Tesla service then and now

[Tic-tac-toe]

I have only had experience with the West Palm Service center. Although not always perfect they work hard to get it right, provide real time updates, are always super friendly, and I've been provided Tesla loaners nearly every time I have required service. They have even done work under warranty when I thought it should be something I pay for. I have even sent the entire service dept pizzas for lunch on one occasion for how helpful they were.



Since you had your car wrapped and ceramic coated I am surprised you even want them to wash your car. I've never seen a car dealer wash that was done properly. I actually leave a note on my service record and place a sticky note inside the car instructing to NOT wash my car. I only allow them to do an interior clean. Dirty water, dirty wash mittens or brushes, coarse and dirty drying towels, cheap soap..... I could go on and on... If you want fine scratches and swirls everywhere let them go for it. But if you want you car mirror finish status then tell them to stay away.

My car was returned filthy in a much dirtier condition then when I took it in. There was a layer of dirt on it like when people write “wash me” on a car... and the X parts in the back seats. It was at the service center ——>body shop—-> service center for 8 days to fix a little ding that normally takes a day, an hour, at most if I took it to a regular body shop.

It is a brand new 150k car. The level of service is really very bad.

 

[Joelgjr]

1) if you’re waiting on hold for your local service center for 30+ minutes it means you’ve been rerouted to the National call center (regardless of what number you initially dialed). Try a different option at the top of the call.

2) my old SC Dedham MA and my new one San Diego CA both set up pop-up tents outside so they could adequately greet people driving up for service. And in Boston it’s -25 F wind chill this weekend - no fun

3) don’t bring your car to the SC for only a software update. Ever. You’re backing everything up for the rest of us. The only exception would be if a significant amount of time has passed (at least several months) since your last update AND you’ve already contacted Tesla support and they’ve remoted into your car and found an issue that requires an in-person visit. I don’t know your situation so if it’s the latter then ignore this but important for other new owners to understand.

4) you can’t compare this car to other $100k + cars (i.e. “not acceptable on a +$150k car!) because other $100k cars don’t have 100 kwh of lithium ion batteries strapped to their underbody. Think of it this way: you didn’t just buy a luxury car in any sense. You bought a very expensive battery strapped to a computer.

 

[Struja]

@Joelgjr - I think those are all fair points but if you want to Tesla to succeed (that way most of us want us to do), I think the formula for success is to emulate ICE manufacturers where they do things better than Tesla. For example, prior to owing my S, I owned a few Lexus vehicles (my wife still has an RX) and the Lexus service experience is really really good. They hold themselves to a different standard than most other manufacturers. That is not to say that they are perfect, but often times when I am at Tesla, I do see areas where they can improve and they (and we) shouldn't be afraid to admit it.

 

[Tic-tac-toe]

1) if you’re waiting on hold for your local service center for 30+ minutes it means you’ve been rerouted to the National call center (regardless of what number you initially dialed). Try a different option at the top of the call.

There are no other options. I tried email through Tesla.com and got a call back from a call center to tell me the software update has to be taken care of through the service center because they could not remotely access my car. I think this was due to a known glitch in the software that was already installed. I get updates fine now but only through WiFi.

2) my old SC Dedham MA and my new one San Diego CA both set up pop-up tents outside so they could adequately greet people driving up for service. And in Boston it’s -25 F wind chill this weekend - no fun

3) don’t bring your car to the SC for only a software update. Ever. You’re backing everything up for the rest of us. The only exception would be if a significant amount of time has passed (at least several months) since your last update AND you’ve already contacted Tesla support and they’ve remoted into your car and found an issue that requires an in-person visit. I don’t know your situation so if it’s the latter then ignore this but important for other new owners to understand.


4) you can’t compare this car to other $100k + cars (i.e. “not acceptable on a +$150k car!) because other $100k cars don’t have 100 kwh of lithium ion batteries strapped to their underbody. Think of it this way: you didn’t just buy a luxury car in any sense. You bought a very expensive battery strapped to a computer.

Are you saying this excuses their bad service? I’ve gotten good service from both Apple and Microsoft, btw.... and my 21 yr old Honda is still running without issues. Will probably outlive me. While I do not expect that from the MS, so far my service experience is not quite what anyone expects even from a Kia dealer

My SC is always out of loaners. Even Enterprise which has a rep there permanently is always out of cars. Looks like there are a lot of cars in service all the time.

 

[Lasttoy]

FACT, every service center is very different. Hate to say it but its true. I traveled in over 25 states, had some sw issues, went into the service centers , some were great, some didnt give a dang.
Since v9, i cant charge at old super chargers. Richmond ripped me off by changing the port. Its not the port, Tesla has admitted it.
My service center has given up, they blame HQ, but will not kick it up the chain to get it fixed.
Guys on my post are stuck. HQ says they are writing new sw for chargers instead of fixing v9. Seems to me no one cares.
My service center is packed with 3s. Its a very small building. Takes months to get normal appointment.
So, in closing, i wish us all better service , but we will have to wait and see.

 

[jpaz]

To add to the litany above, I have been trying to get my first annual service done for a while. Because of my schedule, I really want an early morning appointment. I don't know how long the service will take and will need a loaner or, at least a ride to work. Unable to get a living human on the phone, I scheduled using the APP. Getting close to the appointed date, I tried to call (Tempe) for 3 days and could not reach a live person. I left a voice mail that was never returned. Then, while trying to see if there were openings at another location (Kierland), I discovered that the APP deleted my original appointment. The arranged time slot disappeared from the options and the next available was 3 weeks out. I did leave another voice mail and have never heard back.

So, I love the car and am totally psyched about the technology. Even the quirks are OK but when my lease is up, will be exploring a lot of options. Somewhere along the line, Tesla needs to consider customer service and customer retention.