Picking up my "showroom discount" model S this weekend! Checklist please?

[Boom]

Hi there:

I am picking up a "showroom discounted" Model S 100D. Used for test drives, maybe as a service loaner, I got a deal on it so I decided to pull the trigger on it versus going with the Model 3.

That said, I want to make sure I am double checking everything in terms of body, wheels, interior, etc. before I take ownership. Does anyone have a checklist of sorts for this type of situation?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TimK]

LMGTFY

/s

 

[davidc18]

Sign the papers, get the fob, jump in and enjoy.

 

[GreatSteak111]

My 2017 75D was a showroom model. I guess the checklist would be inspecting every inch on the interior and exterior. I picked up my car in a dark room with lights directed from above so there was a lot I couldn't see until I get out of there. But yeah, if you were in my situation, park out in the sun after you get out. Inspect every inch and tell the staff about anything you were unhappy about.

Keep in mind that showroom model comes with a discount so there are pros and cons. Pros is that the car probably near perfect on the exterior but the interior could be worn, especially the seats.

 

[sdugan99]

I purchased my discounted inventory model in October. I just went over the care carefully as I would any car I was purchasing. I would concentrate on looking for damage to exterior or interior.

 

[DarkMatter]

I did the same as I would buying any vehicle: look it over to see if I am happy with it. Perfection is not important in stuff I don't notice or care about, after all.

 

[xyeahtony]

Like the ex-delivery specialist who visited the TMC said, those checklists are time consuming and redundant and useless.

 

[Boom]

I ended up picking up my Model S @ Fremont, and it was a less than desirable experience, sad to say. There was curb rash on one rim and a couple of major chips along the front fender. I still decided to take delivery of the car, trusting the sales guy that all this will get worked out (I know I know).

I documented all this, along with about 10 other issues I noticed over the next week, to both my sales person and the delivery specialist. Finally got the car into the shop last week and they'll be taking care of all of it (called due bill...learning something new every day now).

So was it worth the savings? I think so, especially since I have a P series loaner for the next couple weeks . Now I'm scratching my head, should I have gone w/ a P?!?!

 

[whitex]

So was it worth the savings? I think so, especially since I have a P series loaner for the next couple weeks . Now I'm scratching my head, should I have gone w/ a P?!?!

Ask them how much to trade your new car in and buy the P loaner you are driving, that should cure your head itch.

 

[sidmini]

Does anyone have a checklist of sorts for this type of situation?

I found this one useful New Car Collection Checklist

 

[Joelgjr]

My showroom discount had numerous scratches and one deep scratch through to the metal. I was told they couldn’t help me because that was part of the discount. If I wanted a perfect car buy new. So that was upsetting and surprising because I expected they would repair everything and sell the car like new. It was actually never communicated to me the car would have imperfections.
I assumed I was an idiot for not realizing this and accepted the car. The inside was generally in excellent condition but banged up in small ways you’d not expect. There were chunks taken out of the shiny silver bezel that surrounds the center screen. My best gues is someone was hauling something really long and it was loaded in the car from back to front. I got a ceramic coating put on the car and a clear bra - this effectively hid
many of the imperfections.

I ended up having other issues they did fix. You can see my other posts. One of the buttons was missing on the drivers door (they used the wrong part either during manufacturing or while repairing damage from an accident). This sounds ridiculous but make sure no buttons are missing.
The charger door would get stuck closed - it would get stuck behind the frame of the car, so either the panel was misaligned or the door was. This meant I had no choice on a road trip but to pry open the door with my key - not a fan.
I have the front end rattle that so many have so you will probably hear this too. Not fixable (yet)
My car also rattles from 3 other places and it drives me nuts. I find this odd for a car with only 4K miles.

Finally the last issue, and this is still ongoing, is the brake lights don’t come on when I hit the brake pedal. They only come on when I’m using regen or when brake hold is applied. My local SC is waiting for a replacement part.

By the way - where is the tow hook “supposed” to go? When I was given the car it was just flying around in the trunk.

But I’ll say this and I want to be clear - I saved over $10kover sticker. So at the end of the day, it’s all good

 

[JohnnyG]

I purchased an inventory car with the showroom discount also. It seems oddly vague, but like others have said, just go over the car with a fine-tooth comb, looking for the less than obvious damage.

Door seal was ripped
Buffing compound filled the pano-roof rails
Door sills were scratched up quite a bit
Exterior door trim was misaligned

All of those items were addressed quite rapidly.

A couple weeks later I was having issues with the UMC, so I took it in. Evidently someone had swapped their old (2013) charger cable and adapters with my (2015) kit, while being used as a loaner. They immediately gave me a new cable and bag, however it took a few weeks to get the adapters swapped out.

