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Tesla Service damaged my car months ago and hasn't made it right

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I'm a long-time TMC member but am posting this under a new account because I want to be able to use my real name. I've heard Tesla Motors monitors these forums and people are sometimes able to get an issue escalated when all else has failed.

Short version: I had my 2013 Model S (VIN P16199) airbags replaced in January 2018 per the recall. During the replacement, Tesla Service accidentally cracked the chrome molding around the screen and dashboard. Months later it is still not fixed and communication from Tesla Service is non-existent.

I'll share photos in another post.

Long version sequence of events:

  1. January 20, 2018: Airbags replaced at the San Diego Service Center during a warranty repair for an unrelated issue with the doors.
  2. February 22, 2018: Had the 12v battery replaced by mobile service. Noticed the cracked dashboard right after this repair. Contacted San Diego Tesla Service on 2/27. Spoke to "Taylor", who looked up my records and said the damage probably happened during the airbag replacement, not the 12v battery, and they would have to order a part.
  3. February 28, 2018: Sent photos of the damage to Taylor to make sure the right part was ordered.
  4. March 2018: called periodically, told the part was still on back order.
  5. April 17, 2018: emailed inquiring about status. No response.
  6. April 19, 2018: went to the service center for mobile connector issue. Inquired again and told dashboard part was still on back order.
  7. May 16, 2018: the door fix from January 20 needed some more work -- the passenger window had stopped working. Emailed with Roger at San Diego Service about trying to get all the parts at the same time to fix the dashboard and door at the same time.
  8. May 17, 2018. Roger emailed back saying dashboard part had no ETA.
  9. June 6, mobile service came and fixed the window (new regulator). Looked at the cracked dashboard and said he would try to escalate the part back order.
  10. July 3, 2018. Emailed San Diego Service Center, inquired about status. This email was much stronger in tone. No response.
  11. July 3, 2018. Attempted to escalate the issue by submitting the same email as above on the tesla.com web site using their "escalate to an executive" contact form.
  12. July 4, 2018: Received a response from Bettina Haerten in Amsterdam apologizing for "the experience I have shared" and said she would reach out to local management and follow up with me.
Well, here we are a week later and there's no response from Tesla. I sent another email inquiry today.

The lack of communication is particularly irksome and the entire reason I'm posting here. I would much rather just deal with Tesla Service normally, like the Tesla fan I am, and not whine like this on a public forum as a ploy to get a response.

Tesla Service in 2014 was very responsive, just a pleasure to deal with. Not so much any more. Yes, this is just a cosmetic issue, but they did the damage and then went radio silent. I was extremely patient until July rolled around. It's been long enough.

What would you do?
 
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I'd escalate loudly, and do your homework on litigation/recovery if they choose to not act. At a minimum, they should be totally forthright with the steps they are taking and clarity on timelines.

I pick my car up tomorrow from the service center, and I am preparing myself for the worst.
 
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The quality of Service seems to vary quite a lot between the Service Centers. That is at least my conclusion from reading about both good and bad experiences here on the forum.

I had my passenger knee airbag on my 2013 Model S replaced early this year. The airbag seems to be very difficult to get to and apparently requires large parts of the dashboard to be removed.
When I picked up my Model S my Service Manager greeted me with a nice Tesla mug and quickly started apologizing about the exact same damage the engineer inflicted (which apparently is extremely difficult to avoid when taking the dash apart). I was informed that they naturally have already ordered replacement parts to remedy the damage.
Mind you all this happened before I even have seen my car after the service visit. If they haven't told me I would surely not have noticed this damage for some time.

The damage was remedied a few weeks after when the replacement parts came in.

My experience with my local Service Center was absolutely fabulous. I had my car in quite a number of times already and they are extremely consistent in delivering an incredible positive service experience.

Be aware that the chrome trim is attached to the entire top part of the dash and cannot be exchanged separately. This means the full top dash cover will be exchanged with the latest version available (new 2018 model). Note that the "leather" is slightly different than on the 2013 models. It is not as rough and is of course "vegan leather". If you look closely you can see the difference in the texture when comparing the lower dash and door panel covers with the new dash top cover. Personally, this difference doesn't bother me too much. I would have loved to get one with the alcantara as it was used from late 2014 to 2017, but these don't seem to be available any more.
 
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Latest update. Seems like I made enough noise in the last 24 hours that I got a call this morning from the SD Service Center.

Nothing has changed: "I'll look into the part order status and get back to you." No ETA. Although I now have contact information for someone in SD who promises he'll take charge on the matter. I warned him I'll be following up incessantly.

Further bulletins as events warrant. I'll call him again on Monday.
 
[...] my Service Manager greeted me with a nice Tesla mug and quickly started apologizing about the exact same damage the engineer inflicted [...] I was informed that they naturally have already ordered replacement parts to remedy the damage.

