Tham's MYP Log/Journal

Hi all. I just wanted to document my initial experiences with our first EV from soup to nuts and log anything noteworthy that comes up in the future.

Ordering​

We initially ordered sometime early JAN-2023 once we'd heard about the Tesla price drops in addition to the IRS tax incentives. This was enough to push us from a position where we weren't even thinking about buying a new car into one where we were scrambling to order. We were previously a 1-car family, so a second car was inevitable, and the pieces simply fell into place (with a bit of luck).

Delivery​

Roughly 3 months after ordering, our car was fully baked and delivered on 11-MAR-2023! The overall purchasing and delivery experience was like nothing I've experienced before (in a good way). We parked, walked into their "Delivery Center," checked in, and were given full access to our vehicle waiting for us inside this massive open warehouse-type room with ~30 or so other Teslas and a hundred other excited people! I've only purchased one new car previously, and I'm happy to report that this experience was in a completely different league. Nobody browbeating you into buying coverage and warranties for every square inch of the car, no finance team breathing down your neck, no price haggling for anything. If I had my way, I would only buy cars using this model moving forward. Wife and I ran through a fairly thorough checklist we found online and were never pressured to hurry or anything. In fact, there were several polite Tesla associates walking around that frequently asked if we had any questions or if we needed help with anything - it was great.

Of course, you can't talk about a Tesla delivery without every horror story you've ever read on the internet coming to mind. I'll say this - I think we got very lucky. Our car certainly wasn't perfect, but it was in great shape overall. After an hour (or more) of scrutiny, we found 2-3 small paint nibs where it looked like a speck of dust landed on the panel during the painting process, and a light scuff on the rear passenger side plastic trim above the wheel. Having never owned a Tesla before, I didn't find any of the dreaded panel gaps so offensive that they warranted opening a service ticket, or worse, rejecting the car altogether. We were happy campers.

After completing the checklist, we walked up to a desk they'd setup with a couple associates on standby to walk you through accepting the car, and off we went into the sunset.

...I wish I could close out this segment here, but maybe this will actually help someone in the future. Ready to roll, I decided to plug in our home address and book it! Not even 60 seconds later I found myself locked into a friggin' EZ Pass lane. Problem? I don't have an EZ Pass, and was not prepared for tolls of any kind! S#!t! I didn't go through the toll and took the exit instead - we'll see what happens. After finally arriving home, I found that nifty little "Avoid tolls" toggle under the Navigation menu.

Total Cost​

As of now (17-MAR-2023), we've only been in possession of the car for 6 days, so interpret "Total Cost" as more of a running tab.

Accessories​

DATE	MILEAGE	ITEM	PRICE
23-JAN-2023	0	Model Y All-Weather Interior Liners	$225
23-JAN-2023	0	Model Y All-Weather Rear Cargo Liner Set	$190
17-FEB-2023	0	Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector	$425
17-FEB-2023	0	Wall Connector Installation	$1,330
18-FEB-2023	0	Spigen Tempered Glass Matte Screen Protector	$40
18-FEB-2023	0	Rally Armor Mud Flaps	$182.25
19-FEB-2023	0	Center Console Cup Holder	$20
21-FEB-2023	0	Infinity 7-in-1 Emergency Tool, 2-pack	$15
23-FEB-2023	0	Model S/3/Y Pet Liner (tesla.com)	$145
23-FEB-2023	0	Model 3/Y Center Console Trays (tesla.com)	$30
23-FEB-2023	0	Lifting Jack Pad for Tesla Model 3/S/X/Y	$26.50
23-FEB-2023	0	Auto Trim Removal Tool Set	$14
24-FEB-2023	0	SnapPlate (2020-2023 Model Y) – EveryAmp	$120
24-FEB-2023	0	Silicone License Plate Frames	$12
5-MAR-2023	0	Abstract Ocean Dual Motor + TESLA Emblems	$42

Auto Care​

DATE	MILEAGE	ITEM	PRICE
15-MAR-2023	40	PPF "Track Package" & Tint	$3,230.31
15-MAR-2023	40	Passenger Front Fender PDR	$1,160.00

Maintenance​

TBD

More edits to come. Reserving the next post for an "Event Log" of sorts. We'll see how it goes!

