Tesla Quality Reassurance Required?

[perkym]

Two months ago I was a very excited Tesla Model 3 owner. Now just two months into the ownership I now have my doubts after a number of faults:

Paint re-spray required on the boot
Water leaking into the lower boot well
Charging port randomly now opens / closes whilst parked
Adhesive residue left on chrome parts after delivery

All of these faults in less than two months, does not seem very good poor quality control at best. I find myself wondering what might be the next fault?

It's a real shame as I do very much love driving the car, but I am now struggling with confidence. I also don’t find the UK service to be that great. Response to emails etc is not the quickest, however I would say that all Tesla employees I have meet are great, once you get to that point.

I note that the service gets poor reviews on the web, I think there is a danger that Tesla will ruin their brand unless quality and service issues are resolved. For instance how could I possibly recommend a Tesla to a friend at this moment in time?

I need reassurance, please share your positive experiences to reassure me that I have not made an expensive error in judgement?

 

[pgkevet]

I need reassurance, please share your positive experiences to reassure me that I have not made an expensive error in judgement?

Right first time. Once the gloss of new ownership wears off.....

 

[perkym]

@pgkevet does this mean you are also experiencing problems with your car?

 

[pdk42]

My Model 3 had a couple of minor issues at delivery that were addressed last week by a trip to the MK SC. However, compared to my recent previous cars (BMW), the speed of getting an appointment and the ability to talk to anyone about the problems is woeful. BMW dealerships have teams of service advisors who are quite happy to answer the phone and talk to you.

Tesla need to drop this minimal customer service nonsense and realise that there are some things that cannot be done by apps and websites. If they keep on like this, they'll kill their brand. The Model 3 is opening them up to mass market buyers who will not cut them the slack that early adopters will.

 

[perkym]

My Model 3 had a couple of minor issues at delivery that were addressed last week by a trip to the MK SC. However, compared to my recent previous cars (BMW), the speed of getting an appointment and the ability to talk to anyone about the problems is woeful. BMW dealerships have teams of service advisors who are quite happy to answer the phone and talk to you.

Tesla need to drop this minimal customer service nonsense and realise that there are some things that cannot be done by apps and websites. If they keep on like this, they'll kill their brand. The Model 3 is opening them up to mass market buyers who will not cut them the slack that early adopters will.

I cannot agree more on the customer service, talking to someone is near impossible. They are treating car buying a little bit like a web Amazon purchase. However, when I have problems with amazon the communication is almost instant and sometime you get a free replacement.

 

[TopGeared]

I have had similar experiences, and issues, as well. Car has been in once for paint issues that are still ongoing as they were made worse, and is going in again tomorrow for the rest of the list of niggles and today I’ve found the reversing camera is not working.

I’m also concerned and do wonder if I’ve made a bad decision. I do like driving the car and like the technology, but I do have concerns over the quality of the car and the ability of the service centre to solve problems.

I’ve had friends ask about the car and I don’t like to talk about it, as the list of issues comes to mind first over the positives of driving the car. I certainly couldn’t recommend ownership at this point in time.

 

[pdk42]

I have had similar experiences, and issues, as well. Car has been in once for paint issues that are still ongoing as they were made worse, and is going in again tomorrow for the rest of the list of niggles and today I’ve found the reversing camera is not working.

I’m also concerned and do wonder if I’ve made a bad decision. I do like driving the car and like the technology, but I do have concerns over the quality of the car and the ability of the service centre to solve problems.

I’ve had friends ask about the car and I don’t like to talk about it, as the list of issues comes to mind first over the positives of driving the car. I certainly couldn’t recommend ownership at this point in time.

Like I said - they'll kill their brand unless they sort the customer service issues. Your post illustrates perfectly how it can happen. Too many posts like this that get amplified and they then start to have a perception problem that can take a long time to resolve. I lived in the US for three years at the end of the 90s and was amazed how I could get an Audi for the price I did. Talking to US folks they had a very bad view of Audi due to some incidents several years earlier that got a lot of press. It killed them for several years. Tesla need to sit up and pay attention IMHO.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Even with all the complaints you see on these posts, reliability of Tesla is stellar compared to the disaster that was Audi in the US.

Most (but not all) the complaints seem to be either cosmetic or easily fixed.

These cars are so popular in Europe and Asia that Tesla was perhaps caught out, and has not been able to build and staff service centers fast enough.

