So when do you stop loving your car and ignoring the small (and not so small) issues?

[eloder]

If GM, BMW, Nissan and perhaps others have high-quality BEVs with at least 200 miles of range by the time the Model 3 comes out (and presumably some sort of DC charging solution), it could indeed be that mainstream Model 3 buyers will not put up with Tesla quirks to drive a Model 3.

But if none of those cars are out, or they are not compelling, or are only available in limited quantities, I think we will be in the same situation we are in today. Even if the Model 3 has issues, if it is the only car in its price class with 200+ miles of range and all the great driving features that go with that type of EV, I think many consumers will put up with it rather than go back to an ICE for the same reasons so few Model S owners go back to an ICE.

True enough regarding mainstream owners.

Take a look at issues most other BEVs are dealing with, and Tesla won't look so bad in terms of minor problems--and I highly doubt those issues will go away with the next-gen EVs of others. The Bolt won't have much pure BEV experience behind it, and the Leaf is still dealing with innumerable issues. Most other cars I follow seem to have a lot of issues too (i3 in particular) with things as simple as charging not working properly.

 

[joefee]

When the P85D was announced I thought about trading in my Sig Performance. But I can't part with my beloved Tessie.

 

[supratachophobia]

I'll answer the same way I did a few months ago when a new owner asked for honest experiences with the car before he purchased. The TLDR of it is that you have to ask yourself as an owner, is model S so much better than anything on the road (overall) or is every other car so much worse. The truth is somewhere in between, and I still can't see myself going back to anything ICE and still cant see myself going back to (as of yet) anything EV non-Tesla.

Bear in mind, this is coming from someone who has averaged one service visit every two weeks since delivery eight months ago. I know there are others with worse experiences to be sure, but there can't be many.

I'll never tell you that I love an inanimate object, but I am currently content with the purchase so far; despite the larger negatives experiences.

Regarding the little things, if they are hardware related, the shouldn't exist, that's what service is for. And if they are software, I don't know what to tell you. I think their should be two separate dev teams; one for UI and one for AP. Then we could experience more frequent updates that benefit everyone. I also think an open API/SDK would some of this for the most part. Although they shouldn't give access to critical vehicle controls, I would like to see better trip planning, voice control, phone integration (looking at you text messages), Exchange email (unlikely without 3rf party motivation) and most importantly to me, media player.

 

[felixtb]

Incidentally, that's only considering the Model S we got in 2012. I also got a Roadster in 2009 that's had fewer problems than the Model S. It too has issues, though more related to the type of car it is: noisy, rough ride, scant storage, poor visibility, difficult ingress/egress. Still worth it!

Teslas are definitely not perfect (that is true for all cars, of course). But despite the issues, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be driving.

+1

I got my roadster a little later beginning 2011, and have had no problems. and my first S in 2013 no problems. so I am a little hesitant now that I'll pick up my new one on Monday. since there seems to be so many new problems. but as chad said tesla is really good at taking care of these problems and finding lasting solutions to them so they do not reoccur. however, also true is that when we first encountered tesla and dealt with their service they were VERY small and now tesla is a comparatively big company with many more layers and therefore more removed from the final customer..... and this could be a service and solutions problem as they grow even further with continually problematic financials due to massive growth spending. are there enough qualified people at the end of the line, infront of the customers......... I guess I find out on Monday.

 

[glhs272]

In my case I feel I have been remarkably lucky. Software bugs aside I have had very few issues, but would be happy to go over them in detail if anyone cared. That said, other cars have had some pretty bad experiences. Taking my car to the service center is a PIA. My car is about to go out of warranty. If I had the problems that others have had with their cars (islandbayy are you listening) I probably would have given up and either traded in for a new Tesla, Lemoned the car if possible, or just take a bath and sell it. My plan is to drive my car until at least 250,000 miles if possible. What really matters is how well it holds up between then and now. How outrageously expensive (or not) it is to get things fixed out of warranty. And how well it maintains range.

After almost 2 years of ownership I am still drunk on the kool-aid, if not more so.

 

[TsRocket]

I still am in love. Zero gas makes me happy. I have not been stranded yet, hope never to be. Tesla SCs have been great to me. Dont ever feel "screwed" like i did at ICE dealers. Course i paid ahead for the service. My bottom line is I believe Tesla does not want to see any of its cars along the side of the road, so they take the best care they can of their customers and cars. I appreciate that. Maybe the door handles should bug me, but they got changed, the defrost got changed, my 12v battery is acting up, so here i go to the SC in a day or so. But none of this colors my ownership experience negatively. Love it. Love it.