A few months after that, I was swapping the 21's that came with the car for my 19's I use in the winter. I noticed that one of the wheels had been painted black on the inside drum. I brought it up to the Service Center and they said it was my eyes. I said I don't think so, look again. Then they said the color was just off a bit from the factory. I said I don't think so, look again (it was clearly repainted black just on the inner drum, while the normal paint that goes on the whole wheel is gray). They said, it's hard to tell, being an inventory car. They wore me down and I left.
The following Spring when I swapped back to my 21's, I had the Service Center put new tires on, and after which I noticed that tire was leaking. I brought it back in and they said I had a cracked rim from hitting a pothole. I didn't recall hitting any potholes, and the wheels hadn't been on the car over the winter. I took the wheel to a Tesla recommended repair shop and they told me that the wheel had been repaired before, and not a quality job at that. I went back to the Service Center and they told me it had been too long since I took delivery and that they couldn't guarantee that I hadn't done that myself. Then when I pushed the issue, they pointed out that the car was an inventory car in a different state and they couldn't know for sure what had happened down there, but that if it was reconditioned it was done right, not that we are saying it was reconditioned.

Moral of the story: look at things you wouldn't expect to look at; it was an inventory loaner, people are shady.

Oh, and request they tell you any damages that were done / repaired while in inventory.

 

[Tozz]

Don't use a checklist. There are only two things that are important:

- Is the car damage free?
- Does it come with everything that it should come with? eg. charge cables, winter tires (if not stored elsewhere)

The rest will be taken care of later if you find out about anything. Damage is something you have to check at delivery because otherwise they will (rightfully) tell you that they cant verify it was caused by them or you.

Checking the car for damages is time consuming enough if you want to do it thoroughly. Really no need to check everything else that can and will be fixed later at a SeC if something is wrong.

 

[Tozz]

My car also rattles from 3 other places and it drives me nuts. I find this odd for a car with only 4K miles.

I tend to have this as well. Just this morning I got pretty frustrated with 'What the hell is that sound?'. It turned out it was a water bottle I had lying on the passenger seat floor and the water went back and forth and made a weird noise because the water level was so it just hit the inside of the cap. Didn't sound like water splashing as you would normally hear.

I also heard sounds from the back. After searching for hours it turned out it was a metal hook I use for restraining my dogs that is attached to the ISOFIX top-tether mountpoint.

One must realize that these cars are pretty quiet especially at low speeds. As a result, you will hear a lot more stuff than you would in a normal car. Doesn't make it a bad car, it makes it a quiet car.

 

[hulk2k17]

This is my list from about a year ago, but hopefully it helps.


Inspection Checklist

• What I ordered
  
  
• Ensure VIN matches paperwork
  
  
• Correct battery size
  
  
• Correct paint color
  
  
• Correct Seat Fabric
  
  
• Correct Décor
  
  
• Correct Headliner
  
  
• Correct Wheels
  
  
• Correct Roof -
  
  
• Ensure matching décor on armrest/center console
  
  
• Ensure new back seats
  
  
• Smart Air Suspension
  
  
• Items that come with the car
  
  
• Two Key Fobs
  
  
• Temporary Tags
  
  
• Front and rear floor mats
  
  
• Chrome ‘Tesla’ license plate frame
  
  
• Front license plate mount
  
  
• Printed manuals in glove box
  
  
• Universal Mobile Connector (UMC) adaptors and carry bag
  
  
• Metallic Tesla ‘T’/cover on UMC cable
  
  
• UMC J1772 Adapter
  
  
• UMC NEMA 5-15 110V Adapter
  
  
• UMC NEMA 14-50 240V Adapter
  
  
• Cover for footwell in trunk
  
  
• Parcel Shelf
  
  
• Check for issues
  
  
• Check odometer
  
  
• Check range at current charge level
  
  
• Check badge in rear
  
  
• Check for condensation in rear lights/reflectors
  
  
• Check for scratches/bubbles in paint
  
  
• Check for dirt under clear coat
  
  
• Check for scratches on wheels
  
  
• Check for scratches on tires
  
  
• Check for scratches under the car
  
  
• Check for residue on windows or sunroof
  
  
• Check alignment of hood, trunk lid and fenders
  
  
• Check alignment of doors
  
  
• Check alignment of windows and that they work
  
  
• Ensure windows auto close when closing the door (lower all the way/down back up if not to see if that fixes it)
  
  
• Check for windshield distortion or cracks
  
  
• Ensure all doors close properly
  
  
• Ensure all handles work properly
  
  
• Ensure charge Port cover opens consistently (without sticking!)
  
