Warning about accepting delivery

[ukevowner]

What we need are "delivery acceptance coaches" to accompany the buyers and keep the Tesla employees in check. I'd pay $250 for that, lol

I would definitely like a Tesla owner that really knows what to look for on collection day come along and advise me.
I am quite good at checking cars over, but this is my first Tesla and when checking over an Audi for example there is little chance in finding anything. As far as panel gaps go with Audi I have never had to mention any.

I am a little concerned that I will be like a kid in a sweet shop on the day, even though I will take a list from the forum I will have to remember I stick with the plan and inspect it fully and take my time.

I would be happy to pay for someones time to come along and help note everything down, that said once I have taken mine and been through it I know I would be able to help someone through the process. So if anybody wants a wingman after September 24th 2020 in Manchester UK give me a shout! I would make sure to be seen and not heard so not to impress on someones "Tesla Day!"

Be useful to take some notes and pictures and get a second opinion on the days excitement, I mean lets be honest here guys there is going to be a massive distraction in the shape of your brand new Tesla sat there!

I doubt my 10 year old daughter will say much more than "Open the wing doors again daddy!"

May I suggest (Don't laugh!) that there is a place where we could find someone local to each SC on the site that be kind of like a "Collection helper / wingman" Maybe add it to our signatures? Or maybe it just me that is a bit rubbish!!! And the whole idea is ridicules..

 

[ukevowner]

[
Attached are my photos. Let me know what you think

Is that actually a picture of the panel gap on the hatch? They won't address that?!

Call me stupid but I don't understand

 

[NY_Rob]

I’m a victim of accepting delivery and falling for the “everything” will be fixed at the SC.

That is absolutely ridiculous, if Tesla refuses to fix that... bring it to a local body shop and have them fix it. If it really ticks you off, bring Tesla to small claims court with the repair bill from the body shop.

And it looks like your black trim is starting to discolor already. It's a known problem with no resolution at this time other than don't use automated touch-less car washes and you can restore it by wiping it with WD-40.

 

[isjka]

That pic looks pretty bad. How can they even sell that and state it's within spec. That looks terrible man. Sorry.

 

[CoastalCruiser]

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.
If they take the time to make all their cars fit & finish perfect, they will bottleneck and they will not be able to make enough cars to remain profitable and perhaps go out of business.

There is intense demand for their cars and they want to run their factories at the optimal production volume. If they delayed deliveries too long, buyers will drop off and again, the business may fail.

Not to pick on your post at all, but this is a common point of view. I am less inclined to buy into it than I was with the 3.

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.
This allows buyers to get their cars faster, the company to remain in business and the profitability to keep the stock prices up and financial markets available for expansion funding.

Given the stock price, and Tesla's ability to find needed capital, I definitely no longer support this argument.

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.Long term, Tesla knows they need to make their cars fit & finish better. They have programs in place, and quality has indeed improved in many places, but still some still are presented to customers with issues.

It is heartening to hardly ever hear of the powertrain issues that plagued the early 3s. The powertrain seems quite solid, and that is huge. Conversely, the continued paint issues, and the kind of paint issues still occurring, a mostly automated process, is baffling. An upgraded paint shop some time ago did not seem to help. Something is simply broken.

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.
Seems like the cars coming off the line in China are better built than the ones from Fremont. Maybe those assembly people need to step up their game and take more pride in their work. Imagine Germany will show even more improvement, with the newest technology (expensive) paint processes. Their workforce is famous for turning out precision products.

That starts to get to the heart of it. I felt that China would be turning out better initial quality than Fremont, and indeed that seems to be proving true. Does that mean the American workers are not as good? Perhaps. When you hear of some of the silly things wrong with the fit & finish, and interior, you have to conclude that either the workers simply don't care, or the line is moving too fast to care. I suspect that it's a little of both. I suspect that the morale level of the powertrain workers is markedly higher than the assembly line workers.

