Very disappointing first week with Model X

[EV-lutioin]

My Model X is my pride and joy but still has curb rash as sh*t happens.

Curb rash? Complain to Tesla!

 

[jtdiddy]

For me personally, I would NEVER buy or lease a Model X. I have no use for such a class of vehicle. In the almost the same way the BMW X6 is a styling fail, I feel the X is ugly. No thanks. The high price doesn't help either.

Also, unless I have a very good reason to I avoid vehicles w/below average reliability ratings and prefer closer to much better than average. Model X is dead last at 10 Least Reliable Cars. From the indications here, CR, Edmunds and from what a coworker observed from taking his 3 into the service center (has been there for over a week now), the X is a reliability disaster. He also observed "cult of Elon" while there w/an X that showed up for repairs.

As for the S, it's way too expensive to buy or lease and far more than I want to spend. Reliability is a bit spotty and it looks like can become a money pit once out of warranty. It's also larger than I'd like. I don't think it'd fit in my garage unless I removed some junk out of the front of my garage.

(FWIW, I can easily afford to buy loaded X or S outright w/cash but I don't blow that kind of $ on cars, not even close.)

I've already publicly stated that I will not put in deposit $ for a 3 until they've been in real customer hands for at least 6-12 months, to see how reliability is. So far, the signs are not good. And yes, I know that means I'll be waiting a long time or it may be never. That's fine. I'd only want to start from the standard range version and not start from $49K. I do NOT want the glass roof nor do I want to pay for the larger battery. And, only the touchscreen and lack of even an optional HUD may be enough to be a dealbreaker.

My job and other things in life already keep me very busy. I have little time to keep taking cars in for repairs. Fortunately, what I have has been pretty reliable. If I wanted to buy unreliable, I can easily save a ton of $ and buy a MUCH cheaper unreliable vehicle.

My basis of comparison is having formerly been very active on Priuschat and having observed problem reports from Gen 3 (model year 2010) Prius, 2012 Prius v wagon, Prius c and PiP after launch. I've also been acttive on mynissanleaf since mid-2011 but I'll admit I missed the 1st 6 or 7 months of its life. And, this is besides looking at reliability ratings at various places (e.g. CR) and having been on other car forums for cars I've owned.

i guess we'll agree to disagree. i personally think the X looks awesome and is an amazing car. there's really else nothing like it on the market. there's tons of X owners who have little or no problems at all with their cars.

but reading ur post, i have to wonder why are u even on a tesla forum?? go enjoy a bmw, nissan or pirus forum or something

 

[jtdiddy]

Huh, for someone who is so busy, you seem to have a lot of time to post in forums for cars you don't own, and would not even consider buying

haha exactly...

 

[MXWing]

i guess we'll agree to disagree. i personally think the X looks awesome and is an amazing car. there's really else nothing like it on the market. there's tons of X owners who have little or no problems at all with their cars.

but reading ur post, i have to wonder why are u even on a tesla forum?? go enjoy a bmw, nissan or pirus forum or something

The entire tirade reads as a lifelong Vegan wondering why people love bacon so much. It never made sense nor ever will. I mean wtf.. a Prius lover calling a Tesla ugly?

Lastly, the I can buy a Tesla straight cash is hilarious. Whether people can or not is irrelevant and only serves as an ineffective way to claim supposedly superiority over plebes.

I mean, what will impress me is someone who can buy straight cash enough shares to fire Elon and do a better job.

My Tesla has been in the shop for a total of 3 days, and one of the 3 was to get a sweet uncork to boost my 0-60 by a second for free.

It’s ironic when the biggest Tesla whiner spent more time whining about Tesla shop time than actual owners having their Tesla’s fixed.

 

[MXWing]

Huh, for someone who is so busy, you seem to have a lot of time to post in forums for cars you don't own, and would not even consider buying

LMAO

I would pay money to see a good comeback to this one.

