Common Australian Pickup Issues

[OzTzlaBloke]

Hi, thought might be value in talking around any common pickup issues when taking delivery.

For me generally it was very good. Vehicle presented well detailed. Strong wax layer all beading etc. Spotless inside. Yes I did measure panel gaps lol No problems. Looking at the vehicle stationery I just cant fault it - perfect. No I didnt send it to a mate at a panel shop to read paint thickness or something but my impression of the paint is that its better than new Aus delivered Porsches which all have orange peel on them. I dont say that lightly. Most Porsche fans will have the paint corrected. The way the vehicle was presented to me, no way Id consider paying for paint correction or even doing it with a bunch of my mates one weekend going all group fanboy on Tesla.

1. Bluetooth looping between trying to connect (wont) and initialising. This loop didnt recover itself on power off & waiting the two minutes. Only thing that did was the two steering wheel buttons style reset. Then it worked.

2. Wont connect to Wifi. I run a mesh wifi network with pro grade mesh nodes. Same thing above. Loop on init then no connect then loop again. Power off didnt work. Steering wheel reset did work.

Once I got connected it was curious to see the download peg at 9.8MB/s, I can do more on my primary WAN I think maybe Tesla cap it 10MB/s maybe. Its a substantial download would have preferred to see 50 MB/s I was impatient I can see why the delivery centres arent updating the firmware prior. They did charge to around 80% odd which was nice.

3. I hired a Tesla 3 prior to my own purchase to ensure I really wanted one. That rattled somewhere in the B pillar kinda drivers seatbelt assembly area somwhere around seated ear height dont think it was the seat or headrest pretty sure around the trim on the B pillar. That vehicle had some 5000KLM on it. Mine at 11KLM does it. Both vehicles dont do it at slow city speeds. Its more a highway 80 or 100 thing and Im still trying to figure out conditions that replicate it everytime. Its dam annoying. Right near my right ear when seated. On pickup the delivery crew were muttering something about "any issues" in the first 150KLMs but I was so wrapped with the vehicle it was like I'd seen giant soft boobies for the first time haha So Ive logged a service thing in the app and Ill see what they say. Dunno about this first 150KLM policy??

I've attuned to the vehicle very quickly. Its soooooo good. I dont like how I cant lower the drivers seat belt height any lower as I sit as low as possible in the seat and its borderline a neck issue on the belt. The Brembos are OK as calipers but the pads suck pretty much I'm going to look at better pads. I have part numbers from Tesla on their track pack pads around $800 so for that money its open season from anything with Pagid and so on. I had to disable the decel regen in the motor to bed the new rotors and pads in properly. Im very much missing proper lines on the brakes and a brake mastercylinder brace I really notice it but thatll get resolved quick smart. These brake "issues" arent counted for a road car theyre my commentary for my various needs. The issues 1 2 3 I consider to be generally applicable to a new road car experience.

 

[JonDarian]

My MYRWD was delivered to my home. It arrived with stains etched into the paint if the hood and scuff marks as though someone had tried to rub a stain off and damaged the paint further. I am still angry about that, especially as we paid extra for red paint.

I found no problems with panel gaps, etc. I used the TeslaPrep app, which was handy as it pointed out features that I didn't know were there (like the light inside the frunk, which I wouldn't have seen during a daylight inspection).

The driver's seat, carpet and door sill were a bit dirty from muddy boots, etc, presumably en route to me. Easily cleaned, but not "nice" on opening the car for the first time.

I was able to operate the car using key cards, but had to phone Tesla and get them to initialise the connection to the app. That can take up to an hour, after sitting on hold for 20 minutes.

Despite taking a couple of weeks to get to me, the battery was at 91%, which suggests it was fully charged when it left the delivery centre.

Wi-fi and Bluetooth connections worked as expected. I have a residential MESH Wifi network. The car shows a similar signal strength as my phone does in the same location. I haven't checked download speeds, as update downloads will usually happen in the background anyway.

Warranty issues will still be covered under warranty, but I believe the "first 150km" thing is in relation to showing Tesla that the car came damaged at the time of delivery. Home delivery removes the option of being able to point out faults before accepting delivery. I don't recommend it.

New owners should know that the cameras need some time driving on well-marker roads in order to calibrate. That could be 20km, or 150km, so allow a little time, preferably on a multi-lane highway. Even when calibrated, the cameras will misread speed signs a lot of the time anyway, so set your cruise control to respect your current speed, not the speed limit the car thought it saw.

