New Buyers Beware / Negative repair process

[jeffro01]

I bought a Model S in December and I am very happy with it (with the exception of navigation). However, because of this post and the situation surrounding it, I couldn't in good conscience recommend a Model S to a friend in Colorado who was ready to buy today. I told him not to do it and he's ordering a Mercedes instead. All Cash. Serious buyer and a sale Tesla just lost. Customers vote with their wallets and this is a disconcerting situation to witness. I can't imagine how I'd feel if it were happening to me.

WHY???? That simply doesn't make any sense, you "took" a sale away from Tesla for no reason at all? Because a few customers have some legitimate parts availability issues after an accident?

I don't know why but this kind of attitude really gets under my skin. Why did you buy a Tesla to begin with? If you in good conscious could tell someone you know to buy something that'll continue to contribute to destroying our planets future when there is a better alternative available now, that YOU FREAKING BOUGHT YOURSELF, then sell your car and go get your own MB...

Just really, really, really, really freaking ridiculous of you to do. What a waste of a customer you are to Tesla. You claim to be happy with it but you prevented another sale over some random post on the internet?

Please, sell your car and go get something else, you are a disgrace to the rest of us owners.

Jeff

 

[ChadFeldheimer]

***Update***

3 1/2 months since accident
2 months 1 week in the repair center
still no ETA from Tesla on when part will be shipped

Just curious - what's the missing part that's holding up the repair, if you don't mind sharing?

Sorry about your situation. That is a really long (and still counting) wait.

 

[MrAustraliaTax]

you "took" a sale away from Tesla for no reason at all?

Please, sell your car and go get something else, you are a disgrace to the rest of us owners.

1. I own a P85D. I am not short TSLA. I am very happy with my car. I do not intend to sell it.

2. I, too, will not even consider buying another Tesla until they sort out;
- long, long, long repair times for collision damage
- long, long, long waits for service appointments in peak markets
- exhorbitant parts cost
- won't sell end users many, many critical parts
- exhorbitant repair costs
- no realistically available repair manual
- Supercharger overcrowding in peak markets
- their proven ability to reach into cars and turn off features without permission (eg supercharging, autopilot)
- no communications
- outright lies for pricing and specifications
- multiple, multiple broken promises for feature delivery

3. I, too, no longer encourage people to buy Tesla, suggesting they wait for the other car makers to catch up (which they will).


It's the Tesla fanbois basking fully in the Tesla Reality Distortion Field who cannot see that Tesla is digging its own grave on multiple fronts as we speak.

 

[y2kcurt]

Rear quarter panel. Maybe we can start a Teslamotorclub forum of fame and I can go down as the guy whose model s had the longest slumber at a body shop.

- - - Updated - - -

In case anyone is interested in what 3 months (maybe more) worth of damage looks like...

 

[ChadFeldheimer]

Wow - is that it?!?

Can you get the car back from the shop so you can at least drive it while waiting for the quarter panel to arrive? I assume the car is still drivable.

Is the car plugged in at the repair facility? If not, vampire drain over the last ~3 months would have consumed much of the energy in the battery pack by now.

 

[Solarwind]

Guess I am one of the lucky ones. Dropped our car off Dec 21, got it back Feb16th , just two months later. The repair shop had it done in a week and half once they got parts.

 

[spc]

1. I own a P85D. I am not short TSLA. I am very happy with my car. I do not intend to sell it.

2. I, too, will not even consider buying another Tesla until they sort out;
- long, long, long repair times for collision damage
- long, long, long waits for service appointments in peak markets
- exhorbitant parts cost
- won't sell end users many, many critical parts
- exhorbitant repair costs
- no realistically available repair manual
- Supercharger overcrowding in peak markets
- their proven ability to reach into cars and turn off features without permission (eg supercharging, autopilot)
- no communications
- outright lies for pricing and specifications
- multiple, multiple broken promises for feature delivery

3. I, too, no longer encourage people to buy Tesla, suggesting they wait for the other car makers to catch up (which they will).


It's the Tesla fanbois basking fully in the Tesla Reality Distortion Field who cannot see that Tesla is digging its own grave on multiple fronts as we speak.