It seems Elon is still operating in "emergency mode" regarding his very noble plan to make this planet sustainable. Perhaps the Model Y line needs to produce this many cars each month, perhaps not. I do hope that if enough people refuse delivery for shoddily built cars that the message will finally get through to him to reevaluate priorities.

 

[myk123]

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.

If they take the time to make all their cars fit & finish perfect, they will bottleneck and they will not be able to make enough cars to remain profitable and perhaps go out of business.

There is intense demand for their cars and they want to run their factories at the optimal production volume. If they delayed deliveries too long, buyers will drop off and again, the business may fail.

Current policy is to make the cars "pretty good" and for buyers where panel gaps and fittment is critical, they will address those in their service centers, post delivery. If a customer rejects a car, they will themselves send the car to be corrected, and present it to the next anxious buyer in line.

This allows buyers to get their cars faster, the company to remain in business and the profitability to keep the stock prices up and financial markets available for expansion funding.

Bob Lutz is famous for his quote that "Too much quality can kill you" is a reality, and Elon knows that he must acknowledge reality.

Long term, Tesla knows they need to make their cars fit & finish better. They have programs in place, and quality has indeed improved in many places, but still some still are presented to customers with issues.

Seems like the cars coming off the line in China are better built than the ones from Fremont. Maybe those assembly people need to step up their game and take more pride in their work. Imagine Germany will show even more improvement, with the newest technology (expensive) paint processes. Their workforce is famous for turning out precision products.

There correct way is to spend the time and resource to fix the problem. In this approach, it saves Tesla the money and time to fix quality issues and also, more importantly, raise their reputation as a quality manufacturer. Long term wise, Tesla will be attract more customers and even grow their business much faster. Trying to push out low quality product to meet financial goal is short sighted. I for one, is holding off delivery to a time when the quality issues are fixed. And if Tesla fails to address those issues, there will be more competition coming and Tesla will lose my business.

 

[Eric99]

@Medic I thought you had to "accept" delivery in the app to have access to the vehicle? How does one side step this with their touch less delivery so they accomplish what you suggest?

Taking delivery next week and just trying to prepare. Thanks.

yes you have to accept in order to gain entry to inside the car

 

[spokey]

yes you have to accept in order to gain entry to inside the car

so they unlock everything if you're picking up at the dealer/showroom?

I'll want to test the various electricals (seats, hatch, etc)

 

[Eric99]

Mine was so bad on the exterior i rejected it based on that. I dont know if you are able to see the inside before accepting

 

[nate123]

yes you have to accept in order to gain entry to inside the car

I did not have to do this, the app worked before I accepted delivery. I was able to see the inside of the car and do a full inspection beforehand.

 

[Ericna]

I just got my Model Y FSD Performance. It is beautiful. I have a few fingerprints on the headliner and some moisture in 2 lights. and a small scratch on the front bumper. Nothing to worry about, easy to fix. I don't care if it takes 10 visits. I love driving this car! Wow Wow Wow.
I accepted delivery quickly.
I should have bought one sooner!
Sorry I just had to put a tiny bit of weight on the other end of the teeter totter for perspective.

 

[ATAT04]

Sadly this is very similar to my experience. When I arrived I checked the car thoroughly and found a couple of runs in the paint, large dust or dirt particles in the paint elsewhere, a scuffed alloy and even a mark that had been touched up with a paint stick!

The handover agent was getting visibly frustrated and pointed out that least 2 batches of people had come in, sat the Tesla video, collected their paperwork and driven off.

I was promised that a service appointment would rectify all of this. We marked all faults down, took pictures and the agent signed to what had been reported. I called the lease company and they said to drive away and get it repaired later. I drove away but could not manage to get a service appointment for the 4 months I had the car. I handed it back to the lease company when I changed jobs and have moved on to a used model but it left me very disappointed.

As someone who has refused delivery and also accepted delivery I have some advice:

The person doing delivery will agree with anything you point out at delivery and tell you all will be corrected in your first SC visit and that you have 100miles/7days to return the car so you should accept.