On delivery, the headlights were set much too high. Embarrassingly so, on first driving at night. They are easy to recalibrate through the service menu. Auto High Beams worked most of the time. But, sometimes flicking on and off and therefore blinding oncoming traffic means I can't use them any of the time. Because Auto High Beams are switched on when I activate Autopilot, that means I can't use Autopilot at night, either.

The UMC will not update it's firmware, despite having the correct 10A and 15A tails. It seems Tesla have disallowed that update now, so we are stuck charging at 8A, instead of the advertised 10A. I wrote to their Support people and have not received a response in over a week. That is pretty standard Tesla, unfortunately. I'll have to phone them and try again to sort it out.

After a few weeks with the MY, and in comparison to a few months with a 2022 Kona EV, and have test driven a Polestar 2, Atto 3, Cupra Formentor, I am unimpressed by the Tesla in some important ways.

On a warm night (about 22C), driving at speeds of 80-110kph, averaging a little under 100kph, we saw a range a bit under 300km in the MY, on a return trip (do elevation changes are irrelevant). Tyre pressure was 42psi. By comparison, the same trip in the Kona calculates out as a range of more than 350km. They have similar WLTP ranges. I was not expecting the Kona to dunk on the Tesla for highway range. It's really disappointing. The Tesla can charge faster on both DC and AC, but we have limited and unreliable charging infrastructure in North Queensland, so it matters that the Tesla underperforms.

We are stuck with the Tesla now, so will make the best of it (and there are positives), but I expect the next car our business buys will not be a Tesla.

We have recently paid for installation of the tow bar kit. We knew in advance that it doesn't come with a towball, but it is still annoying at the price Tesla charges. It is a clumsy but of design, leaving a gaping hole in the bumper, and inviting scratches to the rear lip. Other manufacturers have been doing this right for a long time. The Tesla receiver is 52mm (internal dimension), so make sure you search for the right tow bar to fit.

On the plus side, the technician took the opportunity, without my prior knowledge, to swap out the dashboard speaker cover. Apparently it is subject to a recall because if warping, so they just replaced it during the same service. That was good.

 

[Tessy Sam]

When I picked up my MYP, I had to get the rep to take the car into the workshop to get some crap cleaned off the car. I serious doubted that the car had even been washed at the dealership.

I washed and detailed the car at home and was disgusted at how dirty the glass surfaces were. I complained about this in my review to Tesla via the App. No response.

When compared to a Lexus SUV of similar price the Tesla's exterior sux. The panel gaps are still very wide and the paint in the Lexus looks thicker and better finished. The internal fitout also doesn't look premium at this price point (over $100k) compared to the Lexus.

Mechanically however, the MYP is the best car on the planet IMHO. Nothing comes close. imo. I really love my car.
I drive my MYP like a sports car and 3 1/2 months later, am still amazed at its performance. The steering feel, response and road grip are excellent. The acceleration is beyond stunning. Nothing comes close for a car of this size and versatility.

 

[paulp]

Hi, thought might be value in talking around any common pickup issues when taking delivery.

For me generally it was very good. Vehicle presented well detailed. Strong wax layer all beading etc. Spotless inside. Yes I did measure panel gaps lol No problems. Looking at the vehicle stationery I just cant fault it - perfect. No I didnt send it to a mate at a panel shop to read paint thickness or something but my impression of the paint is that its better than new Aus delivered Porsches which all have orange peel on them. I dont say that lightly. Most Porsche fans will have the paint corrected. The way the vehicle was presented to me, no way Id consider paying for paint correction or even doing it with a bunch of my mates one weekend going all group fanboy on Tesla.

1. Bluetooth looping between trying to connect (wont) and initialising. This loop didnt recover itself on power off & waiting the two minutes. Only thing that did was the two steering wheel buttons style reset. Then it worked.

2. Wont connect to Wifi. I run a mesh wifi network with pro grade mesh nodes. Same thing above. Loop on init then no connect then loop again. Power off didnt work. Steering wheel reset did work.

Once I got connected it was curious to see the download peg at 9.8MB/s, I can do more on my primary WAN I think maybe Tesla cap it 10MB/s maybe. Its a substantial download would have preferred to see 50 MB/s I was impatient I can see why the delivery centres arent updating the firmware prior. They did charge to around 80% odd which was nice.