Recent surveys say that the cars are getting much better than before, and hopefully Tesla will get this sorted out as the demand continues to soar.

As European and Asian congested areas continue to restrict gassers, it is not going to be which company can build the best cars, but which company can build the best ELECTRIC cars. Pollution is the real enemy...not panel gaps.

 

[perkym]

I have had similar experiences, and issues, as well. Car has been in once for paint issues that are still ongoing as they were made worse, and is going in again tomorrow for the rest of the list of niggles and today I’ve found the reversing camera is not working.

I’m also concerned and do wonder if I’ve made a bad decision. I do like driving the car and like the technology, but I do have concerns over the quality of the car and the ability of the service centre to solve problems.

I’ve had friends ask about the car and I don’t like to talk about it, as the list of issues comes to mind first over the positives of driving the car. I certainly couldn’t recommend ownership at this point in time.

As a matter of interest were is your paint issue. mine is on the boot there are a few spots that just did not have any paint. Service centre tried to fix it, but this was very poor so they have now suggest a full respray of boot. This is due to be done this week which means I will be losing car for a week. I just hope that they manage to fix everything.

 

[perkym]

Even with all the complaints you see on these posts, reliability of Tesla is stellar compared to the disaster that was Audi in the US.

Most (but not all) the complaints seem to be either cosmetic or easily fixed.

These cars are so popular in Europe and Asia that Tesla was perhaps caught out, and has not been able to build and staff service centers fast enough.

Recent surveys say that the cars are getting much better than before, and hopefully Tesla will get this sorted out as the demand continues to soar.

As European and Asian congested areas continue to restrict gassers, it is not going to be which company can build the best cars, but which company can build the best ELECTRIC cars. Pollution is the real enemy...not panel gaps.

I agree that electric cars are the future and pollutions is the real enemy, however for the Tesla brand to remain relevant longer-term then will need to fix these issues. All the other car manufactures are throwing billions of dollars trying to catch-up and will have electric car offering in the next three years. At this point service will become a selling point as the other manufacturers already have a network of service centres.

 

[TopGeared]

As a matter of interest were is your paint issue. mine is on the boot there are a few spots that just did not have any paint. Service centre tried to fix it, but this was very poor so they have now suggest a full respray of boot. This is due to be done this week which means I will be losing car for a week. I just hope that they manage to fix everything.

I've got 4 paint issues (actual paint issues, not scratches) in total. 1 on the boot, pinholes in the paint that they've tried to polish out and now the paint looks tarnished, and the pinholes are still there. I've got 2 issues on the drivers door, one was a blob of paint which they took off and touched up with a touch-up pen, so it now looks like a stone chip, and the other is a blemish in the paint that they not done anything with. There is also raised paint on the bumper where it meets the frunk, they've not looked at that either.

When I was there last I was told that "that was the best they could do" and anything else would be off to a body shop and you'll not see the car for 8 weeks. I didn't turn this down, as it wasn't actually offered since a manager had to make that call, so those discussions will continue tomorrow but it felt like scare tactics to put me off pursuing things further.

 

[AndrewGR]

8 weeks in a bodyshop to sort out paint issues has to be a scare tactic.There can't be any paint job that a bodyshop can't do it a week - or less. My last car was involved in a serious collision that made it a near write off. Although it was at a bodyshop for 5 weeks most of that was waiting for repair authorisation, and then for parts. It was only in the paint shop for 3 days.

 

[gangzoom]

Just gone through the list of things Tesla had to correct on our X at 2 years old and 30k, I don't care about paint so haven't looked.

The only assurance I can give new owners is they will get very familiar with loan cars and the service department!

I would still happily buy another though.

1: Drivers side A pillar rebuilt
2: New sun visors
3: New steering wheel
4: New door latches FWD
5: New door motor passenger side
6: New rear hatch latch
7: New FWD sensors
8: New drivers seat
9: New front suspension links
10: New front drive shafts
11: New key fobs
12: New MCU screen
13: UV treatment for new MCU screen.

 

[Jason71]

I have never bought a new car ( before) and generally get my cars serviced at independant garages that I trust.
Everytime I go in a shiny shiny main dealership. I look around, think I am paying for this, and get depressed. When I see my final bill it rarely does anything to lift my spirits.
So I do feel that the dealer networks are bloated and over priced and I kind of like that Tesla are, like in most areas, trying something different. They have decided to start at the other end of the scale and build up to something acceptable.
BUT
It seems clear that they have gone too far.
I think most Tesla owners, certainly the type who frequent forums like this still feel they are early adopters a kind of appreciate that we are still beta testing these cars much more so than is the case with established brands. It is becoming very clear now that we are also beta testing the service model and not everyone realised that they signed up for that.
In april I am expecting a wave of company car drivers to sign on based on the crazy low BIK and they will not be as forgiving as the people who waited 3 years for a car.
Interesting times.

