Service center experience: trading my 3 in for a Mercedes

[Sunshine State]

I see. In that case it’s better to get something else until Tesla build out their network. I was actually really worried to go Page, AZ last weekend because there’s no Tesla support there. Never worried when going to SF or Vegas because I know I can get a tow nearby to a service center and get my car fixed if something happens. I didn’t know FL was that behind like middle America. FL should be a mecca for Teslas. Wonder why not a lot of support there.

I believe Florida is number 3 in Tesla volume, close to number 2, but the volume is a strain on them. Florida is also an enormous state being over 830 miles from one end to another which puts distance between services and population typically being highest along the coasts.

 

[SMAlset]

ROTFLOL. So you meet this nice young thing and want to make her yours so you marry and have a lot of fun together. Great woman. No complaints about her. But then you suddenly decide to pre-emptively divorce her because...well there are people getting divorced out there and god forbid it happens to you. So you cut your losses before you spend years with her having a wonderful life. Most people feel staying together is worth the ups and downs life sends your way. Any way watch out for those meteors that could fall in Florida or the sinkhole that could open up in your driveway and swallow your new Mercedes.

We have very busy Bay Area SCs too. I can't imagine ditching a car I love driving because it might need to go to service at some point and I can't handle their service center. We don't have kids but I would think dealing with their issues would be harder to cope with with a smile on my face.

 

[Uncle Paul]

In Orange County, CA, Tesla has opened up two service centers. They on in Santa Ana works only on Model 3. Techs get to work on the same cars over and over...very efficient.

2nd SC is in Coasta Mesa. They don't work on the popular Model 3, but do all the S/X/Coupes. They stock the parts necessary for these cars.

An example of how Tesla is adapting to the increased volume of Model 3 (and soon Y) on the roads.

I purchased my X due to the horrible service I got at Mercedes. They refused to reset my dash warning to get an oil change. I had gotten my oilchange at Sears earlier, but they have now been blocked out of the reset to clear the dash.

Mercedes said they would only reset the dash if they would re-change the oil ($300) themselves. Said this was the new policy for every Mercedes dealership in California. Said they all got together and decided that they wanted to be the exclusive service providers for Mercedes.

Paid the $300 and went home to order a new Tesla.

Service is an issue for all manufacturers. Dealerships charge way more than independent service centers, and they now want every dollar of service revenue they can get, as new car sales have become less profitable to them. Sales volume is continously dropping and only service center revenue is keeping most of the dealers afloat.

People somehow seem to be entitled to free Tesla loaners everytime they take their cars in. They want constant updates on their cars progress and want every repair covered free under warranty. With expectations this high, I am not surprised that some will grumble.

 

[XLR82XS]

I wouldnt have paid the $300. It's easy to reset the oil life computer. DIY on the net.

 

[wws]

The funny thing is that I couldn't wait to trade my MB in on the Model 3. All those "Service A"s and "Service B"s, transmission problems, and various engine problems added up. The last repair estimate I got would have required removing/replacing the engine for a mere $14k. Wasn't going to happen.

So far, after a year and a half, I've only needed to have a mobile tech look at my sticky driver door handle. (He was working on a neighbors Model X, and kindly came over when he was done. So I didn't even have to log a service call.) A little WD-40 sprayed in the right spot and he was on his way.

 

[tvad]

I had mostly Mercedes cars for years and they did charge a very high price for their service. We did use Mercedes coupons for significant discounts off of their high prices. We eventually switched to new BMW’s and experienced unbelievably good service that was far above our expectations. Bmw fixes any defects including minor trim wear that Tesla says is normal and we have never paid a dime for anything under BMW warranty. We have had virtually no defects on our current BMW’s and the paint/body/interior and overall fitment is on an entirely different level of quality. Tesla service was better a few years ago and I believe the volume of 3’s has stressed them to where they can’t deliver at a quality level anymore. We also bought a new Lexus RX450h hybrid a few years ago and it was a really nice car, I understand why the RX350 (gas) is their best seller. We had excellent service from Lexus and will likely buy another RX in a heartbeat if they eventually go full electric. We are admittedly spoiled because for the last 20 years have only purchased new high end automobiles. We do love our Tesla performance cars and overlook their small deficiencies but think the overall purchase/service experience is nowhere near the dealer/customer experience from traditional high end dealers.

Wait until the BMW warranty expires. LOL.

We are past owners of 6 BMW autos beginning in 2000.

New BMWs are designed with a certain amount of planned parts obsolescence to keep costs down and drive future service/repairs. This according to our independent BMW service professional, Jack Fahuna of JFPro Independent BMW Service.

Parts fail after four or five years. Our 2013 528i required a new AC unit after five years. And new motor mounts. We sold it and bought the Model 3.

While under warranty, BMW service is excellent. I agree.

