Tesla and quality control.

[Homer's Dad]

Living in the UK, I have not been able to personally experience the Model 3 but have instead, spent many hours reading the reports and experiences of others who have been lucky enough to actually buy and own one of these ground-breaking vehicles. After reading many, many reports submitted by owners one issue seems to keep raising it's ugly - quality control.

I truly wish Tesla will succeed not just in it's domestic US market but internationally but I, and perhaps many other potential Tesla M3 owners both here in the UK and in other countries, am concerned about quality - as I said earlier, a subject that does keep cropping up.

This article does not fill me with confidence.....

'How do they expect to run without us?' Tesla accused of axing key staff to cut costs

I really do wish Tesla every success but I fear this issue, perhaps more than others, is it's Achille's Heel.

 

[Toumal]

I know plenty of people who are super happy and have had no or very minor issues.

Besides, Bjorn complained about rattling in the e-tron yet I don't see headlines saying that the car is not well built. Heck, Mercedes even claims that rattling is simply part of the experience.

EDIT: Mercedes AMG C63 rattles, entertainment system makes fizzing noises, side liners detach over time, motor dies when quickly stepping on the brakes. That's a EUR 118.000,- vehicle.

And this is why I don't believe for a moment when people say that "established automakers" will stomp Tesla into the ground. They all only cook with water.

 

[ewoodrick]

How many "bad" reports have you read? How many cars have been sold? What's the percentage?

Remember, often, on the forums, you are listening to be how join the forum, just to complain and then leave, as well as car aficionados that essentially want to vacuum wrap a car and never allow it to experience life.

Me? My car is great. It's been out on roads where even many Jeep owners would have turned around.

So, ask your self the question, "What type of owner are you"

I always look forward to that first door ding, then I don't have to worry about it anymore.

 

[UngaBunga1989]

My car is killer. These forums bring out lots of complaints...but they are very, very far from being a representative sample.

 

[Ziggy2]

My 3 has been perfect from delivery through the first 1K miles! My S has 5k miles on it and only one minor buzz has appeared in the A pillar, but should be an easy fix.

 

[NoPetrolDream]

I started driving cars back when most American makes used carbureted V8 engines, ignition points, and vacuum advance distributors. Automatic chokes weren't always automatic, keeping an engine in tune and a reliable starter on cold mornings took more than a casual effort. As a result, a car's reliability has always been very high on my list as for how I regard ownership experience of any vehicle I've purchased. Closely following that would be how well the car is put together, as I well remember the cheap interiors of many cars in the 70's that would disintegrate before one's eyes, including window cranks and door handles breaking off just with normal use.

My Model 3 has been very reliable to date (four months + ownership), and it is well put together. Not perfect; I know its flaws, but they are minor, and few, and are not even on my radar as for soiling my ownership experience of the car. I'm actually pleased and a bit amazed how good of a car it is from such a young car company. I've seen far worse efforts from far older automakers. Chevy Vega or Citation, anyone?

 

[paranoidroid]

I've had very few issues with my car. Certainly not any more than from other manufacturers (BMW).

 

[super20g]

Fit and finish was not great on my car. But service made it WAY worse several times and I still have a list of issues that need fixed, most caused by service and not delivery defects at this point. I bought in August and still a list not handled... I say find one you can live with and don't let service molest it. My car has yet to leave me stranded though. A bad firmware update that took a few days before I could use the car fully and windows that don't roll down to allow entry in the extreme cold have been the worst of my reliability issues.

 

[AviP]

This article does not fill me with confidence.....

'How do they expect to run without us?' Tesla accused of axing key staff to cut costs

I really do wish Tesla every success but I fear this issue, perhaps more than others, is it's Achille's Heel.

It's mind-boggling how Tesla has such low regard for its employees. QC and service were always an afterthought. And whatever Tesla does, it always justifies it as necessary for survival. The reality is that its management is incompetent.

 

[pipestem]

Got my 3 in December no problems. Knock on my wood dash. Good luck.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I have had no problems of any consequence. Certainly not worth taking to the service center. If they want to come out and have a mobile ranger take care of some stuff that would be cool, but really best not to worry about it. Maybe I'll get around to requesting that at some point. It's mostly on the due bill, so it can be done at any time; I can wait as long as I want. They don't have any parts anyway (I went to the service center to get my bolts but they didn't have them - they gave me one for the most critical missing bolt, that isn't a match for it). Avoiding the service center at all costs. No reason to get a rental or deal with sitting around in the dusty cloud next to the quarry in San Diego. Someone could run into my car and total it at any time, so not worth wasting my time until someone can just come out and fix most of it at while I am at work. It's just a car, and it works well in that capacity.

