Should I reject Model X delivery? Can all these even be fixed?

[falconwing_MX]

Hi everyone, this is my first Tesla experience, so I am looking for your perspective and advice.

I was super excited for my first Tesla (Model X LR) delivery, but I encountered few issues that I just couldn't ignore once I saw it.
Before I accepted and paid, Tesla rep said that they'd look into fixing the issues below and said I can pay upon second inspection. But now I am wondering if these are even worth giving Tesla a shot, or if I am just better off rejecting and going back in the queue. They told me to return after 1 week.

Are having all these issues in a single Tesla vehicle common? or is this just one of those rare Teslas where I should run from?

1. Bumpy paint on the front hood:

2. Passenger side A pillar fit (not aligned):

3. Trunk fit (not aligned)

4. Panel near the mirror pushes in and out like a button on Playstation with hardly any pressure..:

 

[Tam]

Hi everyone, this is my first Tesla experience, so I am looking for your perspective and advice.

I was super excited for my first Tesla (Model X LR) delivery, but I encountered few issues that I just couldn't ignore once I saw it.
Before I accepted and paid, Tesla rep said that they'd look into fixing the issues below and said I can pay upon second inspection. But now I am wondering if these are even worth giving Tesla a shot, or if I am just better off rejecting and going back in the queue. They told me to return after 1 week.

Are having all these issues in a single Tesla vehicle common? or is this just one of those rare Teslas where I should run from?

1. Bumpy paint on the front hood:
View attachment 996507

2. Passenger side A pillar fit (not aligned):
View attachment 996508


3. Trunk fit (not aligned)
View attachment 996509

4. Panel near the mirror pushes in and out like a button on Playstation with hardly any pressure..:

View attachment 996510

I wouldn't call these fit and finish issues "rare". There have been so many complaints and we expect the quality should improve after more than a decade.

From the business view, as long as quantity makes Tesla profits there's no incentive to waste money on Quality Assurance.

 

[falconwing_MX]

and here is another. one side with white pillar(?) showing between the windows..

 

[falconwing_MX]

I wouldn't call these fit and finish issues "rare". There have been so many complaints and we expect the quality should improve after more than a decade.

From the business view, as long as quantity makes Tesla profits there's no incentive to waste money on Quality Assurance.

are these fit and finish issues usually repairable at the service center? tesla rep said they would address these and to give them a week

 

[Tam]

and here is another. one side with white pillar(?) showing between the windows..View attachment 996524

Tesla is not shy about gaps and viewable chassis.

That means I doubt this gigantic gap and viewable white chassis are fixable.

 

[falconwing_MX]

Tesla is not shy about gaps and viewable chassis.

That means I doubt this gigantic gap and viewable white chassis are fixable.

argh.. that is horrible!

if i reject delivery of the vehicle, would i end up at the back of the queue? or is the next assignment usually quick?

 

[Tam]

are these fit and finish issues usually repairable at the service center? tesla rep said they would address these and to give them a week

1) Any body expert can fix paint issues and make it look like brand new.

That means you need to know whether Tesla hired any of those experts.

2 & 3) Alignment: it could be fixed but they may caution you that it's within their specs and fixing it would make it worse.

4) it's just a trim so even some glue might fix it.

 

[skytom88]

and here is another. one side with white pillar(?) showing between the windows..View attachment 996524

This can’t be fixed. Mine’s like this too (white). It shows most on white than like a black/darker car. Tesla said “every Model X is like this”. lol (aka “within spec”)

 

[Tam]

argh.. that is horrible!

if i reject delivery of the vehicle, would i end up at the back of the queue? or is the next assignment usually quick?

Case by case basis. They would try to match you with an existing available car or you just go back to the end of the queue.

About the white chassis gap: choosing a darker color would make the chassis less visible (with the magic of optical illusion) but the gap will stay!

About rejection: Tesla does not accept returns once you accept the delivery.

You can reject before accepting the delivery to get your refund minus $250 order fee or just transfer the whole amount to another car.

 

[MikeChicago]

I'll share my thoughts with you. Reject it. Don't think twice about it. Reject it and ask for a new one. Look at the thread I had posted a while ago about the pain "repair" they did. In the end, they took it to a proper body shop and repainted the whole side. Trust me, it's not worth the trouble.

