New Owner (Used 2012) - Issues first month of ownership

[DrivenByhim]

I posted this message to the Tesla forums. Looking for any advice on other common failures I should watch out for, so I can be proactive in my remaining 2 years of warranty.

New Owner (Used 2012) - Issues first month of ownership | Tesla

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Hello all,

The point of this post is to share my experience as a first time Tesla owner. I'm a previous BMW owner (multiple over 20 years) and really haven't driven anything else. Additionally, my car will need additional service, and I have some questions about my current experience, and also from owners about other potential failures in their model S.

I purchased a 2012 P85 with a 2 year remaining warranty, and was told that the car went through re-conditioning. After 1 week of ownership one of the door handles backing plates failed. I expected this as I read it's a common failure, but didn't expect it to happen so soon. Additionally, there were issues with connection elements in the battery and was told that had the techs not found the issue, I may have found myself unable to start my car. The repairs were expedited and everything was under warranty.

Not even 3 weeks later the sunroof is starting to show signs of failure, and the air conditioning went out completely (the issue where it's set to 'off' when everything is auto - forcing it on does not start the air compressor). Additionally it's clear the vehicle is out of alignment.

My questions are:
* Did I make a mistake purchasing a 2012 instead of a newer model?
* What exactly happens during "re-conditioning" (shouldn't these issues have been found ahead of time - wheel alignment...?)
* Should I ask the SVC to look for anything else while it's in the shop next week? (What other failures are common?)

- Driven

 

[bnsfengineer]

I found a guy believe it or not on Craigslist selling four almost new 21" Michelins. He was reluctant to tell me that he was a Tesla mechanic and worked at the service center where I took delivery. He asked if I purchased new or used from Tesla and informed me when they get a used car they basically rebuild it! He made it sound like they are more apt to replace initially than deal with it later down the line since they are warrantying just like my new build, literally taking days to complete at times. Not sure if it makes you feel any better but remember you drive same model as me and paid probably less than half what I did so if there are a few issues I think it could be worth the trouble as long as covered and they don't keep your car hostage for months!