My S75 damaged by Tesla just days after delivery

[Kareemg]

I took delivery of my car last Friday and drove it for a day before I took it to a shop to get tint, clear bra, and ceramic coating put on. When they finished the work on the body of the car they went to move the car to a lift and it would not go into drive, and an error popped up saying the car is not secure against rolling and call to service parking brake.

We called Tesla roadside assistance to pickup the car and bring it to the service center.
I later received a call that my car was at the service center and is in queue to be fixed, however the front bumper and fender were damaged during transport.

Tesla says they will fix the issue with the parking brake, front bumper and fender, but now I feel like I no longer bought a new car, but a used/repaired one.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[chipmunk]

First...that’s unfortunate and I’m sorry to hear your experience. It’s certainly frustrating. My experience wasn’t quite like that, but I did have the service center do some paint damage to my car (down to the primer) when it was a couple months old. They fixed it and I couldn’t see any evidence afterwards. I’d express your concern and let them know you expect it to be in like new condition when they’re done. I think you might be pleasantly surprised with the quality of their repair work.

 

[nextceo]

Well, that is going to be shown on your CarFax report hurting the trade-in value on your car. They need to do something for you to make up for the damage in addition to fixing it. Maybe they need to throw in free service for the next 3-4 years.

 

[flying_things]

It may not necessarily been shown to carFax since it is a transportation damage and not an accident.

Also, even with replacement of bumper and fender, they need to do something more to compensate the inconvience. They can definitely gave you free 2 year or 4 year maintenance. I got 2 years free maintenance In trade of a small paint fix on the hood.

 

[HankLloydRight]

It seems like very superficial damage to the body panels. As long as it doesn't effect performance or handling, I really wouldn't sweat this one out. Once repaired, you'll never know it happened. They will probably replace the fender and bumper, so it's not like you'll still have any damaged parts.

And I doubt this would show up on carfax.

Good luck.

 

[chipmunk]

I also don’t think this would show on Carfax....but you should set this expectation with them as well. There won’t be an insurance claim and I doubt the body shop reports work they do for Tesla.

 

[idleuser]

Are they fixing/repairing or replacing/repairing? I'd ask for all new parts and calculate the cost of labor and make Tesla compensate for your loss.

 

[Kareemg]

Also, even with replacement of bumper and fender, they need to do something more to compensate the inconvience. They can definitely gave you free 2 year or 4 year maintenance. I got 2 years free maintenance In trade of a small paint fix on the hood.

I agree. Even with the replacement of the bumper and fender, the paint job will never be the same as when it came from the manufacturer. And on top of that, having an issue with the parking brake which renders the car inoperable in the first couple of days doesn't help either.

Are they fixing/repairing or replacing/repairing? I'd ask for all new parts and calculate the cost of labor and make Tesla compensate for your loss.

They said they are going to replace the fender and bumper, but they are still waiting on parts to fix the original problem

 

[EnjoyingLife]

I could be wrong but even if the paint is not 100% matching to the rest of the car, PPF would blend it in and won't be noticeable.

 

[NeverFollow]

We called Tesla roadside assistance to pickup the car and bring it to the service center.
I later received a call that my car was at the service center and is in queue to be fixed, however the front bumper and fender were damaged during transport.

I hope they don't create so much damage every time they have to toe a Model S !!!

Here is the recommended process for towing the car:

Attach the tow chains using the large hole on each of the rearmost lower suspension arms.
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/ms_roadside_assistance_card.pdf

For the previous bumper, the cone had to be removed to be able to insert the toe hook.

The front bumper seems to be misaligned with the toe screw? There should be no damage to the plastic bumper otherwise.

I wonder what explanation they give you regarding the damage made to the fender near the wheel arch?

 

[DrivingRockies]

It may not necessarily been shown to carFax since it is a transportation damage and not an accident.

Also, even with replacement of bumper and fender, they need to do something more to compensate the inconvience. They can definitely gave you free 2 year or 4 year maintenance. I got 2 years free maintenance In trade of a small paint fix on the hood.

Crazy. They wouldn't even throw in the other tire when they damaged one wheel and tire on my X...

 

[HankLloydRight]

I could be wrong but even if the paint is not 100% matching to the rest of the car, PPF would blend it in and won't be noticeable.

If the paint is 100% matching, they're using the wrong paint shop. My local independent body shop gets the paint to match exactly, you can not tell the difference. And if the paint isn't 100% matching, covering it up with PPF isn't the solution. Taking it back and having it done right is the only solution.

 

[nextceo]

If they repaint it, it wont matter if it matches perfect or not...when you trade it in, most dealers on high end cars use a paint meter to detect if something has been repainted. If it has been, they will not give you top dollar...just speaking from experience. If you dont think a 100K+ Tesla is high end, then you are mistaken...

 

[Kareemg]

The front bumper seems to be misaligned with the toe screw? There should be no damage to the plastic bumper otherwise.

I was told the tow hook bent which caused the damage to the bumper, and the straps caused the damage to the fender.

 

[NeverFollow]

I was told the tow hook bent which caused the damage to the bumper,
and the straps caused the damage to the fender.

The tow hook seems to very strong, and certainly designed to do the job!

They must have been doing something very wrong and must be very incompetent.
I wonder if they didn't know about the 'tow' mode or forget to release the parking break?

The process is not complicated, see the following video 0:50 - 1:50
how to set the 'N' neutral and release the 'e-brake'

Putting a Tesla on a flat bed doesn't seem to create any damage to the car,
and doesn't seems to be so dramatic.

 

[MP3Mike]

They must have been doing something very wrong and must be very incompetent.
I wonder if they didn't know about the 'tow' mode or forget to release the parking break?

The reason they were picking it up was because the parking break wouldn't release. So "tow" mode was inoperable.

What they probably did wrong was try to drag the car at an angle with the rear tires skidding. They should have put dollies under the rear wheels.

I was told the tow hook bent

I would want to know if the tow hook actually bent, or if the frame it screws into was bent.

 

[NeverFollow]

I would want to know if the tow hook actually bent, or if the frame it screws into was bent.

Best would be to insert a new tow hook to see if it fit easily without touching the bumper.

 

[NeverFollow]

The reason they were picking it up was because the parking break wouldn't release.
So "tow" mode was inoperable.

Note: To release the parking break, you just need to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery.

What they probably did wrong was try to drag the car at an angle with the rear tires skidding.
They should have put dollies under the rear wheels.

You should recommend Tesla to use this auto pilot towing truck (See video: from 0:22 to 2:46 )

 

[mongo]

Note: To release the parking break, you just need to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery.

Not if the parking brake broke due to the issue Tesla has issued a recall for.