Picking up car issues?

[cOoTeR]

It seems like Tesla is creating a snowball effect by pushing people to by cars with issues.
First they sell a car with issues that customer discovers later. Then the customer warns other future customers of the issues. Future customers try to check the car out which leads to them finding more issues they wouldn't have ever noticed if they hadn't gone over the vehicle looking for specific defects. As well as taking more time for the delivery process which limits the delivery specialists ability to make multiple deliveries in a short amount of time. Delivery specialist then push customers to take cars with defects to make up for time. Which leads to people wanting to ensure they don't have the same growing list defects which takes more time. Seems like a vicious cycle.

I've bought several cars over the years and never felt the need to check for panel gaps but now I do.

 

[MikeR55]

So we are all buying a car from a very flawed company with flawed cars... Maybe I need to rethink this....

 

[dmurphy]

So we are all buying a car from a very flawed company with flawed cars... Maybe I need to rethink this....

The vehicle is worth it. Absolutely. Trust us on that. 1 week in the Model 3, and you’ll see why. I’m sorry you’re dealing with some less-than-good (I’m being kind) BS. That sucks; you just got unlucky. My experience was pretty flawless, so it can and does happen.

All that said ....

I’ve never owned a vehicle that has me making excuses to go for a drive before! Even if I had your situation, knowing now what I do, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It’s THAT good.
I’m even reconsidering my “not interested in Model X” for my wife’s vehicle. I don’t like the gullwing doors, but think I might be inclined to deal with them if that puts her in a Tesla.

 

[MikeR55]

The vehicle is worth it. Absolutely. Trust us on that. 1 week in the Model 3, and you’ll see why.

I’ve never owned a vehicle that has me making excuses to go for a drive before!

But service isn't good. Hoping you never need it? Or hoping they get it together?

 

[dmurphy]

But service isn't good. Hoping you never need it? Or hoping they get it together?

I think it’s VERY dependent on the service center. Our local center - Paramus NJ - has been excellent. I’ve only been there once, and that was just because the window was squeaking up and down. They added a little lubricant to the rubber seal and that was that. No problem at all, took care of it in about 45 seconds flat, and I was on my way.

So, no, I’m not concerned about service. Frankly, the car doesn’t need much, and I’ll do my own tire rotations. That, and filling the wiper fluid, is all the maintenance I expect for a while.

 

[OCR1]

It’s difficult for prospective Tesla buyers to make any sense of the things they read in this forum. If you focus on Tesla the company and how dysfunctional it is you would probably run for the hills before even remotely considering buying one.

Yet if you read the posts carefully you will find that virtually everyone who has found it difficult to deal with Tesla still says they would do it again, and that their Model 3 is the best car they have ever owned. Because the reality is no matter how bad your delivery experience is you will likely forget about it a week later. And you will most likely not need to visit a service center for several years since there is virtually no scheduled maintenance on the cars.

Even Consumer Reports, who likes to be critical of Tesla, acknowledges that no other car has received higher owner satisfaction ratings than Tesla Model 3 owners.

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

 

[MikeR55]

Thanks! It's awesome to hear. Just sometimes hard to navigate through Fanboy posts, and anti Elan posts, all over social media, and then get this kind of service, definitely makes you think. But I have tester in the car lot and obviously it's amazing, and I'm hoping that this all gets resolved within a few days and I am happily driving a Tesla, instead of staring at it in my driveway

 

[MSP2023]

This situation reminds me of the Ford,Chevys and Chrysler days.

Production has a quota system. The mgr is rated based on # of units produced within a predetermined timeframe. Their attitude is, get the cars out, QA will deal with the issues.

I don't think the QA guys are given any performance targets to receive bonuses, unlike production.

Short sightedness has always been the main reason for quality issues, not my opinion, published facts. Bottom line is meet the #s by the qtrs and you'll get your bonus.

See La Vie!!!

 

[VRUNNER]

This....

I have bought a lot of cars and none were ever as strange and stressful as I have experienced so far. Like the OP I was supposed to pick mine up last Thursday. Based on great information on this forum I looked over the car closely. Unfortunately I found a crooked hood and paint defects that would require repainting the passenger side of the car... I brought it to the delivery teams attention, he seemed stand offish.. he had me start signing the basic paperwork. I stopped and said let’s address my concerns before I continue. You could tell he was a bit annoyed.

