Knightshade
Well-Known Member
it's weird he offered you a product that officially doesn't even exist
Are you sure he wasn't confused about what kind of car you own- because those options DO exist for S/X, but not the 3.
Extended Service Agreement
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Worried about service centers
- Thread starter Petrocelli
- Start date
it's weird he offered you a product that officially doesn't even exist
Are you sure he wasn't confused about what kind of car you own- because those options DO exist for S/X, but not the 3.
Extended Service Agreement
Not sure if this will work for you. When you call Service, select menu option for checking status of existing repair. For me (Rockville), it routes to Rockville SC. If they pick up, you can ask question. Saturday, they didnt pick up, so I drove up there. Got what I needed face to face.
super20g
Member
He was well aware it was for a Model 3. In the same email he provided a buy back offer on the car.
ibGeek
Member
This is a chick or egg situation... You need to sell the cars to be able to afford the service, but you want the service to available for when you sell the cars. I'm not sure if you saw the Model 3 reveal event or not, but on that day Tesla opened pre-orders just prior to the events starting. Tesla was expecting about 50K pre-orders as a result of the event. By mid event he was up over 300k pre-orders. He even commented on it being way more than he had planned on. Personally I think they did a remarkable job ramping up like they have. Remember that prior to the model 3 they were more of a specialty car company. They had very limited automation and very different plans on scaling up to meet Model 3 demands. They've made some mistakes along the way, but overall they keep improving.
Truth is no improvement is ever enough for someone that is unhappy. And someone will always be unhappy. It's the nature of retail.
I think we hear about dissatisfied Tesla customers way more often simply because it's Tesla and the Oil Company embedded media and financial sector is looking to post anything negative that they can get their hands on. In reality, they have some areas that need to improve, but most areas are doing just fine. We just don't hear about them. And it's not like Tesla isn't dumping money in to improving the situation. They are. Just not as fast as some would like.
My two prior cars before my Tesla were Prius's. The first one I owned never had any service requirements other than maintenance so I never got any sense of what Toyota's service would be like. My second one had recall after recall and I found that Toyota's service was absolute feces (for me). This is an established company. Imagine the service experience for all of the VW owners that bought cars they thought were clean running. Don't really see much on the news about that. Nor the fact that they just got busted for the same thing just this month. Service issues are everywhere. Tesla is just a hotter topic then most right now because it's disrupting an industry that's been in charge for over a hundred years.
There are going to be those who swear off buying a Tesla, that is inevitable.
I sure as hell wont be one of them, and I imagine from what my digging has found that they will be in the minority.
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why are you worried about tesla service centers? I thought you ready signed a lease on a mercedes....
No. My Mercedes lease expires in December. My intent was to order a Tesla M3 in November.
Yes. That's a long thread. In the middle of it, someone told me to test drive a Tesla. I did. I was absolutely blown away. The M3 is an amazing car. So I decided that I would get an M3 when my lease ran out.
Over the past few days, I am watching videos, reading articles, and reading posts on this board. I am now beginning to think that maybe the best course is to get another Mercedes, and revisit the Tesla in 3 years. The biggest problem is that I live in West Los Angeles, which has a lot of Teslas, and the closest service center is swamped.
So I am just gathering information in this thread to try to reach a decision.
My thoughts on the whole thing is that if the car doesn’t have defects within the first seven days, you probably won’t even need service so don’t sorry about it so much.
If you have issues within the first seven days just return the car and try again...
That said there are way more positive experiences with service centers than negative ones. I’ve had many horrid experiences with ford and Toyota dealerships... so I agree it seems to be a problem for most car companies. Maybe Mercedes is outstanding and service, I wouldn’t know.
If you have issues within the first seven days just return the car and try again...
That said there are way more positive experiences with service centers than negative ones. I’ve had many horrid experiences with ford and Toyota dealerships... so I agree it seems to be a problem for most car companies. Maybe Mercedes is outstanding and service, I wouldn’t know.
This is part of my dilemma in deciding whether to switch to Tesla. I love the M3, but am very worried about numerous posts all over this forum complaining about service.
