Tesla service loaner policy

[Darren Donovan]

This loaner thing would be a non issue if the cars had higher QC and/or better built. It is not uncommon for an owner of a new Tesla to have his first trip with the car be a dealer visit with a checklist instead of a fun trip sonewhere with the family.

 

[tomas]

This loaner thing would be a non issue if the cars had higher QC and/or better built. It is not uncommon for an owner of a new Tesla to have his first trip with the car be a dealer visit with a checklist instead of a fun trip sonewhere with the family.

I just don't get it. 4 years and the not 1 visit outside of scheduled maintenance.

 

[Andyw2100]

I just don't get it. 4 years and the not 1 visit outside of scheduled maintenance.

I get it:

--You were lucky
--You have a single drive unit car without AP.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

This is not true at all. No change in our loaner policy. In fact, we surprised some customers in December with P100D loaners!

I'm going in for the 2-yr service in April. PLEASE DO NOT provide a P100D loaner to me! I can't afford to find out how much faster it is.

 

[tomas]

I get it:

--You were lucky
--You have a single drive unit car without AP.

Andy (and others), I refuse to believe that I am alone. Consider these points:

1) I have 2 sets of Tesla friends: those on this forum, and those in real life. Of the dozen or so I know in real life, NONE have had significant service issues. NONE. Also, none of these people participate in this forum.

2) ANY internet forum attracts fanatics and hypercritical people, as well as trolls and whatever... I do not believe what we see posted on this forum is a legit sample of Tesla owners. I love this forum, and have participated prolifically and actively (and I hope constructively) for almost 5 years now. But I do think participants are very polar (hypercritical or hyper supportive), whereas the majority of owners are in between.

3) My last 3 cars (Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes) as a sample: The Mercedes was flawless. The BMW and the Jaguar had FAR more flaws and service visits than my Model S. (PS, not my first goat rodeo, have had 3 Mercedes and 12 BMW... it was however my first Jag).

4) One thing I get - even from most of the hypercritical on this site - is that the Tesla service people are very positive and helpful. They try. This is in distinct contrast to every other make I've ever owned... where a trip to service was basically an exercise in protecting your wallet and trying to avoid unnecessary work. (PS, I was a mechanic for Saab and Renault back in the day, so I could tell some stories).

Andy specifically, I know you are going to want to argue this. I've got nothing more to say. I just think that the people with few Tesla issues deserve some representation on this site, because if you otherwise read the posts, you'd easily get the impression that Tesla is a disaster... however I get the same vibe on the BMW and Jag sites, so.... it appears to come with the medium.

 

[Andyw2100]

Andy (and others), I refuse to believe that I am alone. Consider these points:

<SNIP>

Andy specifically, I know you are going to want to argue this. I've got nothing more to say. I just think that the people with few Tesla issues deserve some representation on this site, because if you otherwise read the posts, you'd easily get the impression that Tesla is a disaster... however I get the same vibe on the BMW and Jag sites, so.... it appears to come with the medium.

I'm not arguing with you. I fully recognize there are people who have no problems at all. It was the tone of your post, in which you said, "I just don't get it. 4 years and not 1 visit outside scheduled maintenance." The "I just don't get it" part implies that your situation is the norm, and everyone else who has had issues are the aberrational cases. I was merely pointing out that part of the reason for the fact that you have had no issues is that your car is less complex than the newer cars being made now. And you've been somewhat lucky. I don't think you would argue with that. You must recognize that the average number of issues over 4 years is greater than 0. So by definition you've been lucky.

 

[tomas]

I'm not arguing with you. I fully recognize there are people who have no problems at all. It was the tone of your post, in which you said, "I just don't get it. 4 years and not 1 visit outside scheduled maintenance." The "I just don't get it" part implies that your situation is the norm, and everyone else who has had issues are the aberrational cases. I was merely pointing out that part of the reason for the fact that you have had no issues is that your car is less complex than the newer cars being made now. And you've been somewhat lucky. I don't think you would argue with that. You must recognize that the average number of issues over 4 years is greater than 0. So by definition you've been lucky.

OK, peace, I've been lucky indeed. Hope and believe the true average experience is closer to my "lucky" than the poor reliability impression one could get from this forum.

 

[Andyw2100]

OK, peace, I've been lucky indeed. Hope and believe the true average experience is closer to my "lucky" than the poor reliability impression one could get from this forum.

I actually do. My own experience is closer to yours than to some of the horror stories. I have no trouble whatsoever believing that many Tesla owners have few, if any problems.

I think a big part of that is Tesla service being proactive. I'm on my third 12V battery in two years and three days of ownership, but I never would have known of any issue if I hadn't read closely the details of the work being done. In other words, my two faulty batteries never caused me a moment's problem. Tesla replaced them when the car was there for "annual" service, or for something else, without me knowing anything was wrong.

On my most recent "annual" service Tesla replaced a control arm that I had no idea was having issues. (See detail below.)

I think Tesla service is doing a great job!

