The Towel May Be Going In

[rincewind]

I'm in for one of these when they come out late this year.

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[Bootneckshuffl]

Is your car US or China build?
My April 21 China build car has good panel gaps and acceptable paint, the only issue was a not properly shutting rear passenger door, the service centre did a good job to fix this.

All the other comments about Tesla FSD software I agree with: it is quite pointless.

All in all I am happy with the car, especially the "grunt" and lack of noise.
Will I get another in 2 years? It very much depends on the options available!

US build mate

 

[UrbanSplash]

My M3 is coming up to 2 years at Christmas. There are a few quality issues but nothing serious. I’ve really enjoyed it. Will I get another? No way, but just because there are loads around now

 

[Bootneckshuffl]

I’m at the crossroads now really, heart says keep it, head says get rid! I know that maybe no car is perfect but for a near 60k car, you’d not expect the issues that I and others have experienced.

 

[bo3bdar]

I’m at the crossroads now really, heart says keep it, head says get rid! I know that maybe no car is perfect but for a near 60k car, you’d not expect the issues that I and others have experienced.

I have a slightly different take that is maybe worth mentioning. When looking to buy I stared long and hard at the LR version because I really, really wanted the premium audio, and the extra range and AWD were a plus, but not game changing for me. I decided that the build quality, their poor track record, and about half-bogus software wasn't worth putting in the extra money- so I bought the lowest end possible, the $35,400 Unicorn.

Because of that, I actually surprisingly don't have any buyers-remorse. And I nearly always have buyers remorse. It's a not super expensive car that hits 95% of what I want, fun as hell to drive. No Autopilot, no FSD, just me forced to drive. Panels are OK, roof is misaligned by 2mm, but really I expected that and just don't really care. Paint seems OK, nothing special, nothing broken.

Pretty much what I expected, not a perfect car, software+UI tends toward the absolute crap category, but overall I have to say I still like it. If I'd spent $60K, I'd be a lot less forgiving, and a lot less happy. Sometimes, going cheap-o is the right choice because you don't have to care as much. YMMV... of course.

 

[Roy W.]

Just make sure to close your eyes while the lasers are directed at the windscreen!

That’s fine as long as you keep your hands on the wheel…

 

[Roy W.]

Hi all, hope everyone is well.

Sad to say I’m seriously considering throwing in the towel with my M3P. Absolutely love the car, love the AI etc but I’ve just had a year of issues, namely build quality and paint. Cars been in twice now to “approved Tesla” paint shop and twice it’s come back with more defects in it! This coupled with all of the other panel misalignment and quality issues etc, just think I’ve maybe had enough now.

Sorry to hear you’ve had enough. I feel your pain.

I've been lucky - now two years old and no major problems. I too had paint defects on delivery but they were rectified to my satisfaction.

At my age I temper my expectations. While Tesla can be crap, I still think they are way ahead of other EVs.

With a car, or anything else that’s mass produced there’s always the chance of problems. Years ago I bought a new Ford Fiesta, and within three months it needed a new gearbox. More recently the EV I had before the Tesla, a Hyundai Kona EV, was an absolute bag of shite. The whole paint job was orange peel, and the car spent so much time at the dealers that after 12 months Hyundai U.K. bought the car back from me at retail price. Free motoring for a year, but for me it honestly wasn’t worth all the stress and hassle.

My advice is to look and think carefully at what you decide to do. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

 

[Peter 224]

I'm in for one of these when they come out late this year.

BMW i4 M50 (G26): Equipment, Technical Data & Prices | BMW.UK

All highlights of the all-new BMW i4 M50 (G26): equipment, technical data, prices and services. Discover and build the BMW i4 M50 now.

www.bmw.co.uk

I went through the configurator to get to the same specification level as my M3 Dual Motor: £70,055. That is almost £20k more... really??
The Tesla M3 Dual Motor is a cheap car, for what it is. Another bonus is that I didn't have to deal with all the usual BMW Dealer stuff.

Oh, and BMW may give the same performance as my car with the performance upgrade, but they quote 318 miles range, where as Tesla quote 360. So I'll bet the M4i will not manage 200.

 

[adsheff]

my Sept 2019 M3 LR has perfect panels, no paint issues and in fact no issues whatsoever. I've seen misaligned panels on lots of other makes of cars. I really think it's just random and by all accounts less frequent if you were to get a new one.

Just because you had what you consider a 'bad' car, does not mean that you should switch makes. This makes no sense. Your experience is not scientific in it's sample size. Every other car maker will have 'bad' cars, its just pot luck which one you get on the day.

 

[Limey]

The i4 isn't a ground up EV either, the room in the back is pretty low and whole passenger cell seems cramped for a car of its size.

70mph efficiency likely to be questionable.

 

[Plagued]

my Sept 2019 M3 LR has perfect panels, no paint issues and in fact no issues whatsoever. I've seen misaligned panels on lots of other makes of cars. I really think it's just random and by all accounts less frequent if you were to get a new one.

Just because you had what you consider a 'bad' car, does not mean that you should switch makes. This makes no sense. Your experience is not scientific in it's sample size. Every other car maker will have 'bad' cars, its just pot luck which one you get on the day.