 

[sperkin]

I believe Florida is number 3 in Tesla volume, close to number 2, but the volume is a strain on them. Florida is also an enormous state being over 830 miles from one end to another which puts distance between services and population typically being highest along the coasts.

It will get better. It used to take 6 weeks to book the next open appointment in LA during summer 2018. Longest I have booked was 8 weeks. Now I can book an appointment in 4 to 5 days.

Tesla service and supercharger network can't grow fast enough to keep up with the car sale. This will be bad once Model Y floods the market. I see appointments going back to 6-8 weeks wait as we get into the Fall. Hopefully they have more SC coming online like the Santa Ana Model 3 service center.

 

[G26okie]

The few service appts I've had so far with my car have been above what I've experienced with normal car dealers, however I am worried for the future, especially because my service center here in south florida is usually super busy and they are only going to keep selling more and more cars.

 

[CreamSoduh]

Have my very first appt for my X at the new Oxnard, CA service center for driver window and MCU issue. Already reached out to me so I'll be sure to follow up on how it goes

 

[ALSETJC]

My unofficial spreadsheet of cars on tows shows Mercedes on top followed by BMW. Considering they sell far less than Toyota and Honda yet appear on tows almost ten times as frequently. Have fun.

 

[Fresnel]

After my recent service center experience in Orlando, I have become convinced that owning a Tesla may become more and more problematic in the future. The car itself is wonderful, but the experience of owning a car and having it serviced is very important, and Tesla is failing miserably. The Orlando center is absolutely overwhelmed, and it shows. Most of the employees don't seem to care much and are trying just to get through the day. Getting the attention of a service person takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. Comparing my Tesla experience to my previous BMW and Mercedes ownership:

• BMW: I have a problem. I pick up the phone. Brent, my service guy answers on the second ring and asks about my family. A guy drives a loaner over and takes my car.
• Tesla: Can't call, even to ask a simple question. All service needs to be scheduled through the app. Service calls are usually at least a week out, sometimes two or three.
• BMW: Brent calls and says they have to order a part. It will arrive overnight and be installed the next day.
• Tesla: No calls. Service adviser texts that he needs to order a part. When will it arrive? No idea. I'm going on vacation for a week. Service adviser says no problem, it will definitely be ready by then. I return a week later and text my adviser to see if the car is ready. Nope. I live 90 minutes away. Is there anybody who can deliver the car when fixed? No, we're far too busy for that.
• BMW: Fixed car is delivered, washed inside and out.
• Tesla:
  • I drive 90 minutes, then wait the usual 30 minutes to talk to someone. Car is brought around. It is absolutely filthy. It is covered in leaves, sap, pollen and other tree debris. The debris is in the Frunk and the Trunk, and in the interior. What did they do, work on the car under a tree with every window and door open??
  • I drive home, then as I am washing it, I notice that the front end has extensive scraping damage to the paint, as if another vehicle or something had ground against it.
  • I try to text my service adviser. Case is closed and the text thread won't accept further messages.
  • I look for some phone number, any phone number, to call about this. Nothing on the website.
  • I email and I create a new service request. Four days so far......one return email saying they will forward the message, but otherwise, crickets.

I absolutely love my Model 3. But, I can't drive around dreading if something goes wrong and I have to subject myself and my car to further service. Service after the sale is key to satisfied customers. Traditional car companies get this, especially the ones that are competing at Tesla's price point (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc). This is especially true now that it is becoming evident that Tesla's reliability may not be as stellar as hoped (I needed service because my whole drive unit failed after 12,000 miles). Tesla's service center in Orlando is overwhelmed already. Tesla aims to sell 500,000 more vehicles this year! I sense an impending disaster in Tesla's reputation if it doesn't get in front of this ASAP. I have an appointment to look at a Mercedes tomorrow and trade my M3 in. It is with reluctance. I hope that Tesla will grow to become a real car company with real service one day. Today is not that day.

I agree with a lot of what you said. Tesla gets away with a lot such as poorer customer service and poorer overall vehicle quality vs a luxury car and the reason Tesla can do it is because their cars are so damn good and amazing overall. So while there are problems people are generally ok with it because they love their cars. You won't find any EV at the moment and switching back to a gas car sounds insane to me. I totally get why you're doing it though.

 

[Sutton 3P]

People somehow seem to be entitled to free Tesla loaners everytime they take their cars in.

Perhaps some high level executive at Tesla had promised to always give loaners, which would be top of the line versions of current models. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe worth looking into.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Elon says lots of things that do not happen. His conversations are free flow of consciousness. Not everything he forecasts turns out.

Production has tripled since he envisioned that perk.

 

[Jymmybob]

New BMWs are designed with a certain amount of planned parts obsolescence to keep costs down and drive future service/repairs. This according to our independent BMW service professional, Jack Fahuna of JFPro Independent BMW Service.