 

[cwerdna]

Huh, for someone who is so busy, you seem to have a lot of time to post in forums for cars you don't own, and would not even consider buying

I have to ask, why are you here?

but reading ur post, i have to wonder why are u even on a tesla forum?? go enjoy a bmw, nissan or pirus forum or something

I'm here because I like cars (have attended LA Auto Show at least once, Detroit Auto Show once, Tokyo Motor Show 5x, and numerous other smaller shows) and have an interest in EVs, PHEVs and alternative fuel vehicles. I've also gone on auto plant tours: 3 in Japan, 2 in the US (including NUMMI when it was still NUMMI) and 2 in Germany.

I also drove down to So Cal (over 330 miles from home) in 2012 to attend AltCar Expo, where I test drove numerous EVs (no, Tesla wasn't there), PHEVs, hydrogen FCEVs and a CNG car.

When I visit TMC, I often just click New Posts From All Forums | Tesla Motors Club (What's New) and glance thru posts. I don't bother w/Roadster since I don't care much about it and it's not for sale (as new) any more.

FWIW, on another forum (a few of you here are over at that other forum), I started the threads for:
EV and PHEV discussion in 2011
Non-plugin hybrid vehicle discussion in 2013
Tesla Model S in 2012
Tesla Model X in 2014
Tesla Model 3 in 2014
Tesla Model Y in 2017

Some of those threads are still pretty active (e.g. EV and PHEV, Model S, Model 3).

I'm not a BMW fan so I doubt you'd see my very active there. I mostly lurk on an i3 FB group and do sometime post responses, esp. general EV/charging info that's not i3 specific. As for Nissan, yes, I used to be active on 2 other Nissan forums when I still owned those cars. I have over 7000 posts on mynissanleaf.com and am pretty active there. Prius? Yes. I have over 10K posts on Priuschat and was very active there in the past, until ~mid-2013. My focus has shifted.

My participation here and gone up and down, for various reasons.

I used to participate a bit more in two other EV forums, for vehicles I don't and have never owned, both of which are discontinued now.

I can't know everything about every PHEV or EV, but there are certain ones I can at least read about and focus more on. My current primary focus is my current daily driver.

Some of you (a few of you, maybe only those outside this thread?) might participate in forums of other vehicles that you currently have or are of some interest?

There is also a big difference between free time after work, on weekends or holidays vs. business hours and when I might have to take a car to a service center. I'm frequently quite busy at my work and besides meetings, I need to work w/my colleagues, preferably when they're in the office. And, I often have deadlines.

 

[Peteski]

Therein lies the problem. Inconsistency. Variable quality control. It'd be perfectly understandable if it's the same problem afflicting many cars. And, is there no QC check before vehicles are unleashed on the public? If yes, are "bad" cars getting dumped on service centers, hoping that some customers are more tolerant (aka "fanboyish") and don't mind accepting those cars? The others that customers refused, will be a burden on the service centers. I would think that it's better to not release cars that don't pass QC checks, keep them in Fremont until they're fixed. Everyone would be happier (customers, service center employees, stockholders, Elon), and the naysayers will have nothing to attack Tesla with.

I agree, there is a lot of inconsistency with Tesla. There is a view that European cars effectively get a second QC check when they arrive in Europe (as they have to be part assembled again) but I'm not sure how much difference this makes in reality. Then there is inconsistency between individual service centres and many don't seem to carry out a thorough PDI which would catch many of the niggling issues seen. They seem to prefer the concept of fixing snags post-delivery (after owner PDI!) which doesn't give a good impression of quality. In their favour Tesla seem much more willing to fix any issues than many other traditional dealerships I've experienced. Porsche for example were terrible at dealing with warranty claims and very arrogant in the process.

Having said this, so far my car has been very reliable in the first six months of ownership. No squeaks or rattles, no signficant quality issues or faults and of course an amazing car to drive every day! I did list a couple of first world issues after delivery, but probably won't worry about taking it off the road to resolve them until its first annual service. So far nothing has put me off the decision to buy a Tesla or the Model X. In fact I would say it is currently exceeding my expectations on all levels, but there is still room for improvement as always.

 

[cwerdna]

But not Tesla cars it would appear:-

Do you seriously expect people to respect you when you come onto a Model X specific forum of all places and spout this kind of thing? It instantly makes you look like a troll, whatever you are!

No way would I go onto a car model specific forum and state that I thought the car in question was ugly and would never consider owning it! What sort of a dickhead would do that? lol.