 

[caddieo]

One of my concerns regarding the company and the car's reputation has to do with service. So far, it has been great and one of the redeeming features that has kept those with multiple recurrent problems in the fold as attested to by several posts in this thread. But as the numbers of Teslas on the road increase, especially after the X and III come out, the service quality might deteriorate. We are all ebullient about the rapid growth of the Supercharger network. But how about the Service Center network? It seems that it should be growing apace or proportionately. Correct me if I am wrong but I seem to have read a few posts which complained that the waiting time for a service appointment has gotten longer. If this is true and it continues, there may be trouble on the horizon.

 

[dennis]

I think that's very true. I've been an avid booster of EVs in general and Tesla in specific because I believe in the overall objective and admire Elon Musk's passion and vision. Having said that, I've had more issues, small and large, with my Model S than probably every prior vehicle I've ever owned. I was an early adopter, and Tesla has done nothing but treat me like a king when it comes to servicing, but honestly, I had really good dealer experiences with my last few ICE cars too. For instance, my last car only had one problem in 4 years (a burned out DRL bulb that was not user-serviceable) but it did need oil changes and such. As it turns out, those services were always provided to me at no charge, and the dealer would pick up and drop off the car washed and cleaned every time. I think the quality issues are way better than they were 2+ years ago, and hopefully will be even better when the Model 3 rolls out.

I have 2 other data points to compare to the early adopter Tesla experience. In 2012 I purchased 3 cars, all because I thought they had breakthrough technology: Fisker Karma, Model S Signature P85 and McLaren 12C. I no longer own the Fisker, recently sold my P85 and bought a P85D, and still own the McLaren and will buy another one at the appropriate time.

All 3 of these cars had advanced technology from brand new car companies. Yes there was a Tesla Roadster and a McLaren F1, but those were essentially hand built specialty cars not volume production. All 3 of them have had many issues, small and large. It didn't surprise me given the newness of the technology and the companies. What separated Tesla (and McLaren) from Fisker was how they responded to the problems, both in helping to make the best of a bad situation for me and in upgrading the car to remedy any design issues. I can see and feel a marked difference in the build quality of my 00XXX VIN P85 and my 69XXX VIN P85D. I'm sure there are many many engineering and manufacturing improvements that contribute to that better build quality.

While others want to compare the quality of the Model S to luxury sedans from established manufacturers, to me that is a bit unfair. Given Tesla's newness to the car manufacturing business and the number of areas where they are attempting technology breakthroughs there were bound to be more issues. That's why for me comparing Tesla to Fisker and McLaren is more valid. And what is really amazing is how Tesla has responded to all of the early problems I encountered and made the car not just better for me by fixing the problems, but better for future owners by fixing the engineering.

 

[Incredulocious]

Take a look at issues most other BEVs are dealing with, and Tesla won't look so bad in terms of minor problems--and I highly doubt those issues will go away with the next-gen EVs of others. The Bolt won't have much pure BEV experience behind it, and the Leaf is still dealing with innumerable issues. Most other cars I follow seem to have a lot of issues too (i3 in particular) with things as simple as charging not working properly.

I'm surprised to hear you say this. My experience with ownership of a Nissan LEAF for several years and my knowledge from closely following the myNissanLeaf forum since early 2011 is quite different. I'm really hoping to see Tesla reach a point where their vehicles are as solid quality-wise – particularly before they start making the more reasonably-sized, sporty, AWD electric hatchback that I want to own! (I'd also like to see the maintenance costs drop down similar to other BEV's.) Yes, Nissan was slow to address the heat-related battery degradation of the early models but other than that, there's been so little trouble. Very dependable vehicles (with much more limited range).

Now on the other hand, there has been a number of on-going issues with Toyota's Tesla-based RAV4 EV. Unfortunately, many of these have been with Tesla components (some identical to Model S issues) but there have been others, like with the 12V battery or the cabin heater or notoriously the communications gateway between the Toyota and Tesla bits. And when service is needed it can take a while waiting for communication between Toyota and Tesla. As with the Model S, many have had to have multiple repairs. Tony Williams has had every major Tesla component replaced except the battery on one of his RAV4's. So far, my girlfriend and I have both been lucky and problem-free with each of ours. (And yet, most of those who have had multiple problems are still thrilled with their vehicle, much as Model S owners usually are.)

Anyway, as a fan, a heavy investor and a presumed future vehicle owner of Tesla (more than the half-a-Tesla I have now), I really want to see them get things together in terms of build quality! (Also... get rid of the vampire drain! My RAV4 senses my approach with the fob, unlocks when I reach for the handle, responds to over-the-air commands, but it doesn't lose a discernible amount of energy even when parked for weeks at the airport.)