After confirming the need for a repaint I told them I won’t except that. I did say I would take it as is on the paint ( 6-8 spots with debris under the paint and clear) for a discount. He said they won’t do that... ok... so I asked what will happen to the car? He said it would become a loaner or be put on the show room floor... the show room floor??? yea right!!

So he tears up the paperwork and sends me on my way stating they will have to look for another car. I had to call my salesperson , Friday, Saturday, Monday and today. Friday I was first told there were no cars around, then all of a sudden he found one, in New York. He said they would have it Monday. Great!! So we set up delivery for Monday night. He would call me Saturday afternoon to confirm everything... Saturday at 4 pm, no call... I call again... so what’s up? We good? Don’t know let me check, on hold for 15 min, comes back, no we aren’t good... car hasn’t been picked up. Ok... so whats the time frame? I am supposed to go away Wednesday afternoon. We will have it Wednesday morning! Ok! Great! He said he will call me Monday to confirm... Monday at 3 pm... I call... again... my salesperson is off so I speak to delivery, sooooo.... what’s up? We good for Wednesday? Ummmmm, let me check... on hold for 10 minutes. Gets back on... it may be tight but the car will absolutely be here Wednesday, just not sure what time... ok, I will postpone my trip and leave Thursday. let’s make the delivery for Wednesday night so you have enough time to get it ready, ok? Agreed!!! Great!!! I will call you tomorrow (today) I laughed and said ok... we will see...

Today, 2pm... I call... again... hey, so we good for tomorrow night? Ummmmmmmm.... can I call you back in an hour? Sure...

5pm... I called AGAIN!!! Hey, didn’t hear back from you... and you know what? I have never worked so hard to by a 50k car in my life!!! (Sarcasm)

He says, Sorry, so busy. Ok,ok, so we good?
No, not good. The car hasn’t left NY.... isn’t that great. So now what? Well let’s see what happens and I will call you tomorrow. Ok?
No.. sorry not waiting again. Either you tell me the car will be there, find me another car, or no deal. Obviously we are both frustrated, I then asked again about the first car. Look, just work out a credit, fix the hood and I will take that one, he seemed to entertain the idea for a second then tells me the car had been allocated to another customer... BINGO! So they do just put rejected cars back in the system. Brutal. I called him out on it and he was full blown backpedaling... he then tried to say, no I mean it’s allocated as a demo car... what??? Please stop, I know you sold the car...

Now that he was caught he looked harder for a car that was closer and found a stealth in the same color combo 30 miles away, I said great! It was a 1000.00 more but said I will take it! But wait... I received a discount for paint and wheels.... I said so? That applied to in stock cars, this one is in stock... well yea, but I don’t think they will approve it... FFS!!! So at this point I said I am done, get the car for tomorrow or I am canceling. So he is going to Uber to NY and drive the car back tomorrow morning... I had to laugh... so Tesla is willing to lose you off the floor for the day, pay a few hundred dollars to go pick up the car verses issuing a credit that I was already given, for a stock unit and is only 30 miles away, I would drive to pick up AND pay the 1000.00 difference?!?!

Ok... what a *sugar* show... so we will see what happens, but talk about dysfunctional...

 

[dmurphy]

Thanks! It's awesome to hear. Just sometimes hard to navigate through Fanboy posts, and anti Elan posts, all over social media, and then get this kind of service, definitely makes you think. But I have tester in the car lot and obviously it's amazing, and I'm hoping that this all gets resolved within a few days and I am happily driving a Tesla, instead of staring at it in my driveway

I am more than confident that we’ll be reading posts from you in 2-3 weeks about how this is the most amazing car you’ve ever driven, and can’t stop wanting to drive it.

Keeping it in perspective .... I have a buddy who’s leasing a RAM 1500. After he brought it in for the “brake pedal might fall off” recall, he now is getting a check engine light. The dealership ran a diagnostic, and it’s some kind of under volt error.

they THINK a firmware update for the engine control computer might fix it. That took about 2 hours, while he sat drinking bad coffee in their waiting room.

He asked them to also update the radio with any newer firmware; they refused. Said corporate won’t let them install firmware unless there’s a specific problem it addresses. Apparently, “Android Auto occasionally freaks out” doesn’t qualify.

Firmware update still hasn’t fixed his undervolt engine light, and he’s now wasted two days dealing with it, back and forth to the dealership. No resolution.

