Would you buy another MX after having a lemon?

[jmcmill]

Greetings fellow owners!

Very long story short, I purchased a MX 60D preowned from a 3rd party dealer in July 2018 and is unfortunately a lemon. More than 15 service visits for things such as the FWD seals (3x), Half Shafts (4x), 3rd row seat failure (3x, 13 month wait for replacement), drivers seat failure (11 month wait), Headliner replacement due to water intrusion from faulty FWD seal replacement, Body Control Module failure, “Key fob not in car” error while driving (4 times, still occurring), and other minor issues. When the car is not in service, I love driving it as there is nothing like it and is a personal goal that came to fruition.

For several months, I tried to escalate my concerns with management through any channel possible (SC manager, multiple emails and recipients, twitter) but always found myself at a dead-end. As a second owner, all I wanted and asked for was the ability to purchase the extended warranty when the original new vehicle warranty expires in 2020, fearing future issues will arise. I didn’t want anything for free, but still found all my inquires to fall on deaf ears.

I was left with no choice but to retain legal counsel before the original warranty expired and yesterday I was informed Tesla has agreed to buy back my vehicle. It’s bitter sweet. I was honestly hoping they would have countered the initial demand with the warranty or a replacement, although that is unheard of.

Now my conundrum and your thoughts are appreciated.

I now have about a month to get things in order for a replacement vehicle. I have done significant market research and have come to the realization Tesla has ruined vehicle ownership for me where nothing seems to compare. I’ve had several MS loaners, and while a nice car, I always preferred the MX. I have never driven a M3, but the size of the car just seems too small for my needs as we already have a small car (Volt). My budget of approx $70k makes it challenging for me to purchase a new raven MX, leaving me to once again look at pre-owned. I am not too concerned about AP1 vs. AP2+ or MCU1 vs. MCU2.

- Would you take the risk a purchasing another Tesla, most likely preowned to obtain the new 4-yr warranty?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you all may have.

 

[patrick40363]

Get another MX.

 

[jmcmill]

That’s the direction I am leaning. The upside, I may be able to get a 90D and stay under 70k. I just hope I am not playing a bad game of Russian roulette.

 

[ajdelange]

Not all X's are lemons so the chances that you will have similar experiences with a new one are small but they are not 0. You have to decide whether your enjoyment of the car offsets the potential headaches. Faced with a difficult decision like this some people toss a coin and then determine what to do based on whether they are pleased with the outcome or not.

 

[NoirMS]

That’s the direction I am leaning. The upside, I may be able to get a 90D and stay under 70k. I just hope I am not playing a bad game of Russian roulette.

you're my counterpart in karma land... just hit 1 year ownership of a CPO 2015 MS and it hasn't seen the inside of a SC yet, zero issues... sorry what you've dealt with, can't imagine... but, didn't it leave ya with the itch for more?
I'd say you can only go up from your experience and I'd give em another shot ...just paitently wait for a good X that meets all ur feature needs & budget and then dive back in... best of luck to you!!

 

[DanCar]

I got a chrysler pacifica lemon. Every time I put gas in it, the check engine light comes on because of a vacuum leak. I'm so irritated, and they haven't been able to fix it. I'm going to get a Honda Odyssey. Although if I had an X I know nothing compares so likely might get another one.

 

[glide]

You have to ask yourself if the real issue is that the vehicle had problems or that the company treated you like dirt when trying to resolve them.

 

[r0xx0r]

Honestly, yes! But depends on your local services center near you.

Model X is a really unique car on the market. It’s more like a spaceship than a car. Therefore, it has too many moving parts and they are fragile. So now you know what I mean about the services center.

my experience is so far so good. As long as they can fix your problem - I would happy to buy another one.

 

[NoSoup4U!]

Hi OP, when reading your post, I get the feeling that you would very much miss the times when you’re MX DID drive and you had fun with it. (Damn, I get already miffed when I’m driving some other car and the door doesn’t even close when I press the brakes, ha ha!) As there is nothing that is similar at the moment, I’d suggest taking the plunge for another one.

 

[jmcmill]

Thank you all for your prompt responses. I believe this is the route we will take and when running the numbers on the anticipated refund amount, this opens the opportunity to perhaps purchase a new standard range (if still exists?)

 

[Zaxxon]

Thank you all for your prompt responses. I believe this is the route we will take and when running the numbers on the anticipated refund amount, this opens the opportunity to perhaps purchase a new standard range (if still exists?)

It does not, but the current LR pricing is much cheaper than it used to be. ($85k, including Autopilot and free unlimited Supercharging.) In your shoes I'd look long and hard at a base new vehicle. You'd also get what's left of the tax credit if you took delivery this year.