Know that you will not get a SC appointment within 7 days and when you appt does happen items on your list will be "in spec" and "no action taken" on your SC ticket.
So your panel gaps, light/door alignments etc can be up to 4mm off and they'll not correct them.

Tesla makes a big deal about touchless delivery/home delivery but do not accept delivery before fully inspecting the car inside and out! Once you accept your ability to get anything done is diminished substantially.

If practical, go to your SC, run through a full checklist. Make notes, take pictures and tell the SC what you want fixed. Email them the list and say I'll be back when you've done the repairs to accept delivery.
Note. They will tell you all of this will be done through the App but you'll have accept delivery to do it that way. Do not do that!

There's been a big improvement in quality this year but still many reports from latest builds of issues. Wait till later next year if you want but you're missing out on a truely amazing car now.
Just go prepared and make sure you'd accept 'your car' as it stands to avoid disappointment.

Good luck!

As someone who has refused delivery and also accepted delivery I have some advice:

The person doing delivery will agree with anything you point out at delivery and tell you all will be corrected in your first SC visit and that you have 100miles/7days to return the car so you should accept.

Know that you will not get a SC appointment within 7 days and when you appt does happen items on your list will be "in spec" and "no action taken" on your SC ticket.
So your panel gaps, light/door alignments etc can be up to 4mm off and they'll not correct them.

Tesla makes a big deal about touchless delivery/home delivery but do not accept delivery before fully inspecting the car inside and out! Once you accept your ability to get anything done is diminished substantially.

If practical, go to your SC, run through a full checklist. Make notes, take pictures and tell the SC what you want fixed. Email them the list and say I'll be back when you've done the repairs to accept delivery.
Note. They will tell you all of this will be done through the App but you'll have accept delivery to do it that way. Do not do that!

There's been a big improvement in quality this year but still many reports from latest builds of issues. Wait till later next year if you want but you're missing out on a truely amazing car now.
Just go prepared and make sure you'd accept 'your car' as it stands to avoid disappointment.

Good luck!

 

[kornelyus]

I did not have to do this, the app worked before I accepted delivery. I was able to see the inside of the car and do a full inspection beforehand.

When you ask about inspecting the interior, their first answer is, "Open the app and accept the car first". During my delivery, I told my DS, "I'm sorry, I can't take delivery without inspecting the interior." Then he went inside the building for a few moments, came out, walked over to the car with us, unlocked it and let us inspect it for as long as we wished. The car was in full sun on a 90F+ day and my type-A personality slowly started melting. So, I didn't spend as much time as I would have, but luckily, there weren't any showstopper issues. I noticed a few more issues during the first few weeks of ownership. I had one SC appointment where they fixed the majority of them. There are a few minor ones left, but I am not in a hurry and not worried about them. The car drives great. (Model Y, Long Range, Dual-motor)

Good luck. Taking at least one more detail-oriented person with you is a great idea, and definitely go with a checklist. Easy to miss things otherwise.

 

[lw03tor]

As someone who has refused delivery and also accepted delivery I have some advice:

The person doing delivery will agree with anything you point out at delivery and tell you all will be corrected in your first SC visit and that you have 100miles/7days to return the car so you should accept.

Know that you will not get a SC appointment within 7 days and when you appt does happen items on your list will be "in spec" and "no action taken" on your SC ticket.
So your panel gaps, light/door alignments etc can be up to 4mm off and they'll not correct them.

Tesla makes a big deal about touchless delivery/home delivery but do not accept delivery before fully inspecting the car inside and out! Once you accept your ability to get anything done is diminished substantially.

If practical, go to your SC, run through a full checklist. Make notes, take pictures and tell the SC what you want fixed. Email them the list and say I'll be back when you've done the repairs to accept delivery.
Note. They will tell you all of this will be done through the App but you'll have accept delivery to do it that way. Do not do that!

There's been a big improvement in quality this year but still many reports from latest builds of issues. Wait till later next year if you want but you're missing out on a truely amazing car now.
Just go prepared and make sure you'd accept 'your car' as it stands to avoid disappointment.