But, his delivery was flawless.

Which would you rather have? Great delivery and then that? ... or ... a car that’ll automatically get better and add features and fixes to itself, while it sits in your driveway? Only car I’ve ever driven that’s BETTER on day 2 than day 1. Simply amazing.

 

[MikeR55]

This....

I have bought a lot of cars and none were ever as strange and stressful as I have experienced so far. Like the OP I was supposed to pick mine up last Thursday. Based on great information on this forum I looked over the car closely. Unfortunately I found a crooked hood and paint defects that would require repainting the passenger side of the car... I brought it to the delivery teams attention, he seemed stand offish.. he had me start signing the basic paperwork. I stopped and said let’s address my concerns before I continue. You could tell he was a bit annoyed.

After confirming the need for a repaint I told them I won’t except that. I did say I would take it as is on the paint ( 6-8 spots with debris under the paint and clear) for a discount. He said they won’t do that... ok... so I asked what will happen to the car? He said it would become a loaner or be put on the show room floor... the show room floor??? yea right!!

So he tears up the paperwork and sends me on my way stating they will have to look for another car. I had to call my salesperson , Friday, Saturday, Monday and today. Friday I was first told there were no cars around, then all of a sudden he found one, in New York. He said they would have it Monday. Great!! So we set up delivery for Monday night. He would call me Saturday afternoon to confirm everything... Saturday at 4 pm, no call... I call again... so what’s up? We good? Don’t know let me check, on hold for 15 min, comes back, no we aren’t good... car hasn’t been picked up. Ok... so whats the time frame? I am supposed to go away Wednesday afternoon. We will have it Wednesday morning! Ok! Great! He said he will call me Monday to confirm... Monday at 3 pm... I call... again... my salesperson is off so I speak to delivery, sooooo.... what’s up? We good for Wednesday? Ummmmm, let me check... on hold for 10 minutes. Gets back on... it may be tight but the car will absolutely be here Wednesday, just not sure what time... ok, I will postpone my trip and leave Thursday. let’s make the delivery for Wednesday night so you have enough time to get it ready, ok? Agreed!!! Great!!! I will call you tomorrow (today) I laughed and said ok... we will see...

Today, 2pm... I call... again... hey, so we good for tomorrow night? Ummmmmmmm.... can I call you back in an hour? Sure...

5pm... I called AGAIN!!! Hey, didn’t hear back from you... and you know what? I have never worked so hard to by a 50k car in my life!!! (Sarcasm)

He says, Sorry, so busy. Ok,ok, so we good?
No, not good. The car hasn’t left NY.... isn’t that great. So now what? Well let’s see what happens and I will call you tomorrow. Ok?
No.. sorry not waiting again. Either you tell me the car will be there, find me another car, or no deal. Obviously we are both frustrated, I then asked again about the first car. Look, just work out a credit, fix the hood and I will take that one, he seemed to entertain the idea for a second then tells me the car had been allocated to another customer... BINGO! So they do just put rejected cars back in the system. Brutal. I called him out on it and he was full blown backpedaling... he then tried to say, no I mean it’s allocated as a demo car... what??? Please stop, I know you sold the car...

Now that he was caught he looked harder for a car that was closer and found a stealth in the same color combo 30 miles away, I said great! It was a 1000.00 more but said I will take it! But wait... I received a discount for paint and wheels.... I said so? That applied to in stock cars, this one is in stock... well yea, but I don’t think they will approve it... FFS!!! So at this point I said I am done, get the car for tomorrow or I am canceling. So he is going to Uber to NY and drive the car back tomorrow morning... I had to laugh... so Tesla is willing to lose you off the floor for the day, pay a few hundred dollars to go pick up the car verses issuing a credit that I was already given, for a stock unit and is only 30 miles away, I would drive to pick up AND pay the 1000.00 difference?!?!

Ok... what a *sugar* show... so we will see what happens, but talk about dysfunctional...

YIKES! Good to know I'm not alone- but man oh man! Sorry for your craziness.

 

[MSP2023]

It’s difficult for prospective Tesla buyers to make any sense of the things they read in this forum. If you focus on Tesla the company and how dysfunctional it is you would probably run for the hills before even remotely considering buying one.

