Selling/Sold you car? What did you get?

[dannycamps]

Regarding warranties, you can get a third-party warranty that offers comparable protection to what the Tesla warranty offers.

Tesla owners now have an option for a third-party extended warranty

If nothing else, it makes it at least feasible to purchase a Tesla from a non-Tesla dealership with some peace of mind.

*disclaimer: I do not endorse or use the X-Care warranty nor can I speak to how good it is.

 

[BulldogsRus]

Regarding warranties, you can get a third-party warranty that offers comparable protection to what the Tesla warranty offers.

Tesla owners now have an option for a third-party extended warranty

If nothing else, it makes it at least feasible to purchase a Tesla from a non-Tesla dealership with some peace of mind.

*disclaimer: I do not endorse or use the X-Care warranty nor can I speak to how good it is.

I've been reading quite a bit about people stating certain non-warranty items not getting repaired for things like "being within spec", or screen yellowing having to be paid for in some instances, wear caused by fitment issues, etc. My question is, if Tesla themselves refuse repairs I guess having a 3rd party won't help either? Or do you simply pay out of pocket and file a claim "hoping" it gets reimbursed?

 

[dannycamps]

I have no idea

 

[cheddarbilly]

I've been reading quite a bit about people stating certain non-warranty items not getting repaired for things like "being within spec", or screen yellowing having to be paid for in some instances, wear caused by fitment issues, etc. My question is, if Tesla themselves refuse repairs I guess having a 3rd party won't help either? Or do you simply pay out of pocket and file a claim "hoping" it gets reimbursed?

That can get very convoluted depending on the issue; for instance, i bought my model s 90d used from tesla because they advertise it passing a 70-point inspection and I assumed they'd be better the safest bet to purchase from with their warranties. Quickly needed to replace a rear tire because the alignment/balancing was off---but shops won't do that for teslas so I had to replace a tire and then pay $500 to tesla service to try to prevent that from happening again....they claimed it was due to having staggered tires as well as just normal wear and tear, but neither were true. Not long after, the same tire wore down to the cords on the inside....thankfully my longtime tire shop replaced it but tesla service was wholly unresponsive when the only logical cause was not properly aligning/adjusting the camber. Further...my own adjuster checked it out, noticed an aftermarket weld on the rim that was 100% from pre-purchase as well as battery damage from the time it was towed to a tesla shop and he could check it again....none of which tesla said was covered.

In short--teslas used warranties are garbage and their customer service is worse than garbage. Depending on the third party, you might have better chances. Tesla has been on a steady decline and their best warranty perk is for the battery...but most people don't seem to have issues with that. Things like the door handles misfunctioning, screen glitches, etc...can often be fixed on your own

 

[BulldogsRus]

That can get very convoluted depending on the issue; for instance, i bought my model s 90d used from tesla because they advertise it passing a 70-point inspection and I assumed they'd be better the safest bet to purchase from with their warranties. Quickly needed to replace a rear tire because the alignment/balancing was off---but shops won't do that for teslas so I had to replace a tire and then pay $500 to tesla service to try to prevent that from happening again....they claimed it was due to having staggered tires as well as just normal wear and tear, but neither were true. Not long after, the same tire wore down to the cords on the inside....thankfully my longtime tire shop replaced it but tesla service was wholly unresponsive when the only logical cause was not properly aligning/adjusting the camber. Further...my own adjuster checked it out, noticed an aftermarket weld on the rim that was 100% from pre-purchase as well as battery damage from the time it was towed to a tesla shop and he could check it again....none of which tesla said was covered.

In short--teslas used warranties are garbage and their customer service is worse than garbage. Depending on the third party, you might have better chances. Tesla has been on a steady decline and their best warranty perk is for the battery...but most people don't seem to have issues with that. Things like the door handles misfunctioning, screen glitches, etc...can often be fixed on your own