I have had 7 or 8 Mercedes since 1997. So I only know Mercedes service.
Last time I brought my C300 in for a service at 42,000 miles, a crack had developed in a small plastic cover that is on a mouse pad in the center console. My service rep said it may not be covered under warranty because it appeared to be caused by some sort of impact. A few hours later, without any further contact, he sent me an email and a text with a bill attached. The bill was for zero. Mercedes replaced it free of charge under warranty.
Last time I called Mercedes, someone answered immediately, and transferred me to service. Someone there answered immediately. In the end, it took 2 minutes and 53 seconds to make an appointment, and request an Uber to my office. (I looked at my phone when we were done.)
So, yes, Mercedes service is outstanding.
There are a lot more parts on a Mercedes that need service than on a model three, so once you get past delivery issues you likely won’t have to spend time at a service center if you own a Tesla. You’ll definitely need Mercedes service every 3-5k miles...
Incorrect. I believe it is every 10,000 miles. And it is included in my monthly payment.
Which is still more often than a Tesla.. not to mention all the other components of an ice car that might require service than a m3 would.
You're pointing out the simple truth that Tesla Service isn't really in the service business. They're largely busy with rectifying manufacturing mistakes and with working around design flaws. Both the volume and complexity of those tasks would overwhelm a good Service organization, let alone one as dysfunctional and undersized as Tesla's.
Aside from immediate capacity issues, the real fix would come from improved manufacturing quality and rectification of design screw-ups. Surely they're doing some of this, but it doesn't seem to be coming fast enough.
They need the meat-and-potatoes kind of leadership, doing simple things like pareto the cost and impact of the current issues across the board and go after them one by one, top to bottom. Not games and more bling but actual expensive-to-deal-with issues. It can be done.
Speaking for the San Diego service center, I have had fantastic service so far. Immediate appointments and a loaner Tesla for the short times my car was in the shop. I have not had any serious issues but so far the SC has given me very good confidence. Yes they are pretty busy but the employees have all gone out of their way to make my experience very good.
I can't imagine buying a Mercedes when the car of the future is here now.
I can't imagine buying a Mercedes when the car of the future is here now.
Agree. But I am a risk averse person. There are many posts on this forum about both mechanical problems (ranging from cracked roofs and windshields, to odd smells from the air conditioning), coupled with inability to contact anyone about the problems, and further coupled with debates with Tesla about whether defects are covered under warranty. As a result, I am concerned..
So if your car is one of those in the majority that have no problems, that's great. If it isn't, you could have a stinking car with a cracked roof, and no one answering the phone. My gut is to avoid that risk. However, I am still gathering information.
Thanks to everyone who is posting here, both pro and con. Your comments re very helpful.
My thinking is perhaps wait out these three years with a Mercedes lease, and get the "car of the future" in three years. Perhaps Tesla will expand its service centers by then.
In fact, my next car could be an electric Mercedes. Its service is a known quantity.
To speak to your specific concern, I have not had trouble contacting Tesla. I wanted some spare key cards, I put in a service request via the website and a few days later there was a mobile service guy at my house with three cards. Total cost was $15. Another service call was from a message on my car's display that the "airbag may need service". I scheduled service on the Tesla website and had several texts from the SC before I went in, confirming details and even pre-ordering parts.
Perhaps one key here is that "no one answering the phone" may not be a real concern. Tesla is incredibly adept at using much more modern ways to communicate. Ultimately I think it works much better than the old system of calling a service advisor etc. You have be to be willing to adapt to this way or working though. As I said, welcome to the future.
Perhaps one key here is that "no one answering the phone" may not be a real concern. Tesla is incredibly adept at using much more modern ways to communicate. Ultimately I think it works much better than the old system of calling a service advisor etc. You have be to be willing to adapt to this way or working though. As I said, welcome to the future.
Where do you live? I am concerned about the West Los Angeles service center, which appears to be overwhelmed with new M3s. The service problem may be unique to my area.
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