Terrible delivery experience: what to do next?

[XHokie]

Would you have taken delivery of any Kia, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Masarati, or Porche, etc. with all the things you have listed above? I have purchased several new cars over the years, and 0 have had dirt/dust on the wheels/tires, or specs of anything on the factory paint (swirls, maybe, yes...) when they presented the vehicle to me, after I agreed to purchase it and they cleaned it with their in house detailer. Forgetting the dollar amount you are spending for a minute, why should Tesla be held to a different standard and why is it considered picky to expect your new car...well, to look like a new car?

Sorry to hear of your experience, but even though this is the best vehicle I've ever driven...I would not have taken delivery of this car if it was presented to me in this fashion and I'm surprised a manager or DS at that store decided to allow you to even look at the car in that condition on the date of your delivery. This probably falls in the rare 2% failure rate of QA prior to delivery (meaning 98% are probably not getting cars delivered this way).

 

[Ormond]

My white Model X had a couple imperfections in the clearcoat and a rubber seal that wasn't perfect. Overall I was happy. My door alignment is fine. The car was clean.

Deliveries should be a joyous occasion.

 

[krazineurons]

Curious though, doesn't the Delivery team perform any kind of pre-inspection prior to handing over the keys to the owner? I woukd have expected them to have the courtesy of washing the tires and being proactive in identifying the issues OP had.

Also regarding switching delivery locations, I think the Seattle delivery team is the least proactive of all.. All emails to Mr Smith (my DS) were initiated by me and would never be returned, I would call 3 days after sending emails and repeat the same thing on phone and then action would be taken on them. He sounded so dumb and many times I had to remind him of things that were possible, like switching delivery from SoDo to Bellevue SC, making an appointment, checking if the car is on a truck, helping me with an accurate delivery date, pushing the vehicle into production so that we get it by Dec 28th for sure, confirming if I have EAP or FSP, ensuring the MVPA shows cloth seats with PUP, the list is endless but I wasn't expecting to handhold my DS through the process..Now this has me worried that I might expect problems on delivery day due to their lack of professionalism.

 

[K-MTG]

I am sure the early owners would be happy with your X

 

[Chopr147]

Not too picky at all! In my life I have purchased 6 new cars and never had an issue with quality. (The sales pitch, that's another story)
Tesla seems to have paint issues and I don't know why that is. Misaligned panels is just bad quality control. My S had a couple very small problems but was mostly all good. I noticed a couple small scratches I waxed off myself the next day (p/u day was raining)

 

[Lbkmxp100d]

I thought Tesla detailed all their vehicles at SC before delivery? I was told I had to wait 3 days from time my vehicle was delivered to SC until I could take delivery bc Tesla service needed to make sure everything worked properly and my vehicle could be detailed.

 

[Xminus6]

I thought Tesla detailed all their vehicles at SC before delivery? I was told I had to wait 3 days from time my vehicle was delivered to SC until I could take delivery bc Tesla service needed to make sure everything worked properly and my vehicle could be detailed.

I don't know about the SCs but the level of "detailing" done at delivery is pretty awful. I picked both my cars up from the factory and their idea of detailing is someone with a Microfiber and a Quick Detail spray rubbing the car unnecessarily. There's still adhesive stuck to the outside of my car in certain spots that I haven't been able to address yet.

 

[K-MTG]

I thought Tesla detailed all their vehicles at SC before delivery? I was told I had to wait 3 days from time my vehicle was delivered to SC until I could take delivery bc Tesla service needed to make sure everything worked properly and my vehicle could be detailed.

I paid Tesla $175 for the detail and they did a good job. It took two days

 

[DrivingTheFuture]

Ours was definitely cleaner than that when we picked it up. We have had an issue with the window popping out only once. I simply put it all the way down, opened and closed the door, then window back up (manual press whole time) , it's never had a problem since. Def get the seal fixed and they should be able to get those spots out no problem. I had a feeling that with all the pent up frustration on delays with the X that they pushed everyone pretty hard at the factory over the last few months and these issues are the result, but I honestly would rather have gotten my car that was 99% perfect that much sooner... Hoping they slow down and do a better job as time goes on though

 

[awakenrz]

Thanks everyone for the reply!

Any suggestions on how to escalate this to get someone at Tesla's attention to help resolve the issue?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

My white Model X had a couple imperfections in the clearcoat and a rubber seal that wasn't perfect. Overall I was happy. My door alignment is fine. The car was clean.

Deliveries should be a joyous occasion.

I've seen 3 cars with imperfections in the rubber seal around the right rear door (Model S). I also had some clear coat imperfections on the top of the hatch. Instead of trying to fix it, they are replacing the entire hatch.

 

[chillaban]

I don't know about the SCs but the level of "detailing" done at delivery is pretty awful. I picked both my cars up from the factory and their idea of detailing is someone with a Microfiber and a Quick Detail spray rubbing the car unnecessarily. There's still adhesive stuck to the outside of my car in certain spots that I haven't been able to address yet.

Rated funny but I agree, that's pretty much the detailing I observed getting done at the factory.

I used to care more but after going through one year where I had to make 8 comprehensive claims due to parking lot door dings and vandalism, I have gone completely numb to the cosmetic appearance of my car, and instead care more about my enjoyment driving it.

