Used car nightmare

[zone121]

So I bought a used 2017 Tesla model S a month ago from Tesla and I have discovered some structural damage to the car that I wasn’t aware of before I bought it nor was disclosed by Tesla at the time of sale. I asked Tesla to show me a copy of the pre-sale inspection report to compare it with the state of my vehicle right now but the service representative said that he asked his boss for permission to show it to me but was denied. Nevertheless he assured me that the car was inspected and that any damage to the car was caused by me...I’m not a conspiracy weirdo but this sounds like a cover up...

I don’t know where to go with this...it’s kinda nuts that they won’t show the owner the car’s inspection report, right? Unless...that there was no thorough “70 point” inspection. The car looks cosmetically fine - the damage is on the underside of the vehicle - and, no, I haven’t been in an accident. They are claiming my subframe is bent - I surely would have noticed running into something that caused that kind of damage...Also, in the month I have had the car, one week was spent in service having my camera’s aligned so I could used the FSD feature...Clearly, no one tested that system before they sold it to me. The next week I noticed a slow leak in one of my tires. They claimed I picked up a nail in the tire and I had to pay $300 to replace it. I paid because I trusted them when they told me that the car was inspected before I bought it, but now I’m not so sure.

Anyhow...any advice? I love the car notwithstanding the problems but I’m really put off by this service. I almost want to tell them to keep the car and to give me back my money but I doubt I have any legal recourse here. Or do I...I’m in TX btw. Who can I speak with to resolve this issue? The service associate says his manager will call me but this seems like something that should be handled by sales or operations.

 

[glide]

Did you opt out of the arbitration clause w/in 30 days of the purchase? You said “a month ago” so timing is critical.

If you have not done so and are still able to, it will GREATLY improve your chances of a favorable (to you) resolution.

 

[zone121]

They have had the car in service for a couple of weeks total since I bought it...but I technically bought it 5 weeks ago so I guess im past that point. Darn! Maybe that’s why they are being so unhelpful...

 

[iqless]

Tesla is the worst. They are known for selling cars as NEW with damage records on them and then not telling the owners before during or after. They don't legally have to disclose it (unless the damage is more than a couple percent of the car's MSRP) so they get away with it.

I'm telling you, Tesla is the most customer-unfriendly car company in the world.

 

[glide]

They have had the car in service for a couple of weeks total since I bought it...but I technically bought it 5 weeks ago so I guess im past that point. Darn! Maybe that’s why they are being so unhelpful...

That’s too bad. Opting out of arbitration should be #1 on the checklist when buying a Tesla.

Someone should create a thread a sticky it but I doubt that would happen with the rabbid fan base around here.

 

[zone121]

Tesla is the worst. They are known for selling cars as NEW with damage records on them and then not telling the owners before during or after. They don't legally have to disclose it (unless the damage is more than a couple percent of the car's MSRP) so they get away with it.

I'm telling you, Tesla is the most customer-unfriendly car company in the world.

Anywhere I can find examples of them doing this to other customers?

 

[DanCar]

If possible would like to see pics of structural damage.

 

[jjrandorin]

Tesla is the worst. They are known for selling cars as NEW with damage records on them and then not telling the owners before during or after. They don't legally have to disclose it (unless the damage is more than a couple percent of the car's MSRP) so they get away with it.

I'm telling you, Tesla is the most customer-unfriendly car company in the world.

Pretty much every car manufacturer does that (sell cars as new that might have had damage, as long as the damage is under X percent of MSRP. Thats not "tesla" thats "the auto industry". The difference is, the other manufacturers are better at fixing / hiding it. I know BMW does that, for example. They have a vehicle processing center in the US to fix damage from cars made in germany and shipped here.

They are just very good at it.. its like another factory, in BMWs case, but they dont have to (nor do they) disclose any fixes they do there unless its a certain percentage of MSRP.

 

[glide]

Pretty much every car manufacturer does that (sell cars as new that might have had damage, as long as the damage is under X percent of MSRP. Thats not "tesla" thats "the auto industry". The difference is, the other manufacturers are better at fixing / hiding it. I know BMW does that, for example. They have a vehicle processing center in the US to fix damage from cars made in germany and shipped here.

They are just very good at it.. its like another factory, in BMWs case, but they dont have to (nor do they) disclose any fixes they do there unless its a certain percentage of MSRP.

