Service BLOWS - yep, you've been telling me...

[danarcha]

I’m sorry that your experience with your local SC is so poor. Not all of them are like that, however. Since the days I was looking to buy a Model 3 to the days where I needed service, the Chicago SC has been great. Knowledgeable people, provided me with loaners when my car was there and entertained my many questions.

Which Chicago service center is this? I have a new M3 and it's about the same distance to Chicago or Indianapolis for me. Just wondering where I should go in the event I need service one day.

 

[sg021]

Here is my service experience.
I tried to schedule my HW3 upgrade by mobile service. It got rescheduled to my local service center. The day before the appointment I got a text that all non-tire repairs were estimated at 5+ days due to covid precautions, so I rescheduled to about a month later. I got the same text as before, but now 10+ days.
I'm thinking this can't be real, so I call. Eventually I get to a person that I'm pretty sure was not on site. They are nice and say they'll investigate and call me back. They do and inform me I'll get my car back same day. I take the 45 minute drive there next day and promptly find out I'm not getting it the same day, and I'm getting Uber credits. They offer to send mobile service instead and that's the new plan. I go down the street and have an awesome breakfast by myself, which is a rare treat when you have three young children, let alone covid restrictions. So I guess it was a net win.
I've used mobile service before, it's fantastic. The ultimate convenience that no dealership in my area offers. The actual service center is a joke. It's a small center serving a massive population, it's no surprise that the experience is so poor.

 

[75Shappyt]

It's not a bride, it's being polite to good young people doing their job the best they can. Sure it may help me get a little better service, so what. I like doing it and kinda feels like I'm part of the team. You should see what some people do to the loaners they use. Bring them back with dents in them, all dirty from having their kids eating in the back seat. Whats wrong with bring it back washed a cleaned. Good Manners. So they get paid to do what they do, a good word, a thank you, a good juster, makes them feel better and do better, and if something goes wrong, instead of being rude, just tell them it's not the end of the world, and it's fixable. The line I like to use is, just hang around me, I'll show you how to mess up, this is nothing. So you had to drive all the way there in your Tesla, then all the way back in your Tesla, try that in a VW bug, you will know what bad really is. Well first world problems.

 

[Wennfred]

Wait, you get loaners?

Yes, we get Loaners in San Diego too.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t really like the Model S. It felt like a regular ICE car. Maybe I’m just used to the clean looking interior of the Model 3.

 

[tlr1000]

Seems lots of negative service experiences but also lots of positive ones too. I've had both from my local SC; sometimes outstanding and sometimes horrible. I think it's safe to say their customer service is very inconsistent.

Maybe Elon should get some pointers on customer service from his buddy Jeff.

 

[focher]

I always have a lot of sympathy for these horror stories about Tesla service. My only reservation is that people should no extrapolate from individual cases that there is a systemic problem because we don't have data to support that view. Anecdotes don't paint very good pictures.

That said, if I get bad customer service - from anywhere - I just escalate it up the chain.

 

[75Shappyt]

I'm not sure what it is, I have never had bad service, and others I know say the same with their Teslas, but that's here in KC, not sure about other places

 

[Wnuk]

Here is my service experience.
I tried to schedule my HW3 upgrade by mobile service. It got rescheduled to my local service center. The day before the appointment I got a text that all non-tire repairs were estimated at 5+ days due to covid precautions, so I rescheduled to about a month later. I got the same text as before, but now 10+ days.
I'm thinking this can't be real, so I call. Eventually I get to a person that I'm pretty sure was not on site. They are nice and say they'll investigate and call me back. They do and inform me I'll get my car back same day. I take the 45 minute drive there next day and promptly find out I'm not getting it the same day, and I'm getting Uber credits. They offer to send mobile service instead and that's the new plan. I go down the street and have an awesome breakfast by myself, which is a rare treat when you have three young children, let alone covid restrictions. So I guess it was a net win.
I've used mobile service before, it's fantastic. The ultimate convenience that no dealership in my area offers. The actual service center is a joke. It's a small center serving a massive population, it's no surprise that the experience is so poor.

Devon told me 10 days and had it done in 8, so that’s a plus
Unfortunately, they left my car under a tree and the rear was covered in sap. After washing it, there are stains from the sap etched in the paint. And I found a nice scratch on the rear quarter panel just behind the wheel well that was not there before. I will reach out to let them know but don’t expecting them to offer to do anything about it.