 

[pgkevet]

@pgkevet does this mean you are also experiencing problems with your car?

Compared to many perhaps not.. 2018 S - halfshaft replacement and yellow screen border both fixed. A problem last winter with rear camera display losses.

It's a nice powerful car to drive BUT
with Tesla price changes and upgrades I've lost 50% value in a year,
the promises of automation are a daydream,
cold weather range loss is substantial,
It's not a car that a general garage can do much with so your stuck with dependance on Tesla
Tesla fees can be substantial for some things
The minimalist interior may suit some folk but it really does lack things like door pockets and a bigger glove box
Except when able to use autosteer then having everything screen based is an issue - try finding the fog lights while negotiating a country road for instance - I often end up pulling over to do things
Lights and wiper automation is crap

 

[m3gt2]

I can only speak from my experience but my car had minor issues on collection, as has every single new car I have purchased yet it's not anything that makes the vehicle undrivable (unlike our Mercedes). I did book an appointment for a few days after to get the issues sorted but the chrome trim wasn't going to arrive in time so it's going in on Wednesday, 5 weeks after delivery. This is not great and needs improving. I also had a warning that Emergency Brake Assist was unavailable after the car went on a rolling brake tester and the MOTer didn't follow correct guidance to test the brakes! I called Tesla instantly, they got me to reboot the car which didn't resolve the issue so added it on to my initial service appointment and said that the car was safe to drive and a technician would do remote diagnostics to see if it could be sorted that was, 15 minutes later they had sorted the problem, amazing. I think they will up the service game massively but as a large proportion of issues are QC related, and they are already making massive improvements to this, the pressure on the service will naturally lower anyway.

 

[Tony Hoyle]

I'm still waiting for them to fix paint issues - one a quite deep.scratch - found on delivery at the end of August

Only way I can even chase it is to make a service appointment then either it gets cancelled or I turn up and get sent home again.

If anything major broke I have zero confidence it would get fixed in a timely fashion.

It's minor compared to what some have experienced but whilst when people ask I say it's a great car I also have to warn them about the service.

 

[Yev000]

Had my bumper (pearl white) resprayed for a small scuff at my own cost in a local paintshop I know.

He charged 200+VAT
Brought the car in at 9 am and it was ready at 2 pm
He used his own paint and technique to match the Tesla paint and I can't tell the difference

A tesla recommended body shop (from the Tesla site) quoted me 1500 + VAT for exactly the same job, describing exactly the same method, using "special paint" and needing the car for a week. Had lot's of Model Xs parked in the car park.

So it's really an element of Tesla Tax out there.

The service center people, although very polite, still say the old "they are all like that" to any defects. Had my front bumper realigned by them (waited in the SC for about 2 hours) and it is better, but not perfect. At least I dont have overbite look anymore, but certainly not perfect.

Paint is fine, but I'm not too fussy.

Charging port randomly now opens / closes whilst parked

Had this happen once. The SC could not figure out what it is. But they did say that the logs are massive, so it's best if you contact them right away with the fault as soon as it happens. Next time I'll also take a video.

To be honest, having had a new BMW the level of aftercare and warranty "service" is the same. You have to convince them there is something wrong. Having heard similar stories from a colleague who just bought a new Range Rover, same thing...

If anything major broke

Well, the good thing is that's less common, with less moving parts than an ICE. The only thing that seems to really kill it is the 12v battery.

 

[JCremonini]

What people need to remember is Tesla is new to the mass production market and, like it or not, quality assurance is something which comes with experience and not immediately. As long as they are learning and putting corrective measures in place, then things will continue to improve. In the grand scheme of things we are early adopters.

 

[gangzoom]

As long as they are learning and putting corrective measures in place, then things will continue to improve. In the grand scheme of things we are early adopters.

I certainly take this view, any other car I would have sold up a long time ago.

Despite a dozen visits to the service centre, and having only a 10 mile daily commute our car has racked up over 30k in just over 2 years.

I love our car despite the work needed.