Hey now.

It was merely in response to post 73: Very disappointing first week with Model X.

As you already saw, I mostly visit "TMC" via New Posts From All Forums | Tesla Motors Club and skim some topics here and there.

I've stated my reasons for possibly or no, for each model.

BTW, the Model S when it was originally touted was much more interesting (if long-term reliability was decent and maintenance and repairs weren't costly (Maintenance Plans | Model S and Model X is very high, in my book)), at just "under $50K" after $7500 Federal tax credit (see old prices at 2013 Model S Price Increase | Blog | Tesla Motors). Back then, I would've qualified for a $2500 CVRP (California rebate), as well. But, the 40 kWh cars never were built and those few folks who ordered got 60 kWh cars limited 40 kWh.

Now the S starts at $74,500 and that $7500 tax credit will be reduced... maybe beginning Q1 2019?

 

[cwerdna]

Look, your intentions may well be genuine. But do you not see what it makes you look like to anyone reading your posts here? What responses would you even expect to receive? Seriously.

I stand by what I said. I guess I shouldn't have bothered responding to Evoforce, or left out the part about the X. Oh well. :/ Didn't intend to offend.

There is NOTHING that will change my mind about the styling of the X. I see them on the road. We have a bunch at work. Its just isn't for me. We can agree to disagree on this.

I currently have no need for that class of vehicle, so I wouldn't be willing to pay the additional cost over the S, which is already expensive. Now, the reliability could improve to average or better than average, but so far, it hasn't. (The year before, the X was in the middle of 10 Least Reliable Cars. The most recent report that I already pointed to has it at dead last.)

So, all those are non-starters, for me.

BTW, I readily admit the Prius is kinda funny looking. Gen 3 (model year 2010 to 2015) was the pinnacle of Prius styling. The gen 4 (model year 2016 to current) is TERRIBLE and weird in terms of styling. I would NOT buy one of the non-plugin version in its current incarnation due to its awful styling.

Side note: Coworker who recently got a 3 but which has spent more than a week at the service center for a minor issue (which he and I agree it is) told me every vehicle at the SC was an X. And, that he saw the "cult of Elon" (he used those words, but we both joke about it) in action from a Model X driver who pulled up and needed a bunch of repairs... Interesting.

 

[cwerdna]

I'm not doubting your lowly opinion of the X (or second hand Coworker Model 3 owner anecdotes, lol) but stating them here of all places looks like nothing but common trolling. It's actually quite funny because I don't take any of this kind of thing too seriously. You can hate the car as much as you like, but your opinion as a non-owner who doesn't even like the way it looks is pretty well meaningless. A bit like the other turkey with the F150 avatar, lol.

Let's forget my personal preferences, needs and opinion of the X.

These are all factual:

Regarding variance in standards:
Very disappointing first week with Model X
How reliable is your Model S?

Where the X stands in terms of CR reliability ratings, based upon survey results (Consumer Reports' Car Reliability FAQ and the percentages (at bottom) needed to be average for a given 12 month window (less for latest model year) Car Reliability Histories):
10 Least Reliable Cars
10 Least Reliable Cars (prior year)

 

[NewTMSMan]

Some of you (a few of you, maybe only those outside this thread?) might participate in forums of other vehicles that you currently have or are of some interest?

Nope, only the ones I own. Too busy to keep up with others, although I am quite active when I own a car and also quite critical (I am a PITA customer for almost everything, but especially cars).

I am always suspect of anyone's input who does not own, drive and live with a vehicle, sorry. You can read all you like and quote other posts, but IMHO, only owners should be providing commentary on things like reliability when being discussed in forums dedicated to a vehicle or brand. Sorry for that, but we can all Google reliability statistics and data, we don't need a non-owner (particularly one who will never be an owner), providing commentary on the cars we actually have paid for, drive and live with every day.

 

[ZEPHYRHATS]

FWIW. I have had 2 bmws, 2 porsches, 4 range rovers, 1 audi, and a bunch of other cars. So far after only 2 weeks my model x has had zero problems and is infinitely more fun to drive than any of my previous cars.

