Tesla backed my inventory P85D into a pole 5 minutes before delivery.. :(

[stopcrazypp]

If it's a new car you ordered, I would understand being pissed off and requesting a brand new car. Given it was a inventory car with discounts in the first place, the most you can ask is if it is reported to CarFax (maybe verify yourself if possible) and if so ask for discount for diminished value.

If it's not reported to CarFax then take a good look at the repairs and see if it is to your satisfaction before making the decision to keep or not. I don't think Tesla will offer any compensation if it's not reported to CarFax. You indicated in the start of the post that you were getting a good deal, so if you refuse delivery they will just throw the car back into the fleet and it'll probably be quickly sold to someone else if you didn't want it.

 

[MsElectric]

Before I say anything else would the parking sensors have not picked this pole? It is absurd to hit anything with this car when it has the rear ultrasonic sensors plus back up camera. Someone must have been careless and in a hurry.

How the heck did you get $8500 off a P85D that only has 1000 miles? Is it a 2014? That's the only way I can think of. If it's much newer, then Tesla is violating their own policy on how much to discount inventory cars.

I've seen inventory P85Ds with > $10K in discounts. Some of them had options I did not want to pay for such as the 21" wheels but discounts in that region are not unheard of if you are willing to wait for the right car at the right time.

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When I had four defective Dacor ovens delivered to my house by a local dealer, and after complaining to Dacor, they put one of their factory people into a pickup truck from California and delivered me a beautiful oven free of defects. It was installed by the gentleman from the factory. They also gave me $500 in accessories to make up for the inconvenience and lack of initial quality. Now THAT is customer service!

I don't think it's asking too much for Tesla to give the customer some concessions due to the inconvenience. That's how you make things right. Profits and stock value be damned, we are talking about customer service here.

I agree with you. I wonder how many of those who are saying no big deal here would feel the same way if this was their new car that they were about to take ownership for around $100K. The key thing here is how much of a repair is this? I bet this is about a $10,000 repair and that's somewhat significant and not comparable to replacing a mirror or a door handle.

I think to make it right, Tesla should offer OP about an additional $5K discount. That's not much in the grand scheme of things and i think it is only fair given that his car purchase experience was pretty much ruined by this incident. OP, would you consider an additional $5K discount to be reasonable if they also guaranteed and warranted that the repair will not show up in Car Fax?

If they don't offer an additional discount, I'd just refuse delivery. Wait until the Model X rolls out and there will be plenty of P85D vehicles to choose from with similar or even greater discounts.

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The title is likely to still give people the wrong impression ("Brand New") but only a Moderator can modify titles.

Yikes! Micro moderation with editing people's titles... For all practical purposes I would consider a month or two old car costing over $100K with less than 1000 miles that has never been titled or owned by anyone to be a brand new car. I personally see nothing wrong with the OP's title and I hope the title is left as is.

 

[AB4EJ]

The vehicle is still a manufacturer car - it's not been titled or insured yet - so I don't think a repair will show on Carfax.

Cars are damaged at factories, in shipping, and at dealers all the time and they get repaired and sold as new without anyone being the wiser. Happens more often than you'd think.

I agree with this comment - cars get damaged at the factory fairly often; a plant has a repair shop specifically for this. Usually the customer has no insight into this, because the repairs bring the vehicle back to showroom condition and the car must pass a tight QA check before it goes to the customer. I can't imagine anything will be reported to Carfax if the car has never yet been sold. That would suggest that the factory would have to report everything they fix for QA purposes. Also, cars get damaged in shipping all the time as well, and these are usually fixed without the customer's knowledge. If this was my car, I wouldn't worry about it, it won't affect the warranty or the car's performance or resale value.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I agree with you. I wonder how many of those who are saying no big deal here would feel the same way if this was their new car that they were about to take ownership for around $100K. The key thing here is how much of a repair is this? I bet this is about a $10,000 repair and that's somewhat significant and not comparable to replacing a mirror or a door handle.

...

Yikes! Micro moderation with editing people's titles... For all practical purposes I would consider a month or two old car costing over $100K with less than 1000 miles that has never been titled or owned by anyone to be a brand new car. I personally see nothing wrong with the OP's title and I hope the title is left as is.

Agreed. As I've said many times before, I think it would be best if we as a community were a little less concerned about Tesla the company and a bit more concerned about the fellow owner here. In the end, constructive criticism helps Tesla the company too to improve. Too often on Tesla criticism topics, the tone turns quite defensive of the company - but notably rarely on topics about other companies' faults where the opposite easily happens.

Nothing wrong with asking for a further discount for a damaged car. I'm not saying it should be an unreasonable amount, but a wise seller would make sure the event gets recognized. We should root for great customer service rather than trying to find ways out of it.

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I agree with this comment - cars get damaged at the factory fairly often; a plant has a repair shop specifically for this. Usually the customer has no insight into this, because the repairs bring the vehicle back to showroom condition and the car must pass a tight QA check before it goes to the customer. I can't imagine anything will be reported to Carfax if the car has never yet been sold. That would suggest that the factory would have to report everything they fix for QA purposes. Also, cars get damaged in shipping all the time as well, and these are usually fixed without the customer's knowledge. If this was my car, I wouldn't worry about it, it won't affect the warranty or the car's performance or resale value.

