Rejected Delivery, what are my options?

[Skmetallica]

Hi guys,

Just some background info, I went to the store a couple of weeks ago for a test drive before I put in a l order on a SR+. I was upsold to a MR because they were offering a paint credit on existing inventory. They matched me with a car and I was supposed to take delivery this past weekend.

I opted to skip the home delivery option, and decided to pick it up from the nearest location. Turns out the car was no where close to being delivery worthy. Red paint was chipped in spots, faded in others, and the rear lights were filled with water! I didn’t even bother looking at the inside. Told the delivery manager I wasn’t going to take it. The guy was pretty pushy about how their bodyshop can work miracles and this was no big deal, it will be fixed up in no time. He said I can take delivery and then work thru their service center to get all the other issues resolved. I said no, I’d rather pick up something that is ready to go and not chase service dept around. He tried looking for another red MR but wasn’t able to find anything.

I knew the prices were going up but he promised that they would honor mine even after the 19th. Thing is now they are no more MR’s. What are my options? Do I just take the patched up car? They said they were gonna call me on Monday and give me an update on what the service dept said. I got no call. I called twice and was told that the manager had an update for me and would give me a call back. Nothing yet. I am glad I didn’t take delivery, they don’t even have my money and I still can’t get a call back.

Any advice? Do I ask for a discount on top of the waived paint fee? A wheel upgrade? I don’t think an alternative MR is an option. Go back to SR+ and give up the paint discount? Not sure how comfortable I am with a new car already getting work done in a body shop. Is the paint gonna age the same? I had a clear bra and tint all scheduled which I canceled. I had started insurance which I also had to cancel. Am I overreacting? I am just annoyed that I have to chase these guys for an update, when it’s them that screwed up. They should be doing their best to make this right.

 

[Tam]

...bodyshop can work miracles...

I do believe the above statement. The paint would be as good as new.

However, normally, if I buy a new car, I shouldn't have to worry about how to make it right. It should have been right before meeting me.

But I guess we are not dealing with something normal here. It's a Tesla!

 

[tomas]

They are under pressure to deliver cars in March so I suspect they are trying to push this car on you. I personally rejected a P3 due to dents, and would not accept car with significant paint flaws. They should fix before you pay, or suggest you reject. But that’s just one guy’s opinion.

I suggest you put it to them this way: I want a car in March, and you want to deliver cars for end of quarter. But I don’t want to take delivery of a car that then goes to the shop. What else have you got? What accommodation can you make? Otherwise, restore my SR+ order and I’ll just take it after March. I’ll bet they figure something out.

Or, if you really want the MR and think they can fix, tell them to expedite at body shop, if they can get it done in March, you’ll take it. But don’t pay til it’s fixed to your satisfaction.

 

[SMAlset]

From an article I just read Tesla is looking to deliver 30K cars in the next few weeks. I’m guessing with downsizing too the manager could have his hands full trying to arrange for deliveries in his area. Shouldn’t be your problem but something the last two quarters employees and customers have had to work around.

I was a 2018 end 3rd qtr owner. Had maybe 3 small dust-under-paint spots and a fender/frunk adjustment near the headlight to adjust on my due bill. They were just getting their pop up body shop going that week. They took care of the paint and I had to send back to adjust the other issue that for some reason didn’t get done. Basically a month. Everyone who had gotten their car that quarter who had due bill issues was there at the same time. They took care of items I had though and the work was good, couldn’t tell where it was done. I too had to reschedule my PPF though. Got thru the month. Love the car. Enjoy driving it everyday. My husband had someone scratch his car recently and in shop time was just under a week. Good luck with whatever you decide. The MR is kind of hard to want to pass on. I think it had the upgrades too and not sure if you get those with SR+. The extra battery range is nice to have. The Model 3 is a great car to drive.