I'm sure this is the type of service Tesla intended to offer from the beginning and reflects the way things were for me in San Diego in 2014. Not so much today. Now, the tech does the damage, doesn't say anything, leaves it for the customer to discover and get all worked up. I'll keep saying it in the hopes that they hear me: the lack of communication out of San Diego is infuriating. It's about as good as Wal-Mart, where the customer service motto is, "that's not my department."

Frankly, in cases like this it is usually not the people/employees that are the problem. The problem is usually the policies, training, and lack of direction from management. Someone in the San Diego Service Center needs to be replaced (or hired? Is anyone in charge?) and employees need better customer service policies and a manager who sets a good example. They're only going to get busier.
 
the lack of communication out of San Diego i

...there are im sure higher priorities and bigger problems to solve than giving you personal status on your chrome trim ...it sucks that this happened but your part will come in when it does ...complaining on this forum won’t do anything ...do you honestly believe they are watching this forum and worrying about a single piece of plastic ?? ....there are many other Tesla owners in SD ...be respectful of the service centers time
 
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Similarly my 2013 S had a dent in the chrome just below the big screen. I hadn't noticed it at delivery but noticed it soon after. It looked like a tool had made the dent when trying to snap the chrome in place or something. A week or so later I was in the Svc Center for an unrelated matter (I think the charge cable stopped working and they swapped it for me) and I mentioned the chrome dent. They said they'd note it and get back to me about it. I never heard another thing about it. I decided to let it go since it was cosmetic and I assumed would be a huge hassle for them to fix, but it always bugged me when I saw that dented chrome below the screen in my otherwise perfect brand new Model S!
 
Similarly my 2013 S had a dent in the chrome just below the big screen. I hadn't noticed it at delivery but noticed it soon after. It looked like a tool had made the dent when trying to snap the chrome in place or something. A week or so later I was in the Svc Center for an unrelated matter (I think the charge cable stopped working and they swapped it for me) and I mentioned the chrome dent. They said they'd note it and get back to me about it. I never heard another thing about it. I decided to let it go since it was cosmetic and I assumed would be a huge hassle for them to fix, but it always bugged me when I saw that dented chrome below the screen in my otherwise perfect brand new Model S!

Maybe they can fix it if you decide to do the LTE Upgrade?
 
It's more than just dented and broken chrome. The entire dashboard is loose and warped. The way they tried to snap it all back together is putting pressure on other panels and it's getting worse and worse over time. The photo doesn't do it justice, but there are gaps and warped trip all over the front panels, screen, and dashboard.

Sounds like SOP up until now has been to try to sweep this problem under the rug whenever possible and hope it goes away.
 
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I've been to the SD center dozens of times. I know all these guys by name. They are awesome.

They are completely and totally underwater from people coming in with absolutely ridiculous and minor issues CONSTANTLY (same with OC from my limited experience).

Their service sucks, but they know it and they hate it as much as you do. Just stay on them, ask for Dave if you can, he's usually able to cut through the bullshit, but PLEASE be polite, they aren't doing it on purpose, they are just swamped and Tesla corporate owns most decisions...
 
I've been to the SD center dozens of times. I know all these guys by name. They are awesome.

They are completely and totally underwater from people coming in with absolutely ridiculous and minor issues CONSTANTLY (same with OC from my limited experience).

Their service sucks, but they know it and they hate it as much as you do. Just stay on them, ask for Dave if you can, he's usually able to cut through the bullshit, but PLEASE be polite, they aren't doing it on purpose, they are just swamped and Tesla corporate owns most decisions...

Thank YOU for your post.

We need more helpful people like you.
 
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Thank YOU for your post.

We need more helpful people like you.
Thanks!

I get what hes going through, my trim is actually damaged EXACTLY like that (i did it though, different type of mad LOL)

But I did reach a point with other issues where I felt like they just didn't care, and it tested my patience constantly. I found that if I was able to go out of my way to talk to them in person and really explain my issue politely and ask them for any solution, I'd gladly do my part to accommodate.

Its gotten me a lot of goodwill and help/opinions on my car and its issues in the past 3 years. I feel bad for these guys, but I am happy to see most of them still there, trying SUPER hard to help.

edit: as an example, I've had 3 DU swaps, all 4 door handles replaced, all TPMS hardware replaced, I flexed my hood and it took over a year to figure out why, and many other issues... ALL out of warranty. They were basically awesome considering they didnt need to be.
 
Update: spoke with the service manager and went to the service center. I looked at a dash in stock that's different material (smooth black vegan leather) than the one I have (grainy black leather). He's going to let me know in a week if there's any hope of getting the original material, otherwise there is a plan B in place with a part that's in stock. It won't match perfectly, but at this point I'll be satisfied with close enough.

There are some fit and finish collateral damage issues with the surrounding panels and screen that he says can be fixed as well.

I am cautiously optimistic! I'll give it another week and I think I will just go for plan B. Does anyone else have a mismatched dash like this? Is it ok? It matches the black seats fairly closely, but it's quite a bit different from the rest of the trim on the front and side panels.
 
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