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What’s the build quality on pre Shanghai model 3

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Not only can you not spell segue correctly, you have consistently overlooked there was a period in late 2020 to March 2021 where the UK got refresh cars from Fremont followed quickly by the first shipments from Shanghai, so we were able to directly compare build and paint quality of the refresh cars. The Shanghai cars were consistently better, in fact there are YT videos from UK-based Tesla aftermarket dealers doing detailed walkarounds talking about the fit and finish of said vehicles.

Now, we are completely prepared to accept that Fremont have subsequently upped their game and are now producing cars of comparable quality, but this is irrelevant to the OP because he is looking at buying a used car in exactly the time period I have just described to you.
ok. We don't need to rehash this. Euro opinion is good for Euros. I'm lost that you all think people with actual experience should ignore our experience and go by the rhetoric out of European Youtube videos. Youtube is the new google; you can find anything you'd like. It means nothing though. Wikipedia is more reliable.
 
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ok. We don't need to rehash this. Euro opinion is good for Euros. I'm lost that you all think people with actual experience should ignore our experience and go by the rhetoric out of European Youtube videos. Youtube is the new google; you can find anything you'd like. It means nothing though. Wikipedia is more reliable.

But it is direct experience offered by folks in Europe of buying and owning cars provided to our market (so not gleaned from YouTube or wherever), offered here to someone in Europe who is asking advice on potentially buying a car in Europe, supplied by Tesla over a certain period in time.

What is your problem with that?!?
 
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ok. We don't need to rehash this. Euro opinion is good for Euros. I'm lost that you all think people with actual experience should ignore our experience and go by the rhetoric out of European Youtube videos. Youtube is the new google; you can find anything you'd like. It means nothing though. Wikipedia is more reliable.
You don't have the experience. You were not shipped cars from Shanghai. We were shipped both.

Just stop, this is excruciating.
 
I got my car in March 2020, I was vaguely aware at that time of “variable quality” in paint, panel gaps, etc. At that time of course it was a case of “it is what it is” because they only came from one place. The guy I use to detail all my cars tried to warn me to calibrate my expectations, something he’d never done previously. Since there was no suggestion at that point that they’d ever be made anywhere else - Teslas had always been made in the States at that point - I rationalised it as being that my car would be “as variable as anything else”

My car turned up and it was “one of the better ones” (his words). High praise indeed. Despite that, I had chrome trim misalignment that was mostly fixed under warranty. I had to get one door “brought in” so that it didn’t sit proud of the rest of the car. The panel gap around the bonnet I fixed myself after I was fobbed off by Tesla as “within spec”. To this day my car has variable paint thickness, with some places where it’s clearly too thick to the point of almost forming a drip if it wasn’t dry. There are some dust nibs under the clearcoat (and PPF now) in places, a sign of an unsanitised painting environment.

I remember when Shanghai cars started arriving that talk of chrome trim misalignment and panel gaps basically disappeared overnight. I’m sure there’s the odd car that needs remedial work but it is by no means systemic anymore. That to me points to an elevated level of build quality.

If it were me I’d at least look at an equivalent spec early Shanghai (March 2021 on) car to compare to any 2019/2020 Fremont car.
 
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But it is direct experience offered by folks in Europe of buying and owning cars provided to our market (so not gleaned from YouTube or wherever), offered here to someone in Europe who is asking advice on potentially buying a car in Europe, supplied by Tesla over a certain period in time.

What is your problem with that?!?
I don't have a problem with people posting your personal experiences. I don't put any weight into youtube videos because they are biased. For example, there is a video out there that "shows" that a model 3 LR. with a ghost mod that beats a performance. Now that time has passed, we've documented that the ghost mod is nowhere near a performance. But the video exists, so is it true? No, it isn't, but those videos feed into the rhetoric. As you type this, read what browellm is posting. He's literally passing the same BS rhetoric, but you obviously don't mind. I'm about facts and data. There is plenty of data coming out on the Highlands built in various places to prove my point. Again, I am not bashing China. Quite the opposite, your crew is bashing the US facility because it makes them feel that they are somehow avoiding the negatives of a Tesla. Aside from that, I am on my 5th Tesla in my immediate family. All have come from Fremont. So, the last thing I will accept is a video from a UK showroom talking about USA build quality. It doesn't work that way.
 
You don't have the experience. You were not shipped cars from Shanghai. We were shipped both.

Just stop, this is excruciating.
Riddle me this: How do you know that Fremont has improved to catch up? I appreciate the vote of confidence, but how again are you the expert? I don't need to live in Europe to keep track of cars. I'm simply analytical and like to connect dots. You are satisfied with youtube videos. To each his own, but you shouldn't be frustrated that youtube isn't considered absolute.
 
Riddle me this: How do you know that Fremont has improved to catch up? I appreciate the vote of confidence, but how again are you the expert? I don't need to live in Europe to keep track of cars. I'm simply analytical and like to connect dots. You are satisfied with youtube videos. To each his own, but you shouldn't be frustrated that youtube isn't considered absolute.
I don't, I'm allowing you the benefit of your experience there - you've told us they have.
What we do have, is the direct experience which you did not, of the Fremont and Shanghai cars in the time period the OP asked about.
Now stop wasting all our time and walk away from this, it's ridiculous.