 

[jkoya]

Red paint was chipped in spots, faded in others, and the rear lights were filled with water! I didn’t even bother looking at the inside. Told the delivery manager I wasn’t going to take it. The guy was pretty pushy about how their bodyshop can work miracles and this was no big deal, it will be fixed up in no time

I see you are in El Dorado Hills, CA, so I'm assuming you are working with the Tesla Rocklin store ? There is only one Tesla approved body shop in the greater Sacramento area and that is Kniesel's Collision in Rocklin (However, I have heard the Rocklin SC does send body work out to other shops, but Kniesel's is the only one listed as approved on Tesla.com). Kniesel's does great work and their color matching is spot on....but the one issue is they are so busy, you might be looking at a 3 month wait to get an appointment to fix the paint issues.

I took delivery on 12/5/18 and had my consult appointment at Kniesel's was on 12/17/18. I took the first available appointment to actually get the car fixed and that was 2/18/19 - 2.5 months later. When I picked up my car 2 weeks later, I heard they were now 3 months out on appointments. Kniesel's did an awesome job fixing multiple paint issues, misaligned frunk and misaligned trim and my car looks so much better than on delivery day. In fact, it finally looks like it should have on delivery day. I guess you will have to decide if long wait times to get your car fixed are an acceptable compromise for you. I also got a 2018 Model S 100D as a 2 week loaner. On a side note, the Model S loaner had worse panel gaps and misaligned trim than my Model 3 did.

If I ever get another Tesla, I will definitely not be taking delivery at Tesla Rocklin. They just don't seem to be that particular with attention to detail.

Good luck on what you decide and keep us posted.

 

[Mod3forMe]

Sorry to hear about this. I would be surprised if they do too much for you as that is not really the Tesla way.

Given they have not called you back you should have a pretty good sense of how aggressive they will be about making things right.

 

[Gordon87]

I do believe the above statement. The paint would be as good as new.

However, normally, if I buy a new car, I shouldn't have to worry about how to make it right. It should have been right before meeting me.

But I guess we are not dealing with something normal here. It's a Tesla!

This has now got me worried. I am scheduled to pick up my car in Chicago Wednesday. It was a demo model (12/2018 build) in Oak Brook (store now closed) in my configuration with just under 600 miles and a significant discount. I am now worried that the car is beaten up. Wondering if I should close if they agree to have the car repaired and provide me with a loaner. I assume that there are enough Tesla-approved body shops in the Chicago area to handle it. Thoughts?

 

[Kelmn07]

This has now got me worried. I am scheduled to pick up my car in Chicago Wednesday. It was a demo model (12/2018 build) in Oak Brook (store now closed) in my configuration with just under 600 miles and a significant discount. I am now worried that the car is beaten up. Wondering if I should close if they agree to have the car repaired and provide me with a loaner. I assume that there are enough Tesla-approved body shops in the Chicago area to handle it. Thoughts?

Do you really think they’re going to put a car with paint defects out as a demo?

 

[afadeev]

Do you really think they’re going to put a car with paint defects out as a demo?

Absolutely, they would!
All the demos around here have curbed wheels, pain nicks on the bumpers, and an occasional dent. Hard to judge the condition of the paint as they are all usually dirty.
A demo car is sold at a discount for a reason - it's a used car, with everything that that entails!

They matched me with a car and I was supposed to take delivery this past weekend.[...] Turns out the car was no where close to being delivery worthy. Red paint was chipped in spots, faded in others, and the rear lights were filled with water! I didn’t even bother looking at the inside. Told the delivery manager I wasn’t going to take it. The guy was pretty pushy about how their bodyshop can work miracles and this was no big deal, it will be fixed up in no time. [...] What are my options? Do I just take the patched up car? They said they were gonna call me on Monday and give me an update on what the service dept said. I got no call. [...]
Any advice?

You made the right choice.
No way would I take a delivery of a defective car, Tesla or not.