--
Concern: Tech noted left side upper control arm has excessive movement
Pay Type: Warranty
Corrections: Air Suspension System General Diagnosis
Inspected vehicle and found excessive play in passenger side upper control arm and driver side sway bar link.
Corrections: Control Arm - Upper - Front - LH (1st Generation) (Dual Motor)
Replace passenger side upper control arm assembly.

 

[MS16]

Hi All -- just a bit more clarification on some of your questions:

• It's our intent to have Tesla loaners as the primary loaner in all of our service locations. No change here. We constantly monitor and forecast loads to make sure we have adequate loaners in place (this is new and getting better -- experiences from last March aren't representative).
• During peaks (like winter tire changeovers), we may have to resort to rental cars. It pains us to do this, but helps keep our promise of a loaner to you. To ease this, we've worked with folks at Hertz, Avis, Sixt and Enterprise to add more Teslas to their fleets.
• With nearly 20,000 committed Tesla employees globally, sometimes an individual may get a communication wrong -- just let us know and we'll correct (n=1 is not likely a trend).

Thanks @jeffro01 for quickly sending a PM and asking for the facts.

Happy holidays everyone and our best to you for a wonderful 2017,

Jon

Has anyone in California experienced Tesla loaners being "the primary loaner in all of our service locations" as Tesla's Service VP states?

I've been to the SC too many times to count and this hasn't been my experience at all. Service Center employees have told me on repeated instances that a Tesla loaner is rare, its definitely not a "primary loaner".

What have other owners experienced in California? are Teslas the "primary loaner" at your SC or is the primary loaner a Hertz/Enterprise/Avis etc?

 

[mblakele]

are Teslas the "primary loaner" at your SC or is the primary loaner a Hertz/Enterprise/Avis etc?

Depends on what you mean by "primary". Maybe you're using it to mean "most common" or "most frequent"? If so then the answer is no. But that isn't how I interpret it. It's just that the, uh, primary meaning of "primary" is simply "first": from Latin "primus", meaning "first". So the primary loaner is the one they give out first. And then the answer is yes.

I'm not going to apologize for the shortage of Tesla loaners. It annoys me to have to give up AP and drive an ICE, even for a day. But my experience at the Burlingame SC is that they first give out any Tesla loaners they have available. Then they fall back on Enterprise. In my eyes that makes Tesla the primary loaner and Enterprise is secondary. I think I'm one for three getting an early enough appointment to have a Tesla loaner. Some days there may be zero available. The one time I was early enough, I took the last one available. I was signing the paperwork while a service rep offered a choice of Enterprise vehicles to the customer with the next appointment.

I've wondered — and maybe you've wondered too — if they might reserve Tesla loaners for customers who have spent more: buyers of multiple vehicles for example. If I were running things I'd consider doing that. However so far I've seen no evidence for that. In Burlingame it seems to be first appointment first served.

I've also wondered if offering Lyft or Uber credits might be a cost-effective alternative to Enterprise for some service visits. In some situations I'd take that over a driving an ICE, because I wouldn't have to do the driving.

 

[Cyclone]

I've also wondered if offering Lyft or Uber credits might be a cost-effective alternative to Enterprise for some service visits. In some situations I'd take that over a driving an ICE, because I wouldn't have to do the driving.

Hmmm. I don't know if they have offered that, but Tesla has twice ferried me using Uber. Once when my Tesla loaner got a flat and had to be left at a parking lot - they got me an Uber ride home. Then the next day they used Uber to bring me to the Service Center to pick up my car and they managed towing the abandoned loaner.

 

[MS16]

Depends on what you mean by "primary". Maybe you're using it to mean "most common" or "most frequent"? If so then the answer is no. But that isn't how I interpret it. It's just that the, uh, primary meaning of "primary" is simply "first": from Latin "primus", meaning "first". So the primary loaner is the one they give out first. And then the answer is yes.

In this case I think most consumers would use primary the way Webster's does.

pri·ma·ry
ADJECTIVE

1. of chief importance; principal:
   synonyms: main · chief · key · prime · central · principal · foremost · first · first-line ·
   predominant · paramount · number-one
   antonyms: secondary · subordinate
2. earliest in time or order of development:
   "the primary stage of their political education"
   synonyms: original · earliest · initial · first · essential · fundamental · basic

Tesla's meaning of the word primary seems quite clear when reading the post on here from the Sevice VP for Tesla.

Hi All -- just a bit more clarification on some of your questions:

• It's our intent to have Tesla loaners as the primary loaner in all of our service locations. No change here. We constantly monitor and forecast loads to make sure we have adequate loaners in place (this is new and getting better -- experiences from last March aren't representative).
• During peaks (like winter tire changeovers), we may have to resort to rental cars. It pains us to do this, but helps keep our promise of a loaner to you. To ease this, we've worked with folks at Hertz, Avis, Sixt and Enterprise to add more Teslas to their fleets.

