Question about Tesla Service

[suncao]

Approximately one month ago (April 2020), I had my car serviced by Tesla for a broken taillight. They did a great job in getting it fixed and returned to me quickly. However, when i got the car back, the rear applique was back to chrome. I had the car chrome deleted in February 2020. I contacted Tesla and they stated they are not responsible for after market products added to car like tint and wraps.

Does that sound right to anyone?

Any ideas on what i can do besides paying out of pocket to get it rewrapped?

 

[aerodyne]

No. Just be thankful you got you car back with nothing broken...

 

[Ostrichsak]

If your car had the previous style taillight appliqué then it would be a TSB part that would be replaced whenever it was serviced. It was prone to condensation between the two clear lenses. The new version doesn't have a second clear lens built into the applique itself. It sucks they didn't inform you that they were replacing it with the revised part but they aren't wrong either.

 

[Seth2020]

If they had to replace it as part of your repair, then that is on you to pay out of pocket -- same is if they replaced a tinted window

If they damaged the chrome-delete as part of the repair, that would seem to be on them

 

[Ostrichsak]

If they had to replace it as part of your repair, then that is on you to pay out of pocket -- same is if they replaced a tinted window

If they damaged the chrome-delete as part of the repair, that would seem to be on them

You're missing the point: they replaced the chrome piece itself because it was the older version probe to failure & condensation. His piece of vinyl was stuck to the part that was removed. This is exactly why they spell out specifically that they're not responsible for damage to aftermarket parts. Sure they could have let him know but we all know how much Tesla cares about customer satisfaction.

 

[aerodyne]

Can I trade problems with the OP?

Car is in a coma in the garage with suspected bad contactors. On life support with a charger to the 12V.

 

[Seth2020]

Can I trade problems with the OP?

Car is in a coma in the garage with suspected bad contactors. On life support with a charger to the 12V.

Have you tried reset #3: The definitive guide to RESET on Tesla Model 3

 

[Babaron]

How was the taillight broken? If it was someone else’s fault, he/she should pay. My front bumper was recently kissed by another and she had to pay $1800 for a new bumper and another $600 for clear bra replacement.

 

[suncao]

How was the taillight broken? If it was someone else’s fault, he/she should pay. My front bumper was recently kissed by another and she had to pay $1800 for a new bumper and another $600 for clear bra replacement.

No accident. one of the led went out. I had the extended warranty so I just paid the two hundred deductible (had tesla address other things while there).

Some notice would have been nice.

 

[ucmndd]

My understanding is the chrome strip is glued on and basically impossible to remove without destroying, so Tesla treats it as a consumable.

 

[2101Guy]

this isnt a Tesla specific issue. I dont know of a single car maker that (for example) has to replace a OEM part (thats been modified by the owner) with a new OEM part, and also does the aftermarket modification to the replacement part.

 

[Alysashley79]

No accident. one of the led went out. I had the extended warranty so I just paid the two hundred deductible (had tesla address other things while there).

Some notice would have been nice.

What year is your car? I just had my rear tail light replaced and actually had to ask for a new appliqué to be put on because I had the gen 1 version and it was full of junk. (They were able to replace without removing the appliqué and then it was a 3 minute on and off for the new one.

 

[suncao]

this isnt a Tesla specific issue. I dont know of a single car maker that (for example) has to replace a OEM part (thats been modified by the owner) with a new OEM part, and also does the aftermarket modification to the replacement part.

The thing is, i just needed my taillight replaced. I was under the belief that the applique was a separate piece that could just be removed and reinstalled. And I was unaware if there was a TSB for the applique.

 

[suncao]

What year is your car? I just had my rear tail light replaced and actually had to ask for a new appliqué to be put on because I had the gen 1 version and it was full of junk. (They were able to replace without removing the appliqué and then it was a 3 minute on and off for the new one.

2014 Model S 85

 

[Alysashley79]

2014 Model S 85

Yes there is a TSB for the appliqué. It came out end of 2015. (For any cars mfg before that time) They don’t have to remove it to replace the tail light. BUT that appliqué was the source of many issues before gen 2 came out. The new one is much nicer and you won’t have any issues with condensation down the road.

FWIW I had applied some ppf to my door handles. Inside and outside and when they had to be replaced because they malfunctioned i was responsible to replace the vinyl.

 

[Ostrichsak]

The thing is, i just needed my taillight replaced. I was under the belief that the applique was a separate piece that could just be removed and reinstalled. And I was unaware if there was a TSB for the applique.

No, it's basically glued on with double sided tape. Once it's been removed they replace it with a new one. Tesla has it listed as a one-time-use part. In addition, this part was part of a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) where it was replaced with a newer version. Anytime your car is serviced for ANY reason they check the VIN against TSBs & recalls. If there are any outstanding the perform them at this time. This likely would have happened even if you took it in for a broken door handle or anything unrelated to your taillights. It just so happened to be related this time. They also state specifically in the warranty disclosure that they don't cover replacement or repair of aftermarket components or parts for exactly this reason. This is standard car manufacturer stuff here so it's not something unique to Tesla.

 

[ucmndd]

They also state specifically in the warranty disclosure that they don't cover replacement or repair of aftermarket components or parts for exactly this reason. This is standard car manufacturer stuff here so it's not something unique to Tesla.

Fully agree, but most any other dealer service organization would have noticed the blacked out part and taken the 5 minutes necessary to call the customer PRIOR to ripping it off, informing them of the situation, and making sure they still wanted the work to be completed.

You know, what every other competing organization has established as basic customer service and courtesy.

That’s generally Greek to Tesla these days so it’s not surprising, but fully avoidable.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Fully agree, but most any other dealer service organization would have noticed the blacked out part and taken the 5 minutes necessary to call the customer PRIOR to ripping it off, informing them of the situation, and making sure they still wanted the work to be completed.

You know, what every other competing organization has established as basic customer service and courtesy.

That’s generally Greek to Tesla these days so it’s not surprising, but fully avoidable.

I wouldn't hold your breath if you think I'm going to defend the atrocity that Tesla likes to call customer service.