First P85D adopters stuck in black hole

[randompersonx]

Like others have said, I am very irritated with this status.

I ordered minutes after the site went online. Tesla is holding $5000 of my money (I actuallly paid the deposit twice and told tesla to keep the second deposit rather than refund it).

While I would prefer not to wait and get a perfect car, I am not particularly mad about waiting or a delay. The lack of communications is the problem. My fear however is I will receive a car on 12/31 that was built wrong, hand-repaired to inferior quality, and I will receive a Frankenstein car.

Tesla is gaining nothing by ignoring is, because we already assume the worst at this point.

I emailed Jerome, but I don't know if I will receive a response.

 

[redox]

While I would prefer not to wait and get a perfect car, I am not particularly mad about waiting or a delay. The lack of communications is the problem. My fear however is I will receive a car on 12/31 that was built wrong, hand-repaired to inferior quality, and I will receive a Frankenstein car.

Same here...
If they wanted to make it right by us they could re-run our specs though the production line to get a new car out of the fixed line (not Frankenstein). Adding an extra option for free would be a nice gesture too - but that's not necessary.
They could keep the failed cars for either parts, test drives, loaners, etc.

-- Greg

 

[wk057]

Well, in Tesla's defense, we have no real information leading to believing we have Frankenstein cars... granted, the little info we do have and the lack of other information would make this pretty plausible, I haven't quite jumped to that conclusion yet...

If the issue is a lack of seats, I wouldn't consider that a Frankenstein car if they swapped out the seats. That is done by humans anyway I believe is it not? (Pretty sure from the videos I've seen of the assembly)

If there is some other more major issue holding us up, yeah... they should have just rebuilt them instead of delaying us indefinitely and giving us a manually repaired car.

But again, we have no real information either way, so, I'm going to avoid such speculation.

 

[MrClown]

I'm pretty certain that it was stated at the October announcement of the "D and something else" that full autopilot functionality would not be available until sometime in 2015. This is from the October 10th Tesla blog post: Model S will be able to steer to stay within a lane, change lanes with the simple tap of a turn signal, and manage speed by reading road signs and using active, traffic aware cruise control. It will take several months for all Autopilot features to be completed and uploaded to the cars.

The tech package on the order page also states, "Safety features, today and in the future, are included in every Model S with Autopilot hardware. Convenience features will be included in the Tech Package. It will take several months for all the features to be completed and uploaded to the cars." Given the history, I'd expect "several" to mean "many."

 

[EarlyAdopter]

I'm a long time Tesla owner, supporter, and shareholder, and one of the first to order a P85D (after watching a live stream of the unveiling), and I, too, am a frustrated P85D orderer stuck in limbo.

I've been through this song and dance with Tesla before - I waited over a year for my first Model S only to have Tesla offer me a shot at a December 2012 delivery and then fall through and not get me the car until January 2013.

Here we are potentially again.

Last time though I had considerably more patience and tolerance for this. Tesla was a younger, smaller company building it's first car from scratch and I felt compelled to get off gas and into an EV. From my point of view, getting into a Tesla was something I needed to do and I was willing to wait.

This time, getting into a P85D is far from a need. This is entirely about a want. It's an emotional decision, completely unnecessary, and frankly rather impractical. But it was exciting and fun. That's starting to vaporize and the reality and inconvenience of the situation is starting to take hold.

I'm seriously considering canceling my want and just continuing to enjoy my need.

Well, I just got back from a test drive of a P85D at the Seattle Westlake store. Ok, I'm keeping my order.

I'll post my thoughts in the main "P85D test drive thread" later, but I can definitely say if they would have simply taken my check and handed me the keys for that car, VIN 62,200-ish interestingly enough (very low), I would have taken it in a heartbeat. It had the next gen seats and the fit and finish and drive quality were superb. It felt complete, very finished, nothing Frankenstein with it at all.

So, I'd recommend everyone on the fence about sticking it out go take a quick test drive.

To Tesla, I'd recommend reaching out to delayed P85D orderers every day from now until the cars start landing in owners hands. You've got a crisis of confidence on your hands that can easily be remedied with communication.

Yes, once the cars hit everyone's driveways the concerns will absolutely vanish, based on my experience today. But what matters now is getting everyone through the valley of despair.

 

[PatP]

Well, I just got back from a test drive of a P85D at the Seattle Westlake store. Ok, I'm keeping my order.

I'll post my thoughts in the main "P85D test drive thread" later, but I can definitely say if they would have simply taken my check and handed me the keys for that car, VIN 62,200-ish interestingly enough (very low), I would have taken it in a heartbeat. It had the next gen seats and the fit and finish and drive quality were superb. It felt complete, very finished, nothing Frankenstein with it at all.

So, I'd recommend everyone on the fence about sticking it out go take a quick test drive.

To Tesla, I'd recommend reaching out to delayed P85D orderers every day from now until the cars start landing in owners hands. You've got a crisis of confidence on your hands that can easily be remedied with communication.

Yes, once the cars hit everyone's driveways the concerns will absolutely vanish, based on my experience today. But what matters now is getting everyone through the valley of despair.