What happens inside the factory is, of course, one thing. But if a car gets damaged at the point of sale or during a transfer related to the delivery, I would say informing the customer is the right thing to do - and "making it right" depends on the situation. In some cases a mere fix is of course OK (replacing a broken part for example), but here a bit more happened obviously. Fixes and paint jobs outside the factory may vary in quality, paint tone especially, even if just a bit. Some people pride themselves in actually being able to see where a car has been repainted, even professionally by a manufacturer approved shop...

Obviously an unfortunate incident for all involved. A quality fix, check by the new owner and a moderate additional discount on the final bill and all should walk away happy.

 

[Joules Verne]

I bought an inventory car at a deep discount and they also backed into a pole.

Whats up with hitting poles?
Dont these cars have parking sensors and wide angle rear cameras in them?

 

[apacheguy]

Damage looks pretty minor, just cosmetic. Wait to see how it looks after repair. I bet it will look perfect. No insurance claim so nothing will show on Carfax. If it looks good to you then I see no problem.

^This. I think flat out refusing delivery seems excessive for such minor damage. If such as incident occurred at the factory, there would be no way any of us would have found out. I think it's fair to assume these things happen from time to time with any manufacturer and often go unnoticed.

 

[Electricfan]

CPO stands for certified pre-owned. This car is not CPO, as I read the post. Its an "inventory car". That means its been in showrooms and driven as a demonstrator by Tesla. Am I right? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my understanding. A lot of comments on here are talking about a CPO, which this car is not. There's a HUGE difference between a used car (which is what a CPO is) and an "inventory car", which has never been sold and is basically a brand new car with miles on it because it was used by the manufacturer.

If I'm right that this was not a used car, then I'd definitely tell them they can keep it, I'll take my deposit back and look for another deal. No thanks on accepting a wrecked and repaired car, I don't care how good a job they do on the repairs. Don't care if its on Carfax or not. I was waiting for a new Un-Wrecked car. And I seriously doubt the paint will match. There's going to be a shade difference between the rest of the body and the trunk and bumper.

The OP asked for opinions, that's mine.

 

[Kingside]

CPO stands for certified pre-owned. This car is not CPO, as I read the post. Its an "inventory car". That means its been in showrooms and driven as a demonstrator by Tesla. Am I right? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my understanding. A lot of comments on here are talking about a CPO, which this car is not. There's a HUGE difference between a used car (which is what a CPO is) and an "inventory car", which has never been sold and is basically a brand new car with miles on it because it was used by the manufacturer.

If I'm right that this was not a used car, then I'd definitely tell them they can keep it, I'll take my deposit back and look for another deal. No thanks on accepting a wrecked and repaired car, I don't care how good a job they do on the repairs. Don't care if its on Carfax or not. I was waiting for a new Un-Wrecked car. And I seriously doubt the paint will match. There's going to be a shade difference between the rest of the body and the trunk and bumper.

The OP asked for opinions, that's mine.

Correct, this is an inventory car (never sold before / only in showroom and test drives). It's NOT a CPO.

 

[dsm363]

mod note: added 'inventory' to title for clarity

 

[Electricfan]

Correct, this is an inventory car (never sold before / only in showroom and test drives). It's NOT a CPO.

Just some advice if you decide not to accept the car and they (at the local Tesla place you are dealing with) don't want to cooperate - don't panic. Don't fight with them locally. Ask for your money back, and if they refuse, just walk out and proceed to go up the chain. I had to do that recently (new car had a defect and the local service center told me to pound sand - they wouldn't fix it) and Tesla has been real good in responding to customers in situations like this. You definitely are in the right here - and Tesla managment is good at recognizing it. You deserve an un-wrecked, un-repaired car, or your deposit back. I can't say I would ask them for any money, or other concessions in order to accept the repairs - but that's just me. I'd walk away from the deal and just start over.

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mod note: added 'inventory' to title for clarity

Inventory adds nothing. Its a new car. But I understand, you want to defend Tesla in all circumstances.

 

[dsm363]

Inventory adds nothing. Its a new car. But I understand, you want to defend Tesla in all circumstances.

I'm sorry you are still upset about your thread title being changed and have a hard time letting it go. You'll note there was some confusion in the thread about if the car was brand new from the factory or a CPO car. An inventory may not be used but it isn't new. I'd hardly call a car with 1,000 miles a 'new' car.

 

[Kingside]

While you're on it, change "poll" in the title to "pole" which is the correct spelling. I'm unable to change the title.

 

[Zythryn]

I'm sorry you are still upset about your thread title being changed and have a hard time letting it go. You'll note there was some confusion in the thread about if the car was brand new from the factory or a CPO car. An inventory may not be used but it isn't new. I'd hardly call a car with 1,000 miles a 'new' car.

+1!
Don't get me wrong, I'd be royally bummed out if this happened to me.
To expect Tesla to put you at the front of the build queue for a brand new car when you bought an inventory car at a discount seems out of line.

