Rattles are not covered by warranty any more

[No42]

Had a service appointment earlier today, and was notified that Tesla will not fix rattles under warranty any more.
Given Tesla's sub-par build quality, I can't possibly imagine good customer satisfaction ratings, if they stop fixing the rattles all together.

 

[MoHazee4]

Soo....few questions....and advice

• Firstly -- Rattles can be a wild goose chase...and a huge cost to the company....I get that....
• 
  
• Is your car under full...bumper-to-bumper warranty? Most new cars have this until 36,000 miles
• 
  
• Is the diagnostic of the rattle not covered? ... or is repairing the rattle not covered? -- these are 2 different things.
• 
  
• What does it mean to "fix" a rattle?
• I would argue making corrections for build quality &/or incorrect installation &/or manufacturing defects is beyond a rattle, the rattle is the symptom - of potentially a bigger issue.
• --- You may exhibit symptoms of a heart attack if you have shortness of breath --- the shortness of breath is the "rattle" signaling a bigger issue.
• 
  
• A rattle can often be a sign of a larger issue -- or possibly the build up to a bigger problem.
• 
  
• You should read the warranty paperwork -- I would imagine there is language within you can use to justify your position, with no problem.
• You will likely need to prove the rattle is a result of something being defective....rather than annoying. Defects are 1 thing...and annoyances are something different...in Tesla's eyes.

 

[strykeroz]

We have a near 20 year old Honda that only started to have rattles of its own after its 15th birthday. Up until then I knew I had coins in the console or something the kids had left in a door pocket if something rattled. Now it's a reminder it will be a cube soon and we'll have a new car... I'm truly hoping without rattles

 

[Az_Rael]

From the warranty limitations section:

General appearance or normal noises and vibrations, including, but not limited to, brake squeal, general knocks, creaks, rattles, and wind and road vibration for which there are no malfunctioning parts requiring replacement;


For the most part Tesla has fixed my rattles as goodwill not warranty work.

 

[timk225]

Take off the interior trim pieces on the B pillar, and drill a 3/8" hole about every foot or so going up the B pillar. Shoot some expanding spray foam in there and it'll glue the pieces together or hold them in place to prevent rattles.

 

[No42]

This B-piller rattle turned out to be a broken seat-belt adjuster. Fixed for now.

 

[azogue]

How old is your car and how many miles does it have? Our 3 does not have any rattles, squeaks, creaks, or any other noises. Our X is a different story, though. The SC told us diagnosis and repairs of rattles is covered for the first 12 months/12,000 miles.

 

[No42]

It is may 2018 build. 10k miles. Not related to 1y mark mark thought. I have been communicated that it is new general Tesla rule, to reduce load on SC.
Btw, just picked the car, they did a terrible job on that trim. Now I have to shedule another service.

 

[David99]

Rattles can have so many different sources. It's very hard to find and eliminate them. I understand that service doesn't want to deal with them endlessly. But Tesla isn't very good about making cars without rattles.
It's the downside of such a progressive company. They innovative amazingly but sometime don't want to do all their homework.

 

[SunCharged]

The best way for Tesla to handle rattles is to prevent them in the first place. I suggest they start testing their vehicles on our rattle inducing Michigan roads. If they can go 50k miles without rattling here consider it a fine off road vehicle.

 

[PoitNarf]

Take off the interior trim pieces on the B pillar, and drill a 3/8" hole about every foot or so going up the B pillar. Shoot some expanding spray foam in there and it'll glue the pieces together or hold them in place to prevent rattles.

This sounds like a horrible idea...

 

[MoHazee4]

From the warranty limitations section:

General appearance or normal noises and vibrations, including, but not limited to, brake squeal, general knocks, creaks, rattles, and wind and road vibration for which there are no malfunctioning parts requiring replacement;


For the most part Tesla has fixed my rattles as goodwill not warranty work.

View attachment 405250

But ... what if the cause of the rattle.... is a malfunctioning part? If this is the case, then they should fix the rattle & replace the part.

"General appearance" -- this sounds like they want a free pass for shotty build quality.

What exactly is a "normal" noise? Who decides what that means? The customer? Tesla? (seriously asking)

 

[SoManyM3s]

It is may 2018 build. 10k miles. Not related to 1y mark mark thought. I have been communicated that it is new general Tesla rule, to reduce load on SC.
Btw, just picked the car, they did a terrible job on that trim. Now I have to shedule another service.

View attachment 405335

that's horribly done. wtf!

 

[Az_Rael]

What exactly is a "normal" noise? Who decides what that means? The customer? Tesla? (seriously asking)

I am guessing Tesla. But, yeah, it isn’t great wording. Other car warranties I have had in the past had a X month/ X number of miles where all appearance and rattles would be fixed under warranty. Gave you a known timeframe to get them fixed by.

 

[MoHazee4]

I am guessing Tesla. But, yeah, it isn’t great wording. Other car warranties I have had in the past had a X month/ X number of miles where all appearance and rattles would be fixed under warranty. Gave you a known timeframe to get them fixed by.

I suppose - not having a fixed time/milage constraint could work for your advantage? However -- the wording sounds like Tesla is removing themselves from any issues related to the vehicles manufacturing.

These sorts of behaviors will be the demise of Tesla -- if they don't get this straightened up -- this will eventually become their demise (shotty manufacturing & not standing by your product) ... ... will be the reason they go out of business. Mark my words.

 

[super20g]

Having a rattle on a new car is so annoying, especially an EV. Once you start hearing it, that is all you can hear, no matte how small it is. After service has worked on my car umpteen times, I have a handful of rattles that they cant seem to (and don't try very hard) to figure out. About all you can do is crank up the music...