Just to get it out of the way: I love the TM3 so much I'm getting a new one. This is not a troll post, just telling my story and venting a bit.
I got my TM3 LR AWD FSD on the 28th of March, I had never seen one before, much less driven one. The delivery was only 2-3 minutes and we didn't even go over the car. "Do you have any questions? We will send the mode2 cable by package at a later time." No mode2 cable and almost 8 months later I'm handing my car in, I can't take the endless frustration anymore.
On my way home I stopped at IKEA, they had a "quick" charger and autopilot was just finished. I attended the morning meeting remotely on my phone, while my brand new car slowly filled up to around 60% capacity.
I went into the settings, turned off chill mode, set steering wheel to sport, regenerative breaking on, autopilot lane change to mad Max, follow distance to a modest 4. I drove to the nearest highway exit, and I had my very first model 3 laugh. Holy smokes this car is amazing!
I enjoyed every second of the ride home.
I was so proud to show off my new car to my family, but the joy was short lived. "Is the hood crooked?" "Why do you have large gaps on the passenger side?" "Why is the chrome trim pointing out like that?" "Wow, they really botched that paint job."
They felt bad, but told me that I should hand it back in, that I should expect a higher quality for that kind of money.
They asked me to see the summon function, and I got out my phone and turned on all the radios it needed. 5-10 minutes later we had managed to move the car around 2 feet. "It will get better in the future" I said, hoping I was going to be right.
I took them all with me in the car and demonstrated the brutal acceleration, and I was finally able to impress them.
A little later when I was going home I went out to the car, pulled on the door handle, and there I stood for a while without anything happening. I got out my phone and waved it in front of the window and then it suddenly unlocked. I drove home with a pit in my stomach, did I pay $55k for this?
The next day I had a chat with a couple of people I knew who got theirs a few weeks back. One of them had the same panel gaps but he didn't mind, otherwise I was the only one experiencing those issues. "Don't you love your car?" they asked me, and I cleverly responded "I love the idea of my car." I tried calling the Tesla delivery and sales department in Norway the rest of the day, nobody answered. The next week I kept calling them. Sitting on hold for ~2 hours before automatic disconnection, or just having to try again because the line was full. This went on throughout the week. Finally, on Friday the 5th of April I got in hold of someone. I was told I should have returned it before 7 days had passed, so I told them I'd been on hold all through that time. The person responded that I should have just delivered it at a Tesla Service Center, and it didn't matter if I didn't know that. It's something "you were told at delivery". So I had to keep the car, no trading it back, I had to live with a glorified go-kart. I kept calling them for weeks until I finally got through to the service department, and got my first service scheduled, 4 months in the future.
Meanwhile more issues started showing up with the car. I noticed that the auto function for the wipers would suddenly stop registering that water fell on the windshield. I have pictures and videos of the windshield so full you can't see anything. Triggering it manually a few times didn't help, it just wouldn't react. Then the connection issues started happening. I'm looking at my car parked outside my house, and my app can't wake it. I have to get within Bluetooth key range to unlock, then wait a minute, and then the car wakes up. Next I notice that the trunk sometimes gets almost stuck at the top, as if the back springs take in air or something like that. I have to apply a lot of force to get the trunk down if it's been up for a while, my fiancee can't close it at all. We stop using the trunk and only use the frunk and back seats instead. We realize that the steering wheel isn't saved to the drivers profile. Try to set different position for me, my fiancee and easy access, doesn't move, just sits in place while the seat moves into place. Then I realize that the lumbar support doesn't move either (which I found out is by design, for some odd reason). We get the Tesla Wall Charger, hook it up to 230V 25A, 3 phase. It only charges the car at ~5kW/h (got an electrician to measure and confirm), but it should be able to make around 10kW/h (230V x 25A x sqrt(3) = 9959W/h). I get that some power is lost, but half of it? We connected the electrician's model S, and it charges fine at around 7 or 8kW. Next we get the original roof rack, I rent a small torsion wrench for a day and mount it at 6nm. 2 weeks later the roof cracks from one of the points the rack was mounted at. I go back and check the manual, which clearly states 5-6nm. While checking it out I noticed, by random chance, that the small, black panel next to the mirror is loose, I pick it off and put it in the car. Finally, as summer comes I start driving in a t-shirt and shorts, and I start experiencing a burning sensation on my back, my left knee and my elbows. Turns out that the "premium" interior is made out of plastic, and I'm one of the unlucky people with a skin condition which reacts severely to the material. I get large sores on the parts of my body which is either directly in contact with or only has thin fragment of clothing between it and the interior.
I finally have my first appointment with the Tesla SC, august 2019. We spend almost an hour going through and demonstrating the issues. I get a loaner for a few days before I get a message stating my car is finished.
I order a new roof, my insurance pays for it and I'm don't want to argue more with people who won't listen if I don't have to. I schedule a new service appointment before leaving the SC.
Next service appointment they fix the trunk, everything else is no issues found. Over the next few weeks the connection issues become more annoying, I try for over 20 minutes to wake the car without anything happening. I sometimes get in the car and I have to drive for 5-10 minutes before the car gets reception and I can use the map and Spotify.
