Tesla Service is Sub-optimal

[Sgutz]

Well, I tried to connect with the Service Centre in Montreal today about the few minor quality issues I've found with my Model 3. Unfortunately I already wasted an entire day driving to Toronto and back to Ottawa to pick up a car that honestly shouldn't have had these problems in the first place. Now Tesla wants me to take a day off work to drive to Montreal to get it fixed. I like driving my car, but I'll have 100,000kms on this car just to convenience Tesla.

I'll be clear that I love my car and what Tesla stands for, but with regard to servicing, I think the company is brain dead. How can they expect every Tesla owner in Ottawa to drive to Montreal every time a car needs to be serviced. Just on the basis of scale this system will break down. There have to already be a few hundred Tesla in the National Capital area yet there is still no service centre. What could be more important than solid convenient customer service?

The biggest reason I traded my Model S a couple years ago was because I got tired of having it in for service 2+ hours away. I thought I'd give Tesla another chance on the Model 3 hoping that they'd improved quality enough that the absence of a local service centre wouldn't be a huge issue. Sadly just 2 two days into ownership, I'm hitting the same wall again. I wouldn't even mind this except for the fact that things like misaligned body panels, paint issues and a skewed steering wheel should never have been an issue for me in the first place - especially on a $75K car.

If you live any distance from a Tesla service and don't want to take a day off to take your car in to fix really basic quality problems, then I would have to recommend that you don't buy a Tesla. I think Tesla owes it to all Ottawa owners to make a commitment to servicing their cars locally. Otherwise in a year there will be lots of used Model 3's for sell in Ottawa.

 

[richyrich]

Obviously you're a bit upset right now but in fairness, just like me you knew when you bought the car that there's no service center here in Ottawa at the moment so it's kinda weird to damn the whole company and their service strategy when nothing changed since you decided to buy.

A service center would be nice but Montreal is only 2h away and I've heard they will give you a car if they have to keep it. As for adding 200,000 kms to your car just for servicing, I'm in the far west end of Ottawa and it's 224km for me to the Rue Ferrier service center? Also bear in mind (as I'm sure you know) the car doesn't need a whole lot of servicing. Hopefully once you're through the new car hiccups you won't even need to go very often, if at all.

I do believe some of the service centers are open Saturdays but not sure about Montreal. It's not a bad place to visit this time of year - maybe pack up the family and make an adventure of it?

Hopefully we do get an Ottawa SC eventually but I got the service facilities I expected when I paid my $$$ and I'm loving the vehicle. I'm willing to give Tesla some leeway given the huge disruption they're undertaking. It leaves us on the bleeding edge of the owner experience (which I also totally expected) but I think it's worth it. I'd go buy a Volt or a Bolt if I wanted the same-old purchase and service experience from the same old slimy companies trying to persist the status-quo.

 

[Frank88]

Oh!

 

[Sgutz]

Obviously you're a bit upset right now but in fairness, just like me you knew when you bought the car that there's no service center here in Ottawa at the moment so it's kinda weird to damn the whole company and their service strategy when nothing changed since you decided to buy.

A service center would be nice but Montreal is only 2h away and I've heard they will give you a car if they have to keep it. As for adding 200,000 kms to your car just for servicing, I'm in the far west end of Ottawa and it's 224km for me to the Rue Ferrier service center? Also bear in mind (as I'm sure you know) the car doesn't need a whole lot of servicing. Hopefully once you're through the new car hiccups you won't even need to go very often, if at all.

I do believe some of the service centers are open Saturdays but not sure about Montreal. It's not a bad place to visit this time of year - maybe pack up the family and make an adventure of it?

Hopefully we do get an Ottawa SC eventually but I got the service facilities I expected when I paid my $$$ and I'm loving the vehicle. I'm willing to give Tesla some leeway given the huge disruption they're undertaking. It leaves us on the bleeding edge of the owner experience (which I also totally expected) but I think it's worth it. I'd go buy a Volt or a Bolt if I wanted the same-old purchase and service experience from the same old slimy companies trying to persist the status-quo.

The only thing I’m truly upset with is the fact that they gave me 2 minutes to check my car before I was handed a pen to sign. Had I had more time, I would have seen the bad panel alignment on the door, but a more important concern is why they didn’t fix it before I ever saw the car. Why do I even have to think about looking for panel alignment on a car like this - if I was buying a basic Hyundai Accent that wouldn’t even enter my head.

You are right the drive isn’t a big deal unless you are asked to do it 8 times in two years like I was when I had an S. That aside, I just don’t think it’s right to have to take 2 hours of my time just so Tesla can clean up a sloppy assembly job.

Make no mistake, the guys in Montreal do a decent job looking after your car, but it’s ridiculous that Ottawa isn’t served by Tesla given the number of cars here. Calgary is the same size as Ottawa and it has a service centre. Just so you know, even when I got my S about 4 years ago an Ottawa service centre was “next year”. Four years later it’s the same song.

As I said I love Tesla but I’m not willing to be blind to the issues they still have with customer service.

 

[richyrich]

Yeah I get you, fair enough. Sorry you've had issues with the car.