No. It’s Tesla. BMW does NOT pull that crap. Fixing damage from shipping on new vehicles and hiding damage on used cars are not the same things. We all WISH Tesla had a process for fixing damaged new vehicles before they were presented for initial delivery.

Please stop defending absolutely indefensible consumer practices by Tesla.

 

[jjrandorin]

No. It’s Tesla. BMW does NOT pull that crap. Fixing damage from shipping on new vehicles and hiding damage on used cars are not the same things. We all WISH Tesla had a process for fixing damaged new vehicles before they were presented for initial delivery.

Please stop defending absolutely indefensible consumer practices by Tesla.

Yes, yes they do:

A Rare Trip Inside A BMW Vehicle Distribution Center | BimmerLife


=========================

But it’s not all what you might expect as far as inspections and options installations are concerned. It’s not exactly unusual for a vehicle to receive damage in one form or another during transport, and the BMW VDC is among the last lines of defense when it comes to correcting problems. Equipped with a full—and quite expansive—body shop and paint facility, extensive repairs can be carried out onsite. From full panel or bumper replacement to a respray of a scuffed area, work is performed in a multitude of bays and other stations, and the entire place is as clean and well-maintained as you might expect with plenty of demarcation, even for trash cans.

=========================

And they do not disclose these repairs to the end consumer unless they reach a specific threshhold of damage. You are 1000% incorrect in this, as I know for a fact BMW does this. I have had discussions with BMW dealer sales managers and general managers, in person, about this.

If you read what I said, I said they repair it, they dont disclose it, but they are better at it. Doesnt change the fact they repair cars without telling people unless they reach a certain dollar amount. Now, back to the OPs concern

OP I dont know what recourse you have on a used car for something like this. Good luck.


EDIT... Used cars are sold by dealers (except tesla)... are you actually making a statement that all car dealers fully disclose all repairs made to used cars before sale? I doubt, no matter how much you hate tesla, you believe that. My statement was about new cars, which was what my reply was to "Tesla is known for selling cars as NEW with damage and not disclosing it".

You pivoted to used cars while quoting me.


In any case, im done talking about this in this OPs thread (sorry OP).

I am not sure what recourse you have with this on a used car, and the situation sounds very unfortunate. My comment prior comment was directed specifically at the "tesla is known for selling cars as NEW and not disclosing damage", not in relation to anything related to used cars... however everyone knows someone that bought a used car that had issues with it that was not disclosed by the seller.

Lots of people expect tesla to be better, but since they dont have a CPO, they are regular used cars to me. Nevertheless, you should expect better. Hope it works out.

 

[dannycamps]

Arbitration or not, it sounds like it might be getting close to lawyer time. Used cars are used though and may contain damage. Tesla basically has a blanket statement now saying that a certain amount of damage is acceptable and should be expected.

 

[zone121]

If possible would like to see pics of structural damage.

Here are the pics...I think that’s the bash bar with damage. It hides under this plastic piece so it couldn’t be seen without removing it.

 

[zone121]

Arbitration or not, it sounds like it might be getting close to lawyer time. Used cars are used though and may contain damage. Tesla basically has a blanket statement now saying that a certain amount of damage is acceptable and should be expected.

Yes, but we aren’t talking about a few scuffs and scratches here...they are claiming that the damage to the car is so bad that it needs to go a body shop to repair the subframe. That’s a minimum $5k repair they said...not to mention the repair and parts needed afterwards by Tesla.

 

[zone121]

Yes, yes they do:

A Rare Trip Inside A BMW Vehicle Distribution Center | BimmerLife


=========================

But it’s not all what you might expect as far as inspections and options installations are concerned. It’s not exactly unusual for a vehicle to receive damage in one form or another during transport, and the BMW VDC is among the last lines of defense when it comes to correcting problems. Equipped with a full—and quite expansive—body shop and paint facility, extensive repairs can be carried out onsite. From full panel or bumper replacement to a respray of a scuffed area, work is performed in a multitude of bays and other stations, and the entire place is as clean and well-maintained as you might expect with plenty of demarcation, even for trash cans.

=========================

And they do not disclose these repairs to the end consumer unless they reach a specific threshhold of damage. You are 1000% incorrect in this, as I know for a fact BMW does this. I have had discussions with BMW dealer sales managers and general managers, in person, about this.