If the repairs are not to your satisfaction, you should definitely not accept it.
I would also hope that Tesla throws in something. Be it a jacket, or something else. I would not expect the value of that to be over $500 though.

 

[Electricfan]

+1!
Don't get me wrong, I'd be royally bummed out if this happened to me.
To expect Tesla to put you at the front of the build queue for a brand new car when you bought an inventory car at a discount seems out of line.

If the repairs are not to your satisfaction, you should definitely not accept it.
I would also hope that Tesla throws in something. Be it a jacket, or something else. I would not expect the value of that to be over $500 though.

Really? A new jacket makes up for the rear bumper and trunk being replaced? Or $500? You would be happy with that? Well, you're quite an easy going person!! I bet your life is pretty stress free if you take things that lightly all the time. Its a great way to live, most likely, but I don't think most people would be that easily satisfied if their brand new car were wrecked before they even drove it a mile. Has it ever happened to you? Just curious if you're speaking from personal experience or just what you think you'd be happy with if it did happen to you.

I never read anywhere above that the OP was asking to be placed at the head of the que for a new car. If he did please excuse me. But if not you shouldn't attribute that demand to him as you seem to be doing.

 

[dsm363]

While you're on it, change "poll" in the title to "pole" which is the correct spelling. I'm unable to change the title.

Done. Thanks. Hopefully the spelling correction is ok with everyone.

I agree with most here. You should definitely only accept delivery if you are happy with the repair. Or simply move on and wait for another inventory car that you like or order new perhaps. The waiting isn't easy though.

 

[Electricfan]

I'm sorry you are still upset about your thread title being changed and have a hard time letting it go. You'll note there was some confusion in the thread about if the car was brand new from the factory or a CPO car. An inventory may not be used but it isn't new. I'd hardly call a car with 1,000 miles a 'new' car.

Your opinion, right? So because its your opinion that an inventory car is not a new car, you dictate that belief to all who read this forum. I do believe an "inventory" car is a new car, and I think the vast majority of people would choose "new" over "used" if given the choice to pick what an "inventory" car is closer to.

The OP felt his car was a "new" car. But you're correcting him, like you corrected me. You have a tough job, don't you?

And btw I'm happy you remember me! I'll be around until you ban me for having the nerve to disagree with you. I know you don't like that. Sorry.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Inventory adds nothing. Its a new car. But I understand, you want to defend Tesla in all circumstances.

Many people were confused at the start of a thread about this being a inventory car (and later on being a CPO). There is a very big difference between a custom ordered car that a customer has waited for months for and is paying full price vs an inventory car with deep discounts. In any case he left the "new" terminology in the title.

In the former example I would feel it is more reasonable to ask for extra discounts even if damage wasn't on CarFax, while for the latter, I see no reason to do so. In either case, I consider refusing delivery as a valid option and I don't see anyone here saying that should not be an option at all (although opinion varies on whether he should do that obviously).

 

[dsm363]

Many people were confused at the start of a thread about this being a inventory car (and later on being a CPO). There is a very big difference between a custom ordered car that a customer has waited for months for and is paying full price vs an inventory car with deep discounts. In the former example I would feel it is more reasonable to ask for extra discounts even if damage wasn't on CarFax, while for the latter, I see no reason to do so.

There were some who were in fact confused wether or not this car was a CPO or an inventory car.

I do not believe that Tesla is going to offer any additional warranty or free maintenance on this car beyond what is standard with a CPO car. No reason for them to do so. It will be repaired to the CPO standard and the customer can either accept that or decline it and look for another car. I think at is all that Tesla should do other than of course apologizing for the issue.

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Your opinion, right? So because its your opinion that an inventory car is not a new car, you dictate that belief to all who read this forum. I do believe an "inventory" car is a new car, and I think the vast majority of people would choose "new" over "used" if given the choice to pick what an "inventory" car is closer to.

The OP felt his car was a "new" car. But you're correcting him, like you corrected me. You have a tough job, don't you?

And btw I'm happy you remember me! I'll be around until you ban me for having the nerve to disagree with you. I know you don't like that. Sorry.

The word 'new' is still there. Even you thought it was an CPO car. I'd assume an inventory car with 12,000 miles would still be new by your definition then? It's also possible to get a new used car as well. If you never owned the car before it's new to you.

 

[joywalker]

I am sure you are upset by this incident.
You waited so long to get this car, and now you are faced with a difficult choice.
I know part of me would like a newly built car, but another side of me would like to have the car as soon as possible.
Hope you come out as a happy tesla owner.

 

[sorka]

Before I say anything else would the parking sensors have not picked this pole? It is absurd to hit anything with this car when it has the rear ultrasonic sensors plus back up camera. Someone must have been careless and in a hurry.



I've seen inventory P85Ds with > $10K in discounts. Some of them had options I did not want to pay for such as the 21" wheels but discounts in that region are not unheard of if you are willing to wait for the right car at the right time.

I have too but ones that had 5K+ miles on them that were 5+ months old.