 

[Wnuk]

 

[Hot Cha]

Which Chicago service center is this? I have a new M3 and it's about the same distance to Chicago or Indianapolis for me. Just wondering where I should go in the event I need service one day.

The one in Highland Park on Old Skokie Road.

 

[alecm858]

The one in Highland Park on Old Skokie Road.

The one on Elston is pretty good too. I brought my Model 3 in for a homelink install and was provided with $500 of Uber credits and a loaner (Model S P85D - locked in Chill mode sadly).

 

[Phlier]

Devon told me 10 days and had it done in 8, so that’s a plus
Unfortunately, they left my car under a tree and the rear was covered in sap. After washing it, there are stains from the sap etched in the paint. And I found a nice scratch on the rear quarter panel just behind the wheel well that was not there before. I will reach out to let them know but don’t expecting them to offer to do anything about it.

The only thing really effective at removing tree sap (of any species) is detailing clay. Wash your car thoroughly, use some instant detailing spray as a lube, and then use the clay (or clay equivalent) over the entire car, concentrating your efforts on the tree sap areas.

Tree sap has a horrible tendency to etch its way all the way through the clear coat over time, and it isn't typically affected by the solvents used in products that you'd use to wash your car with. Some of the extreme products, like those used in body shops, will work on some tree saps, but the best way is still good old detailing clay.

Get that sap off your paint as fast as you can.

In case you're wondering... I worked at a high volume car detailer for four years back in high school (1980's) and continued to do high end detailing part time (as a hobby for friends, family, and those that could afford it ) until just a few years ago when my spine forced me to stop. So yeah, I've dealt with tree sap a time or two. I try to stay away from car detailing discussions, questions, etc., as I'm simply way too set in my ways and OCD about such things to be able to discuss such things anymore. I guess that's a nice way of saying, "here's some advice, but don't expect much else."

That scratch is simply unacceptable, and I wouldn't accept any remedy other than a complete repaint of the panel. Anything other than a repaint will be a repair that will either not look up to standards, or not fade at the same rate as the surrounding area over time. Insist that they repaint the panel. I would've gone absolutely ballistic if they'd done that to my car.

 

[hellocar]

Everyone on the forums base their opinions on what they read on the forums. Everyone should already know that only people with quality and service issues report on the forum.....and not all of them. You never hear from the hundreds of thousands of other owners who don't have those issues. So what is the real truth? Tesla sure doesn't report them.

It also makes the forums less fun when folks use them to vent their frustrations - lots of negative energy from the few folks who were treated poorly by Tesla. I understand it's frustrating if you don't get the service that you feel you're entitled to, but honestly not a lot of useful discussion comes out of posting about it here. I've been using the Ignore feature, but it doesn't help so much because each new post seems to be from a relatively new member.

 

[sg021]

It also makes the forums less fun when folks use them to vent their frustrations - lots of negative energy from the few folks who were treated poorly by Tesla. I understand it's frustrating if you don't get the service that you feel you're entitled to, but honestly not a lot of useful discussion comes out of posting about it here. I've been using the Ignore feature, but it doesn't help so much because each new post seems to be from a relatively new member.

Personally, I find threads like this very useful for setting expectations. Yes, it is negative in this case and I can accept that not all service centers fall into the same generalization. It does, however, reflect a reality that you could very well encounter. With what happened to me at Devon I was basically rolling my eyes because I was prepared and therefore not surprised. Had I expected to roll in there like it's a Lexus dealer, get a loaner like it's nbd (usually my choice of several models), and be on my way for as long as it takes them to do the work, I would have been pissed. Maybe that's why there are new people joining to vent?
It's not the fault of the people working there, it's that the investment into service infrastructure in some areas simply hasn't kept up with the number of cars on the road. We knew this before we bought the car and were fine with the trade off.

 

[0ptions]

Everyone on the forums base their opinions on what they read on the forums. Everyone should already know that only people with quality and service issues report on the forum.....and not all of them. You never hear from the hundreds of thousands of other owners who don't have those issues. So what is the real truth? Tesla sure doesn't report them.