 

[Tham]

Event Log / Journal​

Thought it would be fun to share things as they come up.

11-MAR-2023​

Quickly found out that she baaaarely fits in our garage! We have a 2-bay garage, but it's a pretty tight fit. We can shimmy between the nose and the garage door if we need to, but those are certainly "suck-it-in" moments! In any case, this was the first night we had her. Great day.

13-MAR-2023​

Brought her in bright and early to dress her up in PPF and have the windows tinted. Unfortunately, upon drop-off, one of the eagle-eyed professionals there immediately noticed a shallow dent in the front passenger side fender. At first, I was pretty pissed and couldn't believe I missed it, but in retrospect, the delivery room was dimly lit with limited space to stand back and inspect the car from several feet back, so... crud. It was 48 hours post-delivery at this point, so I wasn't confident in the whole service center song and dance as far as paintless dent repair goes. I bit the (big) bullet and had the detailers pull out the dent on-site prior to applying PPF. Got the car back on 15-MAR-2023 and she looks flawless now!

16-MAR-2023​

Wasted no time and got to work on the Rally Armor mud flaps install. Took me quite a while actually (several hours). Maybe due to limited space in my garage coupled with my extreme OCD. I was on the ground for each flap with a level to make sure the bottoms were parallel to the ground, and also had an interesting time pushing some of the clips in, even despite using the templates shipped with my flaps. The middle clips were always the easiest to pop in - no issues. Sometimes the top and bottom clips were a toss up, but after working on it a while, I'm confident that the few that are maybe 80-90% of the way in aren't going anywhere since the "teeth" on the clips have sunk into the flaps/trim. Love the way they look. Pics coming at some point.

17-MAR-2023​

Installed the T E S L A badge(s) on the trunk to match the new black "T" frunk and black DUAL MOTOR badges. Some pics of the process below. Used low tack art tape to measure out placement. I wanted it in the bottom half of the trunk space - not exactly the middle (too high looks floaty to me), but also not quite as low as Franz von Holzhausen's M3 since there's more open space on MYs. Looks like the angle of the tail lights are "pointing" to the logo. Turned out great.

 

[J Neptune]

Damn!!! That’s insane. 5k in added accessories. Deep budget. Did you get the performance. After ordering my wife’s Y, dirty .gov included the performance into the tax incentive. By then the price also increased so we just kept it.

Not to sound sexist…lol… but as a woman she just cares about the blue color, white leather and it just being a tesla.

 

[Tham]

Damn!!! That’s insane. 5k in added accessories. Deep budget. Did you get the performance. After ordering my wife’s Y, dirty .gov included the performance into the tax incentive. By then the price also increased so we just kept it.

Not to sound sexist…lol… but as a woman she just cares about the blue color, white leather and it just being a tesla.

Yeah - nothing about this endeavor was cheap in any sense, but to be fair, the wall charger installation was the large majority of the "Accessories" cost. I hesitated even putting it there since it's borderline "must-have" IMO if you plan on charging 99% at home.

The PPF is something a lot of people choose to do, and I did it on my Mercedes, so thought the Tesla deserved it too!

I was a little surprised at the total cost of everything too, but if you read through various lists across the forum, I think my list is on the moderate side so far. Just sticker shock when you put everything on the same page together and write down the prices lol.

Edit: And yes, the $1k dent we found after the fact was definitely an unexpected kick in the teeth. Bleh.

 

[thefisch]

Thanks for sharing all the details so far. Do you have a pic of the dent before they fixed it?

 

[gx9901]

Congrats on the new ride!

A couple of things stood out to me on your price lists:
1. I didn't realize the Rally Armor mudflaps cost that much! I've had to replace my OEM mudflaps a couple of times after losing them in snow banks. The OEM ones are $40/set (front only), so I guess the Rally Armor ones are roughly double the price. I've never looked into them so I was a bit surprised by the $182/set price.
2. How come the PDR on front fender cost $1,160? My car got nailed by golf ball sized hail last year all over and cost a bit over $3k for PDR. Then it got hit again 4 months later by smaller hail with a couple of dents on 5 separate panels and total PDR cost was a bit over $600. $1,160 seems excessive for one fender unless I'm missing something?

 

[Khoo]

Waiting for my MYP…..excited!