I guess I'm able to stay balanced because I expected worse so I'm happy with my experience and the car overall. The sh*&-show that was clearly bubbling under the surface during IC delivery is exactly what I'd expect - they were doing something tough and new on a huge scale.

My expectation going into this was that many parts of the Tesla monster would be pretty much making it up as they go along given the huge new volume of Model 3 sales. You can plan for a lot of things but not everything, and at the speed Musk wants to move all the time (which is great), it's always going to be a an edgy, "agile" experience vs the proven, predictable, time-honoured processes I'd get if I walked into GM or any of the old guard.

I think there will be chaos for a little while but it will settle down. I'm sure at some point I'll need service but for now I'm just going to enjoy it. Is there a deadline on raising post-delivery issues?

 

[TLej]

No service centre in Edmonton, 3 hr drive to Calgary... seems about right. Maybe they’ll put a Ranger in Ottawa like they are apparently doing here. As for panel gaps, unless there is something physically being damaged by a panel misalignment (or like really bad wind noise), it would be awfully far down my priority list and I would just leave it until/unless I needed to take the car in for some other actual problem. But, to each their own, and it obviously bothers you a lot more than it would bother me. Best of luck, hope they make you happy with one trip instead of multiple.

 

[Sgutz]

My issue really isn’t a panel gap per se. what it looks like is the bottom of the drivers door has been bent in a few millimeters - almost like it was banged into something, though I don’t see any actual dent or paint damage. I know if I take it in for service they’re just going to whack with a hammer to push it out a few mm’s to where it should be. And my steering wheel being off center isn’t the of the world either, but I’m shocked that their quality control is this bad. My real annoyance is the I need to take four hours of my own time to have Tesla make this right.

The only other issue was my hood sagging a bit, but I just cranked the rubber adjusters out a bit and it’s fine. I did notice that the adjusters are fairly loose so they will no doubt rattle themselves down again. I’ll have to find a way to hold them in there tighter.

Anyway I’m not going to drive to Montreal for these issues. Tesla can fix these when I need to go in for a real reason, but in the mean time people interested in the car will ask about quality and I will be honest about my problems.

 

[ewoodrick]

like I was when I had an S.

So you were well aware of the service issues, but you bought a Model 3 anyway?
You were probably well aware of the possible Model 3 issues, but you allowed them to push through with minimal inspection?

 

[1Step2NoGas]

Warning: potential TLDR...

I think Tesla has been relatively up front with their service strategy. My understanding is: a few service centres, rangers (scheduled, not on-demand) for other places. I have no idea how well this will work out with the more than doubling or tripling of the number of Tesla vehicles on the road.

My hope is that Tesla, as most companies, will react to whatever pressure they feel the most. Potential loss of or risk to future sales is an excellent motivator for a company. Canadian sales, I fear, may not hold as much relative importance as US sales (or EU + China sales). If the Canadian sales potential can be extrapolated from the Canada/USA population ratio, will the possible loss of some fraction of 10% of their new sales in 2019 and onwards be sufficient to motivate a change in their service strategy for Canada? I don't really see it happening.

I see the possible Tesla loss of sales only occurring ahead by a couple of years because Tesla continues to enjoy the benefits of 300+k orders already in the queue.

By that time, North America may be a somewhat different place (tariffs/trade wars? battery tech? competition?).

My bottom line: Service will only be as good as the organization wishes it to be. My rose-coloured glasses with respect to Tesla the brand are becoming clear as time goes on. I think they're a fine company with a fine history who will do very well over the coming years. They're simply NOT going to give me and my Model 3 the level of service that current and future Model S and X holders enjoy. And rightfully so in my opinion.

My view is Tesla service is NOT to be viewed as similar to universal healthcare. It's tiered and it will always be tiered.

And yes, I bought one knowing all of this. And I don't regret it (yet).

 

[Sgutz]

So you were well aware of the service issues, but you bought a Model 3 anyway?
You were probably well aware of the possible Model 3 issues, but you allowed them to push through with minimal inspection?

Being in Georgia you probably don't understand the way cars are being delivered in Canada at the moment. The cars are in a protected area. A DA walks you over to it and gives you enough time to literally walk around it once and then says "Let's go sign the paperwork". It's not the casual relaxed environment of a Tesla store - they are moving close to 300 cars per day out of the one building and it's mayhem.

However to your point about my previous model S, as I pointed out, I don't hate my 3 or S, nor do have any dislike for Tesla. I simply assumed they had improved their quality substantially. Indeed the feel of drivetrain on the 3 is more solid than my Model S ever was, so I'm pretty sure after the initial problems it will definitely be better. As noted my grief is that Tesla let these really basic body assembly issues slide by and now to remedy it I now need to invest my own time. By the time I get back from my closest service centre I will have sat in my car for a total of 9 hours - 8 of those will be dedicated to driving to/from a Tesla service centre. That's not a very good ratio. If I wanted 8 hours of service for one our of operation I would have purchased a helicopter instead

Tesla will probably always have these little assembly issues, and if that's the case then at least make it convenient to get into a service centre. Maybe they need to licence local shops in many places to handle the load.