You said it almost all. The only way this will get fixed is when Tesla figures out that their best sales people are those that already purchase them.
Now, after we buy it we really see all the little things that are missing for Tesla to be the best car ever.
I also have a hand full of friends not buying as it cant be charged as convenient as pumping gas they say and i have to agree.
Nothing in south Texas. Try to go to El Paso, Brownsville, Mcallen, Laredo.
In the long run... to have a car at this price to sit in the garage or to go out to dinner is not my idea of a good investiment even if money is no issue.
Wake up Tesla.

 

[roblab]

Rear quarter panel. Maybe we can start a Teslamotorclub forum of fame and I can go down as the guy whose model s had the longest slumber at a body shop.

In case anyone is interested in what 3 months (maybe more) worth of damage looks like...

This is actually a little LESS damage than I had with my first Model S, a Signature. I took it to a body shop known to be able to deal with aluminum. They fixed the hatch, the hatch opening (also dented), and hole punched in the bumper, using NO new parts. They only straightened, used bondo in some places, and new paint. It is barely noticeable even when looking for it, not noticeable at all in general.

But, the killer is, it cost less than $2000 to fix, and took six DAYS.

You do NOT have to have a Tesla repair shop fix your Tesla, and repair is often as good as a new part. I would recommend that anyone shop around and that they suggest repair if at all possible. Even a new part will not prevent a second accident (had to have bumper redone a few months later due to a ninja rock while backing up).

 

[Yodeller]

WHY???? That simply doesn't make any sense, you "took" a sale away from Tesla for no reason at all? Because a few customers have some legitimate parts availability issues after an accident?

I don't know why but this kind of attitude really gets under my skin. Why did you buy a Tesla to begin with? If you in good conscious could tell someone you know to buy something that'll continue to contribute to destroying our planets future when there is a better alternative available now, that YOU FREAKING BOUGHT YOURSELF, then sell your car and go get your own MB...

Just really, really, really, really freaking ridiculous of you to do. What a waste of a customer you are to Tesla. You claim to be happy with it but you prevented another sale over some random post on the internet?

Please, sell your car and go get something else, you are a disgrace to the rest of us owners.

Jeff

Passion is not a strategy. I respect your passion and your loyalty, but you don't know me or my friends and why we choose to spend our money the way we do. Tesla needs honest, critical feedback from the people who are paying to fund the dream. There's absolutely no point in funding the dream of an affordable car for the masses if some basics that will become more necessary with time aren't being addressed. To not do that would be a disservice to the cause we believe in. It's an excellent car and I love mine, but some aspects of the experience are still mediocre when compared to more established companies. There's no need for haughtiness, just focus on solutions, some healthy humility, and recognition that this is a genuine problem.

It's the mark of a good friend to say to another respectfully, "Look, if you're very concerned about how long it would take you to get a service appointment or fix a ding in your car, this car is not for you right now because it's still a little too special. Give it some more time if you're not in the Bay Area."

I really don't appreciate your hectoring but I'll let it slide because I know it's coming from a genuine and good place. Have a great week.

 

[Seven7]

This took 90 days to repair, it would have been 60 days but the insurance company let it sit in the body shop for a month before giving the ok to start work. Parts were available right away, and we are talking about a lot of parts here.

 

[oalvarez]

^ still, sixty days is still a ton (excluding the thirty that it sat for) to have an auto body fixed. i'm a prospective customer and i have to say that this and other (repair) stories are somewhat worrisome. the loaner car via flatbed is a nice perk but if i'm going to have to be without my car for weeks/months for relatively simple repairs gives me pause.

 

[Seven7]

^ still, sixty days is still a ton (excluding the thirty that it sat for) to have an auto body fixed. i'm a prospective customer and i have to say that this and other (repair) stories are somewhat worrisome. the loaner car via flatbed is a nice perk but if i'm going to have to be without my car for weeks/months for relatively simple repairs gives me pause.

Sixty days for that much work is not unreasonable. I had to wait longer than that for an engine repair on a ford super duty.

Everything on the drivers side was replaced, including the rear quarter.

 

[jeffro01]

Passion is not a strategy. I respect your passion and your loyalty, but you don't know me or my friends and why we choose to spend our money the way we do. Tesla needs honest, critical feedback from the people who are paying to fund the dream. There's absolutely no point in funding the dream of an affordable car for the masses if some basics that will become more necessary with time aren't being addressed. To not do that would be a disservice to the cause we believe in. It's an excellent car and I love mine, but some aspects of the experience are still mediocre when compared to more established companies. There's no need for haughtiness, just focus on solutions, some healthy humility, and recognition that this is a genuine problem.