If you read what I said, I said they repair it, they dont disclose it, but they are better at it. Doesnt change the fact they repair cars without telling people unless they reach a certain dollar amount. Now, back to the OPs concern

OP I dont know what recourse you have on a used car for something like this. Good luck.


EDIT... Used cars are sold by dealers (except tesla)... are you actually making a statement that all car dealers fully disclose all repairs made to used cars before sale? I doubt, no matter how much you hate tesla, you believe that. My statement was about new cars, which was what my reply was to "Tesla is known for selling cars as NEW with damage and not disclosing it".

You pivoted to used cars while quoting me.


In any case, im done talking about this in this OPs thread (sorry OP).

I am not sure what recourse you have with this on a used car, and the situation sounds very unfortunate. My comment prior comment was directed specifically at the "tesla is known for selling cars as NEW and not disclosing damage", not in relation to anything related to used cars... however everyone knows someone that bought a used car that had issues with it that was not disclosed by the seller.

Lots of people expect tesla to be better, but since they dont have a CPO, they are regular used cars to me. Nevertheless, you should expect better. Hope it works out.

That’s ok...I’m so green I don’t even know what “OP” means...Any advise is helpful

 

[jjrandorin]

That’s ok...I’m so green I don’t even know what “OP” means...Any advise is helpful

It means "original poster". I really hope you can work this out somehow. You have a choice of fighting it out with tesla, or, just sucking it up and going through with repair hopefully on insurance. I am sure tesla expects you to give up and just go through insurance. TBH I am not sure what I would do. In my past, I have "drawn a line in the sand" over something much less expensive than this, but I have also sometimes said "Screw it, I dont want to loose more sleep over XYZ and just moved forward with resolving something even if my inclination was to battle it out.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.

 

[DanCar]

That’s ok...I’m so green I don’t even know what “OP” means...Any advise is helpful

Wow, I agree with your sentiments, that looks aweful!

 

[zone121]

It means "original poster". I really hope you can work this out somehow. You have a choice of fighting it out with tesla, or, just sucking it up and going through with repair hopefully on insurance. I am sure tesla expects you to give up and just go through insurance. TBH I am not sure what I would do. In my past, I have "drawn a line in the sand" over something much less expensive than this, but I have also sometimes said "Screw it, I dont want to loose more sleep over XYZ and just moved forward with resolving something even if my inclination was to battle it out.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.

That’s exactly where I am at...actually I’m sitting here in the Houston Tesla office seeking a resolution. The service manager said that he can’t show me the inspection report that they did on the car because it has “proprietary information” on it...ridiculous. I told him to redact that secret info and give me the report showing they inspected the bash bar and the undercarriage. He’s checking with “someone” to see if that’s possible. I fear it’s all a bunch of BS. He said I should go home and he’d call me next week but I said I would wait because I want this resolved today so I’m sitting in this sad lounge. Let’s see...It’s an interesting case study for the site

 

[r1200gs4ok]

That’s exactly where I am at...actually I’m sitting here in the Houston Tesla office seeking a resolution. The service manager said that he can’t show me the inspection report that they did on the car because it has “proprietary information” on it...ridiculous. I told him to redact that secret info and give me the report showing they inspected the bash bar and the undercarriage. He’s checking with “someone” to see if that’s possible. I fear it’s all a bunch of BS. He said I should go home and he’d call me next week but I said I would wait because I want this resolved today so I’m sitting in this sad lounge. Let’s see...It’s an interesting case study for the site

yea, they want you to go home so they can fabricate the report....keep to your guns and see what happens there and let us know

 

[Darren Donovan]

Damn, Tesla and their shenanigans . Street corner used car dealership tactics. Ridiculous.

 

[JeremysY]

That’s exactly where I am at...actually I’m sitting here in the Houston Tesla office seeking a resolution. The service manager said that he can’t show me the inspection report that they did on the car because it has “proprietary information” on it...ridiculous. I told him to redact that secret info and give me the report showing they inspected the bash bar and the undercarriage. He’s checking with “someone” to see if that’s possible. I fear it’s all a bunch of BS. He said I should go home and he’d call me next week but I said I would wait because I want this resolved today so I’m sitting in this sad lounge. Let’s see...It’s an interesting case study for the site

Any resolution. I’m in Houston as well so I’m especially interested.