Our X (June 2019 Raven) has been great, as has our 2018 3. So I can't speak directly to your question. However, I did have a lemony Volvo XC90 that Volvo bought back. I replaced it with the next model year XC90 and the experience was much better. Statistically you're unlikely to receive another problem vehicle, though of course it could happen.

That's another reason I'd be looking at a new X if finances allowed. It seems that most of the X's formerly-routine issues have been iterated out at this stage of the game. You get the most current vehicle, the new adaptive suspension, a *much* longer range (100 kWh plus the improvements to the motors and bearings--our X's lifetime consumption is 296 Wh/mi which I find to be insane for a vehicle of its size), MCU2, HW3 AP computer, etc.

Whatever you decide, I hope your experience is positive. Good luck.

 

[SaniDel]

I was left with no choice but to retain legal counsel before the original warranty expired and yesterday I was informed Tesla has agreed to buy back my vehicle.

That's unheard of AFAIK ... congratulations!

I would have expected them to offer a no-cost trade* to a different vehicle, but if they are buying back your vehicle you have the option to buy something different ... or to buy another Tesla. Thanks for asking our opinion about whether to buy another Tesla. Although your Tesla experience is in tatters you did want to buy a Tesla. Can you separate that from your Tesla experience?

It seems you are in a good position. You could take Tesla's money and run to a different brand or ... you could make them earn your business by a combination of price, warranty and other incentives. The one thing Tesla can't promise is that your second experience will be as good as your first experience was bad ... that's the luck of the draw, but odds are your second experience will be better than your first!

* When I was in the same situation with Lexus that's what they did ... a no-cost trade to a different vehicle ... identical in all respects except the VIN. I was able to separate my bad experience with one vehicle from my Lexus experience ... and went on to own ten of them!

 

[Uncle Paul]

From your post, it looks like you are a price/value shopper. Buying a first year model, 3rd party, from an off brand dealership gives you the greatest chance to get a car with lots of problems. Most likely your car had most of these issues when you took it off the lot.

Now you are once again looking for a replacement car with price being your main concern. You want a flagship vehicle priced relatively low.

As others have mentioned, you could get the latest and greatest Model X Raven, with longer range, latest battery technology, full factory new warranty, faster charging, higher performance, the better bearings, latest computer V3, and the amazing Adaptable Suspension for $15,000 more.

I understand budgets, but with the way you were burned previously with your bargain purchase, I would tend to go with the latest and most dependable model I could afford.

Rarely (but sometimes) will a current owner trade in their current vehicle when it is running perfectly and fault free. As you learned, just having a warranty does not eliminate the possibility of buying another traded in X with problems.

While a new Raven will cost you more, you will likely recoup some of that additional cost when it comes trade in time.

 

[jmcmill]

From your post, it looks like you are a price/value shopper. Buying a first year model, 3rd party, from an off brand dealership gives you the greatest chance to get a car with lots of problems. Most likely your car had most of these issues when you took it off the lot.

Now you are once again looking for a replacement car with price being your main concern. You want a flagship vehicle priced relatively low.

As others have mentioned, you could get the latest and greatest Model X Raven, with longer range, latest battery technology, full factory new warranty, faster charging, higher performance, the better bearings, latest computer V3, and the amazing Adaptable Suspension for $15,000 more.

I understand budgets, but with the way you were burned previously with your bargain purchase, I would tend to go with the latest and most dependable model I could afford.

Rarely (but sometimes) will a current owner trade in their current vehicle when it is running perfectly and fault free. As you learned, just having a warranty does not eliminate the possibility of buying another traded in X with problems.

While a new Raven will cost you more, you will likely recoup some of that additional cost when it comes trade in time.

I appreciate your post and you raise excellent points to consider, including long-term value. We are planning on having a second kiddo in the near future, so I am hoping to keep my expenses at their current level or lower. What I didn’t factor in my calculations would be larger down payment by allocating the full refund towards a new raven. If Tesla still offered a standard range, this would be a no-brainer for me as I don’t need the extra range but for a couple times a year at most. While I may have been quite happy with the AP1/MCU1 capabilities, there are benefits with investing in the newer technology (which is getting all the nice updates now). Regardless, the timing is terrible as I will be given about a week notice once the final date is arranged to surrender the vehicle and have a replacement.