Good luck!

I took delivery of my 3 in June and noticed a small tear in the drivers door “leather”. Pointed it out, SC took a picture and we recorded a service request in the app. They ordered a replacement part and came to my home and installed the part. Perfect!

 

[Lurker2]

Elon is well aware of these issues, but is in a bit of a pickle.

If they take the time to make all their cars fit & finish perfect, they will bottleneck and they will not be able to make enough cars to remain profitable and perhaps go out of business.

There is intense demand for their cars and they want to run their factories at the optimal production volume. If they delayed deliveries too long, buyers will drop off and again, the business may fail.

Current policy is to make the cars "pretty good" and for buyers where panel gaps and fittment is critical, they will address those in their service centers, post delivery. If a customer rejects a car, they will themselves send the car to be corrected, and present it to the next anxious buyer in line.

This allows buyers to get their cars faster, the company to remain in business and the profitability to keep the stock prices up and financial markets available for expansion funding.

Bob Lutz is famous for his quote that "Too much quality can kill you" is a reality, and Elon knows that he must acknowledge reality.

Long term, Tesla knows they need to make their cars fit & finish better. They have programs in place, and quality has indeed improved in many places, but still some still are presented to customers with issues.

Seems like the cars coming off the line in China are better built than the ones from Fremont. Maybe those assembly people need to step up their game and take more pride in their work. Imagine Germany will show even more improvement, with the newest technology (expensive) paint processes. Their workforce is famous for turning out precision products.

 

[mikegre]

Another delivery tip....

Be sure to check the trunk with a magnifying glass for dust mites. Also, under the floor mats for loose mosquito wings. And the tire treads for pebbles.

 

[Lurker2]

Please excuse me, but this viewpoint is nothing more than an excuse for 'get them out the door, someone will buy them' quality control management. This may have worked the past few years but a reckoning is coming when automobile manufacturers that have quality control that delivers decent 'fit & finish' get their EVs to buyers. Maybe Texans will take more pride in their product when the Austin plant opens.

 

[AtlantaX]

IMO, the issues, either way, will eventually get fixed. The bigger problem is what Tesla considers "within spec". It would be nice if they developed a new owner checklist and provided that at delivery which lists what to look for and what they consider for each item to be in spec. Doubtful that will occur and I would think there is a potential need for professional services to sprout up to handle delivery inspections.

I’m not sure I understand your “opinion” on the subject as this seems more of a “fact” issue. It’s been well proven and well discussed that the minute you accept delivery, your ability to get things fixed is made much more difficult. I was promised during delivery that they would fix several minor AND major issues with he car and I’m going on 10 months and still fighting. In fact, they have outright declined to fix some things even though they acknowledged them during my pick up.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Imagine that when another manufacturer comes up with a competitive EV, in the same price range, that gets similar range and has their own fast charging international system that fit & finish will get better.

Right now, they are selling all they can make, even with imperfections.

Their biggest issue right now is how can they get more batteries. That is what is impacting deliveries more than quality.

For picky people, it will never be good enough...for the rest of us, we are enjoying the ride.

 

[designrs]

Arrange delivery at a Service Center or Delivery Center that provides you the opportunity to view the car before your delivery date. My car came in a week before my paperwork was done with the bank. I was able to walk around the car on two separate occasions, by myself and at my leisure.

The Jacksonville, FL Service Center simply had the car parked outside. The head service manager was very supportive of a few minor (almost non-issue) items that I noticed. I’m pretty sure that any significant issues would have been fixed before delivery.

By the time delivery day came, I had already inspected 80% of the car on previous occasions.

* Note: Some delivery and Service Centers are all locked down behind a fence, and they won’t even let a potential buyer even look at the car. Ridiculous... especially for pre-owned (which I wanted to look at several months before I ended up buying new!)

** Paint, glass, wheels, undercarriage, and interior wear are items that MUST be inspected at delivery, as such damage could happen 2 minutes after delivery and legitimately might not be covered.