Trim quality

[GreenT]

For years, Model S and X owners have commented on / complained about the fact that trims simply do not line up.

I just watched this Youtube video ...

that documents Rolls Royce quality control standards.

FF to 21:00 and watch how a panel of diamonds has a scratch, invisible to the human eye, get rejected.
Now that's completely OTT IMO.

But Tesla has never come anywhere near close to this. Price points may be different but still sad.

 

[whitex]

For the right price, there are companies out there which will so the same to a P100D. Laser aligning all the panels, bullet proofing them, painting in custom colors, whole new interiors, diamond studding the entire car if you are willing to pay for it. So yes, you can get this experience with a Tesla, just have to pay for a Rolls Royce price.

 

[tstafford]

It's a legit issue for Tesla. I'm on my second MS and have a deposit down on the 2020 Roadster so I drink the kool-aid. But when it came time to buy a new SUV my wife rejected the MX solely on the quality of the interior. For her at a price point over $100K she wanted the lux of the MB or BMW. I can't argue with her. The Tesla interior is barely on par with Toyota.

 

[GreenT]

For the right price, there are companies out there which will so the same to a P100D. Laser aligning all the panels, bullet proofing them, painting in custom colors, whole new interiors, diamond studding the entire car if you are willing to pay for it. So yes, you can get this experience with a Tesla, just have to pay for a Rolls Royce price.

We shouldn't need to pay more for an "aligned" trim, should we?

 

[glide]

I would be happy if Tesla could get to the QC level of Honda or Toyota at this point.

They are literally the worst in the business for what makes it through to the customer.

 

[whitex]

We shouldn't need to pay more for an "aligned" trim, should we?

I said laser align panels, after painting and/or bullet proofing

 

[whitex]

I would be happy if Tesla could get to the QC level of Honda or Toyota at this point.

They are literally the worst in the business for what makes it through to the customer.

Tesla is a new automotive company, like Hyundai was in the 90's. Some cars were perfect and lasted forever, while others spent more time in the shop than on the road. Hyundai eventually figured out how to mass produce quality, so will Tesla. Hyundai's unique advantage was an inexpensive car, Tesla's is EV drivetrain and charging. If back in the 90's Toyota or Honda would have started selling cars at Hyundai prices, Hyundai would have been wiped out. So the danger is if other manufacturers catch up with EV tech before Tesla catches up with mass production quality. The problem is that while other manufacturers didn't have much incentive to race to the bottom with their prices, EV market is more lucrative and therefore more enticing for the competition to go after.

 

[P100D_Me]

There was a video on YouTube recently by a popular engineering person that just had his Model 3 delivered. He went over it with a vernier calliper to measure panel gaps, it was atrocious. Then the paint was of the quality found in some backyard panel shops, if not worse. In my opinion I would say the car was never actually inspected after production, just terrible at the price point Tesla are at, EV or not. The video now has over 1.2 million views.
My own car is pretty straight......after the original owner had it back to Tesla twice to get panels lined up!

 

[GaryREM]

There seems to be a wide variation in panel alignment. My June 2017 had some awful alignment problems.

• Hatch misaligned on top left.
• Driver door too low and also protruding at rear.
• Driver side front fender sticking out from A pillar and wide gap with hood.

The good news was that after a few visits to the body shop, these were corrected although realigning the hatch broke the rear window and required repainting the hatch and I can see a tiny variation in paint color. These are things that should not have been allowed to leave the factory.

 

[P100D_Me]

Driver door too low and also protruding at rear.

That is terrible and convinces me even more that these cars are not checked when they leave the factory, instead they lump it on the service centre to fix it.
FWIW, I had a Chrysler 300 that had shocking panel alignment and paint mismatch....but it's a Chrysler so you know, LOL.

 

[PhilDavid]

For years, Model S and X owners have commented on / complained about the fact that trims simply do not line up.

I just watched this Youtube video ...

that documents Rolls Royce quality control standards.

FF to 21:00 and watch how a panel of diamonds has a scratch, invisible to the human eye, get rejected.
Now that's completely OTT IMO.

But Tesla has never come anywhere near close to this. Price points may be different but still sad.

All that effort and they still can't build a fully electric car.

 

[AMPd]

All that effort and they still can't build a fully electric car.

Bmw i3?

 

[whitex]

@GreenT which part(s) of my post do you disagree with and why? I'm curious.

 

[The Enterprise]

I am beginning to think of my Tesla as a Fast Food product... Tesla spends too much effort on making it fast, making more of it faster, selling more of it faster, and leaving the customer feeling bloated with the consequences... poor quality over quantity.

 

[PhilDavid]

I am beginning to think of my Tesla as a Fast Food product... Tesla spends too much effort on making it fast, making more of it faster, selling more of it faster, and leaving the customer feeling bloated with the consequences... poor quality over quantity.

Poor quality? I don't think so.

Name any other car manufacturer that makes dozens of improvements to their models mid year. If they drop the ball, it is due to lack of resources and being focused on tasks such as the Model 3 ramp-up that was a bet-the-company operation. Compare a 2014/2015 Model S to a 2018/2019 Model S and you will see all the refinements Tesla has made to make for a better quality experience.

Honestly removing the sunroof is the only thing I am disappointed with the Model S interior. Just about everything else has been improved.

 

[ahkahn]

Honestly, I guess everybody has different standards. Most of the pics in this thread, I can't see much of an issue, and even on the ones I do see an issue with, it's really not a big deal to me. The only one that looks unacceptable to me is the pic of the door alignment.

 

[GaryREM]

Honestly, I guess everybody has different standards. Most of the pics in this thread, I can't see much of an issue, and even on the ones I do see an issue with, it's really not a big deal to me. The only one that looks unacceptable to me is the pic of the door alignment.

What concerns me is that these are quality control issues on things that we can see.

If you can't control these things, what about things we cannot see? Quality control should be part of your manufacturing culture and be applied consistently throughout the product.

 

[The Enterprise]

This review in 2017, 2017 Tesla Model X 75D review | CarAdvice
... Shows that the X’s shortcomings are still as valid in 2019. Not good enough!

 

[ahkahn]

This review in 2017, 2017 Tesla Model X 75D review | CarAdvice
... Shows that the X’s shortcomings are still as valid in 2019. Not good enough!

But isn't that a review of a 2017 Model X?

 

[darxsys]

I took apart most of my car’s (late 2015) interior to try fixing some rattles. Removed interior trim, panels, glove box, B pillar trim, arm rest, dashpad, headliner. Honestly, the build quality and precision is obviously terrible. Cheap materials everywhere. I don’t even understand how this car can cost $100k with this poor of a job.

At least I know my car better now.