Okay then collection day today! After the most stressful week due to short notice and removing private plate. Anyhow, I won't go into that but shout out to Tesla who were excellent, accommodating and flexible. They even allowed the finance to go through and deliver the V5 later if I had to? In the end it turned up this morning so all good.
So, I arrived at NEC at 3:05 for 3:30 collection. Parked my trade in wherever was available and entered Hall 16.
Place was deserted, I asked why it wasn't busier to which the reply was this week is the final few remainers and that's just how it is. They're waiting on the next ship from Shanghai to repeat all over again.
Lovely lady asked for licence, keys and V5 for trade in. Also asked for the mileage which I gave from my Mercedes App. Keys and V5 got put in a brown envelope and I signed an iPad. No check of car, where I'd left it or anything.
She then gave me the key card and told me where it was sleeping...
Also, she said the app would go live, which is did immediately.
I wandered over to where it was hiding behind a MY with enormous foreboding
And what did I find?
A super shiny perfect condition M3, MSM. No panel gaps, no swirling, sand or anything else listed on these pages. The car was immaculate. All the doors and windows worked so after a quick chat with a Tesla guy he said that's it, you're done out through the exit please.
I never checked the mileage but the charge was 37% (117 miles) so I went to Hopwood Services on the M42 to pop my Supercharger cherry and consume a whopper cheese and bacon. Then got a text that charging was almost complete and to shift my ar$e before I got charged idle fees. How efficient.
Came home, connected to Wi-Fi, updated the software, took 30 mins or so. Then entered passwords for Spotify and YouTube to use my own accounts.
All done!!
What an experience and what a car. All felt rather surreal, especially walking away from my trade in without a second thought.
So moral is, don't be fearful of what you may read. There are good 'uns out there....
Best wishes to you all.