're not upset about them, you just need them acknowledged and a plan for correcting them. While it's possible that you can still get a canned response like "that glaringly crooked panel gap is within spec", I think it's more likely to go that way if the tone is adversarial. These employees have to write off unreasonable, chronically unhappy customers all day every day, so it will be to your benefit to make sure you don't get lumped in with that crowd.

This is all probably obvious to everyone reading this thread, but I am amazed how many grown adults I see getting huffy over simple things, then wondering why nobody ever wants to provide them good service or help them out.

Enjoy your new car and report back on your experience!

 

[COTrekkie]

I did no more than I have ever done on any other car I purchased. Did a walk around, made sure there was no obvious damage to the exterior or the interior. Nothing seemed out of alignment or out of place. Lights and everything worked. I certainly wasnt one of the people measuring ground clearance to see if it was within "spec". Do what you feel comfortable with and enjoy the new ride!

Thank you!

 

[COTrekkie]

I haven't been through a delivery appointment yet so I have no firsthand experience on that side, but I've noticed there are people who prefer to use a checklist when looking over the car to make sure they remember to check some of the things that are easy to miss, and there are others who think that's inappropriate. I'm slightly pro-checklist, as a car is a complicated product and this one still has a reputation for lingering build quality issues in spite of improvements. Since there was a swell of new orders after the price cut, production and QC may be more rushed recently than they were in the previous few months. I will tailor my checklist to things I'm likely to forget or miss, and I'll keep it on my phone so that I'm not the guy looking like the county inspector writing up a fast food restaurant. I'll also take a lot of detailed close-up photos in case I notice something later.

Above all, I think the most important thing is to enjoy it, be friendly to the staff, and make it clear you're just excited to check out the car, you're not a cynical person looking to make their lives more difficult over petty things. While it shouldn't be this way, their perception of you will make a difference in their willingness to try to find a solution if there is a problem. If you find problems that are small, make it clear that you understand they're no big deal, you're not upset about them, you just need them acknowledged and a plan for correcting them. While it's possible that you can still get a canned response like "that glaringly crooked panel gap is within spec", I think it's more likely to go that way if the tone is adversarial. These employees have to write off unreasonable, chronically unhappy customers all day every day, so it will be to your benefit to make sure you don't get lumped in with that crowd.

This is all probably obvious to everyone reading this thread, but I am amazed how many grown adults I see getting huffy over simple things, then wondering why nobody ever wants to provide them good service or help them out.

Enjoy your new car and report back on your experience!

Will do, and thanks for the tips.

 

[dafish]

Anybody got a good checklist to share?

 

[YisPatHere]

Anybody got a good checklist to share?

A lot of people are circulating this one:

GitHub - polymorphic/tesla-model-y-checklist: Checklist for Tesla Model Y

Checklist for Tesla Model Y. Contribute to polymorphic/tesla-model-y-checklist development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

A few of the tesla accessories sites are also distributing their own. Attached is one from TesBros.
I'm going to write up my own list using those as a template. I notice some things on the TesBros is a bit outdated, for example, I don't think the chrome license plate frame or the universal mobile connector are included anymore.

 

[mclark2112]

Can we test drive the car before accepting it?

 

[schang]

Can we test drive the car before accepting it?

Not to my knowledge. I have not accepted delivery yet but have read multiple reports of needing to accept the vehicle to drive it.

 

[discodanman45]

If you are in California make sure to bring a screwdriver for the back paper license plate. Twice they didn't tight it down enough and the screws and paper plate came off during the ride home. Once from Fresno (M3) and Rocklin (MY). Went to the Fresno location yesterday to get a windshield replaced and someone came in saying their paper plate and screws all came off. Do they give the salespeople screwdrivers or instructions on how to use them?

 

[YisPatHere]

Twice they didn't tight it down enough and the screws and paper plate came off during the ride home. Once from Fresno (M3) and Rocklin (MY). Went to the Fresno location yesterday to get a windshield replaced and someone came in saying their paper plate and screws all came off.

Interesting, just yesterday I saw a temp tag hanging by one screw off the back of a Tesla and flapping in the wind on I280 in the Bay Area. I guess I better add "license plate screw torque" to my checklist

 

[arbitrage000]

I had three checklists on my phone. But once I got there I never even looked at them. I just inspected the car panal gaps, alignments of headlights and charge port, alignment of roof glass and had a look for any obvious paint chips or scratches. Also checked that the J1772 adapter was in the car, checked that all doors open and close normally and the trunk and frunk open and close normally. My SA let me into the car before accepting delivery so I made sure to make sure all the trim was in place and no obvious scratches or tears in the seats. Made sure the seat heaters and heated steering wheel was working and the screen was working.

But the biggest DO is to have fun and enjoy it. My car was flawless so that made it easy for me. But I needed to make sure I didn't have any service fixes to book as I only had 100km and I was immediately heading out on a weekend roadtrip that would be over 100km before I had another chance to inspect at home.

 

[COTrekkie]

A lot of people are circulating this one:

GitHub - polymorphic/tesla-model-y-checklist: Checklist for Tesla Model Y

Checklist for Tesla Model Y. Contribute to polymorphic/tesla-model-y-checklist development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

A few of the tesla accessories sites are also distributing their own. Attached is one from TesBros.
I'm going to write up my own list using those as a template. I notice some things on the TesBros is a bit outdated, for example, I don't think the chrome license plate frame or the universal mobile connector are included anymore.

Awesome. Thanks for this.

 

[dafish]

Being an Excel guy, I converted and briefly cleaned up the GitHub. I also placed the things I thought were "Get documented Before Leaving" in red and did some very light housekeeping. I'd have done more but I pick mine up in them. Just out of time.

YMMV, change as you see fit.

Excel File Link

 

[tr0n9h]

I never thought buying a car is this much headache especially at this price range. It kinda sad if you think about it. I have never once bought a car and actually spend time inspecting it.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

Sadly Tesla did themselves no favor with their historical decision to push the vehicle delivery with issues and let service fix later. We have 2 vehicles, there was nothing significant we could find with either. Delivery was immaculate. While you still see a few horror stories on here for delivery I think in general those issues are not the norm, but the reputation Tesla earned back in the day sticks with them.

I'm curious if people used those lists on an ICE purchase these days if they'd find issues - I'm sure they would.

 

[JCLJorgenson]

Can we test drive the car before accepting it?

If you are picking up at a Tesla lot, I have heard some will let you inspect the inside (but I'm pretty sure there is no way they would let you drive it). If the car is getting delivered to your home, the standard procedure is to drive it there and leave the two key cards in the vehicle. Once you accept the delivery, you can use the app to unlock the vehicle and get the key cards.

My vehicle was delivered a couple weeks ago and the driver knew I was home but still locked the two key cards in the vehicle. As a result, I could only inspect the outside before accepting with the app. Everything looked great, so I accepted. However, the app would not allow me open the vehicle because, according to the driver, Tesla was having some sort of vehicle activation issues. The driver also had no way to open the car. She said they do it this way because it allows them to deliver even if nobody is home to accept the car.

The delivery person took an Uber back to the office and my new car (that I was really excited to see and inspect) sat in my driveway for over an hour before I was finally able to unlock. She also parked the MY in the dead center of my driveway, so I had no way to use my other two cars in the garage.

Long story short, it was a frustrating delivery experience, but my car is flawless. Don't let all these threads freak you out about quality issues (they certainly got me worried before delivery). The majority of the Tesla cars are great, but people don't typically start threads to discuss things that went exactly as planned.