Tag and Title Problems

[JMO]

I got my Model S back on November 13th 2012 (a date I will happily remember forever). So far I love my car.

I do have a small problem. Tesla has dropped the ball when it comes to getting me a tag and title. By DMV's law, only two temp tags can be issued. I called Tesla Ownership to find out what was going on and they said they would be sent to me "rather fast." Since my second temp tag expires in 5 days I will be driving a car that can not be on the road. Tesla told me to continue driving and that if I get a ticket they would be paying for it. But what about an accident? what if I am in an accident that I caused? what if there are, God forbid, injured or fatalities?

Is Tesla being irresponsible by telling me to continue driving with an expired temp tag?

This is not the only problem I have. I applied for financing from PenFed but I have to deliver a clean title in order for them to send me a check (I had to pay in full to get the car). It has been almost two months waiting for the title and PenFed has told me that they will probably cancel my approval because I have not been able to deliver the title.

 

[Kaivball]

You do have insurance right?

Your tags and your insurance are two different things.

Oh yes, just don't have an accident, either...

Kai

 

[steve841]

You and I took delivery the same day. Teslas tag people just got around to filing everything. Jacques delivered my tag last night. I'd think yours should be at Dania also.

You can check to see if its been issued at Lobby


OH and one more thing ... I hope you have a birthday late in the year ... the 3rd party company they use are definitely making a few extra bucks because my brand new tag expires in 3 months.

 

[FlasherZ]

But what about an accident? what if I am in an accident that I caused? what if there are, God forbid, injured or fatalities?

Is Tesla being irresponsible by telling me to continue driving with an expired temp tag?

You *should* be okay for your insurance provided that you've done your due diligence; that you've called and followed-up, etc. Is driving with an expired tag a moving violation in FL?

This is not the only problem I have. I applied for financing from PenFed but I have to deliver a clean title in order for them to send me a check (I had to pay in full to get the car). It has been almost two months waiting for the title and PenFed has told me that they will probably cancel my approval because I have not been able to deliver the title.

I received my car in late November (Saturday after Thanksgiving). While I received the IL plates in the mail last week, the title is still being processed and has yet to arrive for me as well. Hopefully you'll be able to renew your approval easily.

Compared to other cars, my tags had a considerable delay, but were well within the "temp" timeframe IL gives, which is 3 months. Part of the reason is that IL requires the special "electric-only" plates to go through the home office instead of any local DMV/SOS office.

Good luck.

 

[Mike_Schlechter]

I'm having the same issues in CT. They are working out the kinks, but it is stressful. The CA reg is invisible, and I've been pulled over twice now for not having any plates (got off both times once I explained the CA temp reg).

I had to go to the DMV to get the VIN certified, and now need to send that to Tesla for them to manage the reg. I know this will get better as time goes on, but what a pain in the you-know-what. They are being really responsive to my questions, but I get the sense they don't quite have the process down. The DMV guy said I was the third Model S he'd seen getting the VIN verified.

 

[pilotSteve]

I have only 5 days remaining on my temp WA tag. Emailed ownership asking about my registration/plate status three days ago, no response. Called the 877 number today and spoke with a rep who called up my file and said he would make it a priority to ship me a second temporary if the plates cannot be located. I think they are under staffed and overwhelmed dealing with 50 state DMVs!

 

[W8MM]

The whole registration process here in Ohio was painless apart from the manual labor involved.

Tesla FedExed the MCO before the car was delivered. I took the MCO to my county clerk of court to get an Ohio title issued. I paid the sales tax (~$6700) was issued the title, walked next door to the registrar and transferred the plates from our old car to the Tesla. East peazy.

We received the MCO before delivery. Did you?

 

[pilotSteve]

Tesla sent me a new temp WA tag today by email that adds 45 days more temporary. Rep also said that they escalated my issue within the title/registration team and was confident I'd see my plates well before the 2nd temp tag expired. Again good service when issues such as this are brought to their attention. Phone (voice) calls seem to get better results them emails to ownership@ unless I'm emailing a specific employee.

 

[CarlE_P439]

I'm having the same issues in CT. They are working out the kinks, but it is stressful. The CA reg is invisible, and I've been pulled over twice now for not having any plates (got off both times once I explained the CA temp reg).

I had to go to the DMV to get the VIN certified, and now need to send that to Tesla for them to manage the reg. I know this will get better as time goes on, but what a pain in the you-know-what. They are being really responsive to my questions, but I get the sense they don't quite have the process down. The DMV guy said I was the third Model S he'd seen getting the VIN verified.

Hey Mike. I'm in CT too. Are you transferring plates or getting new ones? I am doing the former and still waiting (since Dec. 30).

 

[tdelta1000]

Not a current Model S owner but itching to pull the trigger and when I see this it makes me recoil. Questions...does anyone know if this problem is a result of the high number of deliveries in the past month in a half? Or a low number of employees performing the task of acquiring vehicle tags? Someone please educate me and the others. Thanks and two thumbs up.

 

[steve841]

Not a current Model S owner but itching to pull the trigger and when I see this it makes me recoil. Questions...does anyone know if this problem is a result of the high number of deliveries in the past month in a half? Or a low number of employees performing the task of acquiring vehicle tags? Someone please educate me and the others. Thanks and two thumbs up.

In Florida - my opinion - is that it's not really Tesla's fault - although Tesla does "handle" everything from CA, a 3rd party does it here (much like typical dealerships) and I would guess they got swamped probably handling all the end of year arrivals. So, by the time yours get here, the problems will be a distant memory. Oh, and my paper title arrived in the mail today. Exactly 60 days after delivery.

