Don't ask me, or you won't buy the car.
First piece of advice, you need to look at buying a new Tesla the same way you look at buying a 4-5 year old used car. With a used car, you are going to have surprise issues that the previous owner didn't bother to fix or tell you about. So you have a period of month or 3 getting everything sorted out, and then you have a good car for a while. Tesla's build quality and QC is so bad that you are likely to receive a car with issues right off the bat that are similar to a used car's issues.
As for my first service experience. Well it took over a week until I could actually schedule an appt in the app, no one at Tesla knew what was going on, they said it was strange and shouldn't be that way, but no one bothered to help with that issue. Then when I could finally schedule, I was one of the "lucky" ones to get a loaner Model S instead of Uber credits. That loaner was the biggest POS. First, it was about as clean the Animal House frat house. I literally had to clean it inside and out to be able to use it. The windows were even dirtier on the inside than the filthy state of the outside glass. There was gooey stuff all over the seats, the carpets were filthy. WTF? Have some pride Tesla! And to let anyone in the passenger side, I had to lean over and open the door from the inside and then get back out because the rear passenger door would pop open when I did that. Then the wheels were either bent or out of balance, or both, so it wasn't a joy to drive. The 17" screen was hard to read because it was so faded, and the software so buggy that the radio stopped working.
I was told I would most likely get the car back the same day. Sounded good. Nope. No updates, no nothing that day. Then I got the notice in the app the second day that it would be ready on the 3rd day (Friday) at 11:15 am. So went there at 11:10am. They said it's not ready, and sorry they didn't update the app. WTF? They force you to do everything from the app, and they can't be bothered to update it?! Told me it should be ready by the end of the day.
Nothing from them that afternoon, still showing pickup at 11:15am, so at 3pm I texted the number that they texted me originally, and asked for an update. Nothing. So I call at 4:30pm, and miraculously for the first time someone answers the phone. They don't know what's going on with my car and say I should text the number for an update instead of calling. Yeah, thanks for nothing. Told him no one responds to the text and he tells me to hold. It takes 30 min to get there from my house, so in hopes of getting rid of the loaner and not having my new car sit in their open parking lot in the very sketchy Houston neighborhood before they close at 5pm on Friday, I start driving there. 10 mins later, the guy comes off hold and tells me that I will hear back right away from the service advisor and he will give me an update. Keep driving there and get there at 4:55, and I never heard anything. Drive around the back, and see my car sitting there and it looks untouched from when I dropped it off.
Go inside, and the guys says he will check. He comes back and says it just needs a little bit more work, and they may work overtime and have it ready tomorrow (Sat). Tells me that I will hear when it's ready through the text messaging, and I can come pick it up even though they are officially closed if they get it done. I ask if they will park the car inside because there's a storm with expected hail, and he says definitely.
Saturday rolls around and it's past mid day, and nothing. I check the app, and my car is now talking to me again, but still listed as in service. I notice on the GPS that's it's been moved to the front pickup area. So I text asking if it's ready. NOTHING. Keep checking, no change, but the car is just sitting there. So get in the loaner with the family and drive there. No one to be seen anywhere. Knock on back door, nothing. Car looks ready to pick up. Car door opens, but still shows as in service. Keep texting asking about the car, nothing. Notice the car clearly spent the night in that horrible rain storm as the rear tail light is now fogged up and it's filthy. It hadn't rained the previous days and I dropped off a spotless car.
Decide that I am taking the car and leaving their crappy loaner to brave the weeking in that neighborhood instead of my nice new shiny car. Get in, it's all ok, drives ok, on the way back take it to get burgers with the family. All good. Get the burgers and back on the freeway to go home. Right before our exit, there's a loud bang and now a very loud wind noise. Sounds like the glass roof popped out of its channel and was letting in a rush of air, but didn't feel any air. Car seems to drive ok, so slowed down, exited, pulled into the gas station and look. The freaking rear bumper diffuser was hanging on the ground.
Grabbed the burgers and we walked home. Ate the burgers, got a text finally that my car is ready for pickup. Great, thanks! Then got in my reliable car, with tie wraps in hand, reattached the big panel back to the car while lying on the ground in the gas station parking lot. Drive the car home, put it on jacks, and find that they left out 10 screws and 6 fasteners. Surreal. Went to part store and paid for new M6 1.0 screws and some plastic fasteners. I always have spare screws and parts, but not that many of them!
On Sunday, get another text that my car is ready. Dumbasses.
Go in Monday morning, give them back their loaner key, show them the situation, and surprisingly they apologized. Needless to say, I didn't leave it with them to "fix." Told them to make a note and they can replace the damaged panel when I bring it in when the next thing breaks on the car. The less number of service visits, a.k.a. torture sessions for me and my car, the better.
Yeah, great service. Love the wonderful communication and respect they have for customers and their cars. And this is after a nightmare of 3 weeks just trying to buy the car before the end of year with hideously poor communications and nonstop confusion amongst themselves.
