I am trying hard to buy a new Tesla LR Y. I test drove one in the fall but saw some huge quality issues. Went back today and drove one again. Basically loved the drive and ready to order. Test car had some issues but I could live with them They had a new 7 seater just in so I stopped to look at it. The left rear corner of the roof was up at least ⅓ of a inch compared to the right. Pic I will post makes it look much better than it looked in person. Tesla rep said it’s because it was a 7 seater and they have to learn how to build them!!! Then he suggested I look at two other cars ready for delivery. One of those had the right front door protruding like the roof on the other car. Sales rep tried to close it but it was closed. I can’t believe they were trying to deliver these cars. Is it going to be a battle to get a decent car?
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Trying to buy but really?
- Thread starter GeorgeC1
- Start date
Yes. Quality will be hit or miss.
Anything they tell you can be fixed after delivery; likely will not. So if you do wind up placing an order, make sure the vehicle is to your liking before you accept delivery.
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
That's the hard part, has you need to sign all the papers and pay for it before you can see the car...
That should not be the case. If that is the currently accepted practice at the delivery center, I would hold off on ordering all together. That’s total BS on Tesla’s part.
M3BlueGeorgia
Active Member
Order one.
Don't take someone's reject.
If you order online, you should get it in a few weeks. Plus you get exactly the configuration you want.
If you let them deliver to you, then you have to accept delivery before you can open the car. If you go to SC, then you can insist on inspection before accepting the delivery,.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Not true. Even for me that went through the no-contact delivery just in end of last year, I was able to see the exterior of the car even before I press accept delivery. I could have walked away and rejected the car and waited for another example. Others have reported in the same delivery center that if you go early enough (before they had a chance to put cards in the car) and insist on seeing the inside of the car first before accepting delivery, they will unlock it for you. No final payment is necessary to do so (you can wait until last minute to pay).
I have yet to see an example where they force to you accept delivery before even seeing the car. I only read some people doing so because they were trying to get the year end incentive and they were not home to see the car when it was delivered.
Puma2020
Member
Well I show up ready to order and each time Tesla does something to stop me. I first considered replacing my MDX with a model X or Y. Showed up for the test drive I booked and sat outside for 30 minutes waiting for the sales rep. He finally came out to tell me they did not have a X or Y I could drive. During that 30 minutes I wandered around and saw some really bad quality in cars on the lot. I purchased a BMW X5 instead to replace the MDX. The X5 was and has been absolutely perfect.
My I3 now comes off lease next month. I want a electric replacement. I do love the Y as far as driving and ergonomics. My time however is to valuable to make repeated 2 hour round trips to the service center. I had hoped to see improvements on the overall quality. Paint work did seem better but panel fit worse. Heading out in a bit to look at the Etron but it’s bigger than I want. Wife has suggested just leasing another I3 but from a performance standpoint the Y is much more fun to drive. It’s also a bit bigger than we would like for a local car. The I3 is superb for parking ect.. and the lease is 120 a month less than the Y.
Probably 90% of Tesla owners I speak with say it’s the best car they have owned. I then ask if they have had any down time for maintenance and the horror stories start. It’s hard to understand how the Tesla spell that takes a car that’s out of service for 2 or 3 weeks the first year yet is still the best car they have owned. There certainly must be some Tesla magic involved! I guess the question for me is if it’s worth the trade off.
My I3 now comes off lease next month. I want a electric replacement. I do love the Y as far as driving and ergonomics. My time however is to valuable to make repeated 2 hour round trips to the service center. I had hoped to see improvements on the overall quality. Paint work did seem better but panel fit worse. Heading out in a bit to look at the Etron but it’s bigger than I want. Wife has suggested just leasing another I3 but from a performance standpoint the Y is much more fun to drive. It’s also a bit bigger than we would like for a local car. The I3 is superb for parking ect.. and the lease is 120 a month less than the Y.
Probably 90% of Tesla owners I speak with say it’s the best car they have owned. I then ask if they have had any down time for maintenance and the horror stories start. It’s hard to understand how the Tesla spell that takes a car that’s out of service for 2 or 3 weeks the first year yet is still the best car they have owned. There certainly must be some Tesla magic involved! I guess the question for me is if it’s worth the trade off.
Unfortunately, with Tesla you have to expect shoddy customer service, especially at the start:
- your delivery/pick-up could be canceled at any point, including after you arrive; it could happen multiple times
- you could be offered an obvious reject
- you could be offered a car with obvious small problems that need service to fixed
- service centers will call obvious physical problems "within spec".