Plus, I had some gap issues, rear hatch not latching because of misalignment, and it ended up being an indicator of the overall quality.

• Paint defects
• Window trim MISSING. That's right, the long plastic trim along the windshield was MISSING entirely from the vehicle.
• Rear drive unit failed at 2,000 miles
• Drive train started shuttering recently on the highway. That was the last call. I ordered a new Model X (taking delivery tomorrow)
• Rearview mirror nearly fell off. Hang loose until it was fixed
• Plus a few minor problem, like misaligned trims, etc.

This was June 2023 built.

You paid A LOT OF MONEY for this car and it should be flawless.

 

[WiseShepherd]

I'll share my thoughts with you. Reject it. Don't think twice about it. Reject it and ask for a new one. Look at the thread I had posted a while ago about the pain "repair" they did. In the end, they took it to a proper body shop and repainted the whole side. Trust me, it's not worth the trouble.

Plus, I had some gap issues, rear hatch not latching because of misalignment, and it ended up being an indicator of the overall quality.

• Paint defects
• Window trim MISSING. That's right, the long plastic trim along the windshield was MISSING entirely from the vehicle.
• Rear drive unit failed at 2,000 miles
• Drive train started shuttering recently on the highway. That was the last call. I ordered a new Model X (taking delivery tomorrow)
• Rearview mirror nearly fell off. Hang loose until it was fixed
• Plus a few minor problem, like misaligned trims, etc.

This was June 2023 built.

You paid A LOT OF MONEY for this car and it should be flawless.

I don't disagree that you should reject if you don't feel comfortable given how much these cars cost. But the issues you pointed out seem pretty minor minus the drive unit failing - and these types of rare failures will happen to all manufacturers.

 

[MikeChicago]

I don't disagree that you should reject if you don't feel comfortable given how much these cars cost. But the issues you pointed out seem pretty minor minus the drive unit failing - and these types of rare failures will happen to all manufacturers.

I am surprised you'd consider a window trim missing a "minor issue?" It the grand scheme of things, maybe. But it is still unacceptable, in my opinion. What else could be missing that I cannot see.

Let me ask you this... if you had an employee you were paying a lot of money and they did a poor job. Would you shrug and say it's a minor problem and lazy workers will happen? Or would you expect them to change and/or fire that person? You certainly wouldn't accept it. How is this different? Tesla is taking $80,000 plus from this person. They have an obligation to deliver what they promised.

We can love our Teslas, we can believe in the mission, and you can still criticize them when they fall short. We shouldn't have to lower the bar for them.

 

[WiseShepherd]

I am surprised you'd consider a window trim missing a "minor issue?" It the grand scheme of things, maybe. But it is still unacceptable, in my opinion. What else could be missing that I cannot see.

Let me ask you this... if you had an employee you were paying a lot of money and they did a poor job. Would you shrug and say it's a minor problem and lazy workers will happen? Or would you expect them to change and/or fire that person? You certainly wouldn't accept it. How is this different? Tesla is taking $80,000 plus from this person. They have an obligation to deliver what they promised.

We can love our Teslas, we can believe in the mission, and you can still criticize them when they fall short. We shouldn't have to lower the bar for them.

I'm not suggesting that people should accept the issues you pointed out. But I do think most are minor and most would be happy to accept and have them fixed soon after. But nothing wrong with demanding perfection when spending so much. As most of us on this forum know, there will never be a perfect Tesla and we accept that.

 

[ChiefRollo]

I wouldn't call these fit and finish issues "rare". There have been so many complaints and we expect the quality should improve after more than a decade.

From the business view, as long as quantity makes Tesla profits there's no incentive to waste money on Quality Assurance.

I have had 3 Tesla's with a 4th on order...and have helped by in-laws acquire another 3. To me what you're seeing is rare, that of an outlier. It's either that or my total experience with 6 Tesla's is rare.

Regarding your situation, I would reject the car and give Tesla another chance with a different VIN. If you do, please share with us your experience with the next one. It's likely the one with which you're experiencing these issues was rejected by others. In this case, I would be disappointed at the SC to pass it around from one potential customer to the next...versus sending it back as unacceptable.

 

[NeuroRad]

Pay them with a bunch of torn up bills and tell them its within spec.