3. I hired a Tesla 3 prior to my own purchase to ensure I really wanted one. That rattled somewhere in the B pillar kinda drivers seatbelt assembly area somwhere around seated ear height dont think it was the seat or headrest pretty sure around the trim on the B pillar. That vehicle had some 5000KLM on it. Mine at 11KLM does it. Both vehicles dont do it at slow city speeds. Its more a highway 80 or 100 thing and Im still trying to figure out conditions that replicate it everytime. Its dam annoying. Right near my right ear when seated. On pickup the delivery crew were muttering something about "any issues" in the first 150KLMs but I was so wrapped with the vehicle it was like I'd seen giant soft boobies for the first time haha So Ive logged a service thing in the app and Ill see what they say. Dunno about this first 150KLM policy??

I've attuned to the vehicle very quickly. Its soooooo good. I dont like how I cant lower the drivers seat belt height any lower as I sit as low as possible in the seat and its borderline a neck issue on the belt. The Brembos are OK as calipers but the pads suck pretty much I'm going to look at better pads. I have part numbers from Tesla on their track pack pads around $800 so for that money its open season from anything with Pagid and so on. I had to disable the decel regen in the motor to bed the new rotors and pads in properly. Im very much missing proper lines on the brakes and a brake mastercylinder brace I really notice it but thatll get resolved quick smart. These brake "issues" arent counted for a road car theyre my commentary for my various needs. The issues 1 2 3 I consider to be generally applicable to a new road car experience.

Don’t know what porsche’s you are looking at but the ones I have seen (several friends own one) are a stunning paint job (unlike my tesla that has runs, drips, and grit)

 

[OzTzlaBloke]

Guys I subscribed to the Tesla factory manual (its free) and that lists recalls and stuff. Easy way to keep ontop of it.

As for "I saw various Porsches and the paint is exceptional". Thats because as I said, most owners will get it paint corrected by detailing pros, or the dealer will on recommendation to the owners sale. Fact is, Porsche off the boat to the dealer are full of orange peel every single one. Fact is, all the GigaShanghai Teslas I saw of which are over 50 in the distribution hub on pickup were far better quality than the German makers factory condition. I get what your saying mate and in the context you mean, I certainly agree Porsches look great after paint correction.

Paul did yours buddy come from Shanghai? Which build month/year? Did you ask for paint correction to fix all that? Your experience was exactly what I was worried about on hearing years past of the US factories etcetc I made a massive effort not just on my pickup but all of them in the distro hub to have a good gawk at it

Sam are your panel gaps consistent? Your issue is the amount of gap not variations in the gap?

Jon hitch receivers and the like being non uniform is standard. My NISSAN 4WDs and aftermarket supplies all do this little game of "convenient" incompatability for them. So Jon it seems your main issue for you mate is the range isnt what you hoped it to be.

 

[paulp]

Guys I subscribed to the Tesla factory manual (its free) and that lists recalls and stuff. Easy way to keep ontop of it.

As for "I saw various Porsches and the paint is exceptional". Thats because as I said, most owners will get it paint corrected by detailing pros, or the dealer will on recommendation to the owners sale. Fact is, Porsche off the boat to the dealer are full of orange peel every single one. Fact is, all the GigaShanghai Teslas I saw of which are over 50 in the distribution hub on pickup were far better quality than the German makers factory condition. I get what your saying mate and in the context you mean, I certainly agree Porsches look great after paint correction.

Paul did yours buddy come from Shanghai? Which build month/year? Did you ask for paint correction to fix all that? Your experience was exactly what I was worried about on hearing years past of the US factories etcetc I made a massive effort not just on my pickup but all of them in the distro hub to have a good gawk at it

Sam are your panel gaps consistent? Your issue is the amount of gap not variations in the gap?

Jon hitch receivers and the like being non uniform is standard. My NISSAN 4WDs and aftermarket supplies all do this little game of "convenient" incompatability for them. So Jon it seems your main issue for you mate is the range isnt what you hoped it to be.

I‘ve been pushing my porsche mates to go and get their cars ceramic coated, which means corrected to have all the micro scratches removed. None have been coated or corrected.
I’m surprised that you have seen the exact porsche’s that I have seen and know that they have been corrected when in fact they have not. I’m also surprised that you have seen every single porsche come off a boat.
It’s ok to think your car is the best on the planet. Quite normal really. You don’t have to make wild claims about premium brands to justify your enthusiasm.

 

[Quickst]

"Paint correction" does not fix the underlying paint

 

[Tessy Sam]

Sam are your panel gaps consistent? Your issue is the amount of gap not variations in the gap?

Its not the variation in gaps but the size of the gaps in the MYP.

Compared to the similar sized Lexus which was parked next to my MYP the panel gaps on the MYP looked consistently wide. The Lexus looked much better finished with tighter gaps and better paint finish.

