The fit and finish on these cars is GARBAGE!

[WellerZ06]

I rejected my second M3P today. Within seconds of walking up to the car I could see a chunk of paint missing at the hood/bumper joint. Approx 1/4" diameter (eerily similar to the first one I rejected). I combed over the rest of the car and took note of numerous other issues with fit and finish. To make sure I wasnt just having bad luck I looked over 3 other cars while I was there. Hardly any of the panels are aligned and/or flush. There is no excuse for this. I found a number of blemishes in the paint that were cleared over indicating to me these are factory defects. If Tesla can't deliver an error free car for $70k then screw it, I'm out.
End rant.

 

[lUtriaNt]

where did you pick up?

were both rejects the same build and trim? how far apart were the VINs? just curious

im going to pick up my black/black pup model 3 performance long range tomorrow (car was built on march 20).

what are some areas to specifically look at?

 

[SDM44]

I see that you're in LA. Which delivery center was it?

I'm scheduled to do my delivery at Buena Park, but have been looking at inventory in Burbank, Marina Del Rey, and Costa Mesa as well.

Just curious to know which place had that many bad looking cars on hand, so I can watch out for it if I go there.

 

[Altes]

I rejected my second M3P today. Within seconds of walking up to the car I could see a chunk of paint missing at the hood/bumper joint. Approx 1/4" diameter (eerily similar to the first one I rejected). I combed over the rest of the car and took note of numerous other issues with fit and finish. To make sure I wasnt just having bad luck I looked over 3 other cars while I was there. Hardly any of the panels are aligned and/or flush. There is no excuse for this. I found a number of blemishes in the paint that were cleared over indicating to me these are factory defects. If Tesla can't deliver an error free car for $70k then screw it, I'm out.
End rant.[/QUOT

I rejected my second M3P today. Within seconds of walking up to the car I could see a chunk of paint missing at the hood/bumper joint. Approx 1/4" diameter (eerily similar to the first one I rejected). I combed over the rest of the car and took note of numerous other issues with fit and finish. To make sure I wasnt just having bad luck I looked over 3 other cars while I was there. Hardly any of the panels are aligned and/or flush. There is no excuse for this. I found a number of blemishes in the paint that were cleared over indicating to me these are factory defects. If Tesla can't deliver an error free car for $70k then screw it, I'm out.
End rant.

Welcome to Tesla where the K stands for quality

 

[WellerZ06]

All of these cars were at Marina Del Ray. The second M3P MSM came from Burbank.
Issues to look for:
1) The joint at the mirror (fender, pillar, door) all come together here. Every single one had at least one side where the fender was indented too far and was pressed up against the pillar. This can not be bent back into place and friction/vibration will eventually wear this down to exposed metal and begin to rust.
2) Every car I looked at had one huge gap between the rear door and the rear quarter panel. One side was typically within an acceptable range. There was one car with a 3/8" gap. This is laughable. Totally unacceptable.
3) Check the paint on every single panel. Blemishes, fish eyes, etc were totally inconsistent. The paint defects typically came on the lower half of the car.
4) Every car had very poorly aligned joints top to bottom. Look for uneven joint sizes and panels that don't align (x and y direction). Door and hood were the most obvious. On every one at least one side of the hood sat lower than the fender. The car I was supposed to take home today the hood was 1/4" below the fender, meaning, if you hold a straight edge to the fender, the fender sat 1/4" proud of the hood. Stuck out like a sore thumb.
5) Oddly enough I was finding that even the fender liners were not properly fitted. Mine went so far as to have a wrinkle, visible from eye level and was even hanging down near the top of the wheel. I couldn't believe it.

Perhaps some panel joints can be corrected by a professional that knows what they're doing. Where I draw the line is paint correction. There's no such thing as a perfect match after the fact. Either it comes clean from the factory or you deal with mismatched paint.

I've purchased new BMWs, Maseratis, Chevy, Mazdas, Infinitis and worked in a dealership growing up. I've never had issues with new cars like this. Nothing even close. I'm in complete disbelief and utterly disgusted that Tesla is getting away with producing *sugar*.

 

[patrick40363]

Good reason to lease.

 

[strider]

This won't be fixed until Tesla has meaningful competition. I'm nervous as a good friend just ordered a MY. I hope it's good!

 

[6thDAY]

Was it the same trim and color as the first one you rejected?

I thought you can't order the same trim/color for 1 year if you reject one initially?

 

[WellerZ06]

Yeah, identical. I've never heard you can't order the same trim if initially rejected. That would be even more absurd than the issue at hand.

 

[Jeffgtx]

Isn’t the restriction if you take advantage of the return policy, not rejecting delivery?

