Motley Fool story - Tesla Replacement Part Delays

[seclinton]

Rear quarter panel, rear bumper rail, rear floor pan; mainly the rear bumper rail was the reason for almost 3 months of my delay. Put simply, there is a huge demand for OEM aftermarket replacements. I think a $20mil investment in warranty parts factory could be in order.

My repair microschedule the next few days:
Accident: 11/14/16
Body work (frame) completed 2/13/16
Paint 2/14-2/18
Re-assembly: 2/19-3/8 (in fact my car is in Oakland today with Will Call parts from the factory for the finishing touches)
Tesla Reset (sensors and such), wash, wax, photoshoot 3/9
"Mary Shelly's Phoenix" ETA in our hands 3/10 afternoon. (w/added Rear Facing Seats)

There is light at the end of the tunnel (4 days shy of a a 4 month wait for repair) Then off to sue for diminished value and rental car fees.

Sadly this is the norm, and I feel bad for anyone having to wait any longer than me.

 

[SocalMS]

Author of the MF article here, glad that I can help raise awareness of an important customer pain point that Tesla needs to address. These stories too often only circulate on forums among enthusiasts and get little to no mainstream coverage, so hopefully by publicizing my experience and getting support from other customers who have had similar experiences will hold Tesla more accountable so they finally get to the bottom of this.

We appreciate your honest account of your situation.

Too many Tesla owners (and stock holders) don't want to see or hear any wrong doings about Tesla, and stay in la la land about how great the car is and how amazing the company is.

..Dismiss everything as "fixable".

What a nighmare situation you are in and many others like yourself.

..So basically, if you get into an accident that requires some body work, expect NOT to have you vehicle for 4 to 12 months... RIDICULOUS BUT TRUE!

I currently need new front seats. It's going to be 5 to 7 months.

What does one do?

Do we now "normalize" this reality w/ excuses
a. They're a new car company
b. They're selling so many cars, they can't keep up
c. They are trying to revolutionize the car industry, so be understanding
d. (insert BS here)

This is complete @#$*@#$#@ from Tesla, and they should address these issues before trying to roll out Model 3's and clogging up the Supercharger network... (what a nightmare that will be!)

We've pushed away the curtains, and what are we left with?
a. A network of charging stations
b. A car w/ a very big battery
c. A very fast car
d. A car with a shiny 17" screen
e. A car that can kind of drive itself... kind of..
f. Car made hastily w/ little quality control
g. Car with 4 yrs warranty, but really should have 8yrs, given all the manufacturer's defects
h. A car that requires 4 to 12months sidelining if you get into any minor accident requiring body parts.
i. A car company that does not stock replacement parts for existing car owners.
j. For brand new car owners, an auto -pilot/self driving system that doesn't even work. (Why they can't download the data from the legacy system is beyond me).

 

[seclinton]

Be nice when calling Tesla. Just one day of snooping and calling different places, I was able to piece together the link between service centers and parts department and got two names, one a manager or director, and another after hearing from my repair center and through the internal rumor mill called me. All my missing parts were located, pulled from the warehouse and shipped the next morning.

To the OP in the story, PM me and I'll share that info. To everyone else, please don't PM me unless your repair is >4 months in que.

I'm sure it's the best back channel, but it helps.

 

[mikevbf]

It is tough to be a good Tesla ambassador and recommend any of the Tesla vehicles to others until this is sorted out despite how awesome they are. Once this is sorted out, we will finally be able to call Tesla vehicles a no compromise possibly best cars on the road. I have advised family members not to cancel their Model 3 reservations, but also not to go through with their purchase until parts start showing up at the body shop in less than a month as a norm.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I literally had a nightmare about this last night because I read this before I went to bed and in the dream, my wife rear ended me, destroyed my rear bumper and I asked who her insurance carrier was and realized it was my policy.

Funny, I had a dream I got my car back and they let me keep the loaner.

 

[Motomania]

Sadly; these kinds of stories have kept my wife and I from pulling the trigger on a CPO purchase. (But I agree; these stories need to be brought into the light)
-
I'm sure the QC issues and repair delays are not the norm; but it's all too common a story for us to comfortably drop $80k on a Model S. Especially with the Model 3 on the horizon; and Tesla's still struggling with the model they've had out for years.
-
Thankfully we are not in a position to need a replacement car yet; so we have the luxury of waiting to see how this all shakes out. But, it sure is heartbreaking at the moment...........cause the wife and I were looking forward to treating ourselves with a MS.:-(

 

[Pdub2015]

I appreciate the idea of holding Tesla's feet to the fire when they do wrong (or don't do right in a reasonable amount of time), but here's where I diverge from the sentiment of this thread: publish this information at either an car/ev enthusiast website or a general news/consumer news website to get the word out. When I see articles like this published at financial news sites, it's very easy to question the agenda of the writer and publisher.

To the writer of the piece: why Motley Fool? Why not Jalopnik or similar?

