2 painful years with a Model S

[UserAnon99]

Lotta Tesla fanbois on these replies, unsurprising given where you are. :-D

The car is not really known for its fit & finish. Build quality to comparably priced cars was pretty poor at one time. But that is something you sort of have to assume responsibility for when you get one. Not discounting your points but that is a Tesla 'feature' that is pretty widely known. I'm not certain if build quality is better on newer models but typically it does go up over time.

 

[DBV1]

Sorry for your issues, but you just got a lemon, just like an other mfg could produce. Had one in our last Mercedes and friend had one in his BMW.

I also have a 2021 LR refresh and knock on wood it has been flawless.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Main battery was the 12v battery. Doesn’t make your story as impressive but does clarify the wow factor.

In other posts he said the 12V battery went out at one year. Then in another post about six months later he posts that the HV battery left him stranded and needed to be replaced. Just a little trivia, I picked up my car seven years ago to the day and I still have my original 12V battery. Mine is lead acid and his is the newer lithium ion type, so not the best comparison.

 

[mspohr]

Some of your complaints are legitimate but when you insert items such as:

• Cracked windshield
• Collision repair costs

...the rest of your post just comes off like complaining about car ownership.

For future reference, if your post is about build quality, I'd stick with the important related points to strengthen your stance.

Also, more swear words to drive the point home. I give this rant a solid 6/10 for strong points but a little wandering and not quite enough passion.

Yes, I agree. This is a pretty pathetic rant. I'd rate it about 3/10

 

[The Long C_0_N]

It's pretty simple... if build quality is your top concern, then don't buy a refresh year vehicle. My 2023 Model S is amazing. Thanks for beta testing for me.

 

[sublimejackman]

I wanted to post a brief description of my 2 year experience with a Tesla Model S 2021 refresh. Hopefully this can be found by others who are thinking of getting one.

The performance is superb. It is very fast and fun to drive. The technology in the UI is above all others. The range is good and enough to easily do local trips for work or pleasure. OTA updates are excellent.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to not believe it, the quality is so poor I cannot think of anything else I have ever experienced that is built so badly.

In two years it has had the main battery die, windshield cracked from tiny pebble, rubber door seals crack and fall off, driver window leak water, climate control sensors break, 20 grand for a small dent in the driver rear fender after someone scraped me at low speed (insurance doesn’t have a certified shop in my region either), ordered and paid for winter wheel/tire package listed as “in stock” in August, only to be without them come December leading me to report it to the BBB (never did get the tires), paint chipping off, exterior door handle broke, glove box release/latch broken, and lastly the covering of the steering yoke is coming off.

This car was nearly 100k when we got it. All I can say is never again will I want anything to do with Tesla.

Oh man, the Tesla service/employee experience is the inner most circle of hell.

Stories like these + my personal experience previously buying two new Teslas is why I went used and paid cash this time... I view the money as spent and the car lasts as long as it lasts. Plan on driving it until it dies or maybe buy a used 2023 Plaid in 2028

I was able to ensure I was getting the exact car I wanted, in the exact condition. The bathtub curve with Tesla is real. If you get past the first year or two issue free, you're probably good.

So if I ever need any major service on my current Tesla and I couldn't do it myself and/or have a private shop do it. I would rather sell it for giant loss or just blow it up for youtube than ever interact with a Tesla service center/Tesla employee again.

 

[maximizese]

It's pretty simple... if build quality is your top concern, then don't buy a refresh year vehicle. My 2023 Model S is amazing. Thanks for beta testing for me.

Generally yes it is better to wait for production quirks to work there way out with most products; Tesla is a different animal with "production hell" whenever a new model or major revision is done and I feel like they do it to themselves. In regards to beta testing...we're all beta testing.

Tesla has the best idea as to which model/variants have greatest chance of reliability. It's not in their interest to share that data so they will speak broadly about how reliable their fleet is. As I see it, most of Tesla's vehicles will serve most of their users well. The ones that don't can be expensive to fix and is rather burdensome that specific user. This is one reason why I don't recommend Teslas to folks. I give them the disclaimer that it's been a great experience for me and that I'm fully prepared to buy a replacement car, replacement HV battery, replacement DU, etc. But if you're not prepared for that, then the Tesla experience (especially out of warranty) is a gamble I don't recommend.

