You make an assumption that everyone who needs service is enjoying their product. As you say, the vast majority don't visit the forum, so just imagine how many are exposed to poor CS and complain to anyone who will listen.
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Need advice. Bought new S, probs and can't even get Tesla to talk on the phone
- Thread starter Zooomer
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You make an assumption that everyone who needs service is enjoying their product. As you say, the vast majority don't visit the forum, so just imagine how many are exposed to poor CS and complain to anyone who will listen.
Then let us seek a broader dataset on reliability:
Tesla slips several spots in Consumer Reports reliability ranking
Note that Tesla dropped 6 spots (21 in 2017) in 2018.
2019? 23 out of 30.
Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Survey: Most, least reliable cars
Tesla has been in the bottom third of reliability for three years.
Well, hold on a minute. My post addressed the chronic complainers here, not whether the car is trouble-free or prone to problems. Despite CR’s ratings on reliability:
* They still rate the Model S as a ‘recommended’ car
* They still scored the Model S near, or at the top of their overall scoring of any car in their reviewing history
* Tesla’s owner satisfaction ratings, despite any reliability issues, still sits at the top of almost every survey where that question is addressed. That, IMO, is hugely important in understanding overall ownership.
* They mentioned how suspension complaints are down dramatically, so reliability issues are not all bad according to CR
So back to my original point, those unfamiliar with Tesla and coming here to garner info on a potential purchasing decision, and reading the posts from the chronic complainers, would never guess that any of the facts I just mentioned could be possible. Hell, we’ve got some that sell their Teslas and still remain here to continue to throw rocks at these cars. At some point people need to move on.
Are these cars perfect? Of course not. Anyone believing that what is essentially
a brand new car company was going to produce a trouble-free car, is very naive. With that said, in over 2 years of ownership, I’ve had 2 issues, a yellowing screen and a clogged washer line. That’s as good or better than any car I’ve ever owned, including a number of Lexus vehicles. The clogged washer line was repaired at my house. In-home repair is something that I never experienced with any other car.
So when you look at all these things in a balanced way, you begin to understand how this car can sit at the top of the owner satisfaction list, despite the issues that some owners have.
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beatle
Active Member
I had a relatively good SC experience last week. They replaced the front clevis mount, half shafts, door handle, and tail lights under warranty, plus they greased the sunroof tracks to eliminate squealing. Took 2 days. They missed the projected time to be done by a few hours, but that really wasn't an issue since I couldn't have picked it up mid-morning anyway. Communication via text was good.
That said, I STILL don't have the title for my car. I purchased it outright on 10/12 and my email to Tesla inquiring about this was ignored.
That said, I STILL don't have the title for my car. I purchased it outright on 10/12 and my email to Tesla inquiring about this was ignored.
"The vast majority of owners of any product don't visit forums, they simply enjoy their product."
I think you are underestimating the systemic problem that is Customer Service. The "chronic complainers" are complaining about deliberate decisions made by Tesla, namely screens that leak oil and yellow because the screens are not made for the car environment, poorly made door handle gears and wiring that fracture early in life, light fixtures that fill with water, etc. But more importantly, Tesla actively works against the customer by making it as difficult as possible to get a Saturday appointment for service (not possible), and to actually speak to someone to discuss any issue. Perhaps you have 3 centers 5 blocks from where you live. Many of us have to drive 2 hours each way to reach one, let alone a decent one, which means a day off from work. That's a $1000 day for me.
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"They replaced the front clevis mount, half shafts, door handle, and tail lights under warranty, plus they greased the sunroof tracks to eliminate squealing. ......That said, I STILL don't have the title for my car. I purchased it outright on 10/12..."
Wait, this was a brand new car, and already these things failed???
Wait, this was a brand new car, and already these things failed???
Kruegmeister
Member
OK, I don't get where you "can't get Tesla on the Phone"
I had my 1st problem a few months back. Car wouldn't shift from park.
From the User interface I hit contact Support button & I was talking to someone in seconds.
I needed to Power Off as Holding the Thumbwheels didn't help.
I had my 1st problem a few months back. Car wouldn't shift from park.
From the User interface I hit contact Support button & I was talking to someone in seconds.
I needed to Power Off as Holding the Thumbwheels didn't help.
I was challenging your statement, "You make an assumption that everyone who needs service is enjoying their product.". That's what I was referring to when I said, "And I said this, where?"
Otherwise I agree & disagree with some of your points. I agree that the door handles were a very significant issue. However Tesla did make some design changes and these have become much less of an issue over the years.
