Post Body Shop Results After 5 Weeks

[vinnie97]

So after nearly 5 weeks and 2 visits to the contracted body shop (to correct a paint chip; pro tip: Never accept delivery of such a vehicle if aesthetics concern you), this is the result (blemished paint, click to enlarge):



This is the front end, and an Xpel wrap is currently being applied to this most vulnerable location (to make it impervious to rocks and insects) because I see little value in going through the rigamarole of having Tesla send it to Service King again for attempt #3 (especially since I'm 2 hours from the service center and have little recourse in being more directly involved). Since arbitrage is my only recourse, should I advocate for a partial refund here (perhaps for $1k since they've wrecked the paint job) of what is clearly not a new condition vehicle?

Am I being unreasonable?

 

[gambit48]

$1,000 for a paint chip certainly sounds unreasonable to me.

That said, asking for monetary compensation sounds fine. I just don't think $1,000 is a reasonable amount. What is reasonable I'm not sure. Guessing, I'd say $500? Has anyone heard of Tesla offering money for damage though? I don't think I've heard of them returning money before. Waiving fees, yes, but not actually cutting a check.

 

[SageBrush]

Am I being unreasonable?

Yes

 

[dhrivnak]

Sorry I don't see the issue as the pictures do show a flaw I can see.

 

[vinnie97]

^It's hard to catch in reflections. The third one makes it pretty clear with the debris. It's not all as obvious without the proper lighting, which is what Pro-Tect Film was able to utilize since I only had the vehicle for 30 minutes yesterday afternoon before dropoff.

Yes

Well, I hope they transport your vehicle with a little more care than mine. Aesthetics on a $20k Prius is one thing. At 3 times that price, I start getting a little more particular.

 

[favo]

Get your detailer/PPF installer to paint correct the area and pass on the bill to Tesla. It's probably worth getting them to OK this concept ahead of time.

 

[SageBrush]

Well, I hope they transport your vehicle with a little more care than mine

Thanks for the offer but no need. I expect my car to have cosmetic blemishes accumulate in short order: road debris, curb rash ... and probably more. Most I'll be able to see if I try, which is more than I can say about your photos.

 

[vinnie97]

^Well, I was alerted to them by the wrap appliers themselves, so they likely have a more keen eye on these items. Perhaps I should leave well enough alone knowing I didn't catch them in the short time I had the vehicle, but...

Get your detailer/PPF installer to paint correct the area and pass on the bill to Tesla. It's probably worth getting them to OK this concept ahead of time.

This is a solution I could accept. These guys who are applying the wrap have a great reputation, so I will inquire with the mothership (service center) tomorrow.

 

[SageBrush]

This is a solution I could accept. These guys who are applying the wrap have a great reputation, so I will inquire with the mothership (service center) tomorrow.

If I was Tesla I would tell you no.
They have already paid (twice ?) for a blemish I cannot even see in your photos.
Take it up with the cosmetologist.

 

[vinnie97]

Um, the original 2 attempted fixes were for a paint chip, which I fatefully accepted (accepting it and applying touch-up paint would have been preferred at this stage after the elongated service fun). What you see now is the result of a paint job with blemishes present in the final work completed (and these aren't even the worst ones; the passenger door has even more striking imperfections). Anyway, Interesting customer-first perspective there, but I will likely ignore your advice henceforward. Based on the wrapper's sterling reputation, I have no reason to believe they're lying about the visibility.

I guess I need to employ MS paint to make it more obvious where these defects appear.

 

[mbman81]

I don’t really see anything but a minor swirl scratch in one of the pics. You can have a good detailer do a quick sand and it will not be noticeable (or research the right sandpapers and do it yourself). Also the touch up paint that Tesla sells is really great and masks little things well.

 

[vinnie97]

Yea, not the scratches but actual blemishes (due to likely debris) within the paint. This thread backfired due to the difficulty of capturing said blemishes, but I'm still going to advocate for having them resolved. If it means making the round trip to Vegas again and taking the 3 back to the service center to advocate for it, so be it. Thanks to those who offered advice, even those who told me to get over it.

 

[hacer]

...Am I being unreasonable?

Yes.

 

[brobinson]

It's nearly impossible to find a car without swirling. Some colors, like blue, will show it more than others. I see no issue with the pictures that you posted.

 

[vinnie97]

Reflections get in the way unfortunately. I don't believe Pro-Tect Film would have expressly pointed out the deficiencies before doing the work if they were outside the expected norms. I'm 2 hours away, making this exceedingly difficult to manage from afar.

Get your detailer/PPF installer to paint correct the area and pass on the bill to Tesla. It's probably worth getting them to OK this concept ahead of time.

Thanks again for this idea. Everything is moving slow as molasses at Tesla these days, but I forwarded the above photos (plus some additional ones highlighting the door below) yesterday, but it looks like I might not be able to speak to anyone until next week.



All I would like to do is get this protective film applied so I can drive her home. IMO, this is exhibit A as to the justification of the decision to begin shipping cars with protective films (which only started last month, with my delivery at the end of April).

 

[Uncle Paul]

Still hard to see. Maybe this is something that could be corrected with a tiny dab of touch up paint.

 

[itskv]

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable.

My 3 is back in after having paint work done. If the SC agrees that they can see the defects after work was completed then it’s not considered resolved. You shouldn’t need compensation as long as Tesla agrees to fix the issue at their cost.

 

[vinnie97]

That's what I'm maneuvering for, but I see little value/purpose in them engaging yet another attempt at the same body shop a third time. Even the Pro-Tect owner agrees there is a slim likelihood of a significantly different result. I really hope they will meet me halfway here in allowing these pros to institute their handiwork. If Tesla instead insists on returning it to them, there's no harm done in letting them repeat the work again (other than a potential further waste of time). Contrarily, if they deem the blemishes as "within spec," I'm just going to apply a film to the most susceptible areas and call it a day.

 

[eSpiritIV]

Am I being unreasonable?

Yes....

I think though since you tried to have Tesla fix it and its no good, you should just get a paint correction done by your detailer, then get bill paid for. That section cant cost more than $300 in labor and materials.

Im supprised the wrap guys didnt offer to fix it for you in the beginning since thats their business.

 

[vinnie97]

No need to answer that question anymore, folks (I've already moved on from that expectation since the fix is looking more costly by the day). Apparently, Pro-Tect Film doesn't specialize in the detailing part for whom he has a separate partner, and I'm coordinating with him and Tesla right now. The problems are more numerous than what $300 will fix methinks after 2 botched jobs by Service King (heavy run + dirt in paint under passenger door handle, signs of solvent pop in fender, and a pinch/ding in hood next to windshield on passenger's side are the most significant). The detailer just forwarded me another 16 photos in an attempt to write up an assessment/quote for fixes. Regarding whether these problems can be visualized through the camera (along with their visibility in person) is another area of debate.