This isn't a thing. OEMs value price/performance/reliability differently and some brands like BMW might be willing to skim closer to projected lifespans in return for more bang for the their buck but no one is sitting around building some sort of planned breakage to drive service. BMW's return on keeping their dealers' service departments busy is literally nothing compared to having brand goodwill for long lasting cars. Every single OEM, especially[/] Tesla, is aggressive in keeping their costs down and it's an incredibly complex job. There's 10,000s of suppliers providing 100,000s of parts, all of which have full design, cost, and performance considerations. It's nuts.

The further the design is pushed means you have less data to plan reliability and you can compare incremental improvements year to year on something like a Toyota/Lexus vs BMW you can see how their philosophies differ. Tesla is even more willing to take risks than anyone which is why you see some crazy problems like the yellow bordered screens and paint/alignment defects. There's a very real chance of a nightmare problem popping up in a couple years from current production Model 3s because they just don't have the knowledge base to know how their cars will last long term and they've only just starting making any sort of volume.

 

[vegas888]

This is wrong forum to say something like that.
Everyone here will tell you they dont have problem with their cars or service department. Untill something happens to THEM ! And it will happen, just wait...
Time is working AGAINST Tesla owners, not Tesla company itself. With new cars sold this year (MY) and not building more service centers situation will get worse. Just wait!
Our service center was BEST place for years i was told.
Loaners everytime,smiley faces everywhere,phone calls answered everytime...
Then old employees got laid off,replaced with new and company policy changed.
It will happen more and more, just wait!
My neighbor convinced me to by Tesla, M3. She has MX. Bought in 2016 new. For years she was telling me best car and service ever. She went with me to place deposit and try new M3 .
At same time (fortunately for me and unfortunately for her) she started having problems with her car.
10k in repairs. Out of warranty. But she was OK with that. What changed everything was way to deal with service. She couldnt reach anyone by phone, problems with making appoitment (long wait),no loaners,rude new people.... And she paid 130k for that car just 4 yr ago.
After talking with several other tesla owners confirming service issues i cancelled my order! Untill Tesla fix all this issues.
It is funny and at the same time sad to see some people here to be such a fun boys and support Tesla doing this.
That reminds me when i was teen and visiting Online gaming forums.We are not kids anymore.
We are old adults here who paid many $$$ for our cars and we expect to enjoy it, not to fight for something for weeks that other companies will do on same or next day!

 

[linux-works]

unbalanced company growth. its true and customer service is highly variable. that's not a good thing, we don't want it to be *variable*.

uber credits are insulting to people who pay close to (or exceeding) the cost of a HOUSE (in many parts of the country) on a car.

I do worry about how tesla, the company, will scale, over time. they are selling cars like crazy; how much longer is it going to take until they can build more service centers? and will they ever give up on this 'text only, online only' approach towards service? personally, I don't like that. I'm very tech oriented, but still old enough to know the value of being able to reach an actual person, at least via voice.

tesla is not the only game in town, long-term. they have a few years left before the other bay area car companies start to offer actual competition. the non-bay area ones are years behind, but tesla does not own special talent and the bay area switches people very often. a lead that tesla has now is not a permanent thing. I hope (as an owner) they invest wisely on service. that's their weakest point and it will kill them if they don't fix it soon (in a few years or less).

 

[idealdreams]

This mimics my experience with my Model 3 and service as well. Tesla is not capable at this time to provide basic service or customer support. They are only focused on building cars (so fast that they can't even let their part inventories grow for service options).

I leased my Model 3 from a Prestige Audi A4. Before the Audi, I had 3 Cadillacs. Both are luxury car manufacturers and both provided absolutely stellar delivery and ownership experiences. If you have an issue, no problem. Bring the car to the dealer, enjoy a loaner vehicle of the same make while they work on the car, drop it off, and pick yours up. Can't drive it in to the dealer that day? No problem, they will drop off a loaner vehicle of the same make off at your location and pick yours up and deliver it back to you once finished.

You have an issue with Tesla? !@#$ you if you're not in California. Don't have a service center nearby? Mobile rangers can only go so far and can only handle so much. Have an issue a mobile ranger can't handle? !@#$ you, drive 2+ hours to bring your car in. By the way, we won't guarantee you a loaner vehicle or even Uber coupons because we cut the budget on those options too. Gotta meet those volume numbers.

I have just over 2 years on my lease and as of today, Tesla has done !@#$-all in earning my business again and I am counting down the days until I can turn my Model 3 in and jump in to something else. When I pay for something to considered to be "luxury," I expect everything to be luxury, service and support included.

I have a standard response to anyone who asks me if I like my Tesla. "Car is great, service and support is awful. Tires are good for about 20,000 miles if you're lucky and the paint is so thin it might as well not even exist. Good luck!"