Although I know that some have pointed to documents that suggest the LCD screens are not designed for automotive use, it certainly appears to me that the yellowing issues have nothing to do with fitness for 'automotive use', but rather to poor curing of the glue around the perimeter of the screen. The fix that's been employed by both Tesla & DIY'ers further points in that direction as that's precisely what the UV light is doing, curing the glue. Poor curing of the glue, IMO, has little to do with automotive use and more to do with sloppy assembly by the LCD supplier.
Light fixtures that fill with water is most assuredly not a 'Tesla only' issue. Many automakers are plagued with this issue. I've had it on a Lexus & an Acura.
Maybe I'm lucky, my Syosset NY SC has been quite good in my limited experience with them. It appears the competence of those at some SC locations certainly varies. Even that's not unique to Tesla. I bought two Lexus vehicles from one particular dealer largely because of their service department. A previous purchase from a different Lexus dealer showed me the incompetence of the service staff there. So again, the variance of talented service personnel is nothing new regardless of the company.
Look, I'm not arguing that things shouldn't improve, they most certainly should. This is a very young company that's undergoing significant growing pains. For a company this young, that's growing this fast, I think they're doing fairly well. But my arguments revolve around the lack of a balanced presentation by some. There are a few posters where without reading their latest post, you could almost state verbatim what they'll be saying. It is what it is.
If you read his signature, he clearly has a 2015 P85. That's not a brand new car. This is what I mean by people jumping on anything to paint Tesla in a negative light.
He said he purchased it on 10/12. It is my duty to discover what year, or did he assume I'd know it meant 2015 because everyone looks at signatures?
According to this post on Tesla's website, they will come and pickup your car and drop off a roadster! Elon gives us the best service in the industry and we complain like spoiled babies. Please have faith in Elon. Elon loves you.
Creating the World’s Best Service and Warranty Program
Elon Musk, Chairman, Product Architect & CEO April 26, 2013
- Fully loaded Model S Performance 85 cars or Tesla Roadsters as loaners
- Tesla will seamlessly valet the loaner cars to your location
- $600 annual service now optional with no effect on warranty
- Unconditional warranty for Model S battery, even for user error
The best way to experience service is, of course, not to experience service. If your car does need service, then it should be swapped with a car that is ideally better in some or many ways. To this end, Tesla is building a fleet of top of the line Model S loaners. These will not be our basic model – they will be state of the art with all the best features and options.
Nor will this eventually become an aging fleet of overused cars. The Model S loaners will be available for immediate purchase at a price that is lower by $1 per mile driven. If you like the service loaner more than your other car, we will happily trade in your Model S and you may keep the loaner. This ensures that the service fleet is constantly refreshed and gives customers the best optionality.
For an added bit of fun, customers in most markets will have the choice of taking home one of our Tesla Roadster sports cars when their car is in for service. Few experiences are more sublime than driving a beautiful electric sports car on a road along the ocean or through a forest with the top down on a summer day and hearing only the sounds of nature.
Valet Service
Your time is valuable and should not be spent driving to or waiting at our service centers. Tesla is putting in place a valet service, so that your car is seamlessly picked up and replaced with a loaner and then returned as soon as we are done. There is no additional charge for this.
It really doesn't take long to research this if you really wanted to know and not jump to conclusions. But hey, I did the research (and your 'duty') for you because I'm a nice guy.
This is one of his first posts and was submitted on Oct 14 of this year. If you still have doubts as to what his 'new' car is, I can't help you. Bottom line, his need for replacement parts were not for a brand new car, but rather for one that's 4-5 years old.
"I just took delivery of my P85DL on Saturday and I'm already looking to replace the stereo. It has the base system. I have plans for amp/DSP and a sub down the road, but I'd like to start with the speakers.
I've seen that Audio Designs makes speaker brackets for both the front doors and tweeters as well as the rear doors. They're not cheap at $250 for the full set, but they seem like a good product. Unfortunately Audio Designs has not replied to either of my emails inquiring about the size of the tweeter that they accept, so I'm looking for alternatives.
Most people who have replaced their speakers seem to have gone full custom via a shop, or are just dropping in Light Harmonic speakers. I'm not aware of another game in town that does brackets. Any ideas?"
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It really doesn't take long to research this if you really wanted to know and not jump to conclusions. But hey, I did the research for you because I'm a nice guy.
This is one of his first posts and was submitted on Oct 14 of this year. If you still have doubts as to what his 'new' car is, I can't help you.
