New Tesla? Nope, never again! Cherry Hill Tesla the worst.

[cypho]

Bad service is not just a Tesla thing. It seems to be universal for branded shops.

When I owned a Lexus, the Front Driver's side window motor broke and would not roll down. When I went to the Lexus dealer's service center to have them fix it, they returned the car to me a few hours later with a black garbage bag duct-taped to the window frame.

They explained to me that they got the window down, but since the window motor was broke the window would not go back up and they were unable to fix the problem. Well yea, I knew that. But a black garbage bag duct taped to the window was not the solution I had in mind.

 

[PJFW8]

If you value your sanity, don’t!

If you do it regardless, refer back to this post after you’ve found yourself needing service (which, with a Model 3, if you have any reasonable expectations, will be very soon after delivery).

Surprising! My model 3 is 16 months old and was in service once to fix a part I broke, They did not charge for the repair. Previously, I was always on a first name basis with the service department. (Mercedes. Ford, Acura and even Lexus) I know many model 3 owners and none have had frequent problems, if any.

 

[PACEMD]

I have had nothing but exceptional experiences dealing with Tesla sales, delivery, and service. It is a different game from what you may be accustomed to.

 

[TeeEmCee]

Surprising! My model 3 is 16 months old and was in service once to fix a part I broke.

This is kind of the issue. If you don’t need service, you’re happy with Service (do count your blessings though!).

It’s when you do need service that it all falls apart, especially since it’s not really “service” (as in maintenance) that these cars need, rather it’s repairs for manufacturing and material issues.

 

[OCR1]

I’ve owned a Lexus from 2004-2019 and every dealer I went to offered me excellent customer service. And every time I went in for a scheduled inspection I walked out with a $1,000+ invoice for “routine maintenance”. But they were always very friendly and responsive while they took my money for doing next to nothing.

Yes, Tesla service can be downright dreadful. But the car doesn’t need much routine maintenance, so you are left dealing with a group of really disorganized individuals when you need warranty work covered. And yes it can be frustrating. But not frustrating enough for me to go back to an ICE mobile. Just my experience though.

 

[boriszima]

I needed Tesla SC twice, one to replace flat and broken adapter. Both times I had good experience. It does appear other luxury brands have better establishments when it comes to service. Maybe one day Tesla will authorize 3rd to fix cars just like Apple did recently. All the time I saved not going to dealer every 3-4 months for oil change, I don’t mind if my next appt might make me wait longer or etc, still better. We need more SC as there are so many more cars, one has not been added to where I am since 2015. But there are so many Teslas now everywhere in Los Angeles

 

[PWlakewood]

This is kind of the issue. If you don’t need service, you’re happy with Service (do count your blessings though!).

It’s when you do need service that it all falls apart, especially since it’s not really “service” (as in maintenance) that these cars need, rather it’s repairs for manufacturing and material issues.

I've had my S in twice for service and 2 ranger visits and all 4 times it was excellent service. Not everyone has bad experiences and not everyone has good experiences. Is it really that hard to understand?

 

[KenC]

They are superior in technology, and speed...That is where it ends.
When I was looking for another car, I traded in my BMW for a Tesla...The sales people left me waiting in their showroom for over an hour past my appointment time...
Now that I own one, here is a list of issues from my first service appt...
If you are looking at a Tesla, and are shopping for other premium cars...take heed.
1) Their service is not nearly on par with a 60, 70 or 100 thousand dollar price tag. As with BMW, Porsche etc.
2) They try their best to isolate service department from consumers, leading to miscommunication, dropped services and lack of information. I drove over an hour and found out they were not prepared to do all of my services I signed for.
3) They will promise you a loaner, than get you an Uber...Yes, This really happened, then they stuck me with the bill!
4) I called Tesla in Califonia, regarding my issues, and they would not hear what I have to say, instead, they forward me right back to the dealer I had issues. Where their employees could not care less. After over 2 weeks without any resolution to my issues, or even a "let us help you out", I called...Emily listened to me (the 5th person I told), and her reply was "I can't help you, I am in sales".
5) Try and use their scheduling app. Most information does not get to the service department.
6) At Cherry Hill Tesla, you can speak to sales, not service, who then spins the conversation, until you hang up! (multiple events of this)
7) The service center at Cherry Hill damaged my steering wheel!

Try a different SC.

 

[VT_EE]

The best thing about the Model 3 is it almost never needs service. The few times I've actually taken it in were fine. The OP should buy a Taycan because any ICE option is going to suck after driving the Model 3 for any length of time. Yes, even the "real M3" will feel like a turd in comparison.

 

[OCR1]

No. The OP needs a Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc.

They do a better job than Tesla for warranty repairs. But that is because their overhead is subsidized by all of the routine maintenance and out of warranty work that they charge substantial amounts for.

For a Model 3 there is virtually no routine service, so all the service center is going to do is warranty repair work for the first four years. That makes it a cost center versus the dealership model, where service is where they make the majority of their profit.