Yeah, reading stuff like this pains me as a potential owner. What makes it worse is that inevitably someone chimes in to attack comments like yours as "out of the ordinary", when in reality it is becoming more and more common simply because they've grown too fast. Most companies' response would be to add more staff or open more service centers, but Tesla appears to have done the complete opposite: push everything to an app and prevent you from having human contact. I really feel for those who live in areas where their closest SC is hundreds of miles or hours away, because in most cases they probably never considered bad service being an issue. I've read so many posts here from people "accruing multiple issues" before calling for service so they can all be addressed at once, simply because of how long it may take if they had each one done separately.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Yeah, reading stuff like this pains me as a potential owner. What makes it worse is that inevitably someone chimes in to attack comments like yours as "out of the ordinary", when in reality it is becoming more and more common simply because they've grown too fast. Most companies' response would be to add more staff or open more service centers, but Tesla appears to have done the complete opposite: push everything to an app and prevent you from having human contact. I really feel for those who live in areas where their closest SC is hundreds of miles or hours away, because in most cases they probably never considered bad service being an issue. I've read so many posts here from people "accruing multiple issues" before calling for service so they can all be addressed at once, simply because of how long it may take if they had each one done separately.

*Raises hand*

That sounds like me. I've got multiple issues accruing on two separate cars because I know that 1) they're all issues that can't be done by a Ranger Tech and will require a trip to the Service Center and 2) our only two service center options that are 4 hours drive round-trip are awful and it will be a lengthy nightmare I'm signing up for. We're talking about larger issues too that really need to be addressed that I've been putting off simply because of the numerous experiences I've already had with Tesla over several cars over the last year or so. They've been just terrible. I've tried both locations thinking maybe it was just that location that was run poorly and somehow the 2nd (and slightly closer) location was even worse.

Instead of being happy I have the warranty & Tesla backing the massive purchases I made from them I'm biding my time until someone comes out with something comparable that I can get serviced. I'd even settle for a downgrade for more money from another manufacturer as long as it means I can get support. I was all-in on the "Tesla Vision" but this situation has become unbearable and we went from a time when it wasn't possible to have only Tesla cars for your transportation to a time when you could be a 100% Tesla family back to a time when you can't only own Tesla cars but this time it's for completely controllable reasons.

 

[BulldogsRus]

*Raises hand*

That sounds like me. I've got multiple issues accruing on two separate cars because I know that 1) they're all issues that can't be done by a Ranger Tech and will require a trip to the Service Center and 2) our only two service center options that are 4 hours drive round-trip are awful and it will be a lengthy nightmare I'm signing up for. We're talking about larger issues too that really need to be addressed that I've been putting off simply because of the numerous experiences I've already had with Tesla over several cars over the last year or so. They've been just terrible. I've tried both locations thinking maybe it was just that location that was run poorly and somehow the 2nd (and slightly closer) location was even worse.

Instead of being happy I have the warranty & Tesla backing the massive purchases I made from them I'm biding my time until someone comes out with something comparable that I can get serviced. I'd even settle for a downgrade for more money from another manufacturer as long as it means I can get support. I was all-in on the "Tesla Vision" but this situation has become unbearable and we went from a time when it wasn't possible to have only Tesla cars for your transportation to a time when you could be a 100% Tesla family back to a time when you can't only own Tesla cars but this time it's for completely controllable reasons.

So true, you'd think with the BILLIONS in capital Benz, BMW and Audi have that over the past 7 years watching Tesla dominate this space that they'd already have multiple EV offerings, and yet the E-Tron and I-Pace are selling so slowly that now Benz has delayed theirs until next year. There's no way the luxury manufacturers would be making you wait weeks on end or not answer the phone when you call, let alone not allow you to speak with their technicians. I love Tesla but their window as the only EV in town will start closing as more rivals gain headway and it will make it that much harder for them to justify their customer service issues IMHO.

 

[cheddarbilly]

Yeah, reading stuff like this pains me as a potential owner. What makes it worse is that inevitably someone chimes in to attack comments like yours as "out of the ordinary", when in reality it is becoming more and more common simply because they've grown too fast. Most companies' response would be to add more staff or open more service centers, but Tesla appears to have done the complete opposite: push everything to an app and prevent you from having human contact. I really feel for those who live in areas where their closest SC is hundreds of miles or hours away, because in most cases they probably never considered bad service being an issue. I've read so many posts here from people "accruing multiple issues" before calling for service so they can all be addressed at once, simply because of how long it may take if they had each one done separately.