 

[sublimejackman]

Generally yes it is better to wait for production quirks to work there way out with most products; Tesla is a different animal with "production hell" whenever a new model or major revision is done and I feel like they do it to themselves. In regards to beta testing...we're all beta testing.

Tesla has the best idea as to which model/variants have greatest chance of reliability. It's not in their interest to share that data so they will speak broadly about how reliable their fleet is. As I see it, most of Tesla's vehicles will serve most of their users well. The ones that don't can be expensive to fix and is rather burdensome that specific user. This is one reason why I don't recommend Teslas to folks. I give them the disclaimer that it's been a great experience for me and that I'm fully prepared to buy a replacement car, replacement HV battery, replacement DU, etc. But if you're not prepared for that, then the Tesla experience (especially out of warranty) is a gamble I don't recommend.

Exactly. I even take this one step further...

I tell people that my experience with overall reliability has been great.

(all three of my Teslas have needed some service but I've always ended up doing it myself or taking it somewhere other than Tesla in the end)

However, my experience with Tesla staff and service has been miserable. If you are unlucky enough to be the 1 in 100 or so that experience a catastrophic issue or accident, expect to lose access to the vehicle indefinitely. Expect the service center to gaslight you and expect the repair to cost at least four figures (brace for five figure repairs).

I bought my latest Tesla in cash and with the knowledge that if there is a major issue that I cannot repair myself or address at an independent repair shop, that I will sell the car for whatever I can get and walk away. I always have alternate transportation available.

I know most people can't live like that; so I strongly advise against buying a Tesla if you need to completely rely on it daily.

 

[dn325ci]

...so I strongly advise against buying a Tesla if you need to completely rely on it daily.

Ridiculous. I, alongside what I would wager is the vast majority of owners, rely on our Tesla's daily. In my experience I've largely had great support from the two Tesla service centers in my area, and it's demonstrably better than the BMW dealer support I was using previously. Sorry this happened to you.

 

[sublimejackman]

Ridiculous. I, alongside what I would wager is the vast majority of owners, rely on our Tesla's daily. In my experience I've largely had great support from the two Tesla service centers in my area, and it's demonstrably better than the BMW dealer support I was using previously. Sorry this happened to you.

When someone rearends your BMW, it doesn't take 3-6months to get the bumper in stock, then 1-2months to get an appointment. I personally know someone who couldn't drive their Model X for over 200 days after someone hit them.

If you've had good service experiences, that really is awesome. Over the last six years, I've been to five service centers in three states on both coasts and not once did they resolve the issue. One time, I had to pull the entire driver's seat of my Model S by myself cause they unplugged the harness when I took it to get "serviced" for something else.

 

[islandbayy]

I agree. The Milwaukee service center is beyond spectacular!

 

[islandbayy]

When someone rearends your BMW, it doesn't take 3-6months to get the bumper in stock, then 1-2months to get an appointment. I personally know someone who couldn't drive their Model X for over 200 days after someone hit them.

If you've had good service experiences, that really is awesome. Over the last six years, I've been to five service centers in three states on both coasts and not once did they resolve the issue. One time, I had to pull the entire driver's seat of my Model S by myself cause they unplugged the harness when I took it to get "serviced" for something else.

Got T-Boned on the Illinois Tollway end of 2020. Our Model S was back on the road in 1 month. Only took that long as the body shop was backed up from work from the snow storm...

 

[dn325ci]

When someone rearends your BMW, it doesn't take 3-6months to get the bumper in stock, then 1-2months to get an appointment. I personally know someone who couldn't drive their Model X for over 200 days after someone hit them.

If you've had good service experiences, that really is awesome. Over the last six years, I've been to five service centers in three states on both coasts and not once did they resolve the issue. One time, I had to pull the entire driver's seat of my Model S by myself cause they unplugged the harness when I took it to get "serviced" for something else.

Ridiculous again. We had a Honda Pilot in a front end accident, and a new dashboard could not be supplied for 13 months. It could not be driven without a dashboard. I was madder than hell, but this is not a Tesla issue, it's an industry issue.