 

[spectrum]

Model S when it was originally touted was much more interesting (if long-term reliability was decent and maintenance and repairs weren't costly (Maintenance Plans | Model S and Model X is very high, in my book))

I am going to call you out on this. Tesla Maintenance plans are (mostly) optional, and if you look at what they do, apart from the Battery Coolant replacement, everything else in it is relatively simple and mundane, such as rotating tires, key fob battery, wiper blades, etc. That is a constant for any car (ICE or EV alike).

Just to further call out your bluff, for a brand-new BMW X6 M (comparable in price & performance to Model X 100D or P100D), 4 year maintenance plan from BMW costs $6,049, whereas a it's only $2,750 for Model X. Furthermore, the BMW has less than half of Tesla's powertrain warranty, and much higher repair costs and fuel costs.

Please do not make false claims that just add to the noise of public ignorance about Tesla/EV cars.

 

[Barklikeadog]

I'm not doubting your lowly opinion of the X (or second hand Coworker Model 3 owner anecdotes, lol) but stating them here of all places looks like nothing but common trolling. It's actually quite funny because I don't take any of this kind of thing too seriously. You can hate the car as much as you like, but your opinion as a non-owner who doesn't even like the way it looks is pretty well meaningless. A bit like the other turkey with the F150 avatar, lol.

How did I get dragged back into this? Do I need to go on another test drive? Where is my Tesla truck?
I come to the X forum for emotional reasons.

 

[alcibiades]

Oh, hi, I own a Model X and it has numerous problems that I have never had on a car before, much less one that costs over 100k. My VIN is 28xxx.

Also, can we pause for a second and appreciate the absurdity of trying to argue against the claim "Tesla's QC is inconsistent" by telling someone whose car has issues that another car does not?

 

[FamilyT3sla]

Tesla’s QC is inconsistent at best. Our 2018 MX had a spot of black paint on the hood about a quarter in diameter. How does that make it through QC? Yes they fixed it and yes the St. Louis SC has been great. That does not excuse the lack of QC.

That being said I love my MX. I would still get one despite 1 service appointment per month since purchase.

But there are zero excuses for the level or lack of QC that Tesla has demonstrated thus far.

Tesla is attempting to go mainstream with the model 3 and people who are not enthusiasts will not tolerate QC at this level.

That is just a fact.

 

[Big John]

Interesting. I had a prius plug-in and a BMW i3. I had to ditch the Prius (which I really liked) because it could not handle the rough roads where I live. The i3 was a cool car but very quirky. For example the AC had a 6 degree cycle range and was barely adequate. Loved that car too but limited range and non-electric seats and size factors. But the X is so far superior in every way--I have had several service issues but Tesla has done free what Toyota and BMW would have charged. And every car has service issues. More issues with the X? A little but so much MORE car. Love it. I felt like goldilocks when she finally found the right bed.

 

[MXWing]

Oh, hi, I own a Model X and it has numerous problems that I have never had on a car before, much less one that costs over 100k. My VIN is 28xxx.

Also, can we pause for a second and appreciate the absurdity of trying to argue against the claim "Tesla's QC is inconsistent" by telling someone whose car has issues that another car does not?

Which probability is higher?

Tesla owner who has never heard of TMC happily driving along in their Tesla making posts praising how awesome their car is.

or

Tesla owner with problems seeking validation and support from others?

With nearly 200,000 Tesla's on the road you'd expect the forums here to crash under the weight of the collective complaints if everyone had the same experiences as you?

Change your signature by the way. While it took longer than anyone expected or hoped - AP1 parity with AP2 has been achieved. Even the Mobileye CEO admitted that even if the compliment was left handed.

Clearly you resent your vehicle and have chosen to take a negative slant on ALL of your postings. Glad it will be your one and final Tesla right?

Obviously, Tesla has issues they have to work on but its easy to tell there is a subset of owners who would rather keep complaining than productively find a solution for their issues.

Without issues, they would have nothing to discuss apparently.

 

[Barklikeadog]

I would still get one despite 1 service appointment per month since purchase.

That's crazy... every month?

 

[MXWing]

That's crazy... every month?

Need context and details. I'm a Tesla superfan and I would have returned my own car if I literally had to get it serviced once per month.