Rejected Delivery, what are my options?

[SMAlset]

I have never seen so many people in my life micro-inspect their cars than I have on this forum. In part I think it comes from being on here. And I also think there's this general pervasive issue of people thinking they are being taken advantage of by everyone today. I know when we bought our previous Hondas and Toyotas we walked around the car at the dealership and that was about it. No close up eyeballing the paint or door panels. What ever issues we found with the car later, like if some overhead light didn't work or such, we just took in without feeling the need to tell everyone about it. While I think user forums can be great for sharing of info and helping people learn about their car, I do think it has made people who normally wouldn't be so obsessive about things go more to extremes.

As far a minor paint issue, are people not aware that at legacy dealerships when the cars come off the carrier from the manufacturer and need paint work from scratches, dents etc, they get sent to the body shop as well? Only difference with Tesla right now is that this is being done after delivery. Tesla stores/service centers don't have huge parking lots like you see at Ford dealerships with row after row of parked cars to let cars sit waiting for a buyer to take them away. Is this really such a big deal? I get it's an inconvenience and delayed gratification for the buyer (been there myself as mentioned above in thread) but if you knew the Toyota car you were picking up had scratches on it and it had been sent to the body shop for paint work, would you be rejecting it?? What's the difference it gets painted before or after you see it if it's done to your satisfaction? Unless the scratches or paint issues are so bad on a car, I honestly think rejecting a MR especially (with the better battery range and other features) is foolish. They are giving you a car to use in the meantime so it's not like you'll be out of pocket renting something. It's not like the car fell off the transport and had all kinds of body work needed. I get we all want to think everything we buy is absolutely perfect but it's not. You could wait for the perfectly painted car and find out a month down the road some electronic part on it was acting up and needed to go to service or even worse someone rear ends you and your car is now going to the body shop. Point I guess I'm trying to make is don't put too much weight on certain minor things; and we all live with the decisions we make.

 

[Scott7]

Only difference with Tesla right now is that this is being done after delivery.

Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

I think a lot of people definitely are doing closer inspections than they would with a new car from another brand, but Tesla brought that on themselves through what they've decided was ok to deliver. Everyone is free to make their own call on what they're willing to accept.

 

[SMAlset]

....I think a lot of people definitely are doing closer inspections than they would with a new car from another brand, but Tesla brought that on themselves through what they've decided was ok to deliver. Everyone is free to make their own call on what they're willing to accept.

Of course everyone is free to decide and wasn't saying differently. As to Tesla bringing that on themselves by what they decided was ok to deliver, it's not really that it's "okay to deliver with some issues" as implied (otherwise they wouldn't offer due bills), just that they simply don't have the room to hold cars over waiting to go to the body shop like any other manufacturer and then sell the car from the lot where it's been sitting for a while.

So Tesla Fremont delivers the cars and does any due bill work after locally. GM etc. does the same, they ship the car to an intermediary dealership and they outsource any paint and body work locally too. So really don't see much difference other than having to wait longer to pick up your car.

 

[Mod3forMe]

Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

I think a lot of people definitely are doing closer inspections than they would with a new car from another brand, but Tesla brought that on themselves through what they've decided was ok to deliver. Everyone is free to make their own call on what they're willing to accept.

That is kind of the whole point. At legacy dealers an employee does the fine tooth comb inspection and then gets everything fixed before the customer sees the car.

With Tesla the customer is left to do this inspection. Given the customer is now responsible people now go in with check lists(something employees at dealership use) to make sure they car does not need work.

 

[gobble]

The lack of dealerships is a good excuse but seems like a pretty significant flaw in their model. There should never be a situation where a customer picks up a new $50k car and has to take it right to the paint shop for a week, month, or three. That's really screwed up.

 

[Mod3forMe]

The lack of dealerships is a good excuse but seems like a pretty significant flaw in their model. There should never be a situation where a customer picks up a new $50k car and has to take it right to the paint shop for a week, month, or three. That's really screwed up.

yes, you are correct.

People seem to hate the dealership model, but when it is working it does assure the costumer has an advocate with some leverage at ground level dealing with the automaker. It also give the consumer some options on where to buy their X brand car forcing dealership to do their best to make customers happy.

I am not sure Tesla has proved that their model is a ‘better way’ to sell cars.

 

[jonotastic]

I've owned many luxury cars from Mercedes, Lexus, Porsche, BMW and I've never had things like doors not aligned, paint chips, handles not working, at delivery etc. There is a difference between having a cult-like mind vs being a realist. To say Tesla is no different compared to the companies above is so false when it comes to quality control. However, I didn't expect Tesla to be running as smooth as those above because they are just now becoming a large car maker. I understand they have stuff they need to learn along the way. If you act like a blind cult follower, they will never change and ultimately will lead to their downfall as legacy makers catch up. Nothing comes close to the cars Tesla makes as of now. However, to act like this is normal regardless of the car maker is very misleading and is only hurting Tesla as a company by not bringing this issues to attention. I have no idea why they can't have someone do a final check before shipping them to parts of the country. Why did they send my car all the way to Florida before finding out the door won't open or close. Now they are sending it back to California. What a waste of money and time for Tesla. My point is you can still love Tesla and their cars and still criticize their short failings. That doesn't make you a hater, it actually will better Tesla and increase their odds of succeeding.