 

[Mr X]

All of these cars were at Marina Del Ray. The second M3P MSM came from Burbank.
Issues to look for:
1) The joint at the mirror (fender, pillar, door) all come together here. Every single one had at least one side where the fender was indented too far and was pressed up against the pillar. This can not be bent back into place and friction/vibration will eventually wear this down to exposed metal and begin to rust.
2) Every car I looked at had one huge gap between the rear door and the rear quarter panel. One side was typically within an acceptable range. There was one car with a 3/8" gap. This is laughable. Totally unacceptable.
3) Check the paint on every single panel. Blemishes, fish eyes, etc were totally inconsistent. The paint defects typically came on the lower half of the car.
4) Every car had very poorly aligned joints top to bottom. Look for uneven joint sizes and panels that don't align (x and y direction). Door and hood were the most obvious. On every one at least one side of the hood sat lower than the fender. The car I was supposed to take home today the hood was 1/4" below the fender, meaning, if you hold a straight edge to the fender, the fender sat 1/4" proud of the hood. Stuck out like a sore thumb.
5) Oddly enough I was finding that even the fender liners were not properly fitted. Mine went so far as to have a wrinkle, visible from eye level and was even hanging down near the top of the wheel. I couldn't believe it.

Perhaps some panel joints can be corrected by a professional that knows what they're doing. Where I draw the line is paint correction. There's no such thing as a perfect match after the fact. Either it comes clean from the factory or you deal with mismatched paint.

I've purchased new BMWs, Maseratis, Chevy, Mazdas, Infinitis and worked in a dealership growing up. I've never had issues with new cars like this. Nothing even close. I'm in complete disbelief and utterly disgusted that Tesla is getting away with producing *sugar*.

"I'm in complete disbelief and utterly disgusted"


Lol overreact much


Where are the pics of the two horrendous cars you rejected?


My car had a few defects in the paint and I didn't care because they were barely noticeable


I got it vinyl wrapped now so it's 100% unnoticeable


Best car ever

 

[AlexMasters]

I agree with OP.

This isn't acceptable on a car in any price range, let alone at this level. I took delivery of my car yesterday, and have the usual indentation issue of the front wing at the door pillar. I've reported it to Service and will give them a chance to fix it. Panel gaps at the rear door are also wider than the front but at least it's consistent. I think the passenger door is also a little low. My bonnet and boot lid fit well though (yay!).

The paint seems ok, but I'm taking it over to my detailer to assess paint thickness and application. Any dust nibs or runs are unacceptable - I'd never accept a paint job from a repairer with those sorts of issues, let alone the factory.

I'm sad to see my AMG E63 go but the difference in assembly accuracy is absolutely night and day.
Even the cheapest Ford or Peugeot don't have these sorts of fitment issues. It's like going back to the 80s before Toyota showed that it didn't need to be this way...

I've just noticed there is also a cut in the centre console trim roll as well. Not good QC.

Having said that, it feels very tight - no trim squeaks and rattles so far. My E63 has quite a few and they drive me nuts, so well done Tesla for getting that bit right.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[IsthataTesl.a?]

Without making excuses for the world's best and certainly one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers, Quora.com seems to confirm that Tesla, Inc is the ONLY car manufacturer in the State of California. Familiar with air quality and paint shop standards there? Me neither. What happened to Tesla's splendid new paint shop capable of massive volume? Don't know that either.

Perhaps, though, if you're looking for a car that's been completely dipped in primer and/or paint, you'll look for something made in Wolfsburg, or perhaps you'll find the paint job of your dream on a Hyundai or Genesis, whom I've heard get rave reviews. If you're in California there's undoubtedly plenty of Ioniq and Kona to choose from.

Or, maybe Tesla just sucks, but I doubt that.

 

[IsthataTesl.a?]

https://www.quora.com/Is-Tesla-the-only-car-manufacturing-plant-in-California

 

[XLR82XS]

This won't be fixed until Tesla has meaningful competition. I'm nervous as a good friend just ordered a MY. I hope it's good!

Brooks from DragTimes has panel/trim fitment issues with his Y.

 

[ElectricIAC]

Without making excuses for the world's best and certainly one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers, Quora.com seems to confirm that Tesla, Inc is the ONLY car manufacturer in the State of California. Familiar with air quality and paint shop standards there? Me neither. What happened to Tesla's splendid new paint shop capable of massive volume? Don't know that either.

Perhaps, though, if you're looking for a car that's been completely dipped in primer and/or paint, you'll look for something made in Wolfsburg, or perhaps you'll find the paint job of your dream on a Hyundai or Genesis, whom I've heard get rave reviews. If you're in California there's undoubtedly plenty of Ioniq and Kona to choose from.

Or, maybe Tesla just sucks, but I doubt that.