I also had the opportunity to take a test drive. The car is really really great. I'm coming from a P85 Sig 2012 and it's day and night. However, as much as I loved the car, I don't think Tesla is communicating properly. I have to rent a car while waiting and I can't even properly book my rental's return date.

Tesla has to understand this issue is mostly affecting the early adopters and biggest fans. Not good for the brand.

 

[TexasEV]

You would think people would be used to Tesla time by now.

 

[randompersonx]

I also had the opportunity to take a test drive. The car is really really great. I'm coming from a P85 Sig 2012 and it's day and night. However, as much as I loved the car, I don't think Tesla is communicating properly. I have to rent a car while waiting and I can't even properly book my rental's return date.

Tesla has to understand this issue is mostly affecting the early adopters and biggest fans. Not good for the brand.

You would think people would be used to Tesla time by now.

Once again, the point is not the delay -- it's the lack of communications.

Using patp as an example -- if you book a hertz rental for 3 weeks, it is much cheaper than booking it for 1 week and extending it for 3 weeks (perhaps 2x as expensive).

Why shouldn't patp be given the information to properly book his car rental? Delay is not the same thing as blackout of information.


And an update on my status:
DS called. Apologized for not responding to my emails in a timely manner, informed me that I should be able to drive up to 750 miles on my trade-in before the end of month without any problems for the trade value.

Asked if I had any other concerns -- I explained the issues we are all concerned about here, and basically was told that he does not actually know why my car is still in assembly, why other cars that started later have finished before, when the car will complete, when it will ship, when it will deliver, or when he will know the answer to any of the previous questions.

He's clearly trying here, and I feel bad for digging into him (I know it is not his fault), and I hope he is able to get SOME information out of corporate to share.

 

[skilly]

Once again, the point is not the delay -- it's the lack of communications.

Using patp as an example -- if you book a hertz rental for 3 weeks, it is much cheaper than booking it for 1 week and extending it for 3 weeks (perhaps 2x as expensive).

Why shouldn't patp be given the information to properly book his car rental? Delay is not the same thing as blackout of information.

that example doesnt fly. Long term rentals are the same price (and sometimes less) than a short term (week) rental. If youre smart, you would book for the long haul knowing that "late December" could mean that all the way to December 31st 11:59pm, Im more inclined to scream murder after the crime happens...we still have a couple of weeks left for them to deliver on their promise. This is a lot of venting before the fact for things that when it comes down to it are trivial. Just sayin.

 

[Mjc123]

I am in the black hole as well. Went into production right around thanksgiving. Have had a couple of updates from DS, on December 5 it was undergoing "final testing phase at the factory" and on December 11 "final safety inspections at the factory". I've had no other communication about seats, etc but did get the purchase agreement showing a delivery date of December 16, and an invoice for the balance. It's clear they have over promised and under delivered on timing.

 

[NigelM]

You would think people would be used to Tesla time by now.

I'm assuming you missed the point of the thread, if not that statement is rather unfair.

 

[Karma]

If it's any consolation to those of you waiting on your P85D's to arrive, the first demo arrived in Tampa yesterday and I was lucky enough to experience "insane" first hand, as well as the new seats.
I was there to pickup my 85, and I can tell you all, that the P85D is going to be worth the wait.

FWIW, lack of communication is a big problem for any company who is a start-up. Tesla wants to be the Nordstrom's or Ritz of car companies, but is seriously blemishing the relationship with their highest end customers on this D roll-out. I'm not sure the DS know the delay, but whatever it is, they are now being delivered, and all of you who are dying to put your butts in the seat of your very own rocket, will be very happy, very soon.

 

[LetsGoFast]

This post is an excellent example of how Tesla has failed to handle the situation appropriately. If it is accurate (which it seems to be consistent with what little we know at this point), it seems like information that should have been conveyed to all pending orders by the company. It is consistent with what several other owners have been told in the pending P85D orders thread (that you can choose between getting the car soon without the new seats or waiting a month or more for the old seats). Its really a failure of communications for people to learn about it here and especially crazy if you consider that people who don't follow the forums are unlikely to get contacted for weeks. If it is accurate, some people have received this information from their DS with this information at least four days ago, while others still have not heard and I strongly suspect will not hear for many more days. Its just not rocket science -- just basic customer communications.

I know for a fact that a fellow orderer reached out to Jerome and others at the factory just a few hours ago and expressly offered to accept delivery with any seats available if that would speed things up and was not provided this same information and was not provided the same information, by people who seem like they should know as much as anyone.

 

[billarnett]

I'm not too concerned about the delays. That's normal for high-tech projects. I canceled my order and started a new one just to get the heated steering wheel. My reasoning is that waiting another two or three months is no big deal but, on the other hand, if I took the car now without the heated steering wheel I would be annoyed by it every time I drove it in cold weather for the next N years. (And for those of us who grew up in San Diego, the SF Bay Area is almost always cold I'm also a little concerned about getting a Frankenstein-car. I'm thinking that the lack of communication may be due to something that is somewhat embarrassing for Tesla. And I'm assuming that it will all be taken care of Real Soon Now (i.e. before my reordered car is built).