It's the mark of a good friend to say to another respectfully, "Look, if you're very concerned about how long it would take you to get a service appointment or fix a ding in your car, this car is not for you right now because it's still a little too special. Give it some more time if you're not in the Bay Area."

I really don't appreciate your hectoring but I'll let it slide because I know it's coming from a genuine and good place. Have a great week.

I don't really care what you appreciate. You stole a sale away from Tesla for, quite frankly, idiotic reasons. I'm sure every other manufacturer can get a car in for service the very next day, all the time, without fail, that all parts are available immediately upon request and that there are never any delays...

Your holding Tesla to an unfair standard and hurting it's bottom line because of it. So please, sell your car, go get you a MB and then you can live happily ever after knowing you've done your part to keep fossil fuels alive.

There are areas that Tesla can improve upon, for sure. Still, to cherry pick the worst example to base your desire to do your part to steal sales from Tesla is really quite repugnant. Someone who claims to love their car but is willing to sabotage other sales isn't someone I'd want as part of the ownership group.

Jeff

 

[green1]

I'm not sure "parts in less than 3 months" and available to more than just a small handful of high priced shops, is an "unfair standard", and there's a huge difference between "next day" and "many months"

 

[jeffro01]

1. I own a P85D. I am not short TSLA. I am very happy with my car. I do not intend to sell it.

2. I, too, will not even consider buying another Tesla until they sort out;
- long, long, long repair times for collision damage
- long, long, long waits for service appointments in peak markets
- exhorbitant parts cost
- won't sell end users many, many critical parts
- exhorbitant repair costs
- no realistically available repair manual
- Supercharger overcrowding in peak markets
- their proven ability to reach into cars and turn off features without permission (eg supercharging, autopilot)
- no communications
- outright lies for pricing and specifications
- multiple, multiple broken promises for feature delivery

3. I, too, no longer encourage people to buy Tesla, suggesting they wait for the other car makers to catch up (which they will).


It's the Tesla fanbois basking fully in the Tesla Reality Distortion Field who cannot see that Tesla is digging its own grave on multiple fronts as we speak.

What a joke. What a complete and total joke. "Tesla Reality Distortion Field"??? Nice little term there, did you come up with that crap all by yourself? There are two sides of this coin, the vast majority of us that see beyond what the pain points are today and can see the revolution in sustainable transport, then there are the few owners like yourself that feel it necessary to hold Tesla to an arbitrary standard of your own creation. It's ridiculous.

To address your "concerns"...
- There are plenty of examples of more than expedient collision damage repair, try again.
- This is certainly an issue that needs improving, but it's not as bad as you're making it out to be in the majority of areas. Yes, there are a few places that this is a major issue for sure. To not buy the car because of it though, just seems juvenile.
- That's a matter of perspective, exorbitant to who?
- Why should they? This seems like an issue for you specifically.
- Again, there isn't a need for one.
- At times, yes, but they are expanding. You clearly think this stuff happens overnight, it doesn't.
- Turn off features without permission? What are you talking about???? Even still, if someone is abusing autopilot at the detriment to the brand, I support Tesla disabling that users AP 100%.
- Yes, this can get better. I wouldn't go as far as to say "no" communications.
- 100% ********.
- Such as??? I suppose Tesla is the only company ever to have initial specifications that ended up needing to be changed for one reason or another.

You call people "fanbois"... Clearly you've decided to hold Tesla to a standard of your own choosing... It's just as ridiculous as "Yodeller"...

Jeff

 

[SpiceWare]

You stole a sale away from Tesla for, quite frankly, idiotic reasons.

It's not idiotic. It has me reconsidering the Tesla.

I'm sure every other manufacturer can get a car in for service the very next day, all the time, without fail, that all parts are available immediately upon request and that there are never any delays...

And that's just it - nobody's expecting "very next day", but we are expecting it to be faster than no progress in "2 months 3 weeks".

 

[jeffro01]

I'm not sure "parts in less than 3 months" and available to more than just a small handful of high priced shops, is an "unfair standard", and there's a huge difference between "next day" and "many months"

I agree, but I also see plenty of examples of much faster turn around time.

As it pertains to this specific thread, yes, the wait time here is entirely beyond reasonable and is a definite problem.

Jeff

- - - Updated - - -

It's not idiotic. It has me reconsidering the Tesla.