Once again, thank you all for your time and support in assuring me my experience was not typical. The service center was typically awesome, although I would say their are training opportunities with the service manager who always shrugged me off and failed to follow through on his promises. This lead me to feel like a second class owner for not buying directly through Tesla and was his reasoning as to why Tesla would not consider allowing me to purchase the warranty. I requested my case be escalated for lemon law buyback and would never get a response and he later informed me used vehicles not purchased through Tesla do not qualify (clearly false). All Tesla had to do was let me buy the extended warranty and all this could have been avoided.

I may be foolish, but I will most likely give them the chance again. It just makes sense, I have solar and the HPWC at home thus having no energy expense owning a Tesla. Plus, there is nothing really on the market that holds a candle to the Model X and the supercharging infrastructure. At least there is a new Service Center coming to West Covina soon, hopefully that will be a better experience.

 

[xanatos]

I got a chrysler pacifica lemon. Every time I put gas in it, the check engine light comes on because of a vacuum leak. I'm so irritated, and they haven't been able to fix it. I'm going to get a Honda Odyssey. Although if I had an X I know nothing compares so likely might get another one.

I'm been considering a Pacifica Hybrid ever since they were announced. What are your impressions of it aside from the vacuum issue?

 

[trekkie]

if everyone on here was saying what you had happens with their X, then I'd say no. Having bought used, we have no idea if the thing was hit by lightning or something else.

If you like the car, I'd go for another one if you can deal with it. I'd buy new though

 

[jmcmill]

I'm been considering a Pacifica Hybrid ever since they were announced. What are your impressions of it aside from the vacuum issue?

I know your question was not directed towards me, but I actually owned a PacHy before the Model X. Decent van and not much on the market in regards to PHEV that can compete. I myself would most likely never own another, but the Hybrid model was very well equipped and quite comfortable.

 

[DanCar]

I'm been considering a Pacifica Hybrid ever since they were announced. What are your impressions of it aside from the vacuum issue?

Odyssey has more plush interior, but Pacifica is nice. Seats have more cushion in Ody in middle and rear bench. I bought cause they gave me a super deal. But new Odyssey with lane centering is tempting if I return this one.

 

[BulldogsRus]

Greetings fellow owners!

Very long story short, I purchased a MX 60D preowned from a 3rd party dealer in July 2018 and is unfortunately a lemon. More than 15 service visits for things such as the FWD seals (3x), Half Shafts (4x), 3rd row seat failure (3x, 13 month wait for replacement), drivers seat failure (11 month wait), Headliner replacement due to water intrusion from faulty FWD seal replacement, Body Control Module failure, “Key fob not in car” error while driving (4 times, still occurring), and other minor issues. When the car is not in service, I love driving it as there is nothing like it and is a personal goal that came to fruition.

For several months, I tried to escalate my concerns with management through any channel possible (SC manager, multiple emails and recipients, twitter) but always found myself at a dead-end. As a second owner, all I wanted and asked for was the ability to purchase the extended warranty when the original new vehicle warranty expires in 2020, fearing future issues will arise. I didn’t want anything for free, but still found all my inquires to fall on deaf ears.

I was left with no choice but to retain legal counsel before the original warranty expired and yesterday I was informed Tesla has agreed to buy back my vehicle. It’s bitter sweet. I was honestly hoping they would have countered the initial demand with the warranty or a replacement, although that is unheard of.

Now my conundrum and your thoughts are appreciated.

I now have about a month to get things in order for a replacement vehicle. I have done significant market research and have come to the realization Tesla has ruined vehicle ownership for me where nothing seems to compare. I’ve had several MS loaners, and while a nice car, I always preferred the MX. I have never driven a M3, but the size of the car just seems too small for my needs as we already have a small car (Volt). My budget of approx $70k makes it challenging for me to purchase a new raven MX, leaving me to once again look at pre-owned. I am not too concerned about AP1 vs. AP2+ or MCU1 vs. MCU2.

- Would you take the risk a purchasing another Tesla, most likely preowned to obtain the new 4-yr warranty?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you all may have.

Your problem is actually two-fold: The X is a very technically over-built vehicle that is prone on average to have more issues, and service and follow-up is lackluster at least at your current dealer. The first part of this equation may not be solved by buying yet another X, but what options are available to you for the second part?

 

[OrbiterTI4]

...
Rarely (but sometimes) will a current owner trade in their current vehicle when it is running perfectly and fault free. As you learned, just having a warranty does not eliminate the possibility of buying another traded in X with problems.
...

Anecdotally, I fall in this group - nothing wrong with the car, other than concerns over household cash flow and Tesla viability.

...
Would you take the risk a purchasing another Tesla, most likely preowned to obtain the new 4-yr warranty?
...

Would the Model Y be viable, such that you'd lease/buy another vehicle with a 3 yr "lifespan" until the Y was readily available at a lower price point than an X?