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Rear defrost strips falling off window after 17 mos. Tesla wants $820.

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This would be fine if they said this. They don't. They make it look like it will cost you this amount.

No, they do not make it look like it will cost you this amount. The primary word on the document is "ESTIMATE." That is not a bill nor a cost; it is an statement that "it might cost this much."

It's entirely possible it will cost much more when they diagnose and find the actual cause of the problem.

It may cost nothing if the conclude it's covered under warranty.

It may cost roughly what they estimate, if they conclude that the problem was caused by the owner and not covered under warranty - in which case, they can still charge you for the diagnosis, whether or not you approve the actual repair work.

No, that is not what is stated in the email you get or on the PRINTED quote that you sign. The app is only one avenue, not all avenues state this. The app isn't a legally binding document. You do not sign the app.
It shouldn't be this trivial.

An ESTIMATE isn't a legally binding document, either - when they waive the costs under warranty, you aren't bound to pay the estimated amount.

For that matter, the ESTIMATE isn't even a required document - it clearly says that agreeing to the estimate may speed up the service time, but it doesn't say you must sign it.

If you have not signed, then before they do any work that isn't covered by warranty, they'll have to contact you for explicit approval of the work and cost.

If you have signed, then they can plan to go ahead with the repair regardless of warranty.

In some cases, they may prioritize work queuing in the shop based on pre-approvals - they want to keep their staff working, and they don't want to open up cars for diagnosis only to have them take up a bay while someone fails to respond to requests for approval.

In other case, the actual diagnosis is faster and easier because it's pre-approved - often, the true source of the problem is only obvious when you've done the disassembly to get at the part, but that disassembly (and later reassembly) takes a long time. It may even be the bulk of the cost of the repair. If the customer is unwilling to agree to pay in the event that the problem was their own fault, then the shop may take other, additional diagnosis steps to attempt to determine the cause before putting in the time to do the disassembly. Your agreement to be responsible for the payment in the event you're responsible for the problem will hasten the actual repair.
 
The issue they cannot legally "discuss it later". Back in the day, there were cases where a mechanic took someone car in. Took it apart to see what the problem was.. And then when the estimate came out very high and the customer did not want to pay, the shop held the customer's car hostage to get a running car back. So laws were created that requiring a preliminary estimate at the time the car was taken into the shop.

And while Tesla may automate the estimation process, it must be done. Tesla does not do person-to-person interactions with service writers, so the app is how the do it.

Ok, at least in Texas this is possible. Many types of car maintenance and servicing do not require to "take your car apart". So it can always be returned to pre-service condition easily. I understand the logic for some types of services when you actually need to take your car apart, but in most of the cases this is not true. Tesla may probably add an option in the app "I only accept the fix if it is under warranty", which I assume most owners would choose.
 
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I had this same issue (regarding the Tesla estimate system) I had a list of work that needed to be looked at under warranty. They came back with an estimate. I refused to sign that , I also sent them a text saying why I refused. They still went ahead with the appointment.
 
For that matter, the ESTIMATE isn't even a required document - it clearly says that agreeing to the estimate may speed up the service time, but it doesn't say you must sign it.
I can tell you haven't dealt with Tesla Service yet. It's not as simple as you think, at least here in Michigan. I've also been treated like I'm only allowed a certain amount of warranty visits. Terrible customer service in my opinion. I've linked my conversation regarding my last service appointment below.
"Please note, failure to accept and approve the initial $175 fee results in cancellation of your appointment."
How does this help anyone?

And to the other person who was upset about this hurting the Tesla brand... Tesla is only hurting themselves this way. People discussing it here isn't the issue. These are legitimate complaints.
Imgur
 
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much ado about nothing...




i’m sure the SC is worried about the internets. XD
Lmaooooooo

In the future I'll be sure to save the dashcam footage of the SCs whispering about whether it should even be covered under warranty, completely unprofessionally, within earshot of me, while in front of the car and therefore the front cameras, so you could see the look on their faces and the immediate change in the tone of their voices once I brought up the internets XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

Lmao at me being way too nice in my review of the encounter and deleting additional photos because I didn't want to feed the Reddit trolls.
 
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Lmaooooooo

In the future I'll be sure to save the dashcam footage of the SCs whispering about whether it should even be covered under warranty, completely unprofessionally, within earshot of me, while in front of the car and therefore the front cameras, so you could see the look on their faces and the immediate change in the tone of their voices once I brought up the internets XD XD XD XD XD XD XD XD

Lmao at me being way too nice in my review of the encounter and deleting additional photos because I didn't want to feed the Reddit trolls.


4 pages fretting over nothing.... have at it.
 
It is a terrible practice to do this to your customers.

I expect Tesla to perform an analysis for free. This method puts the customer at the mercy of the service advisor’s judgement.

This should be the process
1. Highlight issue
2 Tesla assesses if it is under warranty or not
3. If it is - Tesla proceeds with repair
3b. If it is not, Tesla provides a quote and asks if customer would like to proceed

This method give the customer an “Out” if warranty doesn’t cover it. Otherwise, you are telling Tesla you are agreeing to pay if they somehow determine it is not warranty work.

What if my drivetrain fails, Tesla quotes me $15,000, (I assume it would be warranty), then Tesla says “sorry not covered, please pay $15k and we already completed the work so you can’t back out now” I would be furious

Lol. They don't just do the work unless it's approved.
 
Please see pics and let me know what you think - Dec 2018 AWD LR M3

Rear defrost strips on literally falling off the back window spontaneously. New strips fall and curl up as shown in photos. If you touch them they will fall off immediately.

Made an appointment for service, Tesla didn't have appointments for over 2 weeks, at the service center only. Now I got an estimate back - they are asking for $820 to fix. Appointment is this week. Everyone I spoke with said it should definitely be covered under warranty.

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Warranty is based on mileage.

If you are under 50K then it would certainly be covered. If you are over 50K then you would not.

It would have to be at the discretion of Tesla to replace it outside of warranty.


One would be amazed at how people destroy their cars. There was a guy down the street that had all of his Model 3 seats start to disintegrate into a powdery substance 7 months after ownership.
Tesla didn't cover it because his occupation had him transporting and storing battery acid in his trunk. His company would place ventilated battery acid containers in his trunk and then 2 days later he would drive it 30 min across the city and drop it off. He did that constantly.

How is Tesla supposed to cover that under warranty? Well.....they didn't.
 
Warranty is based on mileage.

If you are under 50K then it would certainly be covered. If you are over 50K then you would not.

It would have to be at the discretion of Tesla to replace it outside of warranty.


One would be amazed at how people destroy their cars. There was a guy down the street that had all of his Model 3 seats start to disintegrate into a powdery substance 7 months after ownership.
Tesla didn't cover it because his occupation had him transporting and storing battery acid in his trunk. His company would place ventilated battery acid containers in his trunk and then 2 days later he would drive it 30 min across the city and drop it off. He did that constantly.

How is Tesla supposed to cover that under warranty? Well.....they didn't.

Well, that certainly doesn't fall under normal wear and tear. :eek:

His case should be against his company, but I suppose he thought he could get Tesla to pay for it.
 
My insurance covers all windows....no-matter-what. You can't put on a Tesla rear window without defrost lines....so yes.




They even replaced the wiper blades along with the window on my wife's Kia Niro yesterday.
That’s interesting. I have glass coverage and I know they’ll replace if broken but if it’s an issue with defroster filaments I’m not sure if they’d do the same? Amazing they even covered the wiper blades. That’s some great insurance company.
 
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