Panel alignment issue... warranty?

[bcsteeve]

I bought a 2nd hand Model S recently. One thing that managed to escape my eye pre-purchase was that the frunk doesn't appear to close all the way on the driver's side of the leading edge (passenger side does). I figured I'd live with that, but today I was looking at the car and noticed something else funny where the driver's side chrome trim doesn't line up nicely but on the passenger side it does.

We're not talking about major misalignment here, but now that I've seen it I can't unsee it!

Is this something I could expect they'd do something under warranty? Is there anything that they can do??


Hmm... can't attach photos. I'll edit when I get that sorted.

 

[jjh1234]

I bought a 2nd hand Model S recently. One thing that managed to escape my eye pre-purchase was that the frunk doesn't appear to close all the way on the driver's side of the leading edge (passenger side does). I figured I'd live with that, but today I was looking at the car and noticed something else funny where the driver's side chrome trim doesn't line up nicely but on the passenger side it does.

We're not talking about major misalignment here, but now that I've seen it I can't unsee it!

Is this something I could expect they'd do something under warranty? Is there anything that they can do??


Hmm... can't attach photos. I'll edit when I get that sorted.

The leading edge of the frunk may be able to be adjusted by twisting the rubber stops in or out as necessary. Never fooled with my Tesla this way, but the trunk of my Challenger was a little off and I solved it that way.

For the chrome trim on the door, do you mean the one along the window? I’ve read this has been successfully adjusted at local service centers. I think it’s pretty common to have some misalignment on these. I’ve had a few loaners and they mostly have some little issues like this. Model X falcon wing doors are famous for this. Enjoy the car!

 

[bcsteeve]

I can't edit my original, so here are the photos.

This shows the frunk alignment:

This is the gap between front and rear doors at the chrome trim:

And this is at the bottom of the same door:

Worse at the gap between the back door and rear:

All on the driver's side. Passenger side is fine.

Also, I was washing the car and water was getting in through the tiny front glass on the driver's side, but not the passenger side.

Oddly enough, we went on our first higher speed driver (120 to 130 kph) and there was a ton of wind noise from the passenger side. It sounded like the passenger window wasn't closed all the way. We opened and closed it and even tried opening and closing the door. It was very noticeable and only from the one side.

 

[jjh1234]

The hood on my 2016 has two rubber bumpers that can be adjusted in or out by turning them. You might want to try screwing it in on that side and see if it closes more. It also could be that somebody bent the hood by closing it improperly. Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way. There are some videos showing the right way out there

For the drivers door, it looks like it’s sagging a little. Maybe some wear on the hinges that could be accounted for by adjusting them.

The rear door looks like possibly a trim issue on the rear quarter panel.

The wind and water issues sound like window adjustment issues. If the window isn’t tight enough against the seal, it can leak water. Can be checked by closing a strip of paper between window and seal and sliding it around to check for gaps. If the window is too tight against the seal, the frame can be revealed and catch the wind and make noise.

I would compile a list of all these things and take it to your local service center and show them to a tech.

 

[bcsteeve]

Thanks for that! I'll get that done.

Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way.

Oh, I know I was a read-the-manual-cover-to-cover-prior-to-purchase kind of guy. Its right in there. Two hands on the "green areas". But sure, it could have been closed improperly by the previous owner. I don't think so though, as there's no creasing at all.

 

[JohnnyG]

The service center can and should take care of the leaking triangle window and wind noise (they've done this for me).

The trim alignment can and should be taken care of by the service center also (again, they've done this for me).

The frunk front edge was a common issue with older cars, especially in 2014. My buddy just purchased a CPO 2014 P85+. His frunk alignment on the front edge was pretty bad. He took it in, and they tried to adjust it, which did help some, but didn't completely get rid of the raised corners. The service center told him that it was within spec and normal for that era.

 

[bcsteeve]

The list grows lol.

So we had rain for the first time and I turned on the wipers and there was a loud bang like a rock hit the window (but there's no evidence that happened - no chip, etc) and all of the sudden the driver's side window wasn't being cleared of water. I pulled over and saw that the wiper wasn't pressed against the windshield at all. I put it into service mode so I could take a better look and I saw a spring hanging down from the base of the wiper arm but when I touched it, it fell somewhere and I wasn't able to find it. The base of the arm is also pretty loose (if you grab the driver wiper arm and jiggle it, there is play whereas there is none with the passenger side).

While I've got your attention... the bolts on the rear hatch pistons (is that the right word?) that hold them to the hatch are badly rusted. Is that normal?

 

[jjh1234]

I've read the springs on the wipers are known to unhook or break when lifting the wiper off the windshield. Haven't heard about it happening while in use. Never heard of the gas strut mounts rusting, but I guess it could happen. Is it only on the ball where the strut pivots? Maybe a little grease is needed.

 

[bcsteeve]

Here's the rusty bit (one on each side).

 

[bcsteeve]

As for the wipers, I wonder if the mounting part (which I think is the motor itself after reviewing diagrams) being loose is why it flung off. Or maybe it got loose because it flung off. Not sure.

Tesla is sending parts out from Vancouver to a local body shop near me to fix the wiper arm on Monday.

 

[jjh1234]

Here's the rusty bit (one on each side).View attachment 253961

Wow, that's an awful lot of rust for something that's something less than two years old. I just looked at mine and those bolts are not painted, but just a flat black color. Maybe show it to the service center to see how normal it is. I guess you could remove the struts and then the bolts and paint them black. The strut will pop off if you take a small flat screwdriver and pry that retaining clip off. The ball should unscrew from the car. Hopefully the internal nut is captured and will stay in place. To reinstall, just put the clip back on the strut and pop the whole assembly back on the ball.

 

[bcsteeve]

Tesla is sending parts out from Vancouver to a local body shop near me to fix the wiper arm on Monday.

That was the plan anyway... new wiper blades showed up, but that's not what was broken . Need the arm, not the blades.