 

[Tham]

Thanks for sharing all the details so far. Do you have a pic of the dent before they fixed it?

Sure do! As seen in the pictures, the dent(s) are very shallow and easy to miss under less-than-perfect lighting. Unfortunately for me, they're on/near what's referred to as a "DM" (double metal) section of the panel where it folds on itself making a nice smooth edge. This, along with being a vertical dent, posed additional challenges to the folks repairing it, thus the steep price to fix.

Congrats on the new ride!

A couple of things stood out to me on your price lists:
1. I didn't realize the Rally Armor mudflaps cost that much! I've had to replace my OEM mudflaps a couple of times after losing them in snow banks. The OEM ones are $40/set (front only), so I guess the Rally Armor ones are roughly double the price. I've never looked into them so I was a bit surprised by the $182/set price.
2. How come the PDR on front fender cost $1,160? My car got nailed by golf ball sized hail last year all over and cost a bit over $3k for PDR. Then it got hit again 4 months later by smaller hail with a couple of dents on 5 separate panels and total PDR cost was a bit over $600. $1,160 seems excessive for one fender unless I'm missing something?

Thanks!

Yeah - the Rally Armor flaps are the most expensive by a large margin for sure, but I'd buy them again given they serve both a cosmetic and utilitarian function. They flare out roughly an inch past the wheel well to catch any stray rocks, are made of soft polyurethane so clearance is never an issue, make no contact with any painted surface, and just look bada$$.

Hard to comment on PDR pricing structures across different locations, vendors, etc. but the price nearly doubled due to the nature of my particular dent. Per the pictures above, verticality and dents on/near double metal parts of panels are more difficult to successfully remove, so there was a pretty hefty upcharge. Part of me wishes it was never pointed out, because I probably never would've known it was there. After seeing it, though, I couldn't unsee it - it was eating at me like a dead pixel on a monitor or something.

Waiting for my MYP…..excited!

Sweet! Congrats and good luck! Remember to toggle "Avoid tolls" in the navigation options before you drive it home.

 

[Khoo]

Sure do! As seen in the pictures, the dent(s) are very shallow and easy to miss under less-than-perfect lighting. Unfortunately for me, they're on/near what's referred to as a "DM" (double metal) section of the panel where it folds on itself making a nice smooth edge. This, along with being a vertical dent, posed additional challenges to the folks repairing it, thus the steep price to fix.
View attachment 919092 View attachment 919093

Thanks!

Yeah - the Rally Armor flaps are the most expensive by a large margin for sure, but I'd buy them again given they serve both a cosmetic and utilitarian function. They flare out roughly an inch past the wheel well to catch any stray rocks, are made of soft polyurethane so clearance is never an issue, make no contact with any painted surface, and just look bada$$.

Hard to comment on PDR pricing structures across different locations, vendors, etc. but the price nearly doubled due to the nature of my particular dent. Per the pictures above, verticality and dents on/near double metal parts of panels are more difficult to successfully remove, so there was a pretty hefty upcharge. Part of me wishes it was never pointed out, because I probably never would've known it was there. After seeing it, though, I couldn't unsee it - it was eating at me like a dead pixel on a monitor or something.

Sweet! Congrats and good luck! Remember to toggle "Avoid tolls" in the navigation options before you drive it home.

Where did you get your PPF done at?

 

[K.I.T.T.23]

Congrats! My daughter also bought a MYP, loves it. Once you buy a Tesla any other car just won't cut it, you get addicted to the features IMHO. I also (personally) wouldn't count home charging as an accessory. I view accessories as unnecessary to operate the vehicle, where as home charging is quality of life/driving. Not having level 2 charging at home is one of the top reasons people don't like their EVs. It is a must! My 2 cents.

My daughter didn't scrutinize it as closely as I would have liked at her delivery, good on you for giving it a good once-over. She had some words of wisdom that only comes from someone young and relatively naïve. Naïve wisdom lol: I would not look that closely at any other car I would buy... new or used. So why would I look that close at my new Tesla? The last thing I want to do is notice the inevitable imperfections.

