Hephaestus
Order: 2/6/21 DC: Kennesaw, Ga Blue, LR, 5 seat
Okay, Delivery Update 3. Some Pointers.
1. When Tesla calls to inform you to schedule a delivery appointment, be sure to ask where the car is now. They can check this on their computer list. I'm in the SE, about as far away from Fremont as you can get this side of the People's Republic of Florida. If you're told it's still @ Fremont, take heed. If they tell you to make your appointment for 3-5 days later and you're far away, it will probably not be the time frame when you actually take possession. I've bought two Teslas and have learned it takes 2 weeks minimum to get a car from Fremont to a delivery center near me in the SE, and I guess the same holds true for the NE. They have to wait for the truck to take it to a railhead, load it onto a train, and then it's up to the railroad how fast your X gets to where it's going. American railroads aren't all that fast delivering freight. Once it gets to a Tesla destination near you (in my case Birmingham, AL), they have to unload it and a truck has to come, load your X and then drive to the Delivery Center where you will actually take possession. Once the Delivery Center has it, and this came straight from my delivery center, they like to have 48-72 hours to do final prep, check it over and make it look pretty for when you arrive. This all takes 2-3 weeks. Anyone telling you that a coast to coast delivery can take place in 5-7 days is being overly optimistic. Doesn't happen.
2. I learned this one the hard way. Tesla wants proof that your insurance activates 3 days before actual delivery and extends a minimum of 60 days after you take ownership. Early on, someone at Tesla told me I needed a binder on my insurance, and that I should upload it. So I did the next day. Thursday, the delivery center kid told me Tesla doesn't accept binders. You need an insurance card showing your Tesla is covered. In my state (GA), that means it must have the VIN on the card. I handled this by email with my insurance company along with a phone call in one business day. (Tip: When you upload proof of insurance, do not try to upload a .pdf. You'll get the spinning T of death and uncertainty if you try. I did, bad idea. Take a photo of your insurance card and upload that -- jpeg, png, tiff etc. Works fine).
3. If you're making a large down payment with partial financing like I am, it's okay to show up with 2 checks at delivery. The Tesla app will bug you to make final payment on your portion prior to delivery. You don't have to do that. I'm taking two checks: 1) a cashiers check drawn on my bank account at a credit union and 2) a check for the remaining purchase balance paid by my credit union. You can set up an internet check payment via the Tesla app; I refuse to do that when it's tens of thousands of dollars. Call me paranoid. Do not try to pay your portion of the invoice with a personal check, credit card, bitcoin, gold bars or tulip bulbs. You will be turned away. Cashiers checks and checks drawn on financial institutions' accounts. I guess they'd take cash, but the IRS might show up at your house wanting to know what you're doing running around with suitcases full of $100 bills and whether you associate with someone named El Lobo. (Do the cashiers check).
4. If you used the paying cash option when ordering the car, make sure to let Tesla know you've changed your mind and will be doing some financing when they first contact you about delivery. Don't forget to tell them.
5. My credit union is not all that familiar with how Tesla operates. They're used to cutting checks to traditional ICE franchise dealerships. (My loan officer said I was her first Tesla and she was so excited). I had to patiently explain that Tesla doesn't have a dealership network, everything is done directly with the company. (When I told her you can order a Tesla online in about 2 minutes, no guys involved with 12 gold chains around their neck wanting to know what they can do to get you in this car today, I think she almost fainted). It simply did not compute at first.
6. Financial institutions demand they be listed as a lien holder in official bill of sale documentation. The Purchase Agreement Tesla uploads that you can download does not fulfill this requirement: list the lien holder (finance company) by name along with its address. I had a minor brouhaha with my credit union over this regarding the purchase agreement and finally gave them the number to call Tesla's Kennesaw delivery center directly to tell them exactly what they need. They did and whatever was said satisfied the credit union. The flack stopped, everybody's happy now.
I pick up the checks Tuesday and will place them in a safe guarded by 2 German Shepherds borrowed from my niece. Don't try it, Bo weighs in at a hefty 120 lbs and has very big teeth. That is all for now.
