I want to start off by saying a big THANK YOU to every single member who has posted in the forums, after this weekend, the information on this site has been so incredibly helpful.
I would like to share my husband’s and my experience purchasing, picking up, and our first 3 days with our used 2015 Model S P90D.
March 24 – My husband filled out the Tesla Lending application (we now know it’s probably better to wait until you receive communication from Tesla before filling this out, as the “approval” is only good for 30 days)
March 25 – Placed the deposit on the 2015 Model S P90D
March 26 – Kyle Desmond (Used Vehicle Sales Advisor) emailed my husband to say congratulations, etc, etc.
March 26 – Separate email from Jana Park (Delivery Advisor) emailed to say the car was being transferred to the service center
March 29 – we emailed Jana to ask a few questions about Tesla Lending and incomplete items on our online checklist
April 1 – follow up email sent to Jana
April 2 – response from Jana, she answered our questions and advised the car’s ETA to the Tampa Delivery Center was 4/9 – 4/10
April 8 – email from Jana – ETA was now 4/10 – 4/11
April 10 – email from Jana that the car had arrived at the Tampa Delivery Center, we scheduled our pick up for 4/12 @ 4pm (we received our appointment confirmation about 5 mins after we hung up with Jana)
April 11 – Email from Lexie Campisi (Delivery Experience Specialist) – wanted to make sure everything was in line for the delivery
April 12 – 4pm – picked up the car – there was only one other customer at the Tampa Delivery Center when we arrived – we met with Kayla to sign all of the paperwork, then we FINALLY got to see the car!
Car: The car was in great shape. In the pictures that were sent to us, there was quite a bit of damage to the rims, the rims now appear to be brand new on the car…there is condensation in the driver taillight (which was not in the pictures). I can say they *maybe* ran the car thru the car wash but I can’t be certain because the outside was pretty dirty. The inside is relatively clean (especially compared to what we have seen online) – there are black, grease looking handprints on the headliner (which I think we can remove with a little elbow grease) and the seats and various other spots around the car. We used the checklist that a member created – it was SO helpful, especially when your husband wants to just drive away with the car. I went thru each item and made sure everything worked.
They gave us 2 key fobs BUT the second key fob didn't work – we asked Kayla, she says “oh it must need a new battery, we don’t have any though, and you can call for a service ranger to fix it” – Spoiler Alert: there wasn’t even a battery in the second key fob! And apparently, you have to get the key fob programmed at a service center -_-
Now this is where the rollercoaster of emotions starts – it’s been QUITE the rollercoaster! Extreme highs and soul-crushing lows…
We drove to Ocala, FL after we took delivery of the car – we tried charging the car at the hotel’s Destination Charger, the car would initially connect (charging at 3 miles/hr) but would stop charging. We thought maybe it’s the charger, it’s a fluke, it’s a new hotel, etc, etc. But I start to worry and say we should bring the car to the Ocala Supercharger down the street, just in case. It’s 10pm on a Friday, we plug the car in – the car won’t charge…gives us a message “Charging is starting…Charging will start momentarily”, then “Charging Stopped” – full PANIC sets in…as we are 3.5 hours from home…I quickly start checking this forum for tips/tricks. We unplug/plug/unplug to no avail, we move to a different station…plug/unplug/plug. A fellow Tesla owner walks up (super nice) and tells us that she has had problems with this Supercharger station in the past but to keep plugging/unplugging…FINALLY the car starts charging (after what feels like FOREVER). We charge up and leave but still shaken from the situation.
April 13 – we start the car and the dashboard shows the message “Driver Assistance Feature unavailable” – I have a serious "WTF have we gotten ourselves into" moment…I jump on the forum and find out that we have lost AP, CC and other functions with this message. My husband is frustrated, I’m pissed…we park the car for a few hours to attend a football game, we start the car – no message, and everything works fine!
April 14 – We try charging the car at the Ocala Supercharger in the morning – same thing as Friday night. I call Roadside Assistance, but as soon as the rep answers the phone, the car randomly starts charging (talk about full-on panic followed by being fully elated). The rep looks at the car and says an alert is saying the car cannot accept a fast charge but it will be able to accept a charge from a wall plug and she is completely surprised the car is even charging. She says we should schedule a service call. We charge the car as full as it will charge. We stop at the Brandon, FL Supercharger station – SAME THING!!! It takes 20-25 mins to get the car to start charging.
We just got home and plugged the car into the wall charger – it’s charging, slow but it’s charging so I’m feeling a little better. Someone online suggested that the older Teslas might not be completely compatible with the newer Supercharging stations(??). We have a Supercharging station about 6 miles from our house which has been there for years, my husband is going to take the car down there to see if this theory holds true. We have an appointment scheduled on Wed 4/24 at the Tampa Service Center (2 hours away) for the charging issue and the condensation in the driver tail light.
Final thoughts: I’ve been through every emotion I have this weekend, my husband and I are completely exhausted from the ups and downs. I question the “70 point check” Tesla claims to do on used cars, being able to charge the car is VITAL and it’s worrisome we can’t charge right away at the Superchargers. I love the car but I’ll be more in love when we can get these issues resolved.