She is right... though I know for me I will eventually see them and it will drive me nuts. My wife's Model Y has some significant panel alignment issues that I struggle to not point out to her lol. As for my MSP... I get it this evening for the first time since initial deliver. In total, 5 weeks of back and forth with the SC and sending it to a body shop. Hopefully KITT has nicely aligned panels now as well as fixed chips/trim.

 

[Khoo]

This is good information….for me to check when it comes my turn for delivery. It’s sad that these cars have all these alignment issues new!!! I am very anal about looks ….

 

[K.I.T.T.23]

This is good information….for me to check when it comes my turn for delivery. It’s sad that these cars have all these alignment issues new!!! I am very anal about looks ….

I am as well, I had a Model 3 and I remember the: paint bump above the drivers rear fender, light paint inside the drivers door near the hinges, 3 paint chips on hood, passenger rear door light paint on the bottom of the door interior and scratches on the trunk lip.

Wasn't new when I got it, so chips and scratches are not Tesla's fault, but the other blemishes were.
I 100% relate to scrutinizing appearance... I can't get the issues out of my head once I see them.

 

[lapolak]

Hi! After weeks of debate and 5 test drives, I reserved an in-stock Blue MYP that I will have to fly to Sacramento from SoCal to pickup.

I haven't paid the full amount as i'm beginning to get cold feet after stories of Tesla service and quality issues.

What are your long-tine experiences as Tesla customers?

Do the cars need service often for warranty issues?

Are the service centers truly that bad?

I have always wanted a Tesla but am coming from a BMW X6 thats just past its warranty.

The Y has a lot of storage and space which I enjoy, but im considering leasing the /
smaller BMW i4 e35 instead due to quality concerns and the comfier ride.

Am hoping someone can chime in with their experience as an overall Tesla or specifically Tesla Model Y owner before I drop $68k on the MYP.

 

[gx9901]

Hi! After weeks of debate and 5 test drives, I reserved an in-stock Blue MYP that I will have to fly to Sacramento from SoCal to pickup.

I haven't paid the full amount as i'm beginning to get cold feet after stories of Tesla service and quality issues.

What are your long-tine experiences as Tesla customers?

Do the cars need service often for warranty issues?

Are the service centers truly that bad?

I have always wanted a Tesla but am coming from a BMW X6 thats just past its warranty.

The Y has a lot of storage and space which I enjoy, but im considering leasing the /
smaller BMW i4 e35 instead due to quality concerns and the comfier ride.

Am hoping someone can chime in with their experience as an overall Tesla or specifically Tesla Model Y owner before I drop $68k on the MYP.

Hmm…it’s hard to say what the Tesla experience is like in general. There are people like me who have been really happy with their Tesla experience so far(I posted a one year ownership review here). But there are also plenty of complaints. Unfortunately for you, I find that many complaints about Model Y features come from former BMW owners and service complaints come from California residents. So you kind of hit the double whammy there.

I guess you’re the only one who can decide if you’ll be happy with the MYP. The extended test drive I had answered many questions I had and went a long way toward cementing my decision to buy it. Try to be as objective as you can about what you want in a car while doing as much research as you can to see if you’ll be happy in an MYP or if you should go with a BMW.

 

[lapolak]

Hmm…it’s hard to say what the Tesla experience is like in general. There are people like me who have been really happy with their Tesla experience so far(I posted a one year ownership review here). But there are also plenty of complaints. Unfortunately for you, I find that many complaints about Model Y features come from former BMW owners and service complaints come from California residents. So you kind of hit the double whammy there.

I guess you’re the only one who can decide if you’ll be happy with the MYP. The extended test drive I had answered many questions I had and went a long way toward cementing my decision to buy it. Try to be as objective as you can about what you want in a car while doing as much research as you can to see if you’ll be happy in an MYP or if you should go with a BMW.

Thank you for the reply. Yes, it does seem like Tesla service in California is going to be impacted based on how many Tesla — let alone Y’s — have popped up on the road in the last few months. Feels like every 3rd car is a Tesla. This doesn’t bother me as no car is unique in SoCal, but I’m sure the popularity is impacting service centers.

One question: Do you find the MY to ride to be stiff or uncomfortable?

I have been able to test drive the Y several times for almost an hour each time. The ride was ok. However, it was the LR and not the P. I reserved a P which was the only 5 seater in-stock over the weekend in California. Never driven a MYP, so I am concerned it will be uncomfortable.