1. When Tesla calls to inform you to schedule a delivery appointment, be sure to ask where the car is now. They can check this on their computer list. I'm in the SE, about as far away from Fremont as you can get this side of the People's Republic of Florida. If you're told it's still @ Fremont, take heed. If they tell you to make your appointment for 3-5 days later and you're far away, it will probably not be the time frame when you actually take possession. I've bought two Teslas and have learned it takes 2 weeks minimum to get a car from Fremont to a delivery center near me in the SE, and I guess the same holds true for the NE. They have to wait for the truck to take it to a railhead, load it onto a train, and then it's up to the railroad how fast your X gets to where it's going. American railroads aren't all that fast delivering freight. Once it gets to a Tesla destination near you (in my case Birmingham, AL), they have to unload it and a truck has to come, load your X and then drive to the Delivery Center where you will actually take possession. Once the Delivery Center has it, and this came straight from my delivery center, they like to have 48-72 hours to do final prep, check it over and make it look pretty for when you arrive. This all takes 2-3 weeks. Anyone telling you that a coast to coast delivery can take place in 5-7 days is being overly optimistic. Doesn't happen.
2. I learned this one the hard way. Tesla wants proof that your insurance activates 3 days before actual delivery and extends a minimum of 60 days after you take ownership. Early on, someone at Tesla told me I needed a binder on my insurance, and that I should upload it. So I did the next day. Thursday, the delivery center kid told me Tesla doesn't accept binders. You need an insurance card showing your Tesla is covered. In my state (GA), that means it must have the VIN on the card. I handled this by email with my insurance company along with a phone call in one business day. (Tip: When you upload proof of insurance, do not try to upload a .pdf. You'll get the spinning T of death and uncertainty if you try. I did, bad idea. Take a photo of your insurance card and upload that -- jpeg, png, tiff etc. Works fine).
3. If you're making a large down payment with partial financing like I am, it's okay to show up with 2 checks at delivery. The Tesla app will bug you to make final payment on your portion prior to delivery. You don't have to do that. I'm taking two checks: 1) a cashiers check drawn on my bank account at a credit union and 2) a check for the remaining purchase balance paid by my credit union. You can set up an internet check payment via the Tesla app; I refuse to do that when it's tens of thousands of dollars. Call me paranoid. Do not try to pay your portion of the invoice with a personal check, credit card, bitcoin, gold bars or tulip bulbs. You will be turned away. Cashiers checks and checks drawn on financial institutions' accounts. I guess they'd take cash, but the IRS might show up at your house wanting to know what you're doing running around with suitcases full of $100 bills and whether you associate with someone named El Lobo. (Do the cashiers check).
4. If you used the paying cash option when ordering the car, make sure to let Tesla know you've changed your mind and will be doing some financing when they first contact you about delivery. Don't forget to tell them.
5. My credit union is not all that familiar with how Tesla operates. They're used to cutting checks to traditional ICE franchise dealerships. (My loan officer said I was her first Tesla and she was so excited). I had to patiently explain that Tesla doesn't have a dealership network, everything is done directly with the company. (When I told her you can order a Tesla online in about 2 minutes, no guys involved with 12 gold chains around their neck wanting to know what they can do to get you in this car today, I think she almost fainted). It simply did not compute at first.
6. Financial institutions demand they be listed as a lien holder in official bill of sale documentation. The Purchase Agreement Tesla uploads that you can download does not fulfill this requirement: list the lien holder (finance company) by name along with its address. I had a minor brouhaha with my credit union over this regarding the purchase agreement and finally gave them the number to call Tesla's Kennesaw delivery center directly to tell them exactly what they need. They did and whatever was said satisfied the credit union. The flack stopped, everybody's happy now.
I pick up the checks Tuesday and will place them in a safe guarded by 2 German Shepherds borrowed from my niece. Don't try it, Bo weighs in at a hefty 120 lbs and has very big teeth. That is all for now.