"I just took delivery of my P85DL on Saturday and I'm already looking to replace the stereo. It has the base system. I have plans for amp/DSP and a sub down the road, but I'd like to start with the speakers.
I've seen that Audio Designs makes speaker brackets for both the front doors and tweeters as well as the rear doors. They're not cheap at $250 for the full set, but they seem like a good product. Unfortunately Audio Designs has not replied to either of my emails inquiring about the size of the tweeter that they accept, so I'm looking for alternatives.
Most people who have replaced their speakers seem to have gone full custom via a shop, or are just dropping in Light Harmonic speakers. I'm not aware of another game in town that does brackets. Any ideas?"
It is not my job as the listener to decipher what the OP is trying to say, nor research his purchase and posting history. Seriously, we are debating the completeness of someone's post?
I pare my expectations and I do not spam my issues.
My first P100d I got screwed on financing, screwed on autopilot FSD, I bought in Dec of 2016. Lost a $2500 deposit too.
I didn't post about all that or the service issues I had with multiple headlight failures, repeated Autopilot issues that rendered that unusable for months, probs with my seat. I don't serial complain. I went to Chicago to get it, experience was good. They serviced the car in my home town.
My 2nd, a 75d they delivered which was cool. It was broken on delivery. Rear suspension deflated after in park. It's currently got the same headlight issue car #1 had twice and they want me to take it to chicago. I haven't complained but it's annoying. Yellow screen issue too.
This 3rd P100d Raven I got a week ago. The windows aren't sealed. I can't get service. It's shitty. If you sell a new car, you should be available at least for the post customer experience. I've read others with same issues. I don't feel it's acceptable to make me go through an app for service, drive the car 200 miles, drop it off, go w/o the car, when it was delivered new defective in multiple spots. We're talking about a car I JUST RECEIVED.
Now, my first car was $158,000. This one is better and was $100,500. So either way I'd buy it. I'm a Tesla guy. Even if I have to aftermarket modify and fix it, I'm still going to do it and if it costs me 10k it's still better pricing the my first one. But it's annoying and I'm not sure other buyers of 100k cars would be quite so understanding.
My first P100d I got screwed on financing, screwed on autopilot FSD, I bought in Dec of 2016. Lost a $2500 deposit too.
I didn't post about all that or the service issues I had with multiple headlight failures, repeated Autopilot issues that rendered that unusable for months, probs with my seat. I don't serial complain. I went to Chicago to get it, experience was good. They serviced the car in my home town.
My 2nd, a 75d they delivered which was cool. It was broken on delivery. Rear suspension deflated after in park. It's currently got the same headlight issue car #1 had twice and they want me to take it to chicago. I haven't complained but it's annoying. Yellow screen issue too.
This 3rd P100d Raven I got a week ago. The windows aren't sealed. I can't get service. It's shitty. If you sell a new car, you should be available at least for the post customer experience. I've read others with same issues. I don't feel it's acceptable to make me go through an app for service, drive the car 200 miles, drop it off, go w/o the car, when it was delivered new defective in multiple spots. We're talking about a car I JUST RECEIVED.
Now, my first car was $158,000. This one is better and was $100,500. So either way I'd buy it. I'm a Tesla guy. Even if I have to aftermarket modify and fix it, I'm still going to do it and if it costs me 10k it's still better pricing the my first one. But it's annoying and I'm not sure other buyers of 100k cars would be quite so understanding.
Elon must eat vitamin D fortified sparkle magic flakes every morning. Explains why Tesla is the only the company that can poo on it's customers... and we like it.
I am simply saying in your anxiousness to condemn Tesla, operating under the assumption his car was brand new, it would have taken you next to no time to confirm his signature. It took me less than a minute to see that yes indeed, he was talking about a 2015. You were quick to condemn but not so quick to confirm. Personally I would have taken the extra minute to confirm this before posting.
All I'm saying is that I expected the OP to make a complete statement. Had he meant to say 10/12/2015 he would have said it. Perhaps he made a mistake by poorly conveying his thought, and that is acceptable too, we all do it. I do not condemn anyone.
faughtz
Model S P85DL
KC Service center has been great. I had a small problem with a leak on my S's sunroof and they were diligent! got everything fixed, have always kept me updated and last time I had service they fixed some stuff I hadn't even noticed were issues.
I hope the KC market doesn't explode with Tesla's so service remains.. can't wait for them to open the new service center off State Line though
