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So.... I rejected my collection car today :(
- Thread starter JS77
- Start date
any pics op ?
also tweet directly to tesla on twitter and elon you will get an immediate response
also tweet directly to tesla on twitter and elon you will get an immediate response
TL;DR at the end...
Woke up today feeling like Xmas morning with a collection planned at Bham. Everything went smoothly and I have to say the staff onsite were all incredibly welcoming, friendly and professional - very impressed by all the staff I talked to today.
At first glance, my M3P looked absolutely perfect with that perfect California shine in the mid-morning sunWas feeling very pleased about my decision to purchase.
Then came the first knock... a deep scuff on the rear bumper where the paint had been taken down to the metal. It was about the size of a 5p coin so noticeable, but not the end of the world... quickly noted by the staff and I was advised they would probably just book a service and have the entire rear bumper replaced.
Ok, fine... but since I'm now inspecting the back of the car, I notice the boot lid is sitting proud from the rear window. Checked against some other M3s next to me, and mine was about 5-6mm out, with others being almost perfectly flush. The panel gaps on the boot lid were also horrendous.
Meanwhile, at the same time, my Wife notices both rear door frames were slightly misaligned... nowhere as bad as others that I've seen, but again, noticeable. Ok, so now we're up to 4 items and I've not even sat in the car yet...! Tesla onsite technician came out to inspect and agreed that the boot lid, and rear doors all needed aligning but "were in the tolerance range" - that old chestnut! (he was very good though, so can't knock him)
Made our way into the car and everything was better, but did spot what looked like a thumbprint on the Rear headliner near the coat hook... again, nothing major, but against an otherwise flawless roof lining, noticeable.
Pulled out my inspection sheet to start ticking things off ... I was still giddy with excitement but I now had this nagging feeling this was a dreaded "Friday car". I know it's illogical, but I just got the feeling this build hadn't received any love during production! I stepped out to inspect the frunk...
Well, as it turns out, I was so distracted by the fact my car had the new frunk/froot design (which I think looks much better btw), that I completely forgot to look at the underside of the bonnet.... it wasn't until the same technician who was helping me earlier just happened to walk past and let out an audible "ooohhff"! He pointed out that entire sections of the underside of the bonnet hadn't been painted, and worse still, the two corners of the bonnet where a small rubber screw is housed were just exposed metal! He advised me immediately that the entire hood wood need to be repainted or likely replaced... at which point my wife noticed one headlight had a rather large blemish on it. Hard to explain it but it looked like when you melt plastic and you're left with a clump of hardened plastic, and then you try and file it down.... which now meant, this "post collection" service apt would end up having to replace the rear bumper, bonnet and headlight.
Believe it or not, at this point, I was still considering taking the car.... mainly on the assurance the staff were giving me that they would "pull out the stops" until everything was sorted. The technician even advised putting his name on the service notes so he could personally address it. As stated above, the staff were superb.
But then, since there were so many items being listed, the technician did his own walk around of the car and together we spotted that the windshield was (a) not aligned correctly but (b) on the driver side, as it approach the roof, the actual glass was "deformed" for lack of a better way to describe it, which he said would "definitely require a new windshield". The seals between the 3 glass sections were also all over the place compared to other models on the car park. At this point, both the technician and the sales rep said how disappointed they were this car had been allowed to pass QA and actually advised me not to take the car (secretly, I was still considering it, but Wife has made her mind up to reject it 3-4 items prior!)
So, after all the build up and excitement, we rejected the car and Tesla are going to try and find another one for me. I have to say, as disappointed as I am, I'm also frankly a little relieved that the technician took his time to help inspect the car with me. They see so many M3s every day so it's useful to have them "on side" and being frank and candid about the condition of the car. I did note that another M3P had a very misaligned bootlid, but on otherwise flawless windshield and roof, so it did get me thinking about how many new owners check the fundamentals before driving off.
I did talk to one other new owner who accepted his car but also had to book a service apt to address 3-4 small items (mostly panel alignment and paint issues) - he was also considering rejecting but ultimately, as the defects were mostly cosmetic, he accepted the car and had them log the issues to repair later.
My biggest takeaway from today is that Tesla have some wonderfully dedicated staff, but the build quality of the product is severely compromising the brand. One one hand, it speaks volumes to the desirability of their product that despite all these defects, I was still considering accepting the car... but on the other... it was frankly a little embarrassing that an almost £60k car had such misaligned panels and missing paintwork.