 

[sublimejackman]

@islandbayy @dn325ci Glad ya'll had good experiences.

Just hasn't been my experience. I can only give advice on my experiences and the experiences of the those around me. My experience with Tesla service has been abysmal. The experience of every person I have ever met (in the real world) has been abysmal. So much so that I literally didn't buy a new one this time just so I never had to interact with another Tesla employee...

As I said before if it breaks in a way that I or an independent service center cannot repair, then since I paid cash, it's spent money and I move on.

(maybe I can make one of those Youtube videos where I blow it up or something)

I cannot, in good conscience, reccomend a Tesla to someone who needs to get around daily. Like if you can't afford to miss work, get Ubers, get a rental and/or you do not have a back up car... do not buy a Tesla.

Now as mentioned above, if you accept the increased risk and frustration of this being a "beta" product. One that is on its way to maturity but not fully there yet. You understand that your experience may vary (being generous here) if you actually need major service. If you do have backup transportation, don't rely on driving as your primary transportation, and/or have the means to get Ubers/rentals. You live/work where you have consistant access to charging, then I would recommend a Tesla.

 

[maximizese]

@islandbayy @dn325ci Glad ya'll had good experiences.

Just hasn't been my experience. I can only give advice on my experiences and the experiences of the those around me. My experience with Tesla service has been abysmal. The experience of every person I have ever met (in the real world) has been abysmal. So much so that I literally didn't buy a new one this time just so I never had to interact with another Tesla employee...

As I said before if it breaks in a way that I or an independent service center cannot repair, then since I paid cash, it's spent money and I move on.

(maybe I can make one of those Youtube videos where I blow it up or something)

I cannot, in good conscience, reccomend a Tesla to someone who needs to get around daily. Like if you can't afford to miss work, get Ubers, get a rental and/or you do not have a back up car... do not buy a Tesla.

Now as mentioned above, if you accept the increased risk and frustration of this being a "beta" product. One that is on its way to maturity but not fully there yet. You understand that your experience may vary (being generous here) if you actually need major service. If you do have backup transportation, don't rely on driving as your primary transportation, and/or have the means to get Ubers/rentals. You live/work where you have consistant access to charging, then I would recommend a Tesla.

My experiences have been similar to yours. Literally the day I drove our Tesla home from the delivery studio, we got a low coolant warning when we pulled up our driveway. Additionally, the rear window defroster wasn't working either (side mirrors were fine). We scheduled the first available appointment at our local Tesla Service Center in Costa Mesa, Ca for 6 days out. They were slammed and had Teslas overflowing down the street. They expected a quick turnaround because they had pre-ordered all the parts necessary. I declined a loaner since it should have been quick and we have 3 other vehicles. I jogged the 2.3 miles home and waited. The car was moved to an auxiliary parking lot for 14 days (I was able to track it on the Tesla app). They fixed the car in about 4 hours of time at the actual facility and I was back to enjoying the car.

One of my worst experiences was getting gaslit when I dropped the car off for the eMMC daughterboard recall. I dropped the car off and went to pick it up with a 3" bubble on the MCU. The Service Manager lied to me for a straight 20 minutes about how it was impossible for them to have been responsible for this and that it was there before I dropped it off, MCUs don't last forever and that they are common wear item, that he would have to fire 2 workers to pay for the expensive part...it was ridiculous. My wife left me to deal with it because it certainly wasn't worth her time. Coincidentally she's a lawyer who has Tesla as a client. After 20 minutes of a runaround, a Service Tech comes in with the intake photos of the car when I dropped it off clearly showing no bubble on the screen. The manager changes his tune and says he'll have it fixed in less than an hour. Apparently that manager had so many complaints that the Tesla Studio down the street had trouble selling cars to repeat customers because of their lousy experiences with the Service Manager. He was fired pretty quickly and had two lawsuits pending at the time. Talk about ridiculous.

Costa Mesa Service Center got a lot better with a new manager and the opening of Buena Park, Lake Forest, Tustin/Irvine, Santa Ana Service Centers really alleviated the bottleneck for them. Up until 2019, Costa Mesa Service Center was the just about the only service center between Los Angeles and San Diego. I hope things continue to improve.