They really have no excuse at this point for such problems but at least they’re getting the underpinnings right.

 

[EVDRVN]

Without making excuses for the world's best and certainly one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers, Quora.com seems to confirm that Tesla, Inc is the ONLY car manufacturer in the State of California. Familiar with air quality and paint shop standards there? Me neither. What happened to Tesla's splendid new paint shop capable of massive volume? Don't know that either.

Perhaps, though, if you're looking for a car that's been completely dipped in primer and/or paint, you'll look for something made in Wolfsburg, or perhaps you'll find the paint job of your dream on a Hyundai or Genesis, whom I've heard get rave reviews. If you're in California there's undoubtedly plenty of Ioniq and Kona to choose from.

Or, maybe Tesla just sucks, but I doubt that.

Tesla is still slapping cars together. I still see major flaws and there is not a reason cars like this should get to the customer. The panel issues have nothing to do with paint and there is no excuse for this anymore except rushed production and no QC. It does not matter how great the car is if it is put together poorly and this reflects the philosophy of the company which is pretty sad. I rejected several cars with some blaring issues and my hood was fixed twice and still is off. I had my steering wheel replaced as well as my dashboard and the passenger seat because of mechanical failure. One of my seats no has different foam than the other. People need to stop defending the low quality with excuses. Acceptable to Tesla is like being a waiter at a restaurant where you order a steak medium rare and its medium to well done and they tell you that it's in the "acceptable range". My brother has a EPA regulated business that does spray finish work and the only one in the state of CA and the US that can meet the strict requirements, his work is flawless. Tesla is full of excuses because the end result is not a priority nor is even average customer service, the crap trickles down from the top and I can assure you Elon has never invested any effort in areas he does not see as a priority unless there is pressure to do so.

 

[OCR1]

You could spend three times the price on a Porsche Taycan and still have the same issues with panel gaps. Or you could just accept the fact that a small percentage of Model 3’s are going to have some issues with fit and finish and you have the right as a customer to say no thank you I’ll wait for another one.

You will not be penalized for doing so as long as you don’t take delivery of the car and then return it. The no reorder rule for one year only applies to actual returns, not vehicles you simply passed on before any paperwork was signed.

This Porsche Taycan Presents Bizarre Panel Gaps, Says Twitter User

 

[thefortunes]

All of these cars were at Marina Del Ray. The second M3P MSM came from Burbank.
Issues to look for:
1) The joint at the mirror (fender, pillar, door) all come together here. Every single one had at least one side where the fender was indented too far and was pressed up against the pillar. This can not be bent back into place and friction/vibration will eventually wear this down to exposed metal and begin to rust.
2) Every car I looked at had one huge gap between the rear door and the rear quarter panel. One side was typically within an acceptable range. There was one car with a 3/8" gap. This is laughable. Totally unacceptable.
3) Check the paint on every single panel. Blemishes, fish eyes, etc were totally inconsistent. The paint defects typically came on the lower half of the car.
4) Every car had very poorly aligned joints top to bottom. Look for uneven joint sizes and panels that don't align (x and y direction). Door and hood were the most obvious. On every one at least one side of the hood sat lower than the fender. The car I was supposed to take home today the hood was 1/4" below the fender, meaning, if you hold a straight edge to the fender, the fender sat 1/4" proud of the hood. Stuck out like a sore thumb.
5) Oddly enough I was finding that even the fender liners were not properly fitted. Mine went so far as to have a wrinkle, visible from eye level and was even hanging down near the top of the wheel. I couldn't believe it.

Perhaps some panel joints can be corrected by a professional that knows what they're doing. Where I draw the line is paint correction. There's no such thing as a perfect match after the fact. Either it comes clean from the factory or you deal with mismatched paint.

I've purchased new BMWs, Maseratis, Chevy, Mazdas, Infinitis and worked in a dealership growing up. I've never had issues with new cars like this. Nothing even close. I'm in complete disbelief and utterly disgusted that Tesla is getting away with producing *sugar*.

First, I agree that Tesla needs to get better. Having said that...

1) The defect in the panel in question is nearly ubiquitous. The stamping die must be incorrect. BUT, the panel certainly can be bent to remove any contact. Tesla did this to mine.

Interesting that you found so many other defects. My ≡ delivered in Nov '20 was pristine other than the aforementioned panel.

 

[AdamVIP]

I see that you're in LA. Which delivery center was it?

I'm scheduled to do my delivery at Buena Park, but have been looking at inventory in Burbank, Marina Del Rey, and Costa Mesa as well.

Just curious to know which place had that many bad looking cars on hand, so I can watch out for it if I go there.

I worked with Marina Del Rey and Burbank. Burbank was a much better pickup experience.