According to Tesla's VP of Service, Tesla loaners will be available except in some usual peak circumstances (like winter tire changeovers) when they painfully forced to resort to rentals. Tesla says they are "constantly" monitoring and forecasting to make sure Tesla loaners are available.

My experience with loaners has been nothing like what Tesla describes, in fact it's the exact opposite. Tesla loaners are few and far between and rentals are the 'main, chief, foremost, predominant, paramount, prime' source of loaners.

 

[Jason S]

At least for my service center, I haven't seen a Tesla loaner in 2 years. I did get one, even valet'd, for a regular service appointment in 2015. Pretty sure that was the last one.
Not that I've needed to use the SC very often in the 4 years I've had the car, but getting the Tesla loaner appears to be the exception for me instead of the rule.
The Enterprise cars and service have been nice, but they aren't Tesla nice.

 

[mblakele]

I think most consumers would use primary the way Webster's does.

Sure, we could take a stab at prescriptivism vs descriptivism. I'm not an expert though. Intellectually I recognize that dictionaries have to describe common usages, and there's almost always more than one usage. But I have a weakness for Latin roots, so for me the primary meaning of primary has to be "first".

Getting back to this particular case, there's another way to look at it. You're using a meaning of "primary" to prescribe that Tesla ought to be more generous to owners who come in for service. I'm using a meaning that describes what Tesla seems to do in practice.

I think it's significant that Jon stressed "our promise of a loaner" — not a Tesla, just a loaner. They make a best effort to put you in a Tesla loaner, but when those aren't available.... His example of "peaks" may have been a little misleading: here in California we don't do the winter tire thing much. Instead it's always a peak time because so many people would like to buy a Tesla.

High demand for Teslas is a good thing overall. But it means selling vehicles from the loaner pool. I bet they've done the math, and renting cars is cheaper than forgoing CPO sales or cutting into new vehicle sales. They could reduce the cost of an all-Tesla loaner pool by using the least desirable trade-ins as loaners, and not offering those vehicles for sale. But that would still have a cost, at a time when Tesla seems to be tightening its belt for the Model 3. And we'd still grouse about it, because the loaners would be the most beat-up clunkers available.

Now, I like the idea of expanding mobile service. That should mean fewer occasions when we need loaners at all, which should improve availability of Teslas when we do.

 

[Cyclone]

I will say that the Charlotte Service Center has only twice had me wait for service -- once when they waited and I came after hours to fix my mirrors, and once when the clip on the pano for a roof rack broke and needed to be replaced. In the other 14+ times my car been to service, I have had a Tesla loaner every single time. Two of those, when I made the appointment, it was "you can come today or tomorrow, but we would have to give you an Enterprise Rental". In both of those cases, I just made the appointment 48 hours out.

 

[MS16]

I will say that the Charlotte Service Center has only twice had me wait for service -- once when they waited and I came after hours to fix my mirrors, and once when the clip on the pano for a roof rack broke and needed to be replaced. In the other 14+ times my car been to service, I have had a Tesla loaner every single time. Two of those, when I made the appointment, it was "you can come today or tomorrow, but we would have to give you an Enterprise Rental". In both of those cases, I just made the appointment 48 hours out.

Thanks, that's exactly how I expected the policy to work, and what was explained to me during the sales process.

Unfortunately that's not what I've experienced in California. The Tesla vs ICE loaner issue wouldn't be a big deal to me except an ICE loaner means no HOV access, which is a big impact.

 

[prijicrw]

They should offer premium service for different lines. Model S and X should have free cars to loan based on base price. Model 3 should not have loaners. IMO

So my $60,000 Model 3 doesn't deserve a loaner car? I know inventory is low, but at the very least in the future Tesla should give out loaner car to match the car being serviced. Taking it in tomorrow, we'll see what happens!

 

[Osilva]

I dropped off my Model 3. There are a few paint and other issues that were identified during delivery. I was told in advance that Teslas might not be available, which I was not excited but I understand. What I don’t understand is why I am getting a $15k dollar rental in place of a $60k car. It doesn’t make sense. Lexus used to give me a Lexus or something similar. I really like Tesla but they need to work on little things like this. As the EV race is about to get interesting, it is important for Tesla to match or exceed the other manufacturers. I love the car, but my delivery experience was not great and getting a car from them that is no where close to being as safe, powerful and efficient as a Tesla... not nice. If this is a new policy, better change it soon. And, I haven’t mentioned that I drove 3 hours to drop it off instead of them picking it up. I had business in town plus I could help TESLA with their bottom line too. Now I feel Iike i am taking care of them, but they aren’t taking care of me.

 

[sorka]

The Enterprise rentals I've been given have been $50K car, but I bought a $125K Tesla, so I hear you but I really don't think they're going ot give you a $15K rental.

Can you even buy a new car for $15K?

 

[CBDM3]

I dropped off my M3 today and was given an Audi A6 as a loaner. Feels like a rowboat after the M3–when I hit the gas I made a maple latte while waiting for the engine to spool up and then for the converter to torque—but, on its face, the Audi is a “nice car.”