Yet if you read the posts carefully you will find that virtually everyone who has found it difficult to deal with Tesla still says they would do it again, and that their Model 3 is the best car they have ever owned. Because the reality is no matter how bad your delivery experience is you will likely forget about it a week later. And you will most likely not need to visit a service center for several years since there is virtually no scheduled maintenance on the cars.

Even Consumer Reports, who likes to be critical of Tesla, acknowledges that no other car has received higher owner satisfaction ratings than Tesla Model 3 owners.

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

I sure hope I will be preaching those words after this month!!

Not trying to be pessimistic just pragmatic...if I refuse based on the condition and they can't/won't give me another vin, I could try to upgrade to a full P ($3.5k) if they can offer some benies, the 2yrSC + something else... Maybe I'm dreaming or praying or...sumting.

Regarding the lousy SC strategy, they maybe under pressure by corporate to try and close on every scheduled delivery. If fallouts reach a certain #, they(mgmt)may experience some real $hit.

 

[MSP2023]

What a soap opera to buy a car. These stories could/should be used for corporate training. This is real live experiences, a type of Tesla reality show .

ICE gearheads would be rolling in the ailes.

 

[dmurphy]

ICE gearheads would be rolling in the ailes.

Sure, but here’s the flip side .... Cadillac’s Super Cruise is widely seen as the closest competitor to Tesla’s Autopilot. Look at what it takes to perform a Super Cruise update:
Super Cruise Increases Compatible Highway Network – TechLink

Tesla’s happens while I’m sleeping and the car is parked in my driveway.

The ICE guys can laugh all they want, but there’s nothing on the market today like Tesla’s software-defined car. Nothing even close.

 

[MikeR55]

What a soap opera to buy a car. These stories could/should be used for corporate training. This is real live experiences, a type of Tesla reality show .

ICE gearheads would be rolling in the ailes.

They are on my Twitter. Lots of oil bots I think.

 

[TIppy]

When I took delivery of a Model S in August, they asked if I was comfortable filling out the paper work before going over the car. I just said no. She started on the paper work while my wife and I went out to look the car over. We took our time going over the inside and outside of the car. I mean, really, they aren't going to cut you off. We found a couple of things that were addressed by the detail guys right then and there. She also took some pictures of a small chip in the clear coat on the lip of the wheel well to add to the due bill. She offered to locate another vehicle if there was anything we couldn't live with. It was probably an hour and a half to inspect and rectify any problems.

We were told we couldn't take the car off the lot, but we did drive it around their sizeable parking lot. That was enough to check for squeaks and squawks over the speed bumps, check to see if it pulled left or right, make sure the a/c worked, etc.

There is no need to be clandestine. Just slightly resist, and they will agree to your demands.

 

[Petrocelli]

The ICE guys can laugh all they want, but there’s nothing on the market today like Tesla’s software-defined car. Nothing even close.

A year ago, that was true. But as months pass, there are more and more decent EV alternatives. As an example, when I neared the end of my search for an car, I would have purchased a Hyundai Kona over a Model 3 simply because of delivery/build issues.

In 34 months, or less, I will get another car. It will be an EV. It will probably not be a Tesla simply because of stories like this.

 

[MikeR55]

Funny, just got a text from my bank to make sure I authorized this check. I guess I could say no, then I don't have to wait 30 days to get it back, but then not sure what that would mean for the check my loan company cut

 

[TIppy]

A year ago, that was true. But as months pass, there are more and more decent EV alternatives. As an example, when I neared the end of my search for an car, I would have purchased a Hyundai Kona over a Model 3 simply because of delivery/build issues.

In 34 months, or less, I will get another car. It will be an EV. It will probably not be a Tesla simply because of stories like this.

That seems a little hysterical. What you read here is way skewed to the bad experiences. You are not required to take delivery. If you like the car, order one. If you are not satisfied with the delivery experience, walk away.

 

[OCR1]

A year ago, that was true. But as months pass, there are more and more decent EV alternatives. As an example, when I neared the end of my search for an car, I would have purchased a Hyundai Kona over a Model 3 simply because of delivery/build issues.

In 34 months, or less, I will get another car. It will be an EV. It will probably not be a Tesla simply because of stories like this.

I had a Hyundai Sonata a few years ago as a second car. It was nice, no real problems. But when I needed routine service my experience at the local Hyundai dealership was pretty bleak. If you are used to Mercedes level of customer service I don’t think you are going to like the Hyundai experience.