We are quick to point out how much better those companies are at providing service. But we often forget that we pay substantially for that service. And not all of us lease a new car every three years to avoid paying for maintenance. All that is doing is substituting heavy depreciation expense instead of maintenance expense. Either way is expensive compared to Tesla.

 

[traxila]

Yeah, only request I have is for it to be an electric BMW or Porsche. Not that I am happy to hear all this. Absolutely hate it.

All the best.

 

[streetskooler]

I have a BMW now, and was about to pull the trigger last night. For service do they not have a specific loaner program? I use my car for work and can't be without a vehicle. BMW and Mercedes are great with their loaners. I'm also not far away from you, and possibly would have to go here to take delivery. What were the service issues being addressed? I've been told by my advisor after expressing concern about quality, that most of what we've heard about is in the past.

To the poster above...service is part of the package. Lexus, BMW and Mercedes wouldn't have exploded in sales the past 20 years without a distinct differentiation between the brands. I would say a majority of the customers feel like they are getting total value.

The Cherry Hill SC is where I bought my car and I’ve been there 2x for service and they did a ranger visit for me once. Let me start by saying get rid of the BMW, you will not regret it. The Tesla driving experience is far and away so much better than anything an ICE car can provide. That being said the SC there isn’t great, it’s just ok. They fixed a factory defect on one of my tail lights and somehow put a whole in the side paneling (which they fixed hence the ranger visit). They also gave me a model S loaner when the tail light they ordered for me got delayed and no one notified me about it. Overall the Tesla service is an area the company needs to improve on however with the way EV cars are built you might never have to use them.

 

[mrclean90]

I have had 3 BMWs...all required constant servicing, I would not recommend a BMW, unless it's a weekend fun mobile.

 

[focher]

Anecdotal stories from forums do not data make.

There are people that have terrible experiences and people that have terrific experiences. If you find yourself concluding that one personal experience or a set of stories on a forum tell you anything more than exactly that, then you're not in a position to understand the situation on a holistic level.

The fact of the matter is that Tesla owners have the highest customer satisfaction rates of any car brand. It pretty much can't be attributed to decision bias, because that bias exists for all car buyers. So it's something more. Perhaps most of us have perfectly fine experiences and a high degree of satisfaction with our cars - from design, build, performance, and capability. Or perhaps people are just in a situation of mass delusion.

None of that negates a personal negative experience, but neither does that personal negative experience prove anything more than exactly that.

 

[Wennfred]

Tesla is the newest Ultimate Driving Experience. I was just telling a friend, I will never go back to an ICE vehicle. Went to a SC to have my HomeLink installed here in San Diego (Kearny Mesa) they offered me a new Model S to drive home. Not sure if they still do loaners as I heard other SC in other states offer Uber or Lyft rides. I am fine with that.

I’ve been lucky with my Model 3, no issues and also no issues after a firmware update.

To the OP, if you’re happy with BMW, go back to BMW, that’s where you need to be.

Fred

 

[TheTonester]

The fact of the matter is that Tesla owners have the highest customer satisfaction rates of any car brand.

Asking because I'm genuinely curious, not because I'm trying to be a wise guy: can you link something that supports this?

 

[avesraggiana]

Asking because I'm genuinely curious, not because I'm trying to be a wise guy: can you link something that supports this?

I myself can't provide a link, but I think I know what the commenter was referring to - the Consumer Reports article from just a few years ago, where every Tesla Model, even the initially beloved by CR Model S, took a tumble in vehicle ratings to "NOT RECOMMENDED." Counterintuitively the same CR article ranked Tesla as having THE HIGHEST in Customer/Owner satisfaction. Go figure.

 

[eustachio]

Asking because I'm genuinely curious, not because I'm trying to be a wise guy: can you link something that supports this?

Tesla owners are more satisfied than any other auto brand's, according to Consumer Reports

 

[focher]

Asking because I'm genuinely curious, not because I'm trying to be a wise guy: can you link something that supports this?

2016
2017

CR suggests they have a 2018 ranking but it's behind a paywall and I'm not a subscriber.

 

[richyrich]

I've had my S in twice for service and 2 ranger visits and all 4 times it was excellent service. Not everyone has bad experiences and not everyone has good experiences. Is it really that hard to understand?

The dumb thing that sets everyone off is how posters like this turn a personal experience into a wild generalization about how “they” (Tesla) always do this or never do that. Then because they’re frustrated if they’re of a certain disposition they proceed to bash the brand, the car, everything, and of course compare their previous <insert brand> and how incredible it was. Kinda tiring to read this garbage over and over again.

I wish there was a forum for griping and moaning and a mod would just move posts like this there rather than trigger a bunch of people into negativity instead of useful discussion. That way anyone feeling a little confrontational can go there and have a little joust occasionally without it polluting normal level-headed discussion about the vehicle and company in here.