I've had a few crappy service experiences before I wrote anything here about it. So the idea goes both ways...

 

[roblab]

One of the things I like about Tesla Service is that it's hardly ever needed. Things like body paint scratches should be seen by your local body shop, not Tesla.

I've owned four Teslas now. My first, #000064, had some teething issues which were fixed fast and free, since then, zilch on our 3 and the new S. Basically there are no service issues because there is no service needed.

Sure, there are SCs that are better than others. I prefer to drive 115 miles instead of going to a closer SC, but that's me. If I'd lived closer the Ranger would have come over, but basically, in over 200,000 miles, there have been near zero needs for service.

Hope you folks get your issues taken care of.

 

[roblab]

With the CT and semi coming out. When warranty work needs to be done people will expect a pickup or a semi to replace their vehicles when their vehicle is in for repair. That could cost Tesla a fortune

Warranty work? You must be talking about the F150. One of the neat things about electrics is there is hardly ANY service.

Of course, how would I know? I've only racked up over 200,000 miles on my last four Teslas. Only had one service need on my first car, and it was fixed fast and free.

 

[Wnuk]

One of the things I like about Tesla Service is that it's hardly ever needed. Things like body paint scratches should be seen by your local body shop, not Tesla.

I would agree with you if, at least in my case, Tesla wasn't responsible for the scratch.

Emailed them (only way to contact) with no reply yet. It is frustrating.

 

[ColonelRHS]

Due to the M3 HVAC design flaw, I've got a"Musk" stench coming from my air vents (of the Elon type). Too busy to clean the coils myself, I scheduled a service appt at Tyco Road in Tyson's Corner, VA. After waiting three weeks to get the car in for a SHORT service I had my wife take it in on the designated date. I wish I were there - I never would have left the car. They told her it would take 3-5 days to perform the service. Really?? Well, why didn't you have the car come in when you're ready to work on it instead of leaving out on your lot (which, with 40 less miles on the battery I'm not sure that's where it was)? I texted the service rep that was working the case with that question. I was totally ignored. No response, nothing - good thing too, because any response other than they are incompetent would be a lie. I wake up on Saturday morning to see a message that was sent sometime between midnight and 6am telling me the car was ready. Hmmm, that means it was ready on Friday. I texted them to ensure my key was in the car literally 8-10 times because there are NO SERVICE HOURS on a Saturday unless you've made an appt. Of course, the incompetent service rep refuses to respond all day. Since the message said my car was ready, I decided to pick it up that evening. Of course, NO KEY! -Exactly my concern and the reason I contacted the service rep. So, I guess my car was NOT ready to be picked up. When I got the car I noticed there was about 40 miles less on the battery life....Hmmmm, don't think the car loses 10 miles/day sitting there. I run operations for a billion dollar business - none of those service reps would last a week working for me. With the service horror stories I've read I should be better prepared for them to not set expectations or follow through. When you buy a fully loaded M3 and write that size check, you'd expect better. Looking forward to more competition so I have more options in the future.

Elon, fire your corporate service executive! I'm happy to give you a week or two of free consulting services.

Wait until they screw up your order on a big ticket item and send you the wrong item. There is no communication once you request they send you a return label for the item you did not order, and then you ask where your item is....and you don't hear nothing, and further inquiries are a waste of time. Sure has been a lesson for me. Where do they hire these people from?

 

[JayNJ]

I have always got good service, on my 3yrs+ MS75, I'm also a good customer too, goes hand in hand with getting good service. I always bring back the loaner car they gave me to use, washed and very clean, just as I would if a friend let be use his car while mine was down. Once I broke my cable and couldn't charge my car, got there 30mins, before they opened, with donuts, they let me in anyway, they checked my car, cable, and I bought a spare cable. I have gave them masks with Tesla logo on them, and I did bring T-Shirts with me once to give them, I'm always very polite never rude or get upset. I always thank them for fixing my car, and never act like just because I spent 70K+ they should bend over backwards for me. As long as my car is fixed, I don't care if they call me back or not. I have always been like that with all the cars I have owned and got serviced. Be Nice, it helps.

I think you go way overboard with your hospitality. They should be giving you donuts and T-shirts, not the opposite. Having to bribe them with gifts to be their number one customer is sickening.