Fingers crossed my next allocated car is a "Monday car"
TL;DR:
Rejected my car upon collection today due to the following issues:
- scuff on rear bumper down to the metal (new bumper required)
- misaligned bootlid, sitting proud from rear window
- misaligned rear door window frames
- smudge/thumbprint inside headliner (very minor as could be cleaned I'm sure)
- missing paint under the frunk lid/bonnet (including areas of exposed metal)
- weird but prominent mark on passenger side headlight (including scratches around the same headlight)
- windshield misaligned and slightly deformed on driver side
Tesla staff were very helpful and apologetic and are currently looking for another car to assign to me. I strongly advise everyone takes a checklist when they collect their car - half of the items above I wouldn't have noticed without one as you do get overwhelmed with excitement and tend to overlook things.
+1 would be interested to see photos, to get a sense of perspective.
Some serious issues there though, and you did the right thing rejecting. Tesla would sort it, but major stuff like windscreens, bonnets, etc aren't going to be fixed quickly.
Some serious issues there though, and you did the right thing rejecting. Tesla would sort it, but major stuff like windscreens, bonnets, etc aren't going to be fixed quickly.
OneTinyFish
Member
Sorry to hear this but not at all surprised. What I am surprised by is your good experience with the staff at Birmingham DC - mine was largely the opposite, very poor I thought. Thankfully the Birmingham SC staff are much better in my limited experience so far.
My defective M3LR has been in the SC for over a week now, and it will need another few visits to get all fixed. I'm hoping it doesn't come out the SC worse than it went in!
My defective M3LR has been in the SC for over a week now, and it will need another few visits to get all fixed. I'm hoping it doesn't come out the SC worse than it went in!
Agree with being concerned that it comes out the SC worse than it went in! An issue with my M3's bonnet identified when I picked it up has led to further problems every time its gone in to be rectified! I picked the car up over a year ago and my 6th SC appointment is coming up. Hopefully, this time it won't lead to a new problem!
Gutted for you JS, pretty big deal to reject it after all the waiting too I imagine.
Some of those issues are horrifying, it's not so bad if mobile can fix but clearly most of those are SC / body shop.
I hope they find you a good car and didn't give you that X loaner, it's awful lol
Some of those issues are horrifying, it's not so bad if mobile can fix but clearly most of those are SC / body shop.
I hope they find you a good car and didn't give you that X loaner, it's awful lol
Drew57
Active ember
Very sorry to hear another instance like this.
Yet again, this gives an indication Teslas' corporate attitude to customers (not local Service Centres etc) - Sell something that may or may not be at an acceptable quality level but if it isn't then expect the purchaser to inconvenience themselves to get it fixed.
Rush out constant software upgrades (sometimes adding new bugs) but don't resolve fundamental issues like the possibility of the car being rear-ended on auto. Change the pricing model with little respect for people who previously purchased at higher cost & promise ambiguous features with a timeline that either doesn't happen or were advertised as inclusive but at a later date become chargeable. Keep us dreading that occasion when something does actually need fixing & whether it will be covered under 'warranty', at what cost, how long it will take, will we have something to drive while we wait & will other things need attention when we get it back?
Something needs to change because without a cent of advertising spend so far, they rely on us, the Customers to spread the word.
Maybe the cars themselves will pull Tesla through & I hope that's true but as for the overall customer 'experience', it's becoming a sad indictment on a brand that promises so much but could be approaching a point where they risk it all...
Yet again, this gives an indication Teslas' corporate attitude to customers (not local Service Centres etc) - Sell something that may or may not be at an acceptable quality level but if it isn't then expect the purchaser to inconvenience themselves to get it fixed.
Rush out constant software upgrades (sometimes adding new bugs) but don't resolve fundamental issues like the possibility of the car being rear-ended on auto. Change the pricing model with little respect for people who previously purchased at higher cost & promise ambiguous features with a timeline that either doesn't happen or were advertised as inclusive but at a later date become chargeable. Keep us dreading that occasion when something does actually need fixing & whether it will be covered under 'warranty', at what cost, how long it will take, will we have something to drive while we wait & will other things need attention when we get it back?
Something needs to change because without a cent of advertising spend so far, they rely on us, the Customers to spread the word.
Maybe the cars themselves will pull Tesla through & I hope that's true but as for the overall customer 'experience', it's becoming a sad indictment on a brand that promises so much but could be approaching a point where they risk it all...
Jason71
Well-Known Member
id say check inventory to see if there is a one matching your spec but it would probably end up being the same car.........
ACarneiro
Active Member
Yes, this strategy probably made sense in the beginning but it won’t last forever.
As Tesla become firmly implanted as a mainstream manufacturer, consumer tolerance for shoddy standards will drop sharply and fanboy-ism will wane away.
