Tesla Chrome Trim Quality Failure

[Sawyer8888]

I noticed this on many Model S in parking lots and to a lesser extent in showrooms. My only complaint is how doors close. Not even as good as my 2008 Acura TL. But a little technique helps (follow through with pressure till closed rather than just shoving).

Misaligned trim is quite common with Tesla. Like @Darren Donovan said, this is such a relatively easy fix, why not address it before the owner does?

This was on my punch list soon after purchase last year. It's a bit frustrating, however Tesla did correct it. I consider myself to be a perfectionist when it comes to things like this and I believe Tesla can align the trim quite well, near perfect - as good as any car. But why not do it before it leaves the factory are at least just prior to delivery? If the OP's service center can't figure it out, then that is even more unfortunate.

I too pointed out this issue on another owner's car at a Supercharger. They were completely unaware.

As far as the closing of the doors, that too is a bit annoying as @Endolphins pointed out. Most pre-facelift Teslas have doors that are easily closed. Those sound and feel solid. My post-facelift car has doors that have always required extra force to close completely. It has gotten a little better over time. They feel somewhat light and hollow in comparison to older models. But I believe that is because the newer models have more aluminum, or so I have been told.

In any case, it's a good car. The minor fit and finish issues are just a bit frustrating. Many of them, such as the trim are at least correctable at most service centers. I am confident I could also DIY it since they are really only held in place by pressure on a track.

 

[TaoJones]

As others have repeatedly said, call Tesla service and they will make it perfect. My late 2016 90D had slightly misaligned chrome. I called them and they sent a ranger over who fixed it perfectly in 15 minutes at my house. After watching him make the repair I believe I could to it myself easily. Don't stress, call service. Then will make it right. Chill.

I didn't realize there was an easy fix for this - thanks. I've had it with both cars. Less noticeable with the latest, but still noticeable, and people do notice. Will bring it up at the upcoming annual service.

 

[JayyyDeee]

My 3 month old 2017 model s has come trim issues and the loaner they gave me to fix the delivery issues (cracked b pillar, vibrating speaker, faulty door handle, pops and squeaks from the headliners, dash and passenger door) also has chrome trim issues.

But the following is in fact a big issue my loaner also has the extremely small charge port issue. If I had not known that tesla was letting this defect go at the factory and at the service center I may have been stranded. What blows my mind is that someone at the factory would have even noticed this and at least 1 or 2 people at the service center but no one did anything about it before loaning me the car So for this is reflective of the quality control and customer service I have received at tesla since day 1.

Tesla build quality is still worse than a 90s kia

 

[Ande]

Real "enthusiasts" know that it's faster to fix, than write this rant

 

[.Supercharged.]

My late 2017 (pickup early 2018) had chrome misalignment issue. Was able to fix passenger side myself to be close enough that I can live with it. Drivers side was another story. It took 4 visits to finally get fixed. First time they " adjusted it" but i couldnt tell the difference. They told me they would fix it all the way at the next major service. Ended up taking it back again as I didn't want to wait that long. 2nd time they replaced driver side rear trim, but still 1/2 inch missaligment with quarter panel and 1/8 missaligment at drivers door. Brought it back a 3rd time( thought I had an appointment, but apparently they were just planning to look at it quickly) Tech couldn't get it better. He recommended they replace the entire trim and quarter window, but it was a big job and I needed to make another appointment and come back. 4th time left it with them for a few days for the work..Finally...perfection!...at quarter panel, but driver door still off! At least some progress! I felt bad for them, because i could tell they were trying the best they could, but I nicely kept persisting. Got the whole , "within tolerances" yada yada. Politely stated I was not satisfied with the work until a service manager got involved and personally fixed it. He was super cool. Took about an hour, but he got it. Ended up being not so much the moulding, but the whole driver's door being too low on the hinges. I was so estatic that he finally got it I gave him a high five lol. He wasn't going to give up no matter how long it took!

Bottom line for me: Yes the cars are not perfect, but if you ask nice and have some patience they usually will get you where you need to be eventually. Should this have been dealt with during QA.. most definitely, but its easy to forget they are still a new company. In time it will get better at fit and finish.

 

[IchDochNicht]

I had this corrected on mine as well. But we are not alone:

Today, I saw a Mercedes E300 on the freeway, and noticed the lower window trim pieces misaligned between front and rear door.

In Germany, I saw the all new Mercedes A-Class with terribly misaligned transition of front fender and A pillar, as well as the above lower window trim issue.

 

[mahagala]

8/10 Tesla S/X I've seen has trim misalignment issue, mine too, as long as it won't cause other problem, I can live with it.

Because of this quality issue, now I started to wondering and see if other car manufacture would have similar problem, and yes, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, and Honda, they all have some degree of misalignment on door trim, however, percentage is like 1/10.

 

[Sawyer8888]

Real "enthusiasts" know that it's faster to fix, than write this rant

Other "enthusiasts" share their experiences, for better or worse, in an effort to help set the expectations of other current and future owners and to hopfully shed additional light on issues in hopes that Tesla will improve.

 

[Snerruc]

You guys act like Tesla is the only one with these problems. Check the threads for MB BMW, etc. They all have problems. Does Tesla have more problems? Probably. But I had a MB that was a disaster for repairs. My Tesla has never been to a service center in 18 months. YRMV.

 

[mahagala]

You guys act like Tesla is the only one with these problems. Check the threads for MB BMW, etc. They all have problems. Does Tesla have more problems? Probably. But I had a MB that was a disaster for repairs. My Tesla has never been to a service center in 18 months. YRMV.

What can I say? Congratulations I guess...

I have been in service centre 2 times already, fixing charging port and voice command button, and 3rd time coming next week for airbag recall. 4 month old vehicle, not to mention voice command button still not working atm. Bad luck I suppose.

 

[jjanov79]

Anyone involved in manufacturing understands that any final product has an acceptable range of quality standards. Every part, hinges, door panels, latches, etc, are manufactured within a certain degree of accpetable tolerance. The manufacturing/assembly process itself (forthe most part) never changes in order to maximize efficiency; however, the variable tolerances within each component result in a final product with minor variability and consequently a variable degree of perfection. Over time companies will refine their process and integrate different quality control measures.

One thing that’s important as a consumer is to use your common sense to manage expectations. All of the luxury brands mentioned in this thread were founded in the early 1900’s and have had roughly 100 years and hundreds of millions of vehicles to iron out their manufacturing process and quality control procedures. Tesla has been making their “low production” model cars (the S & X) starting in 2012 and has manufactured less than 300,000 units in total. Common sense would lead one to believe that Tesla still has quite a way to go and their vehicles are ever evolving. Anyone who expects a perfect Tesla shouldn’t have purchased one to begin with. The price tag in their case is not directly related to final quality but rather the incredible R&D costs for driving a car on the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology overall.

To the OP... what’s your short position on Tesla? I don’t see any other motivation for what equates to a child throwing a tantrum. Other than the trivial misalignment of the window trim (it’s not aligned perfect on my car either), I haven’t seen you post specific photos of anything else but rather rant on about generalities. I don’t intend to change the trim on my car or go over the car inch by inch to find other trivial defects which don’t effect my day to day enjoyment of ownership or the value of the car for that matter.