My 2nd Experience with the Tesla Service Center

[St☰v☰]

Service Center Disappointment My first experience went south real fast. This was with the SC in Lake Forest, CA. in October of this year.

My second at the Costa Mesa SC was 75% better... except... First some context. I have an 8 month old 3 with just about 4,600 miles on it, so not a lot. I dropped it off at the CMSC with a short list of 12 items:

1. Vampire drain while parked in garage with NO systems on
2. Anti-lock brake issue (brakes locked up when I hit them hard)
3. White material visible between the glass and the rear center brake light
4. Tire pressure alarm would come on even though pressure at all 4 corners was at 42
5. AC was stinking
6. Reverse camera would go black when going into reverse
7. Left repeater did not work
8. Blindspot detection limited error
9. Lane departure avoidance limited error
10. Autopilot cameras unavailable
11. Autopilot features limited
12. Left turn signal, momentary feature, does note work

So items 1, 2, and 4 were met with the usual, "we compared your car to hundreds of others and your issues are within normal specs" BS. Item 3 was fixed, seems it was some type of white adhesive. Item 5 was an old complaint which I solved by running the outside air for a few minutes after I park the car. It was in their system so they replaced the 2 filters and used some type of cleaner (cool it). Item 6 could not be replicated so not resolved. Item 7 was solved with a replacement of the repeater, this also seems to have solved items 8, 9, 10, and 11. Item 12 was solved by replacing the control module.

Final bill for the above $556. The only thing covered under warranty, it seems, was the turn signal module, the balance was not.

Charges were as follows:

• $138 for the AC issue
• $98 to diagnose the black screen
• $306 for the repeater

Again, had this been any normal 8 month old (ICE) vehicle with 4,600 miles, it would all have been covered under the new car warranty. But we're dealing with Tesla here.

After some discussions with a manager, all of the bill was waived except for the AC parts, which I reluctantly agreed to cover ($34), only because I should have mentioned up front that I resolved the issue.

Owners taking their Teslas in for service during the first year when the car only has 4,600 miles on the ODO should not be faced with ANY repair bill whatsoever, unless the repair was caused by the owner's neglect or damage.

I still like my Tesla, but after two disappointing visits to two different service centers, I'm kinda worried what we owners will face as our Teslas get older.

Everything that was a tangible issue was fixed and as I pulled into my garage and within range on my home wifi, I was advised that 19.40.50.1 was ready to download to my car. It's too early to give an opinion of the download. As for an overall service impression, not too happy.

 

[dmurphy]

Something doesn’t add up. Why would they have tried to charge you for a failed repeater camera? That doesn’t make sense unless there was some obvious damage. Had the vehicle been in any kind of accident?

 

[DrtyJrze]

That sucks. How did they try to blame the repeater issue on you?

I agree, unless it’s something the owner damaged/neglected you shouldn’t have to pay for anything.

 

[C141medic]

• $98 to diagnose the black screen
• $306 for the repeater

I know they charge a fee for diagnostics even under warranty and if an item is covered then this fee is removed. Kind of ridiculous in this instance. Is the screen black? Yes, it’s black. That should’ve taken all of 1 second. The reason why it’s black should’ve most definitely been a warranty issue.
Don’t understand why they would even charge you for the repeater if it was defective? It’s good they waived a majority of the repairs (as they should’ve in the first place). Sorry to hear of your experience. Hopefully things will get better.

 

[St☰v☰]

No accidents, no damage.

I was beside myself when he told me there was even a bill, let alone $556... There was no reason provided why I was charged, just that there was a bill due to be paid.

 

[NoMoGas]

No accidents, no damage.

I was beside myself when he told me there was even a bill, let alone $556... There was no reason provided why I was charged, just that there was a bill due to be paid.

OMG This is not the Tesla of a few years ago when EVERYTHING including "couldnt reproduce" diagnostics were covered and half the time they'd fix things I broke for free AND LEAVE TESLA SWAG IN THE FRUNK.

I mean yes, I got a $133,000.00 car vs a 50k but STILL

 

[dmurphy]

No accidents, no damage.

I was beside myself when he told me there was even a bill, let alone $556... There was no reason provided why I was charged, just that there was a bill due to be paid.

I’ve seen plenty of warranty repair orders at traditional dealerships with a price and then a “warranty adjustment”. That makes sense to me - it’s a way to assign value to the work done, and in the dealership Model, a way for the dealership to get paid by the manufacturer.

But in this case, I don’t understand why they’d even think trying to bill you for the repeater would be a thing. Unless the vehicle was damaged somehow, there’s no way that could be anything but a warranty issue.

 

[kbecks13]

OMG This is not the Tesla of a few years ago when EVERYTHING including "couldnt reproduce" diagnostics were covered and half the time they'd fix things I broke for free AND LEAVE TESLA SWAG IN THE FRUNK.

I mean yes, I got a $133,000.00 car vs a 50k but STILL

If i were them, i'd bet that service centers are now being held and measured against Billed Hours for their shops. They have a certain amount of labor that they burn each day by simply paying people who show up to work and need to show what they've charged against that from customer service. This would give management a nice metric for how much warranty or goodwill work is being performed at various centers and how much revenue service is bringing in.