It makes perfect sense. If you're not happy with something you switch, even if you were the only one in the world with those issues. If it makes you feel bad about something there's no reason at all to put up with it if you don't have to.
I also have two 2019 model 3's both had panel issues, paint issues, build issues, wiring issues etc etc Tesla definitely had a higher rate of issues than established brands when they were ramping up M3 production, and it's not really surprising.
Teslas are not right for everyone,
I would buy another Tesla though, but mainly because I'm happy to pay for tech and enjoy beta testing. I don't have any ICE cars and my wife's car is not a Tesla and I absolutely hate the disgraceful state of the public charge network so much it basically puts me of any other brand. This will get fixed but I've been driving EV's now for 7 years and I'm still waiting. She's now looking at updating her car and is actually considering swapping to a Tesla just for the charge network alone, which makes no financial sense, but emotionally it does. (her last charge at a genie charge point took 45 minutes, 30 of those was starting the charge)

 

[adsheff]

Yeah, in my mind if you have the money and off-road parking, you're mad to buy a petrol car. And above all else, Tesla has the supercharger network and the other networks, despite all the noise, are rubbish in comparison. So that leaves me with only one choice!

 

[Bootneckshuffl]

Sorry to hear you’ve had enough. I feel your pain.

I've been lucky - now two years old and no major problems. I too had paint defects on delivery but they were rectified to my satisfaction.

At my age I temper my expectations. While Tesla can be crap, I still think they are way ahead of other EVs.

With a car, or anything else that’s mass produced there’s always the chance of problems. Years ago I bought a new Ford Fiesta, and within three months it needed a new gearbox. More recently the EV I had before the Tesla, a Hyundai Kona EV, was an absolute bag of shite. The whole paint job was orange peel, and the car spent so much time at the dealers that after 12 months Hyundai U.K. bought the car back from me at retail price. Free motoring for a year, but for me it honestly wasn’t worth all the stress and hassle.

My advice is to look and think carefully at what you decide to do. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

Agreed

Took some time out last night looking at offerings from Audi (e tron) BMW (i4) and nothing really jumping out at me and they also seem a good 10-15k more expensive

 

[Dilly]

It’s always going to be a tough call. If I’m honest, my wife’s high spec Outlander PHEV is way better built, quieter and comfier. It is of course a completely different car and lacks the shed load of tech. Driving it for the first time in a few months the other day, I really noticed all the controls that needed moving and switching before driving off.
i get in mine, P2D, push a lever and drive off.
In fairness, I’ve not had any of the heartache that you’ve had. I guess even if I had I’d still miss the ease of use and of course the ever changing experience. I realise that Tesla won’t always be top dog. The market is bubbling with excitement and I can see that next decade will bring some truly astounding vehicles to the masses. Would I buy another? I genuinely don’t know. I wouldn’t rule it out but I wouldn’t buy another 3. I’d prefer a Y. But there will be so much choice…

 

[fancealot]

Personally I like my Tesla still, and will probably get a MY in two years when my lease is up.
My M3 is a freemont 09/2019 model and yes the panels aren't great (boot hinge portion is so large I could fall in it!!) but for me i'm not too bothered about these things as on mine they are cosmetic (yes wipers aren't great but i manually schoosh them when I need additional wipes!) - most muggles just see the Tesla not the panel gaps etc - NOW if i'd bought it myself and not on lease i'd be totally miffed and for those who are I agree the freemont cars are crap a lot of the time and it would be a toss up as to whether i'd want to buy another, as others have said MiC models are generally better and i'll assume the German made ones will be even better but that's no excuse for the failings of the freemont cars. FSD - I don't have on this one and I probably won't get it on the next one as it's too hindered by UK/Europe regulations, let the americans be the beta testers until it's properly ready!!!!

 

[btc1k]

Not all investment is financial.

Really? Don't work in the public sector by any chance, do you?

 

[Haydj]

My late 2020 (2021 model) M3 has it's 8th service appointment coming up, and I have given up trying to get the SC to fix some of the faults. It currently suffers with apparently no heating which they cannot look at again for another month. They had it last week and couldn't find a fault, but they did replace quite a lot of the front suspension.

The honeymoon is definitely over.

I am contemplating sending it back to the lease company and getting another ICE car.

 

[Bootneckshuffl]

My late 2020 (2021 model) M3 has it's 8th service appointment coming up, and I have given up trying to get the SC to fix some of the faults. It currently suffers with apparently no heating which they cannot look at again for another month. They had it last week and couldn't find a fault, but they did replace quite a lot of the front suspension.

The honeymoon is definitely over.

I am contemplating sending it back to the lease company and getting another ICE car.

What issues you having with heating? Mine seems to have a mind of its own for heating. Can crank it up to 27 and it still blow cold air. Have to switch it off and start it up again for it to work.

 

[MrBadger]

What issues you having with heating? Mine seems to have a mind of its own for heating. Can crank it up to 27 and it still blow cold air. Have to switch it off and start it up again for it to work.

Our heating had been playing up since start of year lockdown. One boiling hot day, sitting in the car for others, I finally decided to report it at service centre (along with a couple of other minor issues on my need attention list too small to warrant a service on their own). They replaced a couple of sensors - humidity and one other.

 

[Bootneckshuffl]

Our heating had been playing up since start of year lockdown. One boiling hot day, sitting in the car for others, I finally decided to report it at service centre (along with a couple of other minor issues on my need attention list too small to warrant a service on their own). They replaced a couple of sensors - humidity and one other.

Service centre told me they “couldn’t replicate the issue”