Long post alert. Missing some dates for now.. will fill in as I find/remember.
_____________________________
Aug 14, 2019 - date of purchase of my Model 3 Performance from Tesla Highland Park (Chicagoland):
At delivery noticed rough to touch surfaces on bumper and hood. Accepted delivery after assurance that it would be fixed to my satisfaction. Was asked to bring back next day since it was late in the evening.
Aug 14/15, 2019 - Highland Park SC :
After careful inspection at home, noticed fish eye effects and swirls on hood. Brought into service - they did some wet sanding and gave back stating the hood would need to be repainted to fully remove the fish eyes and swirls. Found a spot of brown coloring/impurity under the paint on driver side C-pillar and missing paint on inner side of the bumper (noticed by clear bra installer). Was assured these items would be added to due bill and I was planning to schedule all that work in a few weeks.
Aug 16/17, 2019 - Highland Park SC :
Out of nowhere "Safety Restraint Failure. Contact Tesla Service" error popped up on the screen. It kept popping up randomly all day. Due to nature of the message, not knowing how safety systems were affected and the fact that I have young kids, decided to be safe and not use the car until service appointment.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Brought into service. They kept the car for a day and then returned back saying no error codes or issues were found. Literally the next day, same error popped up multiple times. Called Service again and was advised to book a Mobile Service appointment instead of bringing the car back in.
___________ - Home visit :
Mobile service tech showed up at my house. He confirmed seeing those errors in the logs. Dismantled pretty much the entire front of the car in my garage. After fiddling around a bit, informed me that there was a "loose sensor" and he had tightened everything up. Was assured the error would not come back.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
2 days later the error showed up again. Went back into the app and scheduled another service appointment. Used the car minimally on absolute need basis and without kids.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Dropped off the car in service. About 3/4 days later was informed it was ready for pickup. Supposedly they had to replaced a "bad sensor". It was evening and my car was sitting outside. When I got in, found multiple grease marks on white seats and my center console wrap had stains and scratches. I decided to not make a big deal of it and put everything behind me in hopes of finally being able to enjoy the car. Boy was I wrong!
On the drive back home, I started hearing squeaks and rattles from the doors and A/B pillars. First thought that came to my mind was that the service technicians, in their quest to reproduce the sensor errors, had ran it over bumps and potholes. The car just felt like it had experienced some abuse.
I contacted Tesla Service again and informed them of these noises. They told me to schedule another service appointment and bring it back in. This is when another saga began..
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Brought the car in to service and asked them point blank if they had tried to take the car over bumps at high speed in order to make the sensor error show up. They denied. Kept my car for a day and returned back saying they were not able to reproduce the noises. I thought to myself that maybe I was being too nit picky and that I was overthinking it!
___________ - Highland Park SC :
The rattles and squeaks were getting too annoying so I scheduled another service appointment and brought the car back in. After a lot of push back, they finally agreed to have a tech test drive while I waited. Soon after, they informed me that the noises were within spec and those were pretty common in Model 3's. I insisted on having the tech go on a test drive with me. Initially the tech kept denying and asked me to simply turn on the music to drown the noises, but when the noises became super apparent, he agreed to look into it. Took the car in and tried "adjusting" the door seals. After about an hour, returned the car saying if the noises still exist, they will order new door panels. I waited a couple days and sure enough, there was no improvement. I informed them and they ordered the door panels.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
After a long wait for the part to come in, brought the car back into service and they installed only one door panel (front passenger) even though the tech had confirmed noise on both front doors and rear passenger door.
Jan 15, 2020 - Highland Park SC :
Right front door seemed better but the rear passenger door became much worse. Even my kids (5 and 9) could tell there was something wrong! I recorded several videos capturing the crackling noises and scheduled another service appointment. This time I had to deal with a rude and condescending service rep cause my regular rep was out that day. He said noises and rattles were only covered in first 7 days of ownership and that my issues did not warrant any further fixes. I tried telling him that the issue was caused by their techs in the first place but he would not listen. He said they're giving me another new door panel and that would be the end of it. Whether that fixes the problem or not, I will be on my own after the visit. He even texted me the above and I have all of it in writing.
During pick up the next day, I insisted that I didn't want to deal with him but he was adamant. I simply lost it! I asked to speak with the service or store manager, who were conveniently "unavailable". He gave me the service order to sign which basically stated that they had "fixed" all the issues and that no other efforts were warranted. I pushed back and wrote my own notes on the service order and asked him to provide me a copy with my notes on it - he was very defiant and said my notes did not matter! I talked to another rep and urged to have the store manager call me. Still waiting for that call.
