Tesla Overall Build Quality vs. Other Car Manufacturers Currently Building EVs

[joeliban]

A family member of mine who recently purchased a Mercedes EQS SUV, told me that he met a local auto adjuster in the Boston area who complimented him on his new Mercedes purchase and supported it due to their impeccable build quality. He then brought up Tesla's build quality in comparison and recounted the multitude of claims and manufacturing issues with Tesla vehicles that he is seeing in his work. For example, he mentioned the 'miles' of wiring in Mercedes electric vehicles and other EV manufacturers compared to Tesla vehicles having minimal wiring and not a lot of 'substance' behind the interior panels.

As I have a MYLR on order currently, my family members was sharing this interaction with this auto adjuster as a courtesy to me - something that might make me think twice about my order. He also mentioned that as new EV manufacturers enter the industry, Tesla will have more and more pressure as a company and will ultimately lose value, customer service ability, etc.

I am already a very happy Tesla owner (with a 2020 Model S LRP) and really digging my experience as an owner and my car as a daily driver. Curious if anyone has any thoughts regarding this auto adjuster's claims or further expertise on build quality and Tesla manufacturing that speaks to this topic. I'm confident and excited about our new purchase, but would love some re-assurance and just hear some discussion on this topic. Thank you!

 

[Npate2]

Teslas build quality is always hit or miss. I think if you buy a Tesla you are purchasing mostly for the tech/experience vs the actual build quality of the car. That’s just my opinion though! You mentioned you already own a 2020 Model S, so if you like that, I think you will enjoy your new model Y!

 

[ATPMSD]

Does Tesla have build quality issues? Yes, but so do other companies. The bigger issue is their history of poor customer service. Minor build quality issues are typically easy to address when the company puts customer service first. But this is not Tesla as there are far too many accounts of poor service and of customer service not caring about customers once the sale has been made. As a current owner you should be able to gauge this for yourself.

I also have a 2020 Model S LRP, I love the car. I would not hesitate to buy another one, expect for Tesla’s customer service complaints. I will have to think long and hard when the time comes to replace it. And THAT is bad business for Tesla.

 

[wws]

The "miles of wiring" in other cars vs Tesla shows how far behind Tesla the other automakers are. Remember when Diess (former head of VW) was complaining that it took Tesla only 10 hours of labor per car where VW was spending over 30? All the miles of wiring, hoses/pipes, and other un-integrated bits and pieces in their products are much of the cause.

I've never had a problem with the rare times I've needed Tesla's customer service. I walk into a local service center and they are happy to help me right away.

However I have a cousin who bought a Model Y last fall. He loves the car, but was very dissatisfied with the "15 minutes of training" he got upon delivery. (I've helped him along, so he is getting much more comfortable with things. But I even had to show him where to find the on-screen Owners Manual.)

 

[gx9901]

I don't think anyone would dispute that Mercedes-Benz have better build quality compared to Tesla, but I found it ludicrous that the adjuster equated "miles of wiring" to more "substance". Maybe he needs to find a new line of work with that kind of understanding of elegance in engineering.

I've wondered about maybe Tesla is getting caught up by legacy automakers soon, but I watched bits of Investor Day presentations and based on what they presented, I think Tesla's lead is still pretty big for now and they don't seem to be standing pat despite having no traditional design refreshes in their cars.

As for service, I've only been to the local SC for one minor issue (spoiler change) and one maintenance (brakes lube), and I have no complaints about the service I've received. This is probably different depending where you're at though, given the amount of complaints I've seen around here.

 

[Evoyager]

5 years of ownership. Service: Hardware upgrade; Rover 12V battery change. No complaints here

 

[Genie]

21 MXP build quality was acceptable but 2.5 years later I’m getting assorted rattles I have not tracked down. Maybe that is common among brands, I have mostly owned used pickups in the past and used them hard.
So I am used to rattles, I thought $$$ cars like this would be assembled better.

 

[Ritzcarlton123]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ioniq5/comments/12uzoij

This is from a brand people perceived to have better build and material quality than Tesla. I don’t see Tesla owners having this issue.

 

[jerome8283]

Mercedes is one of the top luxury brands there is. They have been around for centuries and are known for their build quality. I don’t believe it’s a good comparison.

 

[SO16]

Having more wiring to accomplish the same goal, is a good thing? Um no.

Once Tesla moves to 48v on their 25k vehicles, will be even less wiring.

 

[Calliope]

For example, he mentioned the 'miles' of wiring in Mercedes electric vehicles and other EV manufacturers compared to Tesla vehicles having minimal wiring

That sounds like a good thing -- who needs miles of unnecessary wiring in their car? What an odd thing for him mention.

I find it hard to imagine customer service is worse at a Tesla Service Center than at a dealership for service, but so far I haven't needed anything in my 2 year old MY.......I guess it depends on location (like most service issues). I was very happy not to have the dealership experiences I've had in the past over ICE or EVs.

 

[SO16]

That sounds like a good thing -- who needs miles of unnecessary wiring in their car? What an odd thing for him mention.

I find it hard to imagine customer service is worse at a Tesla Service Center than at a dealership for service, but so far I haven't needed anything in my 2 year old MY.......I guess it depends on location (like most service issues). I was very happy not to have the dealership experiences I've had in the past over ICE or EVs.

It seems to be very service center specific. I haven’t had any trouble with mine. But I do like it better than the one on the other side of the state.

 

[oldsport]

if you want an ev... tesla is top dog... unless u understand nothing, tesla is top dog for a long time to come...

 

[john5520]

More wiring = greater chance of failures. Ask the Mach-E owners. The EQS SUV price is around 104-135K and they're slower, possibly than even the MYLR. At that price point, exterior / interior build quality and materials SHOULD be impeccable considering the performance hit. And I would be weary of the long-term reliability and cost of repairs. These are cars where you'd definitely want an extended warranty.

Saw this today. Don't know anything about that site, but it's German which should say something considering they're comparing Tesla to their own brands:

Tesla Model 3 crushes gas vehicle competition in reliability study

The Tesla Model 3 has annihilated its internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts in a new reliability study from Germany.

www.teslarati.com

 

[polyphonic54]

Tesla is worse, but the legacy manufacturer’s EV build quality is worse than their ICE.

Exceptions are the when they build the exact same vehicle as ICE with an EV drivetrain.

Legacy manufacturer software quality is very poor, exceptions being Polestar and IMO BMW.