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What happens if you reject a Tesla at delivery?

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I intend to order a Tesla M3 in November.

I had a thought today about inspection on delivery. I called a used car inspector, and was thinking of having him come out and inspect the new car. (He will do it for $135.) I thought it would be good to have a pro look at the car rather than me.

That leads to my next question: what happens if you reject delivery? Do you wait two weeks or so for another car? In the meantime, what would you drive? Does Tesla give a loaner?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
 
I don't know that a used car inspector is going to help you much, he will not be used to electric cars. If you are really worried there is a delivery checklist somewhere on these forums that will tell you what to look for.

You wait until they match another VIN to your account, however long it takes to find your configuration. In the meantime, you keep driving your old car: by refusing delivery you have not purchased the Tesla and have not traded in your car.
 
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I don't know that a used car inspector is going to help you much, he will not be used to electric cars. If you are really worried there is a delivery checklist somewhere on these forums that will tell you what to look for.

You wait until they match another VIN to your account, however long it takes to find your configuration. In the meantime, you keep driving your old car: by refusing delivery you have not purchased the Tesla and have not traded in your car.

The problem is, my lease is expiring, and I won't have a car if I reject.

As for the inspector, he has inspected a lot of used Teslas. (He charges $500 an inspection.) I just thought it would be worth $135 insurance to have someone who can spot gaps, paint problems, etc.
 
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I intend to order a Tesla M3 in November.

I had a thought today about inspection on delivery. I called a used car inspector, and was thinking of having him come out and inspect the new car. (He will do it for $135.) I thought it would be good to have a pro look at the car rather than me.

That leads to my next question: what happens if you reject delivery? Do you wait two weeks or so for another car? In the meantime, what would you drive? Does Tesla give a loaner?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

My opinion is that it is a waste of $135. Save it.

There’s nothing that you can’t do that the used car inspector is going to for an electric vehicle. Firstly, you’re not buying a used vehicle (are you?), and even if you are, it’s not a gasoline vehicle with a few things that you can at least pretend to inspect.

My suggestion:

You’re not going to be able to drive your car before you sign the paperwork so don’t push it.

However you can politely request to just see the car before you sign paperwork and look for the obvious:

1) paint chips, glass cracks, and dents
2) excessive panel gaps
3) all doors opening and closing the same way
4) any obvious signs of the car being mishandled in the interior - if it is new it will look new

Don’t be so paranoid about it. You have 7 days to drive the car. If you reject delivery, you’ll be refunded your $2500 - after several weeks of delay. But they will. Your order is invalidated at that point. No loaner.

You have to place another order.
 
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...inspect the new car...

Most likely, your inspector can tell you whether the cosmetic specs are acceptable or not. Otherwise, I doubt whether your inspector knows how to evaluate the propulsion system, cell/module/battery status...

...That leads to my next question: what happens if you reject delivery? Do you wait two weeks or so for another car? In the meantime, what would you drive? Does Tesla give a loaner?

If you reject the car, you do not have a car from Tesla to drive. You'll be on your own such as getting a car rental as a stop-gap.

You can order another car anytime you want but do you have the fund while waiting for the refunding check which might take a while?

If you don't have extra money to buy a new car while waiting for the check refund, Tesla will wait for that check refund and can delay your delivery by giving your VIN away.
 
I intend to order a Tesla M3 in November.

I had a thought today about inspection on delivery. I called a used car inspector, and was thinking of having him come out and inspect the new car. (He will do it for $135.) I thought it would be good to have a pro look at the car rather than me.

That leads to my next question: what happens if you reject delivery? Do you wait two weeks or so for another car? In the meantime, what would you drive? Does Tesla give a loaner?

Thanks in advance for your responses.


Odds are that your car is going to be totally awesome. When people post if forums, it's usually to complain. That's all the issues that you are seeing and you can probably assume that for every complaint, there are well over 100, probably a 1,000 of extremely happy cars and deliveries.

If you reject, you get sent back into the queue. That may mean days, weeks, or months of delay.

Don't walk in looking for trouble. I doubt if there's a car made that's perfect, definitely not from any mass market manufacturer.
 
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I don't agree that $135 inspection is a waste, and here's why:

My nearest service centre is far away (5h, over 400km). I was told I could deal with delivery defects "later" since they were swamped. I accepted the car with what ended up being a few minor issues (scratches, dull paint, loose panels, very poor wheel alignment). As I couldn't commit to throwing away a weekend to go back to the service centre for a while, it was 2 months before I booked an appointment. I was told I had to report all issues in the first 160km otherwise they will not be fixed for free. Partly my bad, but there's no way I could have reported anything in that dark garage, and my home is well over 160km away due to the way Tesla sells vehicles.

My paint issues now have to be fixed out-of-pocket. The loose panels will be fixed (I assume for free...) by mobile service 1.5 hours away over a month from now since they're backed up too (and this is still a decent drive and commitment!). I will have to pay a local shop for wheel alignment.

$135 inspection for a $50k+ purchase is very cheap insurance to avoid both costs and headache associated with delivery defects, I would highly recommend it after my experience. They're minor issues, but Tesla service will make them large issues with long waits if you decide to pursue it after delivery.
 
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To answer the original question...

Refusing delivery means the car goes to someone else, and they find you another car, however many weeks that may take. Do ensure that you order well ahead of time for your Model 3 as the wait is quite variable, still up to 8 weeks in some cases. That means if you want to mostly guarantee having it for the beginning of November, you should have your order in within the next couple weeks. When you're paired (over email) with a delivery advisor, you can state a November delivery.
 
If you look close enough, you will be able to find flaws in most any vehicle. Same thing when you buy a house. If you hire a pre purchase inspection they will most always find something wrong.