 

[Mike_Schlechter]

Hey Mike. I'm in CT too. Are you transferring plates or getting new ones? I am doing the former and still waiting (since Dec. 30).

Getting new ones. I'm told I should expect them Monday. I honestly didn't even think about transferring; shows what I know!

Basically they did the VIN verification at the Norwalk DMV, and I sent a copy of that, my insurance and my license to Tesla, and they do the rest.

Also, they have hired a DMV liaison for the region, who will be in NY. I expect this process to get much smoother as time goes by.

 

[W8MM]

... Questions...does anyone know if this problem is a result of the high number of deliveries in the past month in a half? Or a low number of employees performing the task of acquiring vehicle tags? Someone please educate me and the others. Thanks and two thumbs up.

I think the "problem" is two-fold.

1) The vehicle sales & registration laws for each of the 50 states and the provinces of Canada are of a bewildering variety. Car dealers have waged a very successful war against the Big Three auto makers from days gone bye and the source of their power resides in each state's legislature. It's almost impossible to "mess with" car dealers these days from a manufacturer's point of view and each state's laws make sure the dealers have lots of sway. Imagine dealers in "State X" laying little legal landmines so that competition from from outside that state is discouraged from a procedural standpoint. One must be a registered car dealer in an individual state before one can pass on common conveniences to customers in that state or be exempt from complicated work-arounds. Tesla may have been unprepared for all the little tricks of the trade that eventually turn up after one actually tries to conduct business in a particular state. Tesla will converge on best workarounds after gaining more experience, it's just not pretty at this stage of development.

2) Right now, Tesla is suffering from having to ramp up the processes to accomodate increasing levels of business. It puts a strain on existing personel and puts brand new people in the system that need time to be brought up to speed. This wasn't helped at all by Tesla's decision to force every available Model S out of the factory doors and onto transporters before the end of 2012. They did it for manufacturing reporting reasons in their quest to look better for stock analysts. Unfortunately, they outran their abilities to keep up with such a surge of vehicles and everything got frazzled. Once production ramp-up is digested, things shouldn't remain this messy.

 

[HFh]

I solve this problem by living in a state where Tesla can't do any of these things, so we handle it all ourselves. Mmmm, I'll be standing in line in a DMV to pay taxes and get title and plates! Admit it: you're jealous. I can tell.

 

[jbherman]

I'm having the same issues in CT. They are working out the kinks, but it is stressful. The CA reg is invisible, and I've been pulled over twice now for not having any plates (got off both times once I explained the CA temp reg).

I had to go to the DMV to get the VIN certified, and now need to send that to Tesla for them to manage the reg. I know this will get better as time goes on, but what a pain in the you-know-what. They are being really responsive to my questions, but I get the sense they don't quite have the process down. The DMV guy said I was the third Model S he'd seen getting the VIN verified.

For those who have yet to receive it, the temporary tag is about the size of a bookmark and the print is about 10-12 font. My (almost) middle age eyes have enough trouble reading it while holding it in my hands! I'm sure the policeman who "camps" on the corner of my street is going to pull me over the first time I drive out (my car is currently completed and in the delivery process, yet to leave Fremont). Not Tesla's fault (the temp tag), but I certainly hope I can get my plate within a reasonable time frame. By the way, does Tesla send along a license plate frame with the car or do we have to buy them from the online Tesla store?

 

[CarlE_P439]

For those who have yet to receive it, the temporary tag is about the size of a bookmark and the print is about 10-12 font. My (almost) middle age eyes have enough trouble reading it while holding it in my hands! I'm sure the policeman who "camps" on the corner of my street is going to pull me over the first time I drive out (my car is currently completed and in the delivery process, yet to leave Fremont). Not Tesla's fault (the temp tag), but I certainly hope I can get my plate within a reasonable time frame. By the way, does Tesla send along a license plate frame with the car or do we have to buy them from the online Tesla store?

Mine came with the back license frame already on the car (and the front license plate holder if you need/ask for one is in the trunk).

 

[jbherman]

Mine came with the back license frame already on the car (and the front license plate holder if you need/ask for one is in the trunk).

I thought this was kind of funny (given that this is a $103K car)...email response from my product specialist (one of my questions with his response):

6. And most important, does Tesla send/include a license plate frame with the car, or do I need to order one from the Tesla store?
-No, they don’t come with frames.

TM must really be pushing up against that profit margin not to throw in a Tesla license plate frame!

 

[AnOutsider]

I thought this was kind of funny (given that this is a $103K car)...email response from my product specialist (one of my questions with his response):

6. And most important, does Tesla send/include a license plate frame with the car, or do I need to order one from the Tesla store?
-No, they don’t come with frames.

TM must really be pushing up against that profit margin not to throw in a Tesla license plate frame!

Yeah, my sig didn't come with the metal frame either. I mean, it's a FRAME, so it's not the end of the world -- but it's also a $100k+ car and some people are apparently getting them. So I'm in the camp that this is just an organizational issue at Tesla.

 

[jbherman]

Yeah, my sig didn't come with the metal frame either. I mean, it's a FRAME, so it's not the end of the world -- but it's also a $100k+ car and some people are apparently getting them. So I'm in the camp that this is just an organizational issue at Tesla.

Starting to feel jilted! Some people get swag and some don't! I still have my metal key ring from the Santa Monica store opening...not sure what I'll do with that in the absence of car keys :tongue: I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, but I've never bought a car and not had a license plate frame and floor mats thrown in (and I've never had a $100K + car).

 

[steve841]

First off .... it's not metal, it's plastic.

Second, if you beg the right people, you can get one. I did! :tongue:

EDIT ... pic