And that's just it - nobody's expecting "very next day", but we are expecting it to be faster than no progress in "2 months 3 weeks".

Your taking literally, the worst example here. There are plenty of horror stories for parts availability from every other auto maker if you just look.

In the end it's about what you choose to get hung up on and what you choose not to be. Some things are more important to one person than they are another. My issue here is Tesla is being made out to be something it's not by some posts in this thread. They aren't quite as good as some owners think they are but they aren't as bad as this thread makes them out to be either.

As almost everyone says, the car itself is awesome. There are areas to improve upon outside of the car itself, but it's not as bad overall as some make it seem.

Jeff

 

[green1]

Tesla makes an amazing car. But they are just a company. I don't owe Tesla anything, and they have to compete with the rest of the market.
Right now they make the best product out there, but the product itself is not the only thing they are selling, they're selling the entire eco-system, fuelling, service, repair, everything. It's up to each individual to decide how important each of those things is to them.

Right now it's the best car, with the worst parts availability, the worst repairability, and a mediocre fuelling infrastructure. Tesla to their credit, does seem to be working hard on fixing the fuelling infrastructure. Unfortunately there is no evidence that they are working on the other items.

 

[jeffro01]

Tesla makes an amazing car. But they are just a company. I don't owe Tesla anything, and they have to compete with the rest of the market.
Right now they make the best product out there, but the product itself is not the only thing they are selling, they're selling the entire eco-system, fuelling, service, repair, everything. It's up to each individual to decide how important each of those things is to them.

Right now it's the best car, with the worst parts availability, the worst repairability, and a mediocre fuelling infrastructure. Tesla to their credit, does seem to be working hard on fixing the fuelling infrastructure. Unfortunately there is no evidence that they are working on the other items.

Interesting take. Mediocre fueling infrastructure is a bit of an interesting comment since there the ONLY game in town when it comes to long distance electric car travel. I presume you're referring to some of the gaps and specific locations that tend to fill up?

Regarding fixing the worst parts availability and repairability side, I'm not quite sure what you mean there. If you're referring to some service centers being a bit overwhelmed with long wait times for service then yes, I agree, Tesla needs to improve this which based on their '16 capex projections they are clearly going to be expanding the number of service centers although it remains to be seen where and when. If you're referring to not selling parts to the average joe, or allowing the average joe auto repair shop to work on them, I don't have a single issue with that and if I was in charge, I'd be keeping the garden walled off as well. The problem here is Tesla is still facing a huge headwind from entrenched companies who'd like nothing more than to sabotage them, keep the garden walled helps prevent that. Clearly there are trade offs...

Jeff

 

[green1]

Interesting take. Mediocre fueling infrastructure is a bit of an interesting comment since there the ONLY game in town when it comes to long distance electric car travel. I presume you're referring to some of the gaps and specific locations that tend to fill up?

Regarding fixing the worst parts availability and repairability side, I'm not quite sure what you mean there. If you're referring to some service centers being a bit overwhelmed with long wait times for service then yes, I agree, Tesla needs to improve this which based on their '16 capex projections they are clearly going to be expanding the number of service centers although it remains to be seen where and when. If you're referring to not selling parts to the average joe, or allowing the average joe auto repair shop to work on them, I don't have a single issue with that and if I was in charge, I'd be keeping the garden walled off as well. The problem here is Tesla is still facing a huge headwind from entrenched companies who'd like nothing more than to sabotage them, keep the garden walled helps prevent that. Clearly there are trade offs...

Jeff

They aren't competing with "electric cars" they're competing with "cars" The fuelling infrastructure is improving, but there are many places I still can't go.

I'm not referring to service centres at all, they're actually pretty good. I'm referring to the outright hostility towards DIY and 3rd party shops. There is no other car brand that I am aware of that won't sell parts to anyone who asks, and who won't let repair information out, and spends as much effort as Tesla does trying to silence people who post information on how to fix the car without a service centre. There is not another car company on the planet that I am aware of that is so hostile to repairs. This has the expected outcome of keeping repair costs astronomically high, and the speed of repairs quite slow.

You can say you'd do it the same all you want, that doesn't change the fact that Tesla is competing against every other car manufacturer on the planet who all make parts available to whoever wants them, service manuals too. As an end user this is 100% against my best interests. And it's not my job to care what Tesla's best interests are.