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

 

[Steve I]

Took delivery this morning from the Irvine, CA service center. Spent about two hours there in total. Way longer than anticipated.

First pass, I spotted a couple of little scuffs. The team at the service center cleaned those up quickly. On the second walk around, spotted a couple of more issues including a group of circular imprints that remind me of paintless dent removal because of the pattern. I also spotted a “pit” in the paint. It’s about the size of a small BB. The service center said “it’s in spec”. I have to hunt for it, so I’m not going to fuss over it.

The panel gaps are all acceptable to me. The headlights are not quite perfectly flush with the panels around them on both sides, but visually, it’s hard to pick up on. I didn’t even bother to mention this.

There was a line on the driver’s seat that they had to clean up.

I also had to make a service appointment because there is a scuff in the plastic charge port cover. Looks like the mobile service folks will have to replace the cover.

None of the issues I noted were show stoppers, and I would have driven the car off the lot even if the detail team wasn’t able to clean it up.

The one minor complaint I have is with the detail they performed prior to my arrival. It must have been the laziest car wash crew ever. They left quite a bit of dirt on the car. The front vent area looked like they didn’t bother to wash it at all. And then the wheel wells all looked splattered in dry mud. I don’t know what path they took from the detail shop to the parking lot, but wow…

Overall though, it was a pleasant pickup experience.

 

[BailMY]

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!

There's an app for that. Tesla prep.

 

[justintheduffe]

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

Whats a paper test?

 

[YisPatHere]

Whats a paper test?

It's a test for the rear hatch adjustment that helps to prevent the buffeting/"boominess" issue that some Model Y's struggle with.