Copy/paste from my issues list:
1. Two Missing bolt/washers (front right aero cover, middle bolt of mid aero performance cover)*
2. Small Dent on passenger side C-pillar (glue-pull PDR will be required)
3. Frunk too hard to close and the hood sits a few mm too low in the front. (Has underbite.)* (Second-most noticeable flaw)
4. Scratched driver side plastic rocker panel *
5. Scratched driver seat plastic shell *
6. Chrome trim gap of 1-2mm, Passenger side *
7. Weather seal right rear passenger window (at base of window) folded over. *
8. Passenger side front door hung incorrectly; misaligned body line. (Most noticeable flaw.)
9. Passenger side rear door striker position results in door not closing completely “flush”, closes fine. *
10. Trunk lid has some very minor misalignment.
11. Front bumper cover not perfectly aligned with fender on passenger side.
12. Rattle from passenger A pillar after about 1000 miles.
13. Minor droning noise from front motor between 37 & 41 mph.

Various minor paint imperfections (several dust nibs, clearcoat imperfections very low down on the body, scrapes in the hood clear, which buffed out).

 

[dipper]

Wonder why Elon Musk would not hire experts from Honda or Toyota for manufacturing line?

Uh... from history, maybe they know better than to work for him? Since they might be looking for a new job 3 months later for proposing a better solution than Musk?

 

[VT_EE]

I had a couple minor cosmetic issues taken care of just after delivery. 8000 miles since and the car is rock solid. Best purchase of any kind I’ve ever made. It is phenomenal. I also have 3 friends with slightly newer builds that were perfect. I wouldn’t worry about your purchase.

 

[frank69]

Just do a good walk over on your car before you hand a check to the guy.

 

[jkoya]

My Model 3 Performance was delivered with several cosmetic paint defects (getting fixed at Tesla approved body shop this month), but mechanically the car drives perfectly so far. I guess my biggest question is when I'll get my spoiler !!

 

[UngaBunga1989]

It's mind-boggling how Tesla has such low regard for its employees. QC and service were always an afterthought. And whatever Tesla does, it always justifies it as necessary for survival. The reality is that its management is incompetent.

While I agree that some aspects of the QC and Customer Service experience with Tesla need work, to call its management incompetent is a bit absurd. Taking a company from start-up to mass production in an industry as hyper-competitive as automobiles and delivering products as exceptional and groundbreaking as Tesla's current line-up requires some pretty awesome management. During 2018 Tesla was apparently busy mismanaging itself to selling more luxury cars in the U.S. than BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, etc. As a business owner I wish I could mismanage that well.

The sad reality is that Tesla is run by real humans with real flaws and there is no doubt that getting the Model 3 launched put an incredible amount of strain on the Company. If Tesla survives (and I sure hope that it does), I am fairly certain that they will smooth out the QC / Customer Service issues over time.

 

[Carotene]

It's mind-boggling how Tesla has such low regard for its employees. QC and service were always an afterthought. And whatever Tesla does, it always justifies it as necessary for survival. The reality is that its management is incompetent.

My car has been fine so far. I bought a demo which I thought was a good thing (service made sure it was perfect for prospective buyers). And I test drove it first!

I think the biggest risk is company management or the lack thereof. It's hard to proclaim Tesla are in this fight together while at the same time announcing layoffs of critical staff. Elon is not a great leader (visionary, yes). The company needs better leadership.

 

[MXWing]

From the article:

“I have no idea how they expect to run without us,” said Ochoa.”

That’s some serious delusional Dunning-Kruger. You don't see JB Straubel, Andrej Karpathy, Jerome Guillen being shown walking papers.

“My last repair on Friday was finding a rear fascia was missing a screw so if you pulled on it, it would pop out. I grabbed a drill, the screw, got down on my knees and made the repair myself. No one would have known about it unless they tugged on the edges of the rear fascia like I had made it a habit to do."

Sorry, that doesn't scream KEY MAN, irreplaceable personnel to me. If he's a "Level 5" wtf that means, a Level 1 can be taught to look for the same things.

If he was good he would have been busy at his next gig and not have time for interviews. Every man and woman needs to have a realistic assessment of where they stand and what their value proposition at all times. In a large organization, some in the margins get lost but you would certainly be kept if your HOT > CRAZY.

The same caliber engineers that can send a rocket into space can certainly build and install a spoiler for my Model 3.

It's a matter of Tesla's priorities. In a meeting, I'm sure someone said "I don't think anyone is going to buy a Bolt if the 3P doesn't come with a spoiler in 2018 or even 2019". He or she is right.

SELL FIRST (aka don't go bankwupt), REFINE LATER.

 

[Glamisduner]

Mine has gone back to service every 2 weeks since I owned it. After the first two weeks it was in the shop for over a month fixing QC delivery issues. Now it's in the shop for more issues causes by fixing the first issues. Oh, and the drivers seat malfunctioning. I think tesla needs to step up their QC greatly. While I love the car it feels like it's been in the shop for the same amount of time I have driven it.

I have more planned trips back to service for the seat (they have to diagnose the issue first then it will take month to get a new drivers seat). I am also supposed to eventually take it back to have the rear floor fixed as it sounds like a tin can when anything taps it. That part is several months out while they apply them to new models...

 

[Macb00kemdanno]

I have a question. Do the Model S and Model X have the same paint issues that plague the Model 3?