 

[MS16]

Sadly; these kinds of stories have kept my wife and I from pulling the trigger on a CPO purchase. (But I agree; these stories need to be brought into the light)
-
I'm sure the QC issues and repair delays are not the norm; but it's all too common a story for us to comfortably drop $80k on a Model S. Especially with the Model 3 on the horizon; and Tesla's still struggling with the model they've had out for years.
-
Thankfully we are not in a position to need a replacement car yet; so we have the luxury of waiting to see how this all shakes out. But, it sure is heartbreaking at the moment...........cause the wife and I were looking forward to treating ourselves with a MS.:-(

You are wise.

I've experienced first hand how broken Tesla's QC and repair system is. It is unfortunately a common story.

 

[voltaren]

When I see articles like this published at financial news sites, it's very easy to question the agenda of the writer and publisher.

To the writer of the piece: why Motley Fool? Why not Jalopnik or similar?

Before I joined TMC, most of my Tesla info came from open press. Most good, some bad, and then there is seekingalpha which is pure hogwash. I appreciate this info being blasted out there, and it's far from click bait.

This issue isn't isolated or temporary - it's common and persistent. Personally, I don't question the motivations of the author, because his info is on the website. He works at TMF, owns TSLA stock, and was previously employed at Tesla. Sure there's a possibility of bias, but if you were without your car for 7 months, had a soapbox, and a loud megaphone within ear shot of Elon Musk, wouldn't you use it too?

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

It is really hard to defend Tesla when it comes to repair costs and wait times.

Opinion and good will is really hard to earn. People who sneer at Faraday future, forget that there were such naysayers for Tesla too. Tesla worked hard to win their passion and fanboyism who will defend Tesla at anything.

However, the general next buyer, is going to get damn scared in buying this car as a primary car, if it is deemed impractical due to repair costs and wait times and general reliability.

And if Tesla looses that good will, I really doubt they'll ever win it back again.

Lets just say, even today, it is too late to address this issue. It should have never gotten this bad. But now that it has, Tesla should make this the #1 priority, not AP2, not Model 3, not solar roof, but make the car ownable again. Turn that EV frown back into EV smile.

 

[disagree]

I appreciate the idea of holding Tesla's feet to the fire when they do wrong (or don't do right in a reasonable amount of time), but here's where I diverge from the sentiment of this thread: publish this information at either an car/ev enthusiast website or a general news/consumer news website to get the word out. When I see articles like this published at financial news sites, it's very easy to question the agenda of the writer and publisher.

To the writer of the piece: why Motley Fool? Why not Jalopnik or similar?

And I can very easily question your agenda.

But at some point if you only trust the people who say what you want to hear, the problem is not with them.

 

[somnambule]

I Just logged into my GEICO app and upped my rental insurance to $1500 max from $900 after reading this article.

I also bumped up my rental coverage but I doubt it even comes close to covering 4-8 months. The most cost effective option is probably to buy a mainstream used car for the duration of the repair but it's a hassle

 

[xanatos]

So does this mean the solution is, if you own a Tesla, you should also have a beater car sitting around as backup in case your Tesla is either a) in the service department for warranty issues, or b) stuck at the body shop for months on end?

This sounds worse than owning a 10 year old BMW (I had a 2001 325i up until a few years ago)...

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

So does this mean the solution is, if you own a Tesla, you should also have a beater car sitting around as backup in case your Tesla is either a) in the service department for warranty issues, or b) stuck at the body shop for months on end?

This sounds worse than owning a 10 year old BMW (I had a 2001 325i up until a few years ago)...

PRETTY MUCH! AND IT SUCKS!

 

[mbhforum]

If heaven forbid I get into an accident and I am alive and healthy, the first thing I am doing is buying a used car. There is no way I am throwing thousands of dollars away in rental fees. Once I get my said Tesla back, I would sell the used car. It will be a financial hit and added stress, but I can't imagine spending 4-7k on rental fees.

Sad but true.

 

[182RG]

To the writer of the piece: why Motley Fool? Why not Jalopnik or similar?

The writer of the piece works for Motley Fool. It's fully disclosed in his profile on TMF. I appreciate him publishing the piece.

...and here's where I diverge from you with "proud shareholder" in your sig. You're a hair away from pimping TSLA, and blurting out "SHORT!", right? Publish your nonsense in the appropriate section of TMC, and leave info and tech alone here.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Reading this thread makes me think you guys get in frequent car accidents. How many significant accidents have you been in your life? Just don't drive like an idiot and the odds are pretty great that you won't have to deal with waiting for parts from Tesla. Just in case though I keep a sledge hammer in the frunk and one in the trunk. If I'm in an accident I'm going to make sure it's totaled.

 

[UberEV1]

Vicious cycle: Longer wait times for parts = higher costs for repair shops = higher insurance payouts = higher insurance premiums. As great as the car is to drive, the masses literally cannot afford to ignore repair times, repair costs, alternative transportation costs and insurance costs (which are now rising). If Tesla cannot solve these back-end (ownership) costs, the growth model is simply not sustainable (IMHO).

 

[BestRadar]

They can build a complete car from sheet metal to complete in less than 72 hours but they cant supply replacement parts for months. There is something really wrong here.

 

[Lukez]

I'm not sure how Tesla runs their operations but coming from an automotive supplier background I can understand how this is probably happening.