 

[Glamisduner]

I have never seen so many people in my life micro-inspect their cars than I have on this forum. In part I think it comes from being on here. And I also think there's this general pervasive issue of people thinking they are being taken advantage of by everyone today. I know when we bought our previous Hondas and Toyotas we walked around the car at the dealership and that was about it. No close up eyeballing the paint or door panels. What ever issues we found with the car later, like if some overhead light didn't work or such, we just took in without feeling the need to tell everyone about it. While I think user forums can be great for sharing of info and helping people learn about their car, I do think it has made people who normally wouldn't be so obsessive about things go more to extremes.

As far a minor paint issue, are people not aware that at legacy dealerships when the cars come off the carrier from the manufacturer and need paint work from scratches, dents etc, they get sent to the body shop as well? Only difference with Tesla right now is that this is being done after delivery. Tesla stores/service centers don't have huge parking lots like you see at Ford dealerships with row after row of parked cars to let cars sit waiting for a buyer to take them away. Is this really such a big deal? I get it's an inconvenience and delayed gratification for the buyer (been there myself as mentioned above in thread) but if you knew the Toyota car you were picking up had scratches on it and it had been sent to the body shop for paint work, would you be rejecting it?? What's the difference it gets painted before or after you see it if it's done to your satisfaction? Unless the scratches or paint issues are so bad on a car, I honestly think rejecting a MR especially (with the better battery range and other features) is foolish. They are giving you a car to use in the meantime so it's not like you'll be out of pocket renting something. It's not like the car fell off the transport and had all kinds of body work needed. I get we all want to think everything we buy is absolutely perfect but it's not. You could wait for the perfectly painted car and find out a month down the road some electronic part on it was acting up and needed to go to service or even worse someone rear ends you and your car is now going to the body shop. Point I guess I'm trying to make is don't put too much weight on certain minor things; and we all live with the decisions we make.

Everyone on here is a bunch of entitled whiners.

But really, it is unfortunate so many people have issues, and if you don't nail them all you can be held accountable, neither one of the two I inspected were clean either which makes it difficult to determine if it's just dirt or actually a paint issue. People suggesting I lay down in an asphalt parking lot to inspect the underside etc. That means you need to being a bunch of things with you like a towel to lay on, (or just come pickup your new can in your yard work cloths?) flashlight etc. Ridiculous. Lots of times they are not minor issues either. Mine was in the shop for 6 weeks, before I got it back. And then it took another 6 or so trips to the service center over 3 months to fix all the rattles caused by the body shop and / or tesla trying to make good. Still one of my doors sticks out past the body. Also, I rejected the first car because it was even worse than the second one.

OP, you did the right thing, and don't be afraid to reject it again if necessary like I was (worried about tax credit expiring).

 

[Argoniii]

I am not sure if it was said as I am lazy and didn't read all the comments but get your price in writing. Him saying they will honor the price means nothing if not on paper.

 

[Skmetallica]

So delivery manager calls me back with these options:

1. LR with paint credit. I was originally going for SR+ so not going to fork out an extra $3K.
2. Keep MR and wait at least a month for bodyshop to fix paint issues. No loaner will be provided but they’ll give a wall charger and complimentary maintenance for 2 years.
3. Take car, put issues on due bill list, wait till body shop can get issues fixed. Also get charger and maintenance for 2 years.

Funny thing is I called the body shop and they said they cannot even get a new car checked in until end of May. They are swamped with a ton of Teslas that need paint work. They are the only authorized shop in the area. I called the manager out on this and he said yes that is the shop we used but no I have not checked car in yet. Was going to do that first thing tomorrow morning. Also, the manager said that paint “drying” time is just 24 hours and I can get a clear bra put right afterward. Bodyshop said nope, can’t do anything until 30 day curing time is over.

Thinking it over but not liking any of these options. One month time frame seems very optimistic given what shop is saying. Taking delivery with a due bill seems like a lot of chasing around, with a new baby due next week doesn’t sound appealing.

I asked if they can apply the paint credit to a SR+ since that was my original order and the sales rep encouraged me to upgrade to MR which they are unable to deliver. He didn’t seem optimistic but would let me know tomorrow.

 

[jkoya]

Funny thing is I called the body shop and they said they cannot even get a new car checked in until end of May. They are swamped with a ton of Teslas that need paint work. They are the only authorized shop in the area.

Was it Kniesel's Collision that you called in Rocklin ? I asked them why there was a 2.5 month wait for an available appointment and I was told it was because they are the only Tesla approved body shop all the way to Reno, Nevada.

As I mentioned earlier, Kniesel's Collision does excellent work, it's just the long wait times that were frustrating.

 

[dhrivnak]

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?

Why would a car be “beat up” with 600 miles??? It may not be perfect but it should be close and you are getting a significant discount.