(This is NOTHING like the grief we went thru with the 2008 Roadsters. I'm still a very big Tesla fan

 

[flyboyzz1]

I'm not too concerned about the delays. That's normal for high-tech projects. I canceled my order and started a new one just to get the heated steering wheel. My reasoning is that waiting another two or three months is no big deal but, on the other hand, if I took the car now without the heated steering wheel I would be annoyed by it every time I drove it in cold weather for the next N years. (And for those of us who grew up in San Diego, the SF Bay Area is almost always cold I'm also a little concerned about getting a Frankenstein-car. I'm thinking that the lack of communication may be due to something that is somewhat embarrassing for Tesla. And I'm assuming that it will all be taken care of Real Soon Now (i.e. before my reordered car is built).

(This is NOTHING like the grief we went thru with the 2008 Roadsters. I'm still a very big Tesla fan

By the time your car is in production something else will be new...

 

[AlMc]

By the time your car is in production something else will be new...

By the time the cars 'in production' leave production there may be something new. Such is the nature of TM. Always changing/innovating.

 

[WindyCity]

I ordered my P85D on October 13th. It went into production on December 6th. I was informed on the 12th that it had reached the mid-way point on the assembly line. That means only that it has gone through half the stations. Normally, production takes about five days for a P85. The D's production time might be longer. My DS couldn't estimate when it would be finished. However, he did say that Tesla "had to redo some items on vehicles that were already being produced." This is probably a good thing, though it adds to the frustration of buyers who've been expecting their cars sooner. Given this is a new model, glitches in assembly might have turned up. That wouldn't be surprising. I think Tesla wants to make sure that every vehicle they deliver is the best it can be.

 

[jgsuperstar29]

Hi All - I'm in the same boat of frustration. I was among the group on the other thread that went into production on 11/21. FWIW, I emailed Jerome yesterday, and (surprisingly) received this response today:

"Dear John:

Thank you for your message.

Your car was built with some of the first new generation seats. The side airbags built into these specific seats might have some concerns when deploying. As per my previous message, we want to err on the side of caution and we will replace the seats. Since the airbags are sawn inside the seats, the practical way is to replace the seats. Although we assemble the seats locally, we depend on some parts coming from outside suppliers. Lately, the port of Oakland has undergone a succession of problems and we receive shipments randomly and not in the order we are expecting.

We are working non-stop to expedite the completion of your Model S. We still intend to deliver your car in 2014, although it might be in the last few days (if not the last few hours). Thank you for your understanding and your patience.

Jerome Guillen "

So at least he went into a little more detail than most of us have heard (I think). It doesn't really do anything to alleviate my frustration, but at least it's some form of communication.

 

[reuted]

Well, while communication may be spotty and inconsistent: I had the chance to drive the D today. It is just awesome. Man you press that pedal and it is a lot faster than the current P85+. I was concerned about incremental noise and it is ok. For true luxury and quiet cabin Benz produces more mature cars.

However the driving dynamics are incredible. Because of the AWD and the weight balance the car feels very neutral and accelerates like on rails in turns. So driving fun is just incredible. I can't wait for ours to show up in a week. If you have never driven a tesla before it is just super impressive. My wife was a bit concerned, do I need 700hp to pick up the boys from school? No. She is comfortable and happy and "approved" the upgrade. We have never in our lives sold a new car after 6 mths to swap it for more or less the same thing.

On the upgrade thing: Yup every time something new comes there is the urge to move. Our current P85 is still an outstanding car, and in some sense there is no need to upgrade. Every-time i step into a good old ICE car it really feels like a step backwards. Picking up a used P85+ with all but 3500 miles at a good discount is as smart move.

With Seasons Greetings, now that there are more D at the show room visiting one may be good therapy. The Tesla team is objectively working hard, through the holidays. The product is 2nd to none.

Early next year we would good fun to get on a track. Chicago area track visitors keep us in the loop. It feels like it would be good to have a pro with me when exploring the limits of the car.

 

[commasign]

Hi All - I'm in the same boat of frustration. I was among the group on the other thread that went into production on 11/21. FWIW, I emailed Jerome yesterday, and (surprisingly) received this response today:

"Dear John:

Thank you for your message.

Your car was built with some of the first new generation seats. The side airbags built into these specific seats might have some concerns when deploying. As per my previous message, we want to err on the side of caution and we will replace the seats. Since the airbags are sawn inside the seats, the practical way is to replace the seats. Although we assemble the seats locally, we depend on some parts coming from outside suppliers. Lately, the port of Oakland has undergone a succession of problems and we receive shipments randomly and not in the order we are expecting.

We are working non-stop to expedite the completion of your Model S. We still intend to deliver your car in 2014, although it might be in the last few days (if not the last few hours). Thank you for your understanding and your patience.

Jerome Guillen "

So at least he went into a little more detail than most of us have heard (I think). It doesn't really do anything to alleviate my frustration, but at least it's some form of communication.

Thank you. That's the most useful info I've heard in the last few days.