  
• Check that UMC works
  
  
• Check UMC latches and unlatches without problems
  
  
• Check seals on roof
  
  
• Tire Tread
  
  
• Steering Wheel - test for clicking noise by turning wheel with car on & off
  
  
• Latest software version – check Tesla Firmware Upgrade Tracker Web App
  
  
• In-car displays on instrument cluster & 17" show correct vehicle, color, name and options
  
  
• Tesla Slacker username/password / music
  
  
• Mirrors are remotely operable and will fold
  
  
• Radio reception - AM reception
  
  
• Check for smudges on headliner/seats/trim
  
  
• Setup HomeLink for garage doors
  
  
• Setup and verify smartphone syncing (contacts & bluetooth music streaming)
  
  
• Ensure windshield jets not pointing too low and have fluid
  
  
• Tire pressures (check the label on the driver B pillar to get the right pressure for your car)
  
  
• Seat belts have smooth action and no dragging
  
  
• No low frequency powerful rumbling when first turned on
  
  
• All map lights (internal overhead lights, which are pushable to turn on/off) work.
  
  
• Rear lights work
  
  
• Brake lights work
  
  
• Reverse lights work
  
  
• Headlights work
  
  
• Adaptive lights work
  
  
• Fog lights work
  
  
• Turn Indicators Lights work
  
  
• Hazard Lights works
  
  
• LATCH child seat attachments present
  
  
• Count interior lights – 13 white, 4 red
  
  
• Seat heaters work
  
  
• Rear window heater works
  
  
• Glove box doesn't stick
  
  
• USBs work
  
  
• 12v plugs work
  
  
• Car is registered
  
  
• Car is set to enable app access
  
  
• Check parking sensors and turn off bells
  
  
• Set Driver Settings and Profiles
  
  
• Daylight Running Lights on Auto
  
  
• Frunk condition
  
  
• Frunk open/closing
  
  
• Trunk open/closing (power liftgate working?)
  
  
• Rear seats fold up and down and latch
  
  
• Parcel shelf works
  
  
• Free supercharging
  
  
• Copy of the due bill
  
  
• Window sticker
  

 

[xyeahtony]

"correct battery size"

really, is anyone ordering a 75D and getting a 100D? or vice versa? lol

Like our former delivery specialist said, redundant and time consuming.

 

[JohnnyG]

"correct battery size"

really, is anyone ordering a 75D and getting a 100D? or vice versa? lol

Like our former delivery specialist said, redundant and time consuming.

That one does make me chuckle a little... But for those of us that took delivery of an Inventory car, and found damage, I wouldn't right off a thorough check. It's more so time consuming for them, as they want to get you out the door. It *should* be redundant, but we keep finding damage that they didn't. For a factory car, sure, maybe not *as* important, but for an inventory car, I'd say it's worth a one-over.

 

[whitex]

"correct battery size"

really, is anyone ordering a 75D and getting a 100D? or vice versa? lol

Like our former delivery specialist said, redundant and time consuming.

Some people who ordered 75's got 85 batteries not long ago (Tesla getting rid of some old spare parts inventory?). As for getting wrong parts, there is a member here who got a brand new car with side mirrors controls without the middle button - somehow a 2012/2013 part got put into a 2018 car. Also, few people got wrong headlights (got ones without 3 position turning lights even though they ordered PUP which included it at the time). I remember reading a thread from a member to picked up his car only to find his liftgate was not powered, even though it was supposed to be - apparently that was not easy to retrofit and they kept refusing to add it, instead trying to offer free annual service. For me for example unpowered liftgate would have been a deal-braker, I paid $3K for PUP on one of the cars purely to get the powered liftgate. If it's not feasible to add it to the car, I would think it would be much easier for all parties involved to refuse delivery than later fight to return the car because they can't add a power liftgate.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Tesla used to go over their Showroom and CPO vehicles with a fine tooth comb. They were pretty much as new. When they realized that this was costing them more than expected they changed their policy and pretty much deliver them cleaned and presentable.

In the past people got fantastic deals on these vehicles, but now they more represent the discount given on them.

The discounts are pretty substantial, and you should expect to see some wear and tear.

 

[Joelgjr]

[QUOTE="Uncle Paul, post: 2885565, member: 18019The discounts are pretty substantial, and you should expect to see some wear and tear.[/QUOTE]

I think part of the problem is how the typical Tesla owner treats their own car does not equal how someone treats an extended test drive / test drive / loaner vehicle. That’s why the damage and “wear and tear” being seen matched the price discount but doesn’t match the mileage.

The wear and tear in my showroom MS was more damage than I put on a car in a lifetime - but compared to say my sisters car, both are equally damaged at 3,000 miles