It’s the space and charging network that gets me. BMW i4 back row was tight and cargo seemed decent. Charging network along freeways seems frequent but with 2-4 chargers. Not like the superchargers at all, obviously. The Tesla has so much room, and feels like a SUV despite it not being one; which is why I’m considering it.

 

[gx9901]

One question: Do you find the MY to ride to be stiff or uncomfortable?

I have been able to test drive the Y several times for almost an hour each time. The ride was ok. However, it was the LR and not the P. I reserved a P which was the only 5 seater in-stock over the weekend in California. Never driven a MYP, so I am concerned it will be uncomfortable.

It’s the space and charging network that gets me. BMW i4 back row was tight and cargo seemed decent. Charging network along freeways seems frequent but with 2-4 chargers. Not like the superchargers at all, obviously. The Tesla has so much room, and feels like a SUV despite it not being one; which is why I’m considering it.

I have 2021 MYP, so it should have a stiffer ride than 2023s. That said, the ride stiffness was one of the main concerns I had with the MYP prior to ordering, since I read so much about it here when I was researching the car. I was able to test drive an MYP at the time on an overnight test drive, and decided that it was fine for me. To be clear, it is definitely a firm ride and on washboard type roads it is pretty rough. However, it is well within what I can live with and it hasn’t been something that bothers me. Sometimes I think that I wouldn’t really notice the ride stiffness if it wasn’t something that I read about seemingly in every other thread in this forum. LOL!

Anyway, I would agree that it’s a stiff riding vehicle, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable driving it. It seems like more MYLR owners complain about the ride stiffness than MYP owners, perhaps because MYP owners kind of expect or even welcome a stiffer suspension setup.

 

[lapolak]

I have 2021 MYP, so it should have a stiffer ride than 2023s. That said, the ride stiffness was one of the main concerns I had with the MYP prior to ordering, since I read so much about it here when I was researching the car. I was able to test drive an MYP at the time on an overnight test drive, and decided that it was fine for me. To be clear, it is definitely a firm ride and on washboard type roads it is pretty rough. However, it is well within what I can live with and it hasn’t been something that bothers me. Sometimes I think that I wouldn’t really notice the ride stiffness if it wasn’t something that I read about seemingly in every other thread in this forum. LOL!

Anyway, I would agree that it’s a stiff riding vehicle, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable driving it. It seems like more MYLR owners complain about the ride stiffness than MYP owners, perhaps because MYP owners kind of expect or even welcome a stiffer suspension setup.

Yes, definitely a case of analysis paralysis. I wouldn’t have thought about stiffness either had I not read about it.

Do you enjoy your MYP? Have you encountered any major issues?

 

[Tham]

Where did you get your PPF done at?

I got all my PPF, tint, and body work all done at a local shop in Virginia. Not sure that would apply to you as a Los Angeles resident, but if you're still interested, I can share details.

Congrats! My daughter also bought a MYP, loves it. Once you buy a Tesla any other car just won't cut it, you get addicted to the features IMHO. I also (personally) wouldn't count home charging as an accessory. I view accessories as unnecessary to operate the vehicle, where as home charging is quality of life/driving. Not having level 2 charging at home is one of the top reasons people don't like their EVs. It is a must! My 2 cents.

My daughter didn't scrutinize it as closely as I would have liked at her delivery, good on you for giving it a good once-over. She had some words of wisdom that only comes from someone young and relatively naïve. Naïve wisdom lol: I would not look that closely at any other car I would buy... new or used. So why would I look that close at my new Tesla? The last thing I want to do is notice the inevitable imperfections.

She is right... though I know for me I will eventually see them and it will drive me nuts. My wife's Model Y has some significant panel alignment issues that I struggle to not point out to her lol. As for my MSP... I get it this evening for the first time since initial deliver. In total, 5 weeks of back and forth with the SC and sending it to a body shop. Hopefully KITT has nicely aligned panels now as well as fixed chips/trim.