It's the dealer's responsibility to fix up the car before they deliver it to the customer.
The ONLY time you have leverage over them is before the money is handed over. Afterwards, you are a beggar.

If they don't make things right by you now, they never were going to do it after you took delivery.
Lean on them now. If they flake out, try another location.
Repeat as necessary.

 

[Skmetallica]

Thanks for all your input. I just got a phone call from the manager. Basically said there is a 2 week lead time just to get the car in the shop. Said he had been looking but all other MRs are gone and they don’t make them anymore. Offered a loaner for a month until the car made it thru the shop. I said that doesn’t change the fact that I am accepting a car that needed a bunch of work done straight from the factory. Plus my wife is due next week, and I really wanted to get this all settled ASAP as I won’t have time to chase stuff with the baby coming along. If I am going to go thru all that then I’d want more than just a loaner for compensation. He said he did have a couple of options he could offer as incentives but first needed to talk to management. I asked about a discount towards a LR, he again said he would have to kick that up the chain.

So long story short he is gonna call me back tomorrow with some options to make this right. I feel much better about the situation now knowing that at least its got their attention and they seem motivated to figure something out fast. Will let you guys know what happens.

 

[jonotastic]

It’s been nothing but scheduled dates followed by delays more times than i can count. If their service department is anything like their delivery department, I would not take delivery if it’s based on them fixing it as I can imagine waiting weeks or months before it getting resolved. I would get the price honor in writing such as an email or something.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Rear lights filled with water are a simple 30 minute replacement fix. The paint is another issue.

It will be up to you, and your individual circumstances to take the car or not. You could just drive the car, and get a loaner when it goes into the shop till done. Having a child on the way certainly makes the decision more difficult.

Hope you can work out something from Tesla, but seems like you are prepared to ask a lot too.

 

[SMAlset]

....If they don't make things right by you now, they never were going to do it after you took delivery.

That's simply not true. My due bill issues, as well as many others on here that have posted about theirs, have had their work performed and owners were happy. May not be the case for everyone one but I'd say the majority of owners have had a positive outcome and are enjoying their cars. People get nervous and worry about their delivery. Understandable, it is a big purchase, but many have said that they worried unnecessarily kind of fueled by the group concerns on the forum as people wait.

 

[JasJ]

Buying from Tesla is not like buying from a legacy car company. Tesla will fix it, give you a loaner and offer 'something' except pricing reduction of the new car. Most other brands you never see the factory 'issues' as the dealerships patch them before you see them, but then you deal with the dealership model. I for one, prefer to see the car 'warts and all' and not deal with the dealership.

 

[gobble]

I once ordered a new Mini Cooper S. I waited 3 months to get it and when it arrived there was a little pimple in the paint on the driver's door. It ended up being a speck in the clear coat that a body shop removed in about 10 minutes time. Anyway, I told the dealer no way I'm taking a new car with a flaw in the paint and I wanted to cancel the deal. They ended up giving me something like $750 in free accessories to take the car and the blemish ended up being nothing.

Point is, people buying Teslas seem to be willing to live with flaws that are WAAAAY worse then anything a normal car company would deliver. I don't get why people are so forgiving of this disaster. This delivery process seems like such a free for all.

 

[Scott7]

Point is, people buying Teslas seem to be willing to live with flaws that are WAAAAY worse then anything a normal car company would deliver. I don't get why people are so forgiving of this disaster. This delivery process seems like such a free for all.

The true reason people are still considering it, even when FULLY AWARE of the potential negatives, is because there's no competition for a similar electric car in this price range with the same combination of fun-to-drive, style, and technology. I see plenty of effusive praise for the car, and some owners love it so much they go out and buy a second Model 3 shortly after they get the first one. That's just not a thing you see with any other car.

I am in this "fully aware" group, but I also will not hesitate to reject my delivery next week if I determine the car to be sub-par. It would certainly be disappointing if I have to do so, but I understand that is a risk I am taking with this company at this point in it's life.