 

[sublimejackman]

My experiences have been similar to yours. Literally the day I drove our Tesla home from the delivery studio, we got a low coolant warning when we pulled up our driveway. Additionally, the rear window defroster wasn't working either (side mirrors were fine). We scheduled the first available appointment at our local Tesla Service Center in Costa Mesa, Ca for 6 days out. They were slammed and had Teslas overflowing down the street. They expected a quick turnaround because they had pre-ordered all the parts necessary. I declined a loaner since it should have been quick and we have 3 other vehicles. I jogged the 2.3 miles home and waited. The car was moved to an auxiliary parking lot for 14 days (I was able to track it on the Tesla app). They fixed the car in about 4 hours of time at the actual facility and I was back to enjoying the car.

One of my worst experiences was getting gaslit when I dropped the car off for the eMMC daughterboard recall. I dropped the car off and went to pick it up with a 3" bubble on the MCU. The Service Manager lied to me for a straight 20 minutes about how it was impossible for them to have been responsible for this and that it was there before I dropped it off, MCUs don't last forever and that they are common wear item, that he would have to fire 2 workers to pay for the expensive part...it was ridiculous. My wife left me to deal with it because it certainly wasn't worth her time. Coincidentally she's a lawyer who has Tesla as a client. After 20 minutes of a runaround, a Service Tech comes in with the intake photos of the car when I dropped it off clearly showing no bubble on the screen. The manager changes his tune and says he'll have it fixed in less than an hour. Apparently that manager had so many complaints that the Tesla Studio down the street had trouble selling cars to repeat customers because of their lousy experiences with the Service Manager. He was fired pretty quickly and had two lawsuits pending at the time. Talk about ridiculous.

Costa Mesa Service Center got a lot better with a new manager and the opening of Buena Park, Lake Forest, Tustin/Irvine, Santa Ana Service Centers really alleviated the bottleneck for them. Up until 2019, Costa Mesa Service Center was the just about the only service center between Los Angeles and San Diego. I hope things continue to improve.

Yeah the gaslighting is the worst. It's pervasive to the core of Tesla's corporate culture.

I did a lease return for my company M3 (seperate from my personal Tesla) back in August at the Rockville, MD location. Once all the photos, inspection and final payment were done, I scheduled the return. When I arrived, there were 5-10 employees just standing/sitting around doing nothing but they had me stand in a 75 minute line (with all the service customers, new car pickups and lease returns, one 20+ person line in the middle of the show room). Then, when it was my turn, the most apethetic employee in history said he couldn't find my appointment. When I showed him the app with my appointment, he aburptly stood up and walked away for 20min! When he returned, I was told had to come back another day; I refused. This went on for another 15min when he suddenly was able to print out the paperwork in 30 seconds.

Two days later, I got a window open notification. To my shock, the app was showing someone was driving the car I had returned (and not close to the Tesla location). I checked the web portal and saw that the car was now "past due" and was never marked as returned.

So after several emails with no fewer than four Tesla employees over the course of three weeks, they finally marked it returned. But they marked it reutrned for that day, not when I actually turned it in. They sent me a new bill for the excess miles and another month's payment! By this point I deleted my bank info from the Tesla portal (this was on the Tesla's employee's advice! see email) and replaced my credit card with a Privacy card (something I recommend you all do).

This matter is still not resolved and the guy I was emailing with, ghosted me months ago. What is my recourse here? There is no phone number to call...

And this is not an atypical experience. Hundreds of thousands of other customers have had similarly poor experiences with Tesla.

 

[reddogva99]

I added this clear rubber kitchen cabinet stop and it makes the horn work better and easier.



And one on the other side painted black to keep me from hitting the turn signal when using the volume/next scroll.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XXJZQMS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can just push the general area hard and the horn will sound. It’s not as bad as it seems at first.

 

[Excaliber]

You can just push the general area hard and the horn will sound. It’s not as bad as it seems at first.

I added 2 more on the left side as bumpers because I kept hitting the turn signal.

 

[Yelobird]

I added 2 more on the left side as bumpers because I kept hitting the turn signal.

Sorry but even with the layers of dirt that is not a nice solution.

 

[Excaliber]

Sorry but even with the layers of dirt that is not a nice solution.

So think of something better.
This works for me.