Most all Tesla delivered are serviclble and good transportation. If you get all hung up on cosmetic perfection you will be most likely able to find some imperfections.

Tesla has service centers and a program to address any item you may find below your standards. They can touch up paint, readjust a panel, tweek a molding etc.

Most likely, if you go into delivery trying hard to find something wrong you will be successful. Starts everything off on the wrong foot.

Example is that on my 2017 X, one panel gap is slightly larger on one side than the other. The car is still fantastic, and if that was what I concentrated on during my delivery I would have missed out of a fantastic car.

The diamond industry has handled this well. All diamonds have flaws. Maybe in the cut, the color, the clarity or finish. This is inherent in that type of stone. They consider the flaws to just be part of the allure and personality of a beautiful gem. People wear those imperfect stones proudly.
 
You can never tell when the config you ordered will be available again. They produce them in batches in a config and then move on to fill orders in another. Sometimes people have good timing, other times not. Sometimes people will accept a similar match in inventory. You could get lucky that they produced enough extra for cars to go into inventory that there might be some still around in your config if someone else hasn't gotten to it first (such as people who just placed an order). Model 3s have tended not to stay around for long.

I think the inspector idea is a waste of money too (taking a flashlight would be my advice and a checklist) and don't think I've ever heard of anyone here hiring someone to do a new car inspection. If you look at your panel alignment and don't have a problem with it, chances are it's fine. Most panel alignments are a quick adjustment. Any paint issues you should be able to spot and ask to be put on a due bill. Dust spots easy to take care of. If you see a deep scratch, well that's up to you if you want to have it painted or not; some people will, others will not. The most important thing is are your happy with the car or not. Does make for a harder decision if you have to turn in your car so close to delivery. Some people have been able to extend their leases for a short period of time.

Keep in mind that typically the first part of the quarter is devoted to cars being shipped overseas.
 
... If you don't have extra money to buy a new car while waiting for the check refund, Tesla will wait for that check refund and can delay your delivery by giving your VIN away.
If he rejects it before taking ownership, a refund isn't necessary. (except maybe for the deposit if he decides not to buy at all)

Unlike the others, I think the inspection fee is reasonable, and not a bad idea at all. Just be firm that you will inspect the car before signing. I suspect it will be more useful in getting what defects there are on a due bill, than in deciding that the car should be rejected. If it's that bad, you'll probably be able to tell yourself.
 
If you look close enough, you will be able to find flaws in most any vehicle. Same thing when you buy a house. If you hire a pre purchase inspection they will most always find something wrong.

...

The diamond industry has handled this well. All diamonds have flaws. Maybe in the cut, the color, the clarity or finish. This is inherent in that type of stone. They consider the flaws to just be part of the allure and personality of a beautiful gem. People wear those imperfect stones proudly.

Except in the diamond industry, the 4C's have a massive influence on the price. All Model 3's at a given time with the same specs are the exact same price, no matter the quality of paint or finish.

Honda addressed all issues I had with my Crosstour with extreme ease. Honda. Yet Tesla did not and won't without a large fight.

I agree you could find issues with most vehicles under a microscope, so at a certain point one should back off. However, some things are plainly obvious once you see finally them, like the fact that one corner of my bumper is very dull and there is some nasty glue-y residue on the rocker panel. I did not spot either of these even with a flashlight on delivery, but now I notice them every day and have to get it fixed myself.

Doesn't that wear out your tires prematurely until that's fixed?

I would not roll that car out the lot until it's fixed first!

It sure does. We're 10,000km in already too. I've also had some fun on these tires, so I'm just writing them off as going to wear more than I'd like at this point. Throwing winter tires on in 1 month anyways (required for mountain highway travel starting Oct 1st), so I'll get it aligned then.
 
People read these delivery stories and assume their delivery is going to be a mess, when 95% of them (or higher) go perfectly smooth. People who have issues shout the loudest and Tesla owners shout even louder.

Just keep in mind, no car is perfect, no house is perfect, no one is perfect. Anything can be fixed. That inspector will find something wrong with the car for 135 bucks, just like a home inspector will find something wrong with the best of homes.

Go into this with a positive mindset and realize that there is a warranty. You will be fine.
 
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You know the people that make blanket "is not the car for you" are just wasting our time and space. Just stop it - or find a useful way to spend your time.

I got some of the same answers when I asked similar questions before I bought my model 3. As for the OP (and myself) I had (and have) serious reservations about what will happen if I need any service help - my minimal problems so far have made me realize there is huge variation (eg same issue sc near me didn't have an apt for 3 weeks, after finding them useless in general I made an apt at one a bit further away and it was available with an apt 2 weeks before the one I had previously scheduled - they were pretty good, but could have saved me and them some time by answering some questions on the phone which would have let me know I didn't really need to go in for service). between sc's.

Getting any answer or ability to order parts (eg a 10-30 plug extension) is an exercise in futility, but since I don't need it right now it's not a problem - still the inability to ever get an answer to an email or even get estimated shipping info is annoying.

When I got my car it was delivered to my home and I was not rushed at all doing an inspection (there is a suggested list somewhere on this board but I found a lot of it was overkill).

Since you live in LA you'll probably have more than 1 sc if you need one which gives you a fighting chance.
IMO the car is great but I dread having anything go wrong much more than any other car I've owned. For now I love the car even with the learning curve for simple things.

Once you've said you've decided to buy it (and I know you could change your mind) just go for it. IMO if you reject the car the wait for another (depending on your config) may be shorter b/c you are in Ca. I ordered mine to be delivered on a certain date b/c I was out of town until just before the cutoff for the tax rebate cut and they were able to deliver on that date. If you're afraid you might reject and have to reorder why not order one for 2 weeks or so before your lease ends?