I suggest that even if you still want to get a Tesla, you wait and try to buy private party used, where you'll have a proper opportunity to buy a car without obvious physical problems.
Maybe that's why Teslas hold their value so well.
Yeah, right. I get the feeling that you never intended to buy a Tesla in the first place. 
I ordered my Y and waited more than 13 months and before I even sat in it (pick-up in Fremont). Many others did the same. I've had it in for service for a few days to fix minor things and get my hitch receiver installed.
I ordered my Y and waited more than 13 months and before I even sat in it (pick-up in Fremont). Many others did the same. I've had it in for service for a few days to fix minor things and get my hitch receiver installed.
I've ordered two Tesla's (a 3 and Y) sight unseen. I don't have a Tesla store closer than about 200 miles from me and I had both cars delivered/accepted before I ever saw the car. Both had very small issues, and both are/have been the best cars I've owned. The absolute removal of the stress from a crappy dealer was so nice, honestly it makes me just want to buy more for the simple dopamine rush of how easy it is to buy the car compared to the FIVE TIMES I had to go to a Chevy dealer to lease my Volt because they didn't know how to write up a lease contract, didn't know about state incentives and refused to call Chevy HQ, refused to call the state, refused to trust the .gov web site I showed them, etc.
Initial issue on the 3 was a very very small wrinkle in the "leather" on the side of the center console, maybe 1/4 inch long and about 1/2 inch from where it tucks under the trim, you almost never saw it and I didn't care. Then there were two quarter size perfect circles where they had "repaired" paint nibs. Under the right light and when approaching the vehicle from a certain direction, they had a different (more flat) level of polish and were pretty noticeable. A local detailer said he could fix both for $150 or so, I was too lazy to ever get that done because 99% of the time you never saw them.
For the Y I have a couple very slight misalignment issues with panels and doors. Driver side door probably "sticks out" a smidge compared to the rear doors. If standing directly behind the driver side tail light and looking down the edge of the vehicle you can tell, otherwise you can't and the door open and closers fine and seems to seal fine, do I care, no. Of course front door to rear door black trim is slightly uneven, but again you don't notice that at 10 feet, while the vehicle is in motion, etc, I don't care.
Should these all be perfect, sure, do they affect the overall owner experience of the vehicle or drivability, no. Tesla is still a young company and is still focused on more more more cars (partly because that's the metric for being "successful"). They need to get better if they want to stick around long term once electric is the norm, but I think they will. If you can hold off, wait five or so years to purchase and you might have better luck (assuming the legacy guys get much closer to matching Tesla in ability in the next five years). Though... I would suggest a very slightly out of alignment door probably isn't worth waiting five years...
Initial issue on the 3 was a very very small wrinkle in the "leather" on the side of the center console, maybe 1/4 inch long and about 1/2 inch from where it tucks under the trim, you almost never saw it and I didn't care. Then there were two quarter size perfect circles where they had "repaired" paint nibs. Under the right light and when approaching the vehicle from a certain direction, they had a different (more flat) level of polish and were pretty noticeable. A local detailer said he could fix both for $150 or so, I was too lazy to ever get that done because 99% of the time you never saw them.
For the Y I have a couple very slight misalignment issues with panels and doors. Driver side door probably "sticks out" a smidge compared to the rear doors. If standing directly behind the driver side tail light and looking down the edge of the vehicle you can tell, otherwise you can't and the door open and closers fine and seems to seal fine, do I care, no. Of course front door to rear door black trim is slightly uneven, but again you don't notice that at 10 feet, while the vehicle is in motion, etc, I don't care.
Should these all be perfect, sure, do they affect the overall owner experience of the vehicle or drivability, no. Tesla is still a young company and is still focused on more more more cars (partly because that's the metric for being "successful"). They need to get better if they want to stick around long term once electric is the norm, but I think they will. If you can hold off, wait five or so years to purchase and you might have better luck (assuming the legacy guys get much closer to matching Tesla in ability in the next five years). Though... I would suggest a very slightly out of alignment door probably isn't worth waiting five years...
My Experience was completely different. Ordered my M3 LR on Dec 5 from the Tampa SC. A VIN was assigned a week or so later then a delivery day assigned (Dec 18) a few days later. Being a business owner in retail my time can be difficult to manage. I called and asked if a day earlier would be possible (Dec 17). They told me they will try. They called me on Wednesday and said Saturday the 18 would have to be the day as the car is currently on a truck in Arizona due to arrive in Tampa on Thursday and they need a day to inspect and clean the car. Delivery was at 4:30 PM. I arrived at 3:55. At about 4:40 or so they pulled the car in line for me to inspect, drove off at 4:55 on my way home. It was busy as *sugar* that day. I asked my delivery guy how many cars they were delivering that day as we had seen two semis of cars arrive while we were there. His answer was 92 scheduled for that day. They were efficient and professional.