 

[awd_rails]

and here is another. one side with white pillar(?) showing between the windows..View attachment 996524

This specific is normal for all MXs. It's just more noticeable on the white cars. If you go look at the red or blue MXs, you will see the same but just less noticeable. Black and grey will not be visible because it blends into the black trim and dark glass, but if you look up close, it's consistent.

For the A-pillar, for whatever reason, Tesla really has a hard time getting this alignment "right" on alot of the MXs.

However, based on the paint bubble alone, I would reject this car. For them to fix that, they will have to repaint the entire hood and fender. And possibly the adjacent door and opposite fender as well to blend in the new paint. Essentially what you would be buying would be a repainted car. That's a hard no for me when it's a brand new car regardless of how good a repaint job it is.

 

[falconwing_MX]

I'll share my thoughts with you. Reject it. Don't think twice about it. Reject it and ask for a new one. Look at the thread I had posted a while ago about the pain "repair" they did. In the end, they took it to a proper body shop and repainted the whole side. Trust me, it's not worth the trouble.

Plus, I had some gap issues, rear hatch not latching because of misalignment, and it ended up being an indicator of the overall quality.

• Paint defects
• Window trim MISSING. That's right, the long plastic trim along the windshield was MISSING entirely from the vehicle.
• Rear drive unit failed at 2,000 miles
• Drive train started shuttering recently on the highway. That was the last call. I ordered a new Model X (taking delivery tomorrow)
• Rearview mirror nearly fell off. Hang loose until it was fixed
• Plus a few minor problem, like misaligned trims, etc.

This was June 2023 built.

You paid A LOT OF MONEY for this car and it should be flawless.

Given that this is my very first Tesla, I am really wondering if the new one would be any better, or addressing the issues above makes this a thumbs up. It's scary to hear that I am only allowed a one-time rejection and almost have to accept the next one.

Do you think I should let Tesla try to fix it, and then inspect once more when they are done fixing it? or would this be an indicator for all hell breaking loose? I am not car-savvy, so I am not sure if one issue means that everything else is off-alignment and messed up, etc.

At this time, I haven't made any final payments and waiting for them to come back with fixes for the rescheduled delivery date.

I am also not looking forward to potentially another months and months of refreshing the app for a VIN.. Ugh, this is super annoying

 

[MikeChicago]

Given that this is my very first Tesla, I am really wondering if the new one would be any better, or addressing the issues above makes this a thumbs up. It's scary to hear that I am only allowed a one-time rejection and almost have to accept the next one.

Do you think I should let Tesla try to fix it, and then inspect once more when they are done fixing it? or would this be an indicator for all hell breaking loose? I am not car-savvy, so I am not sure if one issue means that everything else is off-alignment and messed up, etc.

At this time, I haven't made any final payments and waiting for them to come back with fixes for the rescheduled delivery date.

I am also not looking forward to potentially another months and months of refreshing the app for a VIN.. Ugh, this is super annoying

I would reject it.
I know it's annoying. You're excited. You want to finally have that new car. I have to go through that tomorrow. Hopefully all is well, but if not, I'll be rejecting it also. Fingers crossed.

Few months down the road, you'll be happy you did. Chances are the next one will be fine. Browsing this forum you'll find some people make three attempts. You are never "forced" to accept it. If they cannot deliver a properly built car, why should you pay for it?

We bought two Model Y's before. Mine was a disaster. My wife's is literally perfect. It's worth trying again.

 

[awd_rails]

Given that this is my very first Tesla, I am really wondering if the new one would be any better, or addressing the issues above makes this a thumbs up. It's scary to hear that I am only allowed a one-time rejection and almost have to accept the next one.

Do you think I should let Tesla try to fix it, and then inspect once more when they are done fixing it? or would this be an indicator for all hell breaking loose? I am not car-savvy, so I am not sure if one issue means that everything else is off-alignment and messed up, etc.

At this time, I haven't made any final payments and waiting for them to come back with fixes for the rescheduled delivery date.

I am also not looking forward to potentially another months and months of refreshing the app for a VIN.. Ugh, this is super annoying

Personally, I would reject it no questions asked due to the repaint required.

I rejected my first VIN back in Sept (specifically for A-pillar alignment/gap worst than yours that they wouldn't agree to fix). Took about another month for me to take delivery of the 2nd VIN they assigned. But at the end the day, I sleep better knowing that I have a better build quality MX.

 

[ChargePort]

REJECT-Not acceptable build quality.