 

[jerry33]

I haven't had that many issues (and compared to the VW TDI I had, the Model S has been rock solid). The only big issue was one of the chargers went out and Tesla flew a Ranger out to fix it so I didn't lose any driving time. Given that mine is a fairly early car, I'd give four stars for reliability.

 

[randrave]

Knock on wood, I am 21 days in with zero problems. I absolutely love the car, but I am pretty sure I would be extremely frustrated experiencing the repair issues some of you describe, particularly with 2014-15 models. Getting fit and finish issues nailed down should be priority #1 in Fremont.

I am more relaxed on the "where is my fancy autopilot you promised!," because (a) Tesla has so many other fun stuff that I can be patient, and (b) it seems uncharitable when, for example, tesla gave me an unpromised update a week into my S85D ownership that shaved a second off my 0-60 time.

Then again, I always took some of the autopilot stuff with a grain of sale, so maybe if you really thought your car was going to pull up and pick you up every morning anytime soon, you feel cheated.

 

[dirkhh]

One of my concerns regarding the company and the car's reputation has to do with service. So far, it has been great and one of the redeeming features that has kept those with multiple recurrent problems in the fold as attested to by several posts in this thread. But as the numbers of Teslas on the road increase, especially after the X and III come out, the service quality might deteriorate. We are all ebullient about the rapid growth of the Supercharger network. But how about the Service Center network? It seems that it should be growing apace or proportionately. Correct me if I am wrong but I seem to have read a few posts which complained that the waiting time for a service appointment has gotten longer. If this is true and it continues, there may be trouble on the horizon.

One interesting thing that happened recently is that SCs reduced hours. At least here in Portland (but I was told that this was true for almost all service centers). No longer open late (they officially close at 5 now), no longer open on Saturdays (which for people with long work schedules makes things a lot less convenient).

 

[Cyclone]

The Charlotte Service Center just opened in the past few weeks. They have M-F 9-6 and Sa by appt, but maybe this is because they are new? The Raleigh location has been open for some time. They have M-F 8-6 and Sa 8-4.

 

[dirkhh]

The Charlotte Service Center just opened in the past few weeks. They have M-F 9-6 and Sa by appt, but maybe this is because they are new? The Raleigh location has been open for some time. They have M-F 8-6 and Sa 8-4.

Interesting. Portland used to be M-F 7-7 and Sa 8-4 and now it's M-F 8-6 (when I was there last week they were 8-5 but apparently that has been changed already again).

 

[Twiglett]

Forgiving issues is not unique to Tesla though.
I used to own an early Land Rover Discovery, which had many recalls and issues.
But during one of the many visits to the dealership I was chatting to another owner. He had way more issues than my car, but we both agreed that it was worth it.
He was ready to trade up to the current model, despite the issues he had with his car.
The cars were not that reliable, but just seemed to have a personality and a particular capability set that helped you forgive them.
LR dealerships at that time were usually pretty good as well, which also helped.

 

[Krugerrand]

Sounds like SC's are determining regional business hours that work a) for the majority of customers, and b) for Tesla's bottom line of 0% profit - flip side being that they also don't want to be losing money, and c) Tesla employees, who can begin to have normal lives having worked ridiculous hours up to this point (holidays, Sundays, to the wee hours). And like with most other things about Tesla, those hours can change...well, hourly depending on several factors. Nothing to see here, it's one of thousands of business decisions that need to be made as Tesla grows and matures.

 

[Cyclone]

I would say that regional differences can also be seen by other manufacturers. After nearly 8 years in central NC, it still throws me off that on Saturday the Toyota dealerships are only open 9-4 and closed on Sundays. In Miami, they were open M-Sa till 8 pm and had some hours on Sunday. I

 

[digitaltim]

When the P85D was announced I thought about trading in my Sig Performance. But I can't part with my beloved Tessie.

Ditto - the only thing that would have swayed me would have been a material battery upgrade.

 

[Johann Koeber]

I have the feeling that many (small and not so small) problems are articulated here.

If someone has none, he does not post. I assume there are a majority of happy customers, who simply do not show up here. Therefore our impression is skewed.

Would be kind of interesting, what the real statistics are.

 

[TexasEV]

I would say that regional differences can also be seen by other manufacturers. After nearly 8 years in central NC, it still throws me off that on Saturday the Toyota dealerships are only open 9-4 and closed on Sundays. In Miami, they were open M-Sa till 8 pm and had some hours on Sunday. I

If dealers are closed on Sundays in a state, it's because they lobbied the state legislature to require it. It's one of the ways they limit competition