And if you are picking your previously loved Tesla up from a Delivery Center, may I suggest asking them to plug the car in (in front of you) to confirm it will charge before you leave
I would like to share my husband’s and my experience purchasing, picking up, and our first 3 days with our used 2015 Model S P90D.
March 24 – My husband filled out the Tesla Lending application (we now know it’s probably better to wait until you receive communication from Tesla before filling this out, as the “approval” is only good for 30 days)
March 25 – Placed the deposit on the 2015 Model S P90D
March 26 – Kyle Desmond (Used Vehicle Sales Advisor) emailed my husband to say congratulations, etc, etc.
March 26 – Separate email from Jana Park (Delivery Advisor) emailed to say the car was being transferred to the service center
March 29 – we emailed Jana to ask a few questions about Tesla Lending and incomplete items on our online checklist
April 1 – follow up email sent to Jana
April 2 – response from Jana, she answered our questions and advised the car’s ETA to the Tampa Delivery Center was 4/9 – 4/10
April 8 – email from Jana – ETA was now 4/10 – 4/11
April 10 – email from Jana that the car had arrived at the Tampa Delivery Center, we scheduled our pick up for 4/12 @ 4pm (we received our appointment confirmation about 5 mins after we hung up with Jana)
April 11 – Email from Lexie Campisi (Delivery Experience Specialist) – wanted to make sure everything was in line for the delivery
April 12 – 4pm – picked up the car – there was only one other customer at the Tampa Delivery Center when we arrived – we met with Kayla to sign all of the paperwork, then we FINALLY got to see the car!
Car: The car was in great shape. In the pictures that were sent to us, there was quite a bit of damage to the rims, the rims now appear to be brand new on the car…there is condensation in the driver taillight (which was not in the pictures). I can say they *maybe* ran the car thru the car wash but I can’t be certain because the outside was pretty dirty. The inside is relatively clean (especially compared to what we have seen online) – there are black, grease looking handprints on the headliner (which I think we can remove with a little elbow grease) and the seats and various other spots around the car. We used the checklist that a member created – it was SO helpful, especially when your husband wants to just drive away with the car. I went thru each item and made sure everything worked.
They gave us 2 key fobs BUT the second key fob didn't work – we asked Kayla, she says “oh it must need a new battery, we don’t have any though, and you can call for a service ranger to fix it” – Spoiler Alert: there wasn’t even a battery in the second key fob! And apparently, you have to get the key fob programmed at a service center -_-
Now this is where the rollercoaster of emotions starts – it’s been QUITE the rollercoaster! Extreme highs and soul-crushing lows…
We drove to Ocala, FL after we took delivery of the car – we tried charging the car at the hotel’s Destination Charger, the car would initially connect (charging at 3 miles/hr) but would stop charging. We thought maybe it’s the charger, it’s a fluke, it’s a new hotel, etc, etc. But I start to worry and say we should bring the car to the Ocala Supercharger down the street, just in case. It’s 10pm on a Friday, we plug the car in – the car won’t charge…gives us a message “Charging is starting…Charging will start momentarily”, then “Charging Stopped” – full PANIC sets in…as we are 3.5 hours from home…I quickly start checking this forum for tips/tricks. We unplug/plug/unplug to no avail, we move to a different station…plug/unplug/plug. A fellow Tesla owner walks up (super nice) and tells us that she has had problems with this Supercharger station in the past but to keep plugging/unplugging…FINALLY the car starts charging (after what feels like FOREVER). We charge up and leave but still shaken from the situation.
April 13 – we start the car and the dashboard shows the message “Driver Assistance Feature unavailable” – I have a serious "WTF have we gotten ourselves into" moment…I jump on the forum and find out that we have lost AP, CC and other functions with this message. My husband is frustrated, I’m pissed…we park the car for a few hours to attend a football game, we start the car – no message, and everything works fine!
April 14 – We try charging the car at the Ocala Supercharger in the morning – same thing as Friday night. I call Roadside Assistance, but as soon as the rep answers the phone, the car randomly starts charging (talk about full-on panic followed by being fully elated). The rep looks at the car and says an alert is saying the car cannot accept a fast charge but it will be able to accept a charge from a wall plug and she is completely surprised the car is even charging. She says we should schedule a service call. We charge the car as full as it will charge. We stop at the Brandon, FL Supercharger station – SAME THING!!! It takes 20-25 mins to get the car to start charging.
We just got home and plugged the car into the wall charger – it’s charging, slow but it’s charging so I’m feeling a little better. Someone online suggested that the older Teslas might not be completely compatible with the newer Supercharging stations(??). We have a Supercharging station about 6 miles from our house which has been there for years, my husband is going to take the car down there to see if this theory holds true. We have an appointment scheduled on Wed 4/24 at the Tampa Service Center (2 hours away) for the charging issue and the condensation in the driver tail light.
Final thoughts: I’ve been through every emotion I have this weekend, my husband and I are completely exhausted from the ups and downs. I question the “70 point check” Tesla claims to do on used cars, being able to charge the car is VITAL and it’s worrisome we can’t charge right away at the Superchargers. I love the car but I’ll be more in love when we can get these issues resolved.
And if you are picking your previously loved Tesla up from a Delivery Center, may I suggest asking them to plug the car in (in front of you) to confirm it will charge before you leave