 

[Fresnel]

This mimics my experience with my Model 3 and service as well. Tesla is not capable at this time to provide basic service or customer support. They are only focused on building cars (so fast that they can't even let their part inventories grow for service options).

I leased my Model 3 from a Prestige Audi A4. Before the Audi, I had 3 Cadillacs. Both are luxury car manufacturers and both provided absolutely stellar delivery and ownership experiences. If you have an issue, no problem. Bring the car to the dealer, enjoy a loaner vehicle of the same make while they work on the car, drop it off, and pick yours up. Can't drive it in to the dealer that day? No problem, they will drop off a loaner vehicle of the same make off at your location and pick yours up and deliver it back to you once finished.

You have an issue with Tesla? !@#$ you if you're not in California. Don't have a service center nearby? Mobile rangers can only go so far and can only handle so much. Have an issue a mobile ranger can't handle? !@#$ you, drive 2+ hours to bring your car in. By the way, we won't guarantee you a loaner vehicle or even Uber coupons because we cut the budget on those options too. Gotta meet those volume numbers.

I have just over 2 years on my lease and as of today, Tesla has done !@#$-all in earning my business again and I am counting down the days until I can turn my Model 3 in and jump in to something else. When I pay for something to considered to be "luxury," I expect everything to be luxury, service and support included.

I have a standard response to anyone who asks me if I like my Tesla. "Car is great, service and support is awful. Tires are good for about 20,000 miles if you're lucky and the paint is so thin it might as well not even exist. Good luck!"

Yeah, I'm very curious if you're going to get another Tesla in 2 years.. I would love to know what you do when it comes that time.

Teslas target customer is going to be everyone not just people that buy high end cars. So, I don't think the service will ever match more premium car companies that mainly focus on only high end cars.

 

[Big Dog]

After my recent service center experience in Orlando, I have become convinced that owning a Tesla may become more and more problematic in the future. The car itself is wonderful, but the experience of owning a car and having it serviced is very important, and Tesla is failing miserably. The Orlando center is absolutely overwhelmed, and it shows. Most of the employees don't seem to care much and are trying just to get through the day. Getting the attention of a service person takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. Comparing my Tesla experience to my previous BMW and Mercedes ownership:

• BMW: I have a problem. I pick up the phone. Brent, my service guy answers on the second ring and asks about my family. A guy drives a loaner over and takes my car.
• Tesla: Can't call, even to ask a simple question. All service needs to be scheduled through the app. Service calls are usually at least a week out, sometimes two or three.
• BMW: Brent calls and says they have to order a part. It will arrive overnight and be installed the next day.
• Tesla: No calls. Service adviser texts that he needs to order a part. When will it arrive? No idea. I'm going on vacation for a week. Service adviser says no problem, it will definitely be ready by then. I return a week later and text my adviser to see if the car is ready. Nope. I live 90 minutes away. Is there anybody who can deliver the car when fixed? No, we're far too busy for that.
• BMW: Fixed car is delivered, washed inside and out.
• Tesla:
  • I drive 90 minutes, then wait the usual 30 minutes to talk to someone. Car is brought around. It is absolutely filthy. It is covered in leaves, sap, pollen and other tree debris. The debris is in the Frunk and the Trunk, and in the interior. What did they do, work on the car under a tree with every window and door open??
  • I drive home, then as I am washing it, I notice that the front end has extensive scraping damage to the paint, as if another vehicle or something had ground against it.
  • I try to text my service adviser. Case is closed and the text thread won't accept further messages.
  • I look for some phone number, any phone number, to call about this. Nothing on the website.
  • I email and I create a new service request. Four days so far......one return email saying they will forward the message, but otherwise, crickets.

I absolutely love my Model 3. But, I can't drive around dreading if something goes wrong and I have to subject myself and my car to further service. Service after the sale is key to satisfied customers. Traditional car companies get this, especially the ones that are competing at Tesla's price point (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc). This is especially true now that it is becoming evident that Tesla's reliability may not be as stellar as hoped (I needed service because my whole drive unit failed after 12,000 miles). Tesla's service center in Orlando is overwhelmed already. Tesla aims to sell 500,000 more vehicles this year! I sense an impending disaster in Tesla's reputation if it doesn't get in front of this ASAP. I have an appointment to look at a Mercedes tomorrow and trade my M3 in. It is with reluctance. I hope that Tesla will grow to become a real car company with real service one day. Today is not that day.

Sorry to hear that the Tesla experience is not for you. Some folks prefer bricks-and-mortar retail, and some are extremely happy with anonymous 800 numbers. I personally don't care to have a "Brent", but if that makes your car owning experience better for you, good that you found out. Hopefully one of your favorite Euro companies will come up with quality EV soon.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Some people just need to be coddled.