I ordered the Homelink kit which included installation. Three days after I received it at my home a tech showed up and installed it and programmed to my garage. Once again, efficient and professional.
Tesla has been the best car buying experience of the dozen or so new cars I’ve purchased.
I ordered the Homelink kit which included installation. Three days after I received it at my home a tech showed up and installed it and programmed to my garage. Once again, efficient and professional.
Tesla has been the best car buying experience of the dozen or so new cars I’ve purchased.
And to clarify, I do want to hold Tesla to a higher standard, I want them to be better. At the same time, I know the delivery guys and the guys at the stores don't have a lot of control over the cars that show up to them. If I want the best electric car when it comes to ability (range, performance, charging network, etc) Tesla is just hands down the winner and really kills it in those areas. If those things are secondary to me (say it's a second car just for work and back) then sure, maybe look toward Audi or Jag or someone. There's no harm in that if it fits your needs. I just personally don't trust the 3rd party networks enough and they don't reliably charge fast enough for me. (Every time I see a YouTube EV reviewer plug in one of those other electric cars and hit 78kW when at 15% SOC and say "not bad, that's actually pretty fast" I just shudder. As long as it's not bone chillingly cold out or the station is pack, a Tesla plugging in at that SOC after being driven for a decent amount of time should basically do DOUBLE that. The 3rd party networks equipment, the hand shakes between the cars, and the charging nature of the cars themselves just needs to get so much better. I'm so so so glad I picked Tesla instead of going "cheap" with a Bolt EV that had a crazy big discount from a dealer. If I was plugging in and seeing 43kW I would just die inside a little. Unfortunately Audi and Jag were out of my price range.)
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
OP seems super focused on the panel gap issue. While lots of Teslas come with excellent panel gaps, there seems to be more than their fair share of them with imperfections.
If this is the most important thing to OP, then he should be shopping used, or from something in stock locally that he can take a look at.
For some, they go in looking for issues, and of course usually find them.
Nobody can assure him that the car he orders will arrive with panel gaps to his satisfaction. Obsessing over this single issue can fill a buyer with fear. When you purchase a Tesla, you are making an act of faith. Just as there are no perfect people, there are no perfect cars.
If panel gaps are your hot spot, then OP will probably need to wait until the next generation is released. It will have a huge casting in the rear, a huge casting in the front and a super solid center battery section connecting those castings. This should give perhaps the worlds finest body structure, and a precision of panel gaps rarely seen.
If this is the most important thing to OP, then he should be shopping used, or from something in stock locally that he can take a look at.
For some, they go in looking for issues, and of course usually find them.
Nobody can assure him that the car he orders will arrive with panel gaps to his satisfaction. Obsessing over this single issue can fill a buyer with fear. When you purchase a Tesla, you are making an act of faith. Just as there are no perfect people, there are no perfect cars.
If panel gaps are your hot spot, then OP will probably need to wait until the next generation is released. It will have a huge casting in the rear, a huge casting in the front and a super solid center battery section connecting those castings. This should give perhaps the worlds finest body structure, and a precision of panel gaps rarely seen.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Only recently have panel gaps become a big deal to typical owners.
In the 70's American and European vehicles had much larger panel gaps. Doors clanged shut, hinges creaked, and there was a significant variation in measured panel gaps around the car. Shocks were terrible, springs would sag over time, paint would often have sags, Exhaust systems lasted only a year or so, bias belt tires flat spotted and lasted only about 12,000 miles. Big cars wobbled down the road and handling was only available by increasing ride harshness. AM radios had knobs of push buttons and a big upgrade would be a rear speaker with adjustable reverb. Individual vent windows tended to whistle at speed and hand crank windows were standard. Had to reach across to each door to press down or lift up a locking button. Annual tune ups with carburetor adjustments, plugs & points replacements, tire rotations and new brakes was not unusual.
Europeans followed Mercedes lead by engineering a solid THUNK into door closings. Made consumers feel like the cars in total were better made. Seat belts were only lap belts, no air bags and often the dash was metal, and covered by paint. Bodies tended to begin rusting immediately, and where salt was used on the roads they could develope rust in only a few years. Owners would have aftermarket Ziebart spray tar based rust proofing to slow down the corrosions and make their loosly assembled cars quieter.