Purchasing a Tesla (or any car for that matter), is certainly an interesting and multi-faceted decision. I went into it understanding that thorough inspection of your car is a double-edged sword. On one hand, I strongly feel that plopping down $60k+ for anything certainly entitles you to a level of expectations that include your new investment looking and feeling, well... new. On the other hand, a fair amount of research and reviews from Tesla owners will quickly teach you what to look for and, in some ways, humble your expectations. Ultimately, I went into my delivery expecting those "inevitable" imperfections and knew full well that I wouldn't turn down a car that was over $20k cheaper than it was 3 months ago because of a couple paint nibs, if that makes sense. So, in a weird way, I wanted to know about any and every imperfection with my car regardless of whether or not I planned on correcting them - maybe that makes me a little crazy!

Best of luck with your MS! Your story is the exact reason I didn't bother with my SC once the dent on my fender was pointed out to me. First I'd somehow have to prove it was there and I missed it upon delivery. Then I'd have to trust them to fix it properly and not mess up anything else. Sort of a depressing outlook, but again, this is the impression I got of Tesla service centers when reading about them across the web.

Hi! After weeks of debate and 5 test drives, I reserved an in-stock Blue MYP that I will have to fly to Sacramento from SoCal to pickup.

I haven't paid the full amount as i'm beginning to get cold feet after stories of Tesla service and quality issues.

What are your long-tine experiences as Tesla customers?

Do the cars need service often for warranty issues?

Are the service centers truly that bad?

I have always wanted a Tesla but am coming from a BMW X6 thats just past its warranty.

The Y has a lot of storage and space which I enjoy, but im considering leasing the /
smaller BMW i4 e35 instead due to quality concerns and the comfier ride.

Am hoping someone can chime in with their experience as an overall Tesla or specifically Tesla Model Y owner before I drop $68k on the MYP.

Personally, I'm not a long time Tesla owner, but have several friends who are. Each one of them tells me it's the best and most fun car they've ever owned. They certainly helped sell me on buying one!

As of writing this post, I currently have no experience with service centers, but again, I haven't heard great things overall.

As for ride comfort, I think I lucked out in that department. Two complaints I hear frequently about the MYP are that the suspension rides stiff, and there's audible wind noise. Somehow I ended up with neither of these problems (thank god). Seems like somewhat of a roll of the dice.

Regarding that $68k price point, I'm not sure I can push you in one direction or the other. We only purchased because the MY performance dropped in price SO much, and was like $2k more than the LR at lowest in early February. I want to say ours was in the realm of $57k + $1k for the MSM color upgrade. As the car approaches $70k I personally start to lose interest for a number of reasons (personal finances, EV competition, next wave of Teslas rumored to be coming soon, etc.). That aside, I love my MYP and think it's worth every penny so far.

 

[gx9901]

Yes, definitely a case of analysis paralysis. I wouldn’t have thought about stiffness either had I not read about it.

Do you enjoy your MYP? Have you encountered any major issues?

Oh yes, I've loved my MYP since day one, and over a year and a half later, I still find myself looking for excuses to go out for a drive. But I think I might be among the happiest with the MYP on these forums, so there's that. I haven't encountered any issues so far, but I try to read up on Model Y issues on these forums as much as I can to try to prepare myself if they ever happen to me.

I kind of buried a link to a thread I posted at the one year mark of my ownership in my first reply to you. If you haven't seen it, perhaps give it a read:

MYP ownership-One year later

I took delivery of my MYP on 9/1/2021. Between then and now, including a 1.5 month stint at the body shop after getting rear-ended, I've now logged one year of seat time in this car and about 23k miles. Since I've been kind of obsessed with the car since I ordered it, I thought I'd post my...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[lapolak]

Oh yes, I've loved my MYP since day one, and over a year and a half later, I still find myself looking for excuses to go out for a drive. But I think I might be among the happiest with the MYP on these forums, so there's that. I haven't encountered any issues so far, but I try to read up on Model Y issues on these forums as much as I can to try to prepare myself if they ever happen to me.

I kind of buried a link to a thread I posted at the one year mark of my ownership in my first reply to you. If you haven't seen it, perhaps give it a read:

MYP ownership-One year later

I took delivery of my MYP on 9/1/2021. Between then and now, including a 1.5 month stint at the body shop after getting rear-ended, I've now logged one year of seat time in this car and about 23k miles. Since I've been kind of obsessed with the car since I ordered it, I thought I'd post my...

teslamotorsclub.com

I shall give it a read! Thank you!