Since all centers work on roughly the same cars (though driving conditions vary) you could assume that all service centers should have similar metrics for % of labor being billed. You can then use this metric to compare and motivate service centers to increase billable hours in order to bring in more revenue/stop the cash bleed at service as much as possible.

But in this case, I don’t understand why they’d even think trying to bill you for the repeater would be a thing. Unless the vehicle was damaged somehow, there’s no way that could be anything but a warranty issue.

They're just trying to get people to pay and know that they will change their tune if people push back. Many people don't push back and probably pay up, making that sweet sweet metric look better.

But this is all a guess

 

[St☰v☰]

They're just trying to get people to pay and know that they will change their tune if people push back. Many people don't push back and probably pay up, making that sweet sweet metric look better.

But this is all a guess

I could not agree more, and I'm not one of those complacent/gullible owners. But they also need to realize that they're on the verge of alienating owners, like myself, that have the wherewithal to be repeat buyers and given the fact that the EV market is ever growing, Tesla can only afford to be cocky for another year or two before more competitors are offering similar units (similar, not identical). Elon is enjoying a niche right now that nobody else shares, yet...

One other interesting thing I noticed that is unrelated to my service disappointment, the service center disengaged my SSD from the USB port and stowed it in my console. This was a "hmmm?" moment for me.

 

[ZappCatt]

I could not agree more, and I'm not one of those complacent/gullible owners. But they also need to realize that they're on the verge of alienating owners, like myself, that have the wherewithal to be repeat buyers and given the fact that the EV market is ever growing, Tesla can only afford to be cocky for another year or two before more competitors are offering similar units (similar, not identical). Elon is enjoying a niche right now that nobody else shares, yet...

One other interesting thing I noticed that is unrelated to my service disappointment, the service center disengaged my SSD from the USB port and stowed it in my console. This was a "hmmm?" moment for me.

When doing diagnostics(particularly for cameras involved in Sentry or Dashcam(back camera), often the first step is "unplug everything from the USB port"

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Sounds like an experience a friend had with his new S class...sorta. He got a call from the dealer that he was due for his yearly service. He advised them that the S class only had 700 miles on it as he doesn’t drive it that much. They insisted he bring it in and threatened to remove the cars warranty if it didn’t come in. He reluctantly brought the car and was met with a bill higher than the miles on his car. Some dealerships really are “stealerships”. That friends experience kept me from ever considering a MB while I lived in that area.

I wonder how much of your experience with the service center would have been covered at others? Very odd and sad. I often hear better experiences from Mobile Ranger service appts than I do from service centers.

 

[St☰v☰]

I just hope service here in SoCal gets better, two different shops, two non-stellar experiences.

 

[skatefriday]

I just hope service here in SoCal gets better, two different shops, two non-stellar experiences.

FWIW, I had a good experience at the Van Nuys SC.

 

[CAAD]

In cases like this Id ask would you buy Tesla again?
As long as demand is high, they do whatever they want.

 

[St☰v☰]

So in retrospect, I should have known something was amiss when their text message confirming my appointment noted an estimate

FWIW, I had a good experience at the Van Nuys SC.

That's a 74 mile drive one way for me...

 

[St☰v☰]

In cases like this Id ask would you buy Tesla again?
As long as demand is high, they do whatever they want.

Yep, Elon has the upper hand for now. But others are coming out, slowly, take the Mudstain Mach E. V-dub is coming out with one, of course Audi, and others. Hopefully things will get better as the market grows and "T" can't afford be as cocky as they are today. I would have bought the Niro (I have Kia Optima and it's been a trouble free car), but it was just a little too small, but the range was good.

 

[CAAD]

Yep, Elon has the upper hand for now. But others are coming out, slowly, take the Mudstain Mach E. V-dub is coming out with one, of course Audi, and others. Hopefully things will get better as the market grows and "T" can't afford be as cocky as they are today. I would have bought the Niro (I have Kia Optima and it's been a trouble free car), but it was just a little too small, but the range was good.

Yes but seeing how people going neck and neck with AWD models wanting to be P3D-, I can’t imagine the Mudstain Monk-E to take much market if any. They will need to fight the name rejection first.

 

[cbaaz]

No accidents, no damage.

I was beside myself when he told me there was even a bill, let alone $556... There was no reason provided why I was charged, just that there was a bill due to be paid.

Crazy. Do they even know their own warranty?


Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty
Subject to separate coverage for certain parts and the exclusions and limitations described in this New Vehicle Limited Warranty, the Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty covers the repair or replacement necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla that occur under normal use for a period of 4 years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km), whichever comes first.

 

[JayNJ]

You got off cheap for the AC service. Most have been charged more like $130+ for that. The rest should have been no charge and covered under warranty or not a problem.

 

[Runt8]

So in retrospect, I should have known something was amiss when their text message confirming my appointment noted an estimate

My recent appointment also had an estimate in the confirmation, but everything was covered under warranty.