 

[OzTzlaBloke]

"Paint correction" does not fix the underlying paint

Yes it does. Its sanding / polishing the paint. So Runs. Orange peel. Close associates of mine are right across this as their profession in large multi spray booth businesses. It the paint job was done in a contaminated environment and theres grit, well its a case by case thing cos it then depends on where the grit is - i.e. is it just the clear top coat if the spray job has one or is it deeper than that etc

What a "pop" omg spray finish actually needs is a flat surface consistently to reflect the light. Thats what causes this effect. Deep paint correction is the way to go for fixing up common problems other than massive stuffups in a contaminated environment which requires more radical removal of the problem

 

[OzTzlaBloke]

It’s ok to think your car is the best on the planet

Come now Paul. You can have any opinion(s) you want, afterall, its merely an opinion.

Facts though. Porsche fans and Porsche people in Australia know whats great and whats not so great about specific models and different eras etc. The modern porsches tend to come with orange peel off the boat when imported. Its a fact. Not an opinion. Most will deep paint correct to fix it either through the dealer or the owner. By the time most people look at a newish Porsche its all been prepped and its excellent.

My opinion - I love many models of Porsches from many eras. More than that I admire what Porsche has done for Australian motorsport. Im a huge fan of their driver training and that area they get into. My opinion is I dont see it as a criticism that they tend to have orange peel in modern ones from the factory - no big deal. My opion doesnt have a need to "win" over a Porsche with a Tesla or whatever. Tesla has a place. Porsche has a place Ill always admire.

There is things I dont like about my Tesla. The brake pad choice for my use is one area Im big time critical of and Im also critical of Tesla Australias pricing on their track pad parts. Another owner who has different uses for the same model might think the brake pad choice is great by Tesla. I dont think the perfect vehicle exists. And if it did it would only be useful to one specific person for their use cases.

 

[Quickst]

Its sanding / polishing the paint

But the underlying paint remains problematic. A lot of paint correction only involves removing a thin bit of the clearcoat.

 

[Sir Surfalot]

Most will deep paint correct to fix it either through the dealer or the owner.

Just on paint, and please accept this as a sample size of ONE, but at least a direct experience:

* I am a Porsche owner. I owned one from new for over 8 years, and just (last few days) traded that on another one. The paint on both of them is excellent; the one I traded in pretty much as good as when it was delivered. I have not done any paint protection/correction/anything, just don’t see the need as in both cases the way it came out-of-the-box at the dealership is just fine.
* I am also a Tesla owner (as per my profile/photo). The Tesla (red multi-coat) paint is awful by comparison - soft and scratches/chips easily. Again I haven’t bothered with PPF or paint correction or anything like that, but I simply cannot compare the Porsche and Tesla paint quality.

To the broader question you posed at the top of this thread, I had no particular “pickup issues” with my Tesla, which was from the first MiC shipment in early 2021, EXCEPT it arrived with a dead SIM card - seeming still an ongoing problem now with a percentage of deliveries somehow. That was resolved by mobile service within a couple of days.

I see that people are still working through exhaustive delivery checklists when collecting their Teslas. It would be interesting to back-test against what - with the MiC cars delivered in Australia - is actually being picked up by this detailed going-over of the cars before accepting delivery. From the evidence in this forum and from speaking with other owners, it seems to me that close to zero problems are actually found when people go through these checklists, but if it makes people feel better then there isn’t any harm in it

 

[Quickst]

it seems to me that close to zero problems are actually found when people go through these checklists,

Precisely. Everyone will have their own experience "mileage may vary".

My only beef was the service agent if I can call him that kept saying "your vayco". In the end I said to him "WTF is vayco". He said "vayco is your car". WTF. In the end I asked him to spell it. He spelled "vehicle". LOL.

Other than that, there was an attempted shakedown about how my delivery was so quick because the service agent said he delivered a MY which a 14month waiting period. Im betting he is telling that to everyone.

Other than that the Vayco has been problem free

In fact the Parramatta delivery centre sent out an SMS to say the car is ready to be picked up 1 hr prior to scheduled time. I could have gone earlier.

 

[JonDarian]

...
Jon hitch receivers and the like being non uniform is standard. My NISSAN 4WDs and aftermarket supplies all do this little game of "convenient" incompatability for them. So Jon it seems your main issue for you mate is the range isnt what you hoped it to be.

The range is the biggest problem in a practical sense. There is a lot of talk about how efficient Tesla's are, and it doesn't stack up against the Kona, which is a surprise. The damaged paint is frustrating, especially when it cost extra. The UMC still not working as advertised is annoying, but might be fixed with the correct firmware.