I dare say the time is coming for them to start upping their game. Maybe we will see improvements as Giga Berlin comes online. It’s being built from scratch and if Tesla is true to form it will incorporate many, many lessons from Fremont and Shanghai.
As Tesla become firmly implanted as a mainstream manufacturer, consumer tolerance for shoddy standards will drop sharply and fanboy-ism will wane away.
I dare say the time is coming for them to start upping their game. Maybe we will see improvements as Giga Berlin comes online. It’s being built from scratch and if Tesla is true to form it will incorporate many, many lessons from Fremont and Shanghai.
LongRanger
Active Member
it would be unexpected if a Made In Germany Model Y/3/whatever had poor QC standards, the German engineering and manufacturing unions won't stand for it - but will they be able to tolerate the US mothership quality of parts sourcing and manufacturing process or will they want to make it their own ?
I suspect there will need to be a settling down period where the Germans pore over all the designs, software code, automation routines and QC processes then they will probably show mother how it's done. Or they will just shake their heads knowingly and take the money lol.
A simple example - the air intake cover for AC under the frunk access panel - it does clip in securely but doesn't sit tight in it's mountings. To the US designers it's good enough, but I have never seen a German car where this would be tolerated. It's in their DNA to engineer out poor fitment, loose fitment, NVH etc etc. Apply that logic out over the car fixings and you will find a whole load of stuff that doesn't spoil the drive or the daily ownership feeling but it is a sign of experience/quality over disruption/quantity. Now I've found this example, I want to find a rubber washer to sort it out - but it shouldn't need a washer it should be engineered in.
I suspect there will need to be a settling down period where the Germans pore over all the designs, software code, automation routines and QC processes then they will probably show mother how it's done. Or they will just shake their heads knowingly and take the money lol.
A simple example - the air intake cover for AC under the frunk access panel - it does clip in securely but doesn't sit tight in it's mountings. To the US designers it's good enough, but I have never seen a German car where this would be tolerated. It's in their DNA to engineer out poor fitment, loose fitment, NVH etc etc. Apply that logic out over the car fixings and you will find a whole load of stuff that doesn't spoil the drive or the daily ownership feeling but it is a sign of experience/quality over disruption/quantity. Now I've found this example, I want to find a rubber washer to sort it out - but it shouldn't need a washer it should be engineered in.
Sorry, no.
Honestly, the issues were being found so fast I didn't even get time to consider taking my phone out before another one was being discovered & discussed.
Thanks everyone for your feedback, great community on this forum Having had the night to reflect, I'm 100% confident I made the right decision to reject.
In fact, I have to admit, my thoughts are now running the other way and I'm worried about the general build quality and reliability of any model they manage to source me. I did think about cancelling my order and awaiting a Berlin built model in the hope they just don't have these issues...
Having had the night to reflect, I'm 100% confident I made the right decision to reject.In fact, I have to admit, my thoughts are now running the other way and I'm worried about the general build quality and reliability of any model they manage to source me. I did think about cancelling my order and awaiting a Berlin built model in the hope they just don't have these issues...
Yep.. a quick glance around on delivery day and almost all M3s awaiting collection had noticeable issues from afar. This (along with them putting in writing they will fix everything) is one of the main reasons I didn't end up rejecting mine - but I was almighty close to
Lucanesque
Member
Certainly not defending poor quality, but I took my car because at the time it looked like just a few paint touch ups. With the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge I now have of the condition of my car's paintwork, I wish I'd rejected my car Its currently just entering it's second week in the bodyshop for its respray.
If I was doing this again I'd say "If in doubt, say no"
Its currently just entering it's second week in the bodyshop for its respray.If I was doing this again I'd say "If in doubt, say no"
Rustybkts
Member
I feel for you mate. So full of expectation and hope another will be found soon.
If it helps to know, you can get "a good 'un" as six months on my red SR+ has few if any faults and the only glaring one to date is a cut in the tow bar bag!
I did find a scratch about 8mm long in the paint above the passenger door a few weeks later which may or may not be from delivery, but only in the laquer and a tiny dot in the drivers door paint which to be honest could be a bit thicker and will check it if I get to borrow my companies paint thickness meter.
Keep the faith!
If it helps to know, you can get "a good 'un" as six months on my red SR+ has few if any faults and the only glaring one to date is a cut in the tow bar bag!
I did find a scratch about 8mm long in the paint above the passenger door a few weeks later which may or may not be from delivery, but only in the laquer and a tiny dot in the drivers door paint which to be honest could be a bit thicker and will check it if I get to borrow my companies paint thickness meter.
Keep the faith!
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