 

[Skmetallica]

Was it Kniesel's Collision that you called in Rocklin ? I asked them why there was a 2.5 month wait for an available appointment and I was told it was because they are the only Tesla approved body shop all the way to Reno, Nevada.

As I mentioned earlier, Kniesel's Collision does excellent work, it's just the long wait times that were frustrating.

Yep, that’s the one. A little concerned at the big discrepancies between what the delivery manager says and what Kniesel is saying.

People who have got due bills with delivery, how does that work? How detailed is it? Can I get them to commit certain work on paper and then they do it whenever they get time? Which in this case could be several months later? What I don’t want to happen is these guys use touch up paint instead of refinishing the entire panel or bumper, just to check off the box and close out the due bill.

 

[devilmountain]

I used to work at a dealership and my dad ran them for man years. I agree SMAlset says. The dealer pays for someone to perform the PDI and any issues are taken care of before the car goes on the lot. I remember doing a dealer trade once, the car I picked up had to have some of the worst body work I have ever seen to a new car. There are issues and legacy manufacturers have panel gap issues too. I see it when I am paying attention to it.

Why would a car be “beat up” with 600 miles??? It may not be perfect but it should be close and you are getting a significant discount.

Cars get beat up when they are loaded on trucks, then unloaded. I have seen more than one car which did not come off the ramps of a truck correctly. While being transported they get hit by road debris. When loading and unloading the driver is walking around and burshing up against the car. While at storage lots, people are walking around brushing up against cars. Carless employees cause damage when parking cars. You would be amazed how much damage happens to cars just sitting around.

Just get a copy of the due bill if you are going to accept the car. Tesla or just about any dealer will make you whole with a due bill.

 

[jkoya]

People who have got due bills with delivery, how does that work? How detailed is it? Can I get them to commit certain work on paper and then they do it whenever they get time? Which in this case could be several months later? What I don’t want to happen is these guys use touch up paint instead of refinishing the entire panel or bumper, just to check off the box and close out the due bill.

My "Due Bill" was not detailed at all with general descriptions of what I wanted corrected. Example - paint chips in driver's door sill. When you have a consult appointment and when you drop off the car for the actual paint work, Kniesel's does a walk around and you show them what needs to be corrected. From delivery day on 12/5/18 to drop off day at Kniesel's on 2/18/19, I added on about 10 items to my "Due Bill". It was raining hard on delivery day and Rocklin delivers all the cars outside, so it's hard to see all the flaws in the flat light. I just contacted Tesla via email with pictures showing the paint defects (example - sand or dirt underneath the clear coat) and they added them on without any issues. Make sure all your items are listed in your service profile (their term, not mine).

I wouldn't worry about Kniesel's just using touch up paint for fixes. I had 3 long, thin scratches on the left front fender that I thought they would just use touch up paint and they repainted the area and it matches perfectly. There was also a long scratch that looked like it could be buffed out and they repainted that panel as well. Kniesel's also reminded me I needed to wait at least 30 days before any ppf installations and the 4 shops I contacted for quotes also reminded me of the same thing. Kniesel's does care about their reputation and they did an an excellent job when I got rear ended in my Honda Fit EV (almost the same color blue).

I still have one item left on my "Due Bill" for a small crack in the front roof glass, but I'm waiting for the full ppf to be installed before I take it to Rocklin SC.

Let me know if you have any questions about the Kniesel's process. The long wait was painful, but the end result was excellent. Good Luck !

 

[Th3120ck]

Tesla Model S, X with "Hardware 3" for Full Self-Driving now in production, inventory codes indicate

HW3 in S and X. Looks like I'm gonna take delivery as late as possible

 

[Bombero1394]

We picked up a model 3 with some paint defects back in December. Drove it for almost 2 months, then took it in for the repairs and they fixed even some scratches that we did after delivery. Came back better than new. I personally wouldn’t worry if that’s the car you want. They’ll make it right and you’re getting a $500 charger too.

 

[Lasttoy]

I stopped a rest area. Low and behold, a truck load of Teslas. I was interested in under side. I climbed all under them. I noticed all the tiny tits on the tires were gone on every car?? Drive said every car is road tested after it rolls out of the door. He said they run the dog out of every car around a test track out back of factory. No wonder they show up with body defects.
I got a new Corvette one time, got it home. Washed it, paint came off front, broken glass under seats. Wreaked on unload. Gave me $5k refund. And fixed it. Free.

 

[Skmetallica]

Just to put closure on this, I accepted the car with a due bill, free wall charger and 2 years’ maintenance. They expect a month’s wait before they can get it in the shop to fix the paint stuff.

Other than that, love the car! No regrets. Ordering/delivery was a little rough but I’ll take my limited edition MR

 

[buste2]

Just to put closure on this, I accepted the car with a due bill, free wall charger and 2 years’ maintenance. They expect a month’s wait before they can get it in the shop to fix the paint stuff.

Other than that, love the car! No regrets. Ordering/delivery was a little rough but I’ll take my limited edition MR

How was the free wall charger and 2 year maintenance offered? Did they offer you another car?