A short way to put it is: What good is a perfectly built car that comes with a woefully inferior gas engine and transmission? It doesn't matter how well built the car is if the powertrain is so significantly worse. This matters a lot more to those of us that enjoy driving than those just looking for an appliance.

 

[Mod3forMe]

The true reason people are still considering it, even when FULLY AWARE of the potential negatives, is because there's no competition for a similar electric car in this price range with the same combination of fun-to-drive, style, and technology. I see plenty of effusive praise for the car, and some owners love it so much they go out and buy a second Model 3 shortly after they get the first one. That's just not a thing you see with any other car.

I am in this "fully aware" group, but I also will not hesitate to reject my delivery next week if I determine the car to be sub-par. It would certainly be disappointing if I have to do so, but I understand that is a risk I am taking with this company at this point in it's life.

A short way to put it is: What good is a perfectly built car that comes with a woefully inferior gas engine and transmission? It doesn't matter how well built the car is if the powertrain is so significantly worse. This matters a lot more to those of us that enjoy driving than those just looking for an appliance.

I can't agree with this. Plenty of cars have a great fan base following where drivers buy multiple of them. I think sometimes we try to elevate Tesla's too high up on this forum. They area great car (with some flaws) but that not the only reason why people put up with the negatives.

Why do people put up with the wonky delivery experience I think it is a few reasons?

-For most of us we did not have an issue. I would guess 90%+ have no issue at all.
-People who had minor issues had them resolved fast
-People who had bigger issues were already committed - insurance in place, loan in place, old car sold etc. and would have a real challenge backing out.
-They are great cars

 

[Scott7]

Plenty of cars have a great fan base following where drivers buy multiple of them.

I agree with that, but I wasn't referring to multiple cars from the same brand in sequential order (replacing the old car from Brand X with the next generation from the same brand). I think that's pretty common and I've done that with legacy brands.

I'm referring to households going out and getting a second of the same exact car mere months after getting the first one. That seems to be extremely rare with other brands.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

The MR was expected to a limited run while Tesla worked their way to the SR and Tesla wants to book sales before end of 2019Q1.
It's not surprising that they want to push the inventory out.

I think you made a good decision to reject the car, but you might have to accept that you won't be able to get an MR.

I think you have three routes:
- See if you can get another suitable MR
- Ask to be switched to an SR Plus at the price before any coming increase
- Request a full refund since Tesla cannot deliver a suitable car that matches your order

 

[Mod3forMe]

I agree with that, but I wasn't referring to multiple cars from the same brand in sequential order (replacing the old car from Brand X with the next generation from the same brand). I think that's pretty common and I've done that with legacy brands.

I'm referring to households going out and getting a second of the same exact car mere months after getting the first one. That seems to be extremely rare with other brands.

I thought that was what you were saying. Is it true with the Model 3 - maybe maybe not. My grandparent bought matching 64 mustangs back in the day and then kept that trend up for the rest of their car buying days, going in and saying "I will take two please". I always thought this was cool. When you repeat a story like that enough times in your life you get all the echo stories of people knowing some other households with 2 of the same car. So I have heard allot about people ending up with matching cars.

In honesty I think what in part what drives it with Telsa is lack of options. It is not that odd for house holds to stay with one brand of cars. This make sense as you learn to trust a brand, have a relationship with a dealership etc. But I think it most common for the households to get two complementary cars - example is a Sedan and SUV or big car small car. Plus outside of Telsa you generally have allot of options in each brand. With Tesla you have one lower priced option and only relatively recently got a SUV option.

Even with only three options for Tesla's I know more families that own a combination's of Telsa's (Ie X and S or X and 3 or S and 3) than I do that own two 3's. I actually know more that own two S's than 3's as they bought when that was the only Tesla option.

The X and S are a big jump in price from the 3's I think once you see the Y come out - two 3's in one household will drop down.