Feb 20, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
Fast forward (living with the annoying squeaks and rattles). By now I had done plenty of research and had talked to a few other Model 3 owners who confirmed they had not heard such noises in their cars. I decided to try again. This time I took my car to another service center (further away from my house) since I had heard good things about them. When I got there, I explained the problem and they offered to have a tech go on a test drive with me. While there were crackling noises coming from the front passenger door as well, the tech zoned in on the rear passenger door. When we got back he checked the window seal and felt that it was loose - causing the window to vibrate. Couple hours later they gave back the car after "adjusting" the seals and the door mechanism to hold more tightly. The tech went on to suggest that there may be some "welding issue in the rear door frame that is beyond their wheelhouse" and that I would need to go to a body shop if I wanted it to be perfect. Really?!?!
March 2, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
Dropped off the car again cause guess what, the "adjustment" to the door mechanism caused misalignment and "knocking" of the door latch when trying to close the door. It became so bad that my kids had to try 2 or 3 times with increased pressure before the door would close properly. Also, the rattles and crackling noises were still there. Off to another test drive with a different tech who acknowledged the noises.
March 5/6, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
After two days of me driving around in a gas rental and not having received any updates, I reached out to the Service Manager over text message. He checked status and said they had made "several adjustments" to the doors and that the tech will soon be taking it out for a test drive. Shortly after, he messaged back and said the crackling noises had "become louder" and that they need to keep the car longer. We still do not have a resolution and god knows how long that will take.. moreover, paint and finish issues noted on the due bill still remain.
_____________________________
At this point I am beyond tired and frustrated. What was supposed to be a fun car and a good ownership experience has turned into a nightmare! Every time I've had to go to Tesla Service Centers, I have felt anxious and shame and I am looked upon as if I have a hidden agenda and nothing better to do with my time. I have tried my best to ignore and live with these issues but haven't been able to, and really why shouldn't I expect a good quality car?
I am exhausted and have lost the trust and confidence in Tesla service and quality. (I do believe in the company and the mission, if anyone is wondering). These constant issues are affecting my personal and professional life. At this point, I really want Tesla to do the right thing and buy back this car. Is it too much to ask for? How do I go about requesting the buy back?
Would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.
_____________________________
Aug 14, 2019 - date of purchase of my Model 3 Performance from Tesla Highland Park (Chicagoland):
At delivery noticed rough to touch surfaces on bumper and hood. Accepted delivery after assurance that it would be fixed to my satisfaction. Was asked to bring back next day since it was late in the evening.
Aug 14/15, 2019 - Highland Park SC :
After careful inspection at home, noticed fish eye effects and swirls on hood. Brought into service - they did some wet sanding and gave back stating the hood would need to be repainted to fully remove the fish eyes and swirls. Found a spot of brown coloring/impurity under the paint on driver side C-pillar and missing paint on inner side of the bumper (noticed by clear bra installer). Was assured these items would be added to due bill and I was planning to schedule all that work in a few weeks.
Aug 16/17, 2019 - Highland Park SC :
Out of nowhere "Safety Restraint Failure. Contact Tesla Service" error popped up on the screen. It kept popping up randomly all day. Due to nature of the message, not knowing how safety systems were affected and the fact that I have young kids, decided to be safe and not use the car until service appointment.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Brought into service. They kept the car for a day and then returned back saying no error codes or issues were found. Literally the next day, same error popped up multiple times. Called Service again and was advised to book a Mobile Service appointment instead of bringing the car back in.
___________ - Home visit :
Mobile service tech showed up at my house. He confirmed seeing those errors in the logs. Dismantled pretty much the entire front of the car in my garage. After fiddling around a bit, informed me that there was a "loose sensor" and he had tightened everything up. Was assured the error would not come back.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
2 days later the error showed up again. Went back into the app and scheduled another service appointment. Used the car minimally on absolute need basis and without kids.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Dropped off the car in service. About 3/4 days later was informed it was ready for pickup. Supposedly they had to replaced a "bad sensor". It was evening and my car was sitting outside. When I got in, found multiple grease marks on white seats and my center console wrap had stains and scratches. I decided to not make a big deal of it and put everything behind me in hopes of finally being able to enjoy the car. Boy was I wrong!
On the drive back home, I started hearing squeaks and rattles from the doors and A/B pillars. First thought that came to my mind was that the service technicians, in their quest to reproduce the sensor errors, had ran it over bumps and potholes. The car just felt like it had experienced some abuse.