I set up a third service appointment to look into the Bluetooth and mobile connection issues, as well as replace the roof. I get a message the day after saying the car is ready. They reset the software, but they forgot to change the roof. I'm sitting there like an idiot for 4 hours while they make an express swap and glue on the new roof. The next day, cannot wake the car with my phone, summon has major issues. I call the tech support line, saying I need to get it fixed. They reply telling me "there is no connection in your area". I tell them to hang on for a minute, and I collect 5 VIN numbers from my colleagues who are driving TMS and TMX. I give her the numbers and tell her "All of these cars are online and can be awoken through the app, but my car can't. One of the other cars is even right next to mine." They told me to book a service appointment. I do, and in the meantime I get to try another TM3. It works perfectly, it doesn't have any of the issues my car has, and the white interior is softer and doesn't cause an immediate allergic reaction. I realize that my car is a lemon, but our laws only protect against major defects, and the app is not considered major.
I go to my fourth service appointment. I still can't wake my car, summon is a farce, and FSD is full of features unavailable to Norway. I just want them to fix the connection issues so I at the very least can pre-heat my car during the -20 degree winter. A service technician comes out with me so I can demonstrate the issues. I show him that summon can't connect to the car, I'm 4 feet away and there are no obstacles, cannot move it. "We'll have to verify inside if there's a problem" he says. Next we sit inside the car, I explain how I can't wake it and that sometimes I don't have connection inside my car, even though the cars around me does. He just points at the bars and says "Full reception". So I repeat that it doesn't happen all the time, it very often happens between 10AM and 3PM when the car has been sleeping for a while. Again he points at the bars on the screen and says "But you have full connection, and your map is working".
So I don't even bother. I drive back home with my own car, upset over everything.
When I get home I open my own referral link, and I order a new TM3. Long Range Performance, White exterior, white interior, performance package, winter tires, expected delivery in December. I get a trade-in quote for $15k lower than I bought my car for 8 months ago, but I don't care anymore. I just want the car I was promised.
I got my TM3 LR AWD FSD on the 28th of March, I had never seen one before, much less driven one. The delivery was only 2-3 minutes and we didn't even go over the car. "Do you have any questions? We will send the mode2 cable by package at a later time." No mode2 cable and almost 8 months later I'm handing my car in, I can't take the endless frustration anymore.
On my way home I stopped at IKEA, they had a "quick" charger and autopilot was just finished. I attended the morning meeting remotely on my phone, while my brand new car slowly filled up to around 60% capacity.
I went into the settings, turned off chill mode, set steering wheel to sport, regenerative breaking on, autopilot lane change to mad Max, follow distance to a modest 4. I drove to the nearest highway exit, and I had my very first model 3 laugh. Holy smokes this car is amazing!
I enjoyed every second of the ride home.
I was so proud to show off my new car to my family, but the joy was short lived. "Is the hood crooked?" "Why do you have large gaps on the passenger side?" "Why is the chrome trim pointing out like that?" "Wow, they really botched that paint job."
They felt bad, but told me that I should hand it back in, that I should expect a higher quality for that kind of money.
They asked me to see the summon function, and I got out my phone and turned on all the radios it needed. 5-10 minutes later we had managed to move the car around 2 feet. "It will get better in the future" I said, hoping I was going to be right.
I took them all with me in the car and demonstrated the brutal acceleration, and I was finally able to impress them.
A little later when I was going home I went out to the car, pulled on the door handle, and there I stood for a while without anything happening. I got out my phone and waved it in front of the window and then it suddenly unlocked. I drove home with a pit in my stomach, did I pay $55k for this?
The next day I had a chat with a couple of people I knew who got theirs a few weeks back. One of them had the same panel gaps but he didn't mind, otherwise I was the only one experiencing those issues. "Don't you love your car?" they asked me, and I cleverly responded "I love the idea of my car." I tried calling the Tesla delivery and sales department in Norway the rest of the day, nobody answered. The next week I kept calling them. Sitting on hold for ~2 hours before automatic disconnection, or just having to try again because the line was full. This went on throughout the week. Finally, on Friday the 5th of April I got in hold of someone. I was told I should have returned it before 7 days had passed, so I told them I'd been on hold all through that time. The person responded that I should have just delivered it at a Tesla Service Center, and it didn't matter if I didn't know that. It's something "you were told at delivery". So I had to keep the car, no trading it back, I had to live with a glorified go-kart. I kept calling them for weeks until I finally got through to the service department, and got my first service scheduled, 4 months in the future.