But I definitely thought Audi did a much more thorough job detailing my cars for delivery compared to the Tesla fremont factory.

 

[MX1028]

Does anyone know what type of bushes they use at the service center to wash the cars outside. I bought microfiber towels to wash the car at home. I once saw at the PA Devon service center the guy had a big broom type scrubber and was scrubbing the vehicle. I just don't know what kind of material was a the end of the stick that he was scrubbing the vehicle with.

On the note of the Delivery I believe when paying $100k nothing is too picky. As one member mentioned would we put up with some of the quality issues with other car manufacturers. We look away as the semi early adopters of a new Car company and new products.
I feel that our Service Center is OK... you just don't get that warm and fuzzies if you walked into a MB or BMW dealership... especially if you owned the vehicle and the staff knew you. Customers are just not as appreciated... Tesla may want to take a look at the Customer Service part of it at their SC. My car wasn't as bad during delivery but our delivery was sign papers, thanks for the $108K, we have other cars to deliver and here's a new guy who will go over the car with you (I knew more b/c of the these forums) and in less than 1 hour we were done.

 

[chillaban]

Does anyone know what type of bushes they use at the service center to wash the cars outside. I bought microfiber towels to wash the car at home. I once saw at the PA Devon service center the guy had a big broom type scrubber and was scrubbing the vehicle. I just don't know what kind of material was a the end of the stick that he was scrubbing the vehicle with.

On the note of the Delivery I believe when paying $100k nothing is too picky. As one member mentioned would we put up with some of the quality issues with other car manufacturers. We look away as the semi early adopters of a new Car company and new products.
I feel that our Service Center is OK... you just don't get that warm and fuzzies if you walked into a MB or BMW dealership... especially if you owned the vehicle and the staff knew you. Customers are just not as appreciated... Tesla may want to take a look at the Customer Service part of it at their SC. My car wasn't as bad during delivery but our delivery was sign papers, thanks for the $108K, we have other cars to deliver and here's a new guy who will go over the car with you (I knew more b/c of the these forums) and in less than 1 hour we were done.

Things must be really different in PA compared to CA. On the contrary, I've found that Tesla's SCs and factory gave me a far more pleasant customer experience than Audi, Porsche, and BMW around the San Jose area. In fact Stevens Creek BMW once literally lost my car for a few days during a service appointment and told me they'd have to call me back when they figure out where they put my car…. Not to mention with the exception of one Audi dealership, I found the other German service departments I've visited treated me relatively rudely and never went beyond the bare minimum of what they were tasked to do.

 

[mohanman]

So far Tesla has been good to me. My BMW experience.. not so much. My stupid X5 stopped working, wouldn't even start about 26 months into my 36 month lease. I had to take it to the service center via tow truck. They couldn't even figure out what was wrong with it. No loaner. No information. After many weeks they finally decided to buy back the car, yet they decided to still charge me for the months it was in service. And minus some sort of 1000.00 BMW deposit fee. Piece of crap. Would never by German made vehicle again. No offense to anyone.

 

[Sully's8]

I disagree with everyone you have to be pickey.. it's 100,000 + car! I have never picked up a new car with dirty tires they should have washed it before presenting it to you. Someone was overworked or lazy.

Thank God someone said it. . . it's more than $100K, everything should be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Elon would probably tell you the same thing. The fact that so many of the respondents are complacent on this is surprising, but I would send it back- all the way back. The freaking thing should be spotless and free from all cosmetic imperfections. Latent mechanical stuff I get, but the cosmetic stuff is foundational.

My S90D is about to start production and these forum topics are starting to make me really nervous. Money's getting tight in Fremont and at your local showroom. Wow.

 

[Sully's8]

Thanks everyone for the reply!

Any suggestions on how to escalate this to get someone at Tesla's attention to help resolve the issue?

tweet Elon

 

[eye.surgeon]

Choose to spend your time enjoying the car rather than obsessing over unimportant details. Paying $100k doesn't ensure perfection, the average new Camry has less build defects than a new Rolls Royce. Only people new to expensive cars throw that argument around.

 

[ricardocabesa]

I paid Tesla $175 for the detail and they did a good job. It took two days

Did they outsource it?

 

[Sully's8]

Choose to spend your time enjoying the car rather than obsessing over unimportant details. Paying $100k doesn't ensure perfection, the average new Camry has less build defects than a new Rolls Royce. Only people new to expensive cars throw that argument around.

I find it ironic that an eye surgeon would show so much patience for a poor attention to detail. It's snobbery to throw around comments about "newness to expensive cars." Guess what, it's not my first 100K investment, and I have pretty high expectations when I spend 100K. And so did my dad when he had his detached retina and invested in its repair. Wondering how medical patients feel about quality. As a patient do you expect something less than perfection and high attention to detail?

You're enabling complacency, the delivery was a failure. Whether it's the business of medicine or vehicles, pride should be taken in doing the best job possible. Tesla is a company that focuses on the experience. This was not the experience promised, nor expected.

Tesla's showing signs of moving too fast. I'm not a doctor, but a business man, and this has simply raised the antenna.