The Japaneese were perhaps the first to market wil better panel gaps. Their motors and bodies were put together like jewelry. Panel gaps began to become a marketing issue and people began to take note of what could be possible. These cars tended to be smaller and had less acreage to make alignments better.
Paint was getting better as well. Instead of a single coat of enamel over primer, water based multi coats were developed. They often used metal flakes to add drama and cover everything with a top coat of clear for a deeper look.
Repainting your car was common. Either go down to Earl Schieb (Any Car, Any Color...$29.95) or a trip into Mexico would get you a fresh and cheap respray.
Now, customers arrive at delivery with micrometers to measure each panel gap. They are looking at measurable, not only visible, differentiations all over the car. Want gaps perfectly equal from side to side as well. For some reason this has become the measure of quality in their minds. The car might work perfectly, but they still need to check the gaps.
For manufacturers, making every panel gap the same is hard, expensive, takes lots of time, causes more waste, and really slows down the production line. Companies like Rolls Royce and Bently almost price themselves out of the market by assembling many cars several times to get everything right. A common quote by Bob Lutz is that "too much quality can kill you" reminds people that if the production is not profitable the business will fail.
In mass production price and quality are opposing values. Consumers want their quality to be the best and their pricing the lowest.
Outside of fragile Ego's, having the right and left door jams slightly different do not really effect operations of the vehicle for transportation. Car fittments are often more a matter of pride than utility.
Many vehicle owners are perfectly happy to live with imperfections if it means they can still get to and from work, take vacations and run their errands.
Understand people wanting a well built car, but for some reason reading so many people not only rejecting their cars, but that they somehow take joy in coming to forums like these to kinda brag how they rejected a car because of a panel gap is somehow strange to me.
In the 70's American and European vehicles had much larger panel gaps. Doors clanged shut, hinges creaked, and there was a significant variation in measured panel gaps around the car. Shocks were terrible, springs would sag over time, paint would often have sags, Exhaust systems lasted only a year or so, bias belt tires flat spotted and lasted only about 12,000 miles. Big cars wobbled down the road and handling was only available by increasing ride harshness. AM radios had knobs of push buttons and a big upgrade would be a rear speaker with adjustable reverb. Individual vent windows tended to whistle at speed and hand crank windows were standard. Had to reach across to each door to press down or lift up a locking button. Annual tune ups with carburetor adjustments, plugs & points replacements, tire rotations and new brakes was not unusual.
Europeans followed Mercedes lead by engineering a solid THUNK into door closings. Made consumers feel like the cars in total were better made. Seat belts were only lap belts, no air bags and often the dash was metal, and covered by paint. Bodies tended to begin rusting immediately, and where salt was used on the roads they could develope rust in only a few years. Owners would have aftermarket Ziebart spray tar based rust proofing to slow down the corrosions and make their loosly assembled cars quieter.
The Japaneese were perhaps the first to market wil better panel gaps. Their motors and bodies were put together like jewelry. Panel gaps began to become a marketing issue and people began to take note of what could be possible. These cars tended to be smaller and had less acreage to make alignments better.
Paint was getting better as well. Instead of a single coat of enamel over primer, water based multi coats were developed. They often used metal flakes to add drama and cover everything with a top coat of clear for a deeper look.
Repainting your car was common. Either go down to Earl Schieb (Any Car, Any Color...$29.95) or a trip into Mexico would get you a fresh and cheap respray.
Now, customers arrive at delivery with micrometers to measure each panel gap. They are looking at measurable, not only visible, differentiations all over the car. Want gaps perfectly equal from side to side as well. For some reason this has become the measure of quality in their minds. The car might work perfectly, but they still need to check the gaps.
For manufacturers, making every panel gap the same is hard, expensive, takes lots of time, causes more waste, and really slows down the production line. Companies like Rolls Royce and Bently almost price themselves out of the market by assembling many cars several times to get everything right. A common quote by Bob Lutz is that "too much quality can kill you" reminds people that if the production is not profitable the business will fail.
In mass production price and quality are opposing values. Consumers want their quality to be the best and their pricing the lowest.
Outside of fragile Ego's, having the right and left door jams slightly different do not really effect operations of the vehicle for transportation. Car fittments are often more a matter of pride than utility.
Many vehicle owners are perfectly happy to live with imperfections if it means they can still get to and from work, take vacations and run their errands.
Understand people wanting a well built car, but for some reason reading so many people not only rejecting their cars, but that they somehow take joy in coming to forums like these to kinda brag how they rejected a car because of a panel gap is somehow strange to me.