I contacted Tesla Service again and informed them of these noises. They told me to schedule another service appointment and bring it back in. This is when another saga began..
___________ - Highland Park SC :
Brought the car in to service and asked them point blank if they had tried to take the car over bumps at high speed in order to make the sensor error show up. They denied. Kept my car for a day and returned back saying they were not able to reproduce the noises. I thought to myself that maybe I was being too nit picky and that I was overthinking it!
___________ - Highland Park SC :
The rattles and squeaks were getting too annoying so I scheduled another service appointment and brought the car back in. After a lot of push back, they finally agreed to have a tech test drive while I waited. Soon after, they informed me that the noises were within spec and those were pretty common in Model 3's. I insisted on having the tech go on a test drive with me. Initially the tech kept denying and asked me to simply turn on the music to drown the noises, but when the noises became super apparent, he agreed to look into it. Took the car in and tried "adjusting" the door seals. After about an hour, returned the car saying if the noises still exist, they will order new door panels. I waited a couple days and sure enough, there was no improvement. I informed them and they ordered the door panels.
___________ - Highland Park SC :
After a long wait for the part to come in, brought the car back into service and they installed only one door panel (front passenger) even though the tech had confirmed noise on both front doors and rear passenger door.
Jan 15, 2020 - Highland Park SC :
Right front door seemed better but the rear passenger door became much worse. Even my kids (5 and 9) could tell there was something wrong! I recorded several videos capturing the crackling noises and scheduled another service appointment. This time I had to deal with a rude and condescending service rep cause my regular rep was out that day. He said noises and rattles were only covered in first 7 days of ownership and that my issues did not warrant any further fixes. I tried telling him that the issue was caused by their techs in the first place but he would not listen. He said they're giving me another new door panel and that would be the end of it. Whether that fixes the problem or not, I will be on my own after the visit. He even texted me the above and I have all of it in writing.
During pick up the next day, I insisted that I didn't want to deal with him but he was adamant. I simply lost it! I asked to speak with the service or store manager, who were conveniently "unavailable". He gave me the service order to sign which basically stated that they had "fixed" all the issues and that no other efforts were warranted. I pushed back and wrote my own notes on the service order and asked him to provide me a copy with my notes on it - he was very defiant and said my notes did not matter! I talked to another rep and urged to have the store manager call me. Still waiting for that call.
Feb 20, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
Fast forward (living with the annoying squeaks and rattles). By now I had done plenty of research and had talked to a few other Model 3 owners who confirmed they had not heard such noises in their cars. I decided to try again. This time I took my car to another service center (further away from my house) since I had heard good things about them. When I got there, I explained the problem and they offered to have a tech go on a test drive with me. While there were crackling noises coming from the front passenger door as well, the tech zoned in on the rear passenger door. When we got back he checked the window seal and felt that it was loose - causing the window to vibrate. Couple hours later they gave back the car after "adjusting" the seals and the door mechanism to hold more tightly. The tech went on to suggest that there may be some "welding issue in the rear door frame that is beyond their wheelhouse" and that I would need to go to a body shop if I wanted it to be perfect. Really?!?!
March 2, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
Dropped off the car again cause guess what, the "adjustment" to the door mechanism caused misalignment and "knocking" of the door latch when trying to close the door. It became so bad that my kids had to try 2 or 3 times with increased pressure before the door would close properly. Also, the rattles and crackling noises were still there. Off to another test drive with a different tech who acknowledged the noises.
March 5/6, 2020 - Schaumburg SC :
After two days of me driving around in a gas rental and not having received any updates, I reached out to the Service Manager over text message. He checked status and said they had made "several adjustments" to the doors and that the tech will soon be taking it out for a test drive. Shortly after, he messaged back and said the crackling noises had "become louder" and that they need to keep the car longer. We still do not have a resolution and god knows how long that will take.. moreover, paint and finish issues noted on the due bill still remain.
_____________________________
At this point I am beyond tired and frustrated. What was supposed to be a fun car and a good ownership experience has turned into a nightmare! Every time I've had to go to Tesla Service Centers, I have felt anxious and shame and I am looked upon as if I have a hidden agenda and nothing better to do with my time. I have tried my best to ignore and live with these issues but haven't been able to, and really why shouldn't I expect a good quality car?
I am exhausted and have lost the trust and confidence in Tesla service and quality. (I do believe in the company and the mission, if anyone is wondering). These constant issues are affecting my personal and professional life. At this point, I really want Tesla to do the right thing and buy back this car. Is it too much to ask for? How do I go about requesting the buy back?
Would like to hear your thoughts and feedback.