 

[kaoru]

The only thing I’m truly upset with is the fact that they gave me 2 minutes to check my car before I was handed a pen to sign. Had I had more time, I would have seen the bad panel alignment on the door, but a more important concern is why they didn’t fix it before I ever saw the car.

I refused to sign until I inspected the car, with a flash light, inside and out. Besides some easily fixed items and an oversight on their part, everything was good. Of course, they were pushy about signing at every step but I pushed back. Of course, there were a lot of new personnel for the delivery event and the event was pandemonium, so I did cut them some slack. However, it took 3 hours to complete.

Kaoru

 

[ZooSean]

Even in GTA, I went to Lawrence on the other day, and try to get my A/C checked. I surprisingly found the service center is so small. It is nothing comparing with major car dealers service and show room.

I could not image that small service center could service many many Model 3 just shipped.

 

[akidesir]

I went to the Toronto Lawrence SC today due to some panel and paint issues. They sent me to Excellence Auto Collision in Scarborough. I went over to the body shop and showed the issues to the advisor and they booked me for an appointment next week. The concerns I have aren't very pressing and I booked a appointment for near the end of July.

 

[SSonnentag]

I'm not in Canada, but where I live in Arizona, I'm over 3 hours from the nearest Tesla service center. But I'm also the same distance from a Porsche dealer, VW dealer, Audi dealer, BMW dealer, Mercedes dealer, etc. If I limit myself to local dealers I'm stuck with Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Jeep, Toyota, Nissan, Honda or Kia.

 

[richyrich]

Even in GTA, I went to Lawrence on the other day, and try to get my A/C checked. I surprisingly found the service center is so small. It is nothing comparing with major car dealers service and show room.

I could not image that small service center could service many many Model 3 just shipped.

You're forgetting that these cars don't need anywhere near the amount of servicing that traditional gas-burners do. ICE cars are in the dealer every few thousand kms for oil changes and scheduled services, earning the dealers the majority of their revenue - that's why traditional dealers have huge serving areas - it's how they make money. You have to wonder how much of it is really necessary...

The Tesla technology, dealership model and revenue model are all completely different so you can't really compare dealer servicing facilities.

 

[Osteolog]

I went to the Toronto Lawrence SC today due to some panel and paint issues. They sent me to Excellence Auto Collision in Scarborough. I went over to the body shop and showed the issues to the advisor and they booked me for an appointment next week. The concerns I have aren't very pressing and I booked a appointment for near the end of July.

What were your paint issues? I found a few hazy blotches on mine but haven’t had them taken care of yet.

 

[akidesir]

What were your paint issues? I found a few hazy blotches on mine but haven’t had them taken care of yet.

What were your paint issues? I found a few hazy blotches on mine but haven’t had them taken care of yet.

One of my body panels on the driver side just in front of the side mirror is not flush.

And two very minor paint issues. And since I was there I mentioned that the black rubber trim inside the doors three of the four trims have the blulging. And also both driver and passenger rear lights aren’t aligned flushed.

 

[ZooSean]

You're forgetting that these cars don't need anywhere near the amount of servicing that traditional gas-burners do. ICE cars are in the dealer every few thousand kms for oil changes and scheduled services, earning the dealers the majority of their revenue - that's why traditional dealers have huge serving areas - it's how they make money. You have to wonder how much of it is really necessary...

The Tesla technology, dealership model and revenue model are all completely different so you can't really compare dealer servicing facilities.

Don’t agree. If like S X , it has been for a while . The issue will be limited. But 3 is new and not Mature, plus last two week Tesla delivered more than all S X together of 3s here in Toronto. Many 3s have some issues. I really don’t think those small Tesla Service Center could handle.

BTW, I am not talking about regular service performed by ICE cars

 

[sauce]

@OP, I'm sure if you asked your DS a few minutes to further inspect the panel alignment (which you're entitled to and is your responsibility), it would have been granted to you, as per law. Having failed to do so kind of lightens your complaint, seeing how you had previous experience in that department with your Model S, no? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

Also, you must really love the drive, which I don't blame you for, else the panel alignment adjustments may well have waited for your next service inspection or coinciding trip to MTL. But I'm assuming you're otherwise enjoying your Tesla too much to keep you from driving it back and forth to Ferrier to ensure every single detail has been covered and corrected.

I know I did

 

[noicepls]

They're simply NOT going to give me and my Model 3 the level of service that current and future Model S and X holders enjoy. And rightfully so in my opinion.
.

I'm glad you're feeling that you deserve to be treated at a scale lower than the S/X owners. I believe the opposite, considering that the labour rate charged to all customers is the same at Tesla. Porsche customers charge and treat all their customers evenly, whether they buy a $75K used model or a new $400,000 911. Mercedes-Benz charge their Smart car customers the same as their top-feeders too, and respond to service issues without discriminating among the various "classes". The same at BMW. I can tell you this because I have owned a wide cross-section of "classes" of models made by all these marques. These manufacturers are the direct competitors of Tesla, and have demonstrated that their customers are treated at the same level and thus their businesses continue to thrive.