Meanwhile more issues started showing up with the car. I noticed that the auto function for the wipers would suddenly stop registering that water fell on the windshield. I have pictures and videos of the windshield so full you can't see anything. Triggering it manually a few times didn't help, it just wouldn't react. Then the connection issues started happening. I'm looking at my car parked outside my house, and my app can't wake it. I have to get within Bluetooth key range to unlock, then wait a minute, and then the car wakes up. Next I notice that the trunk sometimes gets almost stuck at the top, as if the back springs take in air or something like that. I have to apply a lot of force to get the trunk down if it's been up for a while, my fiancee can't close it at all. We stop using the trunk and only use the frunk and back seats instead. We realize that the steering wheel isn't saved to the drivers profile. Try to set different position for me, my fiancee and easy access, doesn't move, just sits in place while the seat moves into place. Then I realize that the lumbar support doesn't move either (which I found out is by design, for some odd reason). We get the Tesla Wall Charger, hook it up to 230V 25A, 3 phase. It only charges the car at ~5kW/h (got an electrician to measure and confirm), but it should be able to make around 10kW/h (230V x 25A x sqrt(3) = 9959W/h). I get that some power is lost, but half of it? We connected the electrician's model S, and it charges fine at around 7 or 8kW. Next we get the original roof rack, I rent a small torsion wrench for a day and mount it at 6nm. 2 weeks later the roof cracks from one of the points the rack was mounted at. I go back and check the manual, which clearly states 5-6nm. While checking it out I noticed, by random chance, that the small, black panel next to the mirror is loose, I pick it off and put it in the car. Finally, as summer comes I start driving in a t-shirt and shorts, and I start experiencing a burning sensation on my back, my left knee and my elbows. Turns out that the "premium" interior is made out of plastic, and I'm one of the unlucky people with a skin condition which reacts severely to the material. I get large sores on the parts of my body which is either directly in contact with or only has thin fragment of clothing between it and the interior.
I finally have my first appointment with the Tesla SC, august 2019. We spend almost an hour going through and demonstrating the issues. I get a loaner for a few days before I get a message stating my car is finished.
- steering wheel fixed (it was)
- loose panel fixed (it was)
- chrome detail replaced (it was)
- lumbar support cannot be saved (still cannot, assume by design)
- Auto wipers is software, not fixed (still isn't working)
- Trunk hard to close, no issue found (I even demonstrated as I picked it up, they told me to book a new appointment)
- Wall charger charging at limited speed, no issue found (I have recently found out that it's a bug with the wall charger, expect fix in 2019.40)
- Panel gaps within accepted range, no work performed (even though it looks asymmetric and stupid)
- Bluetooth key issues, could not reproduce, not fixed (I've tried with the following phones: Samsung S9, S10e, S10, Essential Phone, iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, all of them have the same problem. Still have the same problem)
- Cannot wake car, no issues found.
- Faux leather interior causes allergic reaction, all materials are internationally approved, sucks to be me
- Summon have issues connecting, no issues found (tried the same phones as above)
- Cracked roof, customer installed wrong, customer pay
I order a new roof, my insurance pays for it and I'm don't want to argue more with people who won't listen if I don't have to. I schedule a new service appointment before leaving the SC.
Next service appointment they fix the trunk, everything else is no issues found. Over the next few weeks the connection issues become more annoying, I try for over 20 minutes to wake the car without anything happening. I sometimes get in the car and I have to drive for 5-10 minutes before the car gets reception and I can use the map and Spotify.
I set up a third service appointment to look into the Bluetooth and mobile connection issues, as well as replace the roof. I get a message the day after saying the car is ready. They reset the software, but they forgot to change the roof. I'm sitting there like an idiot for 4 hours while they make an express swap and glue on the new roof. The next day, cannot wake the car with my phone, summon has major issues. I call the tech support line, saying I need to get it fixed. They reply telling me "there is no connection in your area". I tell them to hang on for a minute, and I collect 5 VIN numbers from my colleagues who are driving TMS and TMX. I give her the numbers and tell her "All of these cars are online and can be awoken through the app, but my car can't. One of the other cars is even right next to mine." They told me to book a service appointment. I do, and in the meantime I get to try another TM3. It works perfectly, it doesn't have any of the issues my car has, and the white interior is softer and doesn't cause an immediate allergic reaction. I realize that my car is a lemon, but our laws only protect against major defects, and the app is not considered major.
I go to my fourth service appointment. I still can't wake my car, summon is a farce, and FSD is full of features unavailable to Norway. I just want them to fix the connection issues so I at the very least can pre-heat my car during the -20 degree winter. A service technician comes out with me so I can demonstrate the issues. I show him that summon can't connect to the car, I'm 4 feet away and there are no obstacles, cannot move it. "We'll have to verify inside if there's a problem" he says. Next we sit inside the car, I explain how I can't wake it and that sometimes I don't have connection inside my car, even though the cars around me does. He just points at the bars and says "Full reception". So I repeat that it doesn't happen all the time, it very often happens between 10AM and 3PM when the car has been sleeping for a while. Again he points at the bars on the screen and says "But you have full connection, and your map is working".
So I don't even bother. I drive back home with my own car, upset over everything.
When I get home I open my own referral link, and I order a new TM3. Long Range Performance, White exterior, white interior, performance package, winter tires, expected delivery in December. I get a trade-in quote for $15k lower than I bought my car for 8 months ago, but I don't care anymore. I just want the car I was promised.
