What an eventful day ...
We took delivery of our Black SR+ at Richmond this morning (after a 1-day delay). There were 5 M3s (all SR+) in the delivery centre incl. ours. The handover lasted 30mins. Although we weren't rushed, we got the feeling that 30mins was the limit from the signals the other delivery specialists were giving ours
. It wouldn't have taken much longer anyway---our (very nice) lady DS appeared to have received training in very basic M3 functionality and was going thru a scripted intro to the car, any curly questions (e.g., on supercharger billing, referral kms, fog lights, etc.) got her stumped and she'd have to ask a colleague. In the end, I decided that I was getting nowhere fast and decided the faster we get thru the handover process the quicker we'd be on the road to enjoy our new toy
.
A physical inspection of the car revealed 3 very small marks on the left rear of the car below the charge port. We both took photos and the DS took notes and said the Service Centre will organise a follow up to touch up the marks. Other than that, our SR+ looked great! And btw, the software version is the latest v9.0 2019.32.2.2.
Before leaving, I asked about accessories and was told they would be available from the Chadstone showroom. When we got to Chadstone, they were surprised I was told that---in fact, they can be bought from the Richmond Service Centre
. The Chaddy guy was apologetic about me getting the run around; it appears that the delivery teams aren't communicating with the servicing team. He also said that M3 accessories aren't available yet and asked me to call the SC in a week or two before turning up.
I drove around after leaving Chaddy to get a feel of the car and wanted to test AP when an brake warning icon appeared on the screen followed by a "brake fluid low" warning
. The No Traction icon then appeared with "ABS disabled" and "No traction control" warnings. We barely drove 15kms in our brand new car ... WTF?!?
I stopped in a service lane and called Tesla Roadside Assist. After 6mins on-hold, I was talking to a very nice chap who tried to diagnose the root cause---he said he'd look at the logs, etc. ... it sounded like he was remotely accessing our M3 system. He talked me thru a typical Windows fix (system restart) but the icons and warnings remained. The only solution was to return my car to the Richmond SC; he could send a tow truck (45-90mins waiting time) or I could slowly drive back to Richmond. As time wasn't on our side then, I decided on the latter and drove on the Monash Fwy back to Richmond. Monash Fwy because there were no traffic lights to stop at, and I was getting used to the regen bracking prior to our troubles. I probably used the brakes 3 times (yes brakes still worked) before reaching the SC. BTW, cruise control doesn't work when you have these host of warnings
.
The SC technician ascertained that the low brake fluid was the root cause of the problems. A very apologetic SC lady said that could happened after a long voyage on the seas. I was in no mood to argue---I'm just glad that the resolution was quick and easy and we would be on our way again.
While waiting in the owners' lounge, I caught up with our lady DS and asked how many M3s would be delivered today. She said 15, and tomorrow will be 18. All the M3s have custom plates "BCZ" followed by 3 digits (if no personal custom plates). I was wondering why/what "BCZ" was---my wife said maybe it stands for "Be Cra-Zee". She could be right
.
In spite of our eventful day, I have to admit the brake fluid problem didn't deterred us in any way in our appreciation and enthusiasm for our M3. I'm still getting my head around setting our phones as keys, why the car locks when we walked away but not unlock when we approached, etc. I'm sure I'll figure it all out in due course. I also started installing the accessories I'd bought ... that is a write-up for another time.
For everyone who are still waiting for your M3 ... be patient ... I can guarantee it's worth the wait
!!!