I am coming from owning mostly Japanese-made cars like Mazda and Subaru, and more recent exposure to several Hyundais. They all had better paint, and odten lots of other small touches and refinements missing from the Tesla. I do accept that I am paying for a mid-range car with a great big battery, so am happy to compare the MYRWD to a Mazda 6, for example.

When I paid for Mazda to fit a towbar to my Mazda 6, it came ready to attach a trailer. Much simpler than needing to work out which parts are compatible, etc.

I have several other concerns and frustrations, but I won't rant on, given the subject of the thread.

* I am also a Tesla owner (as per my profile/photo). The Tesla (red multi-coat) paint is awful by comparison - soft and scratches/chips easily. Again I haven’t bothered with PPF or paint correction or anything like that, but I simply cannot compare the Porsche and Tesla paint quality.

To the broader question you posed at the top of this thread, I had no particular “pickup issues” with my Tesla, which was from the first MiC shipment in early 2021, EXCEPT it arrived with a dead SIM card - seeming still an ongoing problem now with a percentage of deliveries somehow. That was resolved by mobile service within a couple of days.

I see that people are still working through exhaustive delivery checklists when collecting their Teslas. It would be interesting to back-test against what - with the MiC cars delivered in Australia - is actually being picked up by this detailed going-over of the cars before accepting delivery. From the evidence in this forum and from speaking with other owners, it seems to me that close to zero problems are actually found when people go through these checklists, but if it makes people feel better then there isn’t any harm in it

Yeah, I agree about the checklists. It does seem that Australian deliveries are showing pretty good build quality generally. I did find the process helped familiarise me with the car, and a little reassurance that you are checking the right things is good. The checklist didn't find anything I wouldn't have seen myself, and Tesla didn't give a crap about that, anyway.

 

[Quickst]

At least at delivery, they don't have Ming moles trying to upsell the contract with leather protection, paint protection, rust prevention. Tyre protection insurance, extended warranty....

.......

When I paid for Mazda to fit a towbar to my Mazda 6, it came ready to attach a trailer.

My Landcruiser 200 - the thing that one would imagine is a towing king. The towbar is integrated into vehicle at factory. However in order to tow anything, an extra electronics box needed to be installed at extra cost.

 

[OzTzlaBloke]

Thankyou Ted for your insights

Ive just called my associate cos Im curious about this stuff with surface finishing. Hes asked me to go over there to his business this arvo and hes going to scan the whole car for paint depth and other stuff. He has all the tools to do this. Will be interesting. He also wants to measure it all for some reason he has this robot jig thing. The tyre geometry seems "right" to me but his stuff is super precision it has insane tolerances.

On the phone I asked him about hardness of paint (I'm an T&E engineer by profession so Im across material hardness and heat treatments generally but not with in depth stuff specific to painted surfaces) he said theres tests but it is destructive tests to measure the hardness in a spray job. Ted I shared your insights with him and his view is that correlates to what hes seen. i.e. He said generally mass market Tesla / Toyota / NISSAN etc are generally softer wheres as Bentley / Rolls Royce / Porsche / Lotus etc use higher quality more expensive paints that are harder and more resilient to abrasive wear patterns etc

Though he did say hardness doesnt effect how much it "pops" or looks great. He said a backyard job can even be made to look great given enough effort. Hardness is about durability in the long term

 

[paulp]

At least at delivery, they don't have Ming moles trying to upsell the contract with leather protection, paint protection, rust prevention. Tyre protection insurance, extended warranty....

.......


My Landcruiser 200 - the thing that one would imagine is a towing king. The towbar is integrated into vehicle at factory. However in order to tow anything, an extra electronics box needed to be installed at extra cost.

Tesla do the modern equivalent. My car is equipped to do Advanced auto pilot and FSD, but to use them I have to pay an additional cost. From what i can tell many brands are now looking at how they can extract from owners forever more with digital subscriptions

 

[sydneytdc]

We collected our MYLR yesterday at Chatswood, and have to say it's exceeded our expectations. The fit and finish was impeccable. Sorry to hear of others having less than pleasant experiences - would be interested to see where the variance is.

 

[Quickst]

Tesla do the modern equivalent

Yes but there is no pressure tactics

 

[paulp]

Yes but there is no pressure tactics

True in the traditional sense. A well known tesla person tweating that fsd is about to get more expensive so best buy it now….modern method of pressure. Then there is the lootbox to get others to apply the sales pressure for you