Unconventional trade-in procedure or got swindled?

[Minime]

I'm going to assume everything about Tesla is unconventional, including their trade-in procedure.

Went to Tesla dealership with my car for the drop off. Everything already agreed upon...price, inspection, etc. All I did was sign a few documents transferring title and accepting value of my vehicle. Shook hands and left.

Walked about 20 feet and went back since I realized I have absolutely no written or photocopied proof that I dropped off a car for trade-in. My delivery specialist insisted a receipt was not necessary, everything is "electronic" and rest assured I'll get credit applied towards my new Tesla in production.

I didn't want to press the issue, considering how well we got along. But if this was any place else other than Tesla, I would have been more suspicious and forceful with documentation.

Anyone went thru this process to confirm? Guess I am suspicious and now, regret....

 

[Tam]

...absolutely no written or photocopied proof that I dropped off a car for trade-in...

At least there's a public DMV receipt in the form of your signature on the title.

So I wouldn't worry if Tesla says you never sign over the title and you still owe them an old car.

What then needs to be documented is: the agreed price. Is it documented anywhere: Electronic or paper?

 

[ba2002]

I'm going to assume everything about Tesla is unconventional, including their trade-in procedure.

Went to Tesla dealership with my car for the drop off. Everything already agreed upon...price, inspection, etc. All I did was sign a few documents transferring title and accepting value of my vehicle. Shook hands and left.

Walked about 20 feet and went back since I realized I have absolutely no written or photocopied proof that I dropped off a car for trade-in. My delivery specialist insisted a receipt was not necessary, everything is "electronic" and rest assured I'll get credit applied towards my new Tesla in production.

I didn't want to press the issue, considering how well we got along. But if this was any place else other than Tesla, I would have been more suspicious and forceful with documentation.

Anyone went thru this process to confirm? Guess I am suspicious and now, regret....

They didn't give me anything either, but I called and demanded something, so they emailed it to me. In the end everything was applied correctly to the bottom line as Tesla said it would be. I do have a friend who had a trade quote for $9500 after they inspected it, but on delivery day they dropped it to 5500 without any significant change to the condition or miles. He was fairly irritated but didn't feel like fighting it at that point.

The only thing that I ended up needing a proof of trade-in was for the DMV. Tesla did not report their ownership/acquisition of my trade so the DMV kept coming after me for registration fees for months. They finally accepted a copy of the trade-in sheet from Tesla. I think it's more Tesla growing pains....Great car, but they have a ways to go on the process.

 

[kort677]

They didn't give me anything either, but I called and demanded something, so they emailed it to me. In the end everything was applied correctly to the bottom line as Tesla said it would be. I do have a friend who had a trade quote for $9500 after they inspected it, but on delivery day they dropped it to 5500 without any significant change to the condition or miles. He was fairly irritated but didn't feel like fighting it at that point.

The only thing that I ended up needing a proof of trade-in was for the DMV. Tesla did not report their ownership/acquisition of my trade so the DMV kept coming after me for registration fees for months. They finally accepted a copy of the trade-in sheet from Tesla. I think it's more Tesla growing pains....Great car, but they have a ways to go on the process.

I don't know how things work in your state, but here in FLA, they financed the original car so tesla had the title, I signed some paperwork, I gave them my old tesla, they applied the funds from the old car to the purchase of the new one, I took my tag from the old car, they did the xfer with the dmv, and I put the tag onto my new car and drove it home.

 

[chillaban]

They didn't give me anything either, but I called and demanded something, so they emailed it to me. In the end everything was applied correctly to the bottom line as Tesla said it would be. I do have a friend who had a trade quote for $9500 after they inspected it, but on delivery day they dropped it to 5500 without any significant change to the condition or miles. He was fairly irritated but didn't feel like fighting it at that point.

The only thing that I ended up needing a proof of trade-in was for the DMV. Tesla did not report their ownership/acquisition of my trade so the DMV kept coming after me for registration fees for months. They finally accepted a copy of the trade-in sheet from Tesla. I think it's more Tesla growing pains....Great car, but they have a ways to go on the process.

As an aside: always always always file your own REG-138 in CA, even if you bear witness to them filing one for you!


I got 2 nasty bridge toll evasion charges after my Audi was turned in. I have a physical copy of the REG-138 I signed at Audi, but the DMV claims they never received one. It took a few months to sort through but eventually it involved submitting another REG-138 online and following up, and calling the court to explain the situation to avoid additional legal nastygrams.

one of the DMV ladies on the phone told me rather apathetically "consider yourself lucky", because she handled a previous call where a traded in car was used for an armed robbery.

It takes like 5 minutes to file the form online. Better to do it than risk the DMV thinking you still own the car.

 

[TexasEV]

One small issue, you didn't go to a Tesla dealership because Tesla doesn't have dealerships. You went to a Tesla store or service center.

 

[Falcon90D]

Not exactly the same situation as yours but when my colleague dropped off my car on my behalf at the Tesla approved body shop as instructed by Tesla, my colleague wasn't given a receipt or any sort of paperwork that would prove my car is with them. When they called to inform me the car was done and was ready to be picked up, I simply walked in and told them my license plate number and they let me drive away without needing any proof that I am the actual owner of the car.

 

[pilotSteve]

When I traded my 2012 in to the Portland OR delivery center I received electronic copies of docs on mytesla account within 24 hours. Everything was smooth..... until I got a toll road bill that should have gone to her "new owner" in Seattle! Seems Tesla failed to remove my old license plates (at last didn't remove the front one which is what was used to photo ID the car which caused them to send the bill to me).

I called againland asked for the bill of sale to be emailed to me (which Tesla did), then I forward that to godtogo the WA toll agency. Fixed now.

 

[JHWJR]

I just bought my car on Wednesday. I SIGNED paperwork, but there were no papers after that. They said that the documents would show up on MyTesla, and they did. But I explained that I am a lawyer and I would dope-slap my clients if they did not get copies of documents they had just signed, and I used a PDF App on my phone to get those copies. But the documents were on the MyTesla website -- posted by Tesla -- later that night all the same.

I strongly suspect that what happened to the OP was totally legit, but understandable and prudent that you got concerned.