It's a hard time to be a "potential owner" with Tesla's right now. Like with what you and Ostrichsak both said...it is becoming more and more inconvenient. My buying process alone was a pain in the neck but at the time, it still seemed like the most feasible option for me (work commute, HOV access, etc). But as I slowly learned, several of the service centers around me shut down, the helpful employees throughout my purchasing headache were all laid-off, and getting assistance from the "right department" was nigh impossible. They even got rid of their loaner car offerings...instead issuing uber credits which as previously mentioned is not very helpful when the nearest center is hours away. I've been looking into the new line of audi e-trons coming out and am still debating if I should downgrade to leasing rather than purchasing a long range model 3. I used to own ford fusion energi but the ev range wasn't long enough. The only other great EV cars i've heard of are the leaf (not for me) and the fiskars...but i've heard that upkeep is hard as well. It'll be interesting to see how tesla changes as they try to recoup from the model 3 and bank on the model y in helping them. Their technology is still unparalleled in my opinion which gives them leeway for shoddy customer service. I do hope there are better options or tesla makes some changes soon though.

 

[Mysta]

So true, you'd think with the BILLIONS in capital Benz, BMW and Audi have that over the past 7 years watching Tesla dominate this space that they'd already have multiple EV offerings, and yet the E-Tron and I-Pace are selling so slowly that now Benz has delayed theirs until next year. There's no way the luxury manufacturers would be making you wait weeks on end or not answer the phone when you call, let alone not allow you to speak with their technicians. I love Tesla but their window as the only EV in town will start closing as more rivals gain headway and it will make it that much harder for them to justify their customer service issues IMHO.

I dunno, everyone acts like other dealers are different but I had been looking for a second car and constantly seeing, especially with German luxury, people complaining about cars being in service all the time and people fighting to get dealerships to take back cars with issue, legal action, etc. Sure you can get that quick service but as soon as it goes beyond that you'll be in the same spot or worse. I've just accepted that in an common community the people complaining will be most obvious, if you don't have issues then you'll prob never know any different, with any.

 

[BulldogsRus]

I dunno, everyone acts like other dealers are different but I had been looking for a second car and constantly seeing, especially with German luxury, people complaining about cars being in service all the time and people fighting to get dealerships to take back cars with issue, legal action, etc. Sure you can get that quick service but as soon as it goes beyond that you'll be in the same spot or worse. I've just accepted that in an common community the people complaining will be most obvious, if you don't have issues then you'll prob never know any different, with any.

They are different, unlike Tesla almost every dealer relies on surveys that unlock incentives and in-house promos to staff which means they'll usually go above and beyond to get that "excellent" review. The reason people complain more about German lux brands is simple: on average they cost more, have more in-car tech and cost more for service and repair because parts are shipped from overseas. Plus if they need body work repairs parts are plentiful. There are tons of aftermarket parts for Honda and Toyota compared to Benz and BMW. But on top of that, if you don't like the service at one of them there is a very good chance another dealership isn't 3 hours or even another state away, and that's the biggest problem with Tesla. If you live in a state with only one service center you are basically stuck with whatever level of customer service they offer unfortunately.

 

[wdskuk]

Well They are completely different cars. I’m coming from my ‘12 P85 to the 3P. I really like the 3, a little too much! Only had it a couple of weeks but it makes the S sad. I always liked my S & autocrossed it for 6+ years. I always matched the M3’s around here. The P3 is amazing compared to the S, I can only imagine it’s going to be nuts compared to the M3’s!

You mean the BMW M3'S

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

You mean the BMW M3'S

haha, ya, I'd call the regular Model 3 a T3 and performance a P3.
After this weekend ...the M3 doesn't come close to the P3 in autocross. I was only 1 second off of a tube frame 1600lb Subi on Hoosiers.
3 seconds faster than the M3 comp.
& not quite knowing how to drive the AWD yet

 

[wdskuk]

I got both the M3 and the P3. The P3 is definitely faster then the M3. But the handling and driving dynamics in the M3 in my opinion is much better compare to the P3. Both great cars to drive. My next car is the Cybertruck or the Byton M-byte if you know what car that is.

 

[Kandiru]

@Roush Once you experience a Tesla, there's no going back to an ICE vehicle. You will be completely and utterly spoiled for life.

It is like autometh, highly addictive and engaging, hugely rewarding. Never a smoker again for this boi 2.

 

[Kandiru]

If you buy a car from a random dealer, does Tesla offer any additional warranties?

Nope, once car registered to non-Tesla dealership for sale, extended warranty option is voided. Sometimes you can luck out if Equifax does not show car registered yet.