From 340xi to Tesla dual motor Model 3 - mini comparo.

[eustachio]

I've owned several VWs, when I lived in Europe. They are very common there and are considered middle of the road in quality terms. Fit and finish on ours was ok, but plenty of rattles.

After dieselgate I wouldn't even consider one, on ethical grounds.

 

[TeeEmCee]

I’m confused, is that picture supposed to be an improvement over the underside of the hood on a Model 3?

Yes, a big one, in my case.

 

[Whitehawk]

The only difference I see is the addition of insulating felt to help control engine noise - something not necessary on a Tesla...

 

[Runt8]

It certainly is busy under there. Probably similar to the inside of the car.

 

[sixela]

Yes, a big one, in my case.

I would (if you don't care about range) seriously consider an Audi e-tron in your case. Or perhaps a VW ID.3, if you care to wait for as long as we waited for the Model 3 ;-).

Not that _I_ would, but then I'm a sucker for the driving experience rather than the sound of the doors slamming or the aesthetics of panel gaps (not that those on my 3 are not what they should be, except for the European CCS Combo 2 charge port and the open/close sensor pushing the back side of the port cover away 2mm, something I don't see on US variants, and the head lights protruding 1mm on the underside, with a larger panel gap at the top. If those are the kinds of things that make you lose sleep, then perhaps the model 3 is not the car for you).

 

[TeeEmCee]

I would (if you don't care about range) seriously consider an Audi e-tron in your case. Or perhaps a VW ID.3, if you care to wait for as long as we waited for the Model 3 ;-).

Not that _I_ would, but then I'm a sucker for the driving experience rather than the sound of the doors slamming or the aesthetics of panel gaps (not that those on my 3 are not what they should be, except for the European CCS Combo 2 charge port and the open/close sensor pushing the back side of the port cover away 2mm, something I don't see on US variants, and the head lights protruding 1mm on the underside, with a larger panel gap at the top. If those are the kinds of things that make you lose sleep, then perhaps the model 3 is not the car for you).

Correct, it isn't, not anymore.

All those slapdash assembly issues are things I was either ready to tolerate or tolerate the wait to have them fixed. It was the service organization's ineptitude, on top of the dreadful quality that made me get rid of it. And NONE of the issues I had were unfixable, provided that they gave a crap.

Yes, I tried the eTron at the Audi center in Munich and again here in the US recently. As soon as the EQC is out, I'll compare the two, then I guess I'll pick one and call it a day. Too bad, I was rooting for "our team" this time. It was their performance and not some "teething problems" that left me with such disappointment.

 

[voip-ninja]

Correct, it isn't, not anymore.

All those slapdash assembly issues are things I was either ready to tolerate or tolerate the wait to have them fixed. It was the service organization's ineptitude, on top of the dreadful quality that made me get rid of it. And NONE of the issues I had were unfixable, provided that they gave a crap.

Yes, I tried the eTron at the Audi center in Munich and again here in the US recently. As soon as the EQC is out, I'll compare the two, then I guess I'll pick one and call it a day. Too bad, I was rooting for "our team" this time. It was their performance and not some "teething problems" that left me with such disappointment.

Tesla is capable of building Model 3 vehicles without these problems, I rented one and it was pleasant and very quiet... nothing like the one I purchased.

To me the problems with Tesla choosing low grade parts is far less of a problem than just the shoddy construction quality and all around service ineptitude. I have had over a dozen basic problems fixed on mine and there is still stuff on it that is not quite right and it still rattles more than any other car in my stable, and one of those is going on 12 years old.

 

[sixela]

I think there are also cultural differences, to be fair: I'd rather receive service from a Belgian SeC than a US one ;-).

Relations with car dealers / garages here in Belgium tend to be less adversorial than in the US (even though one issue is that for Tesla a lot of things are decided by Fremont, who really don't have a clue about the various quirks about the way every country operates slightly differently in Europe).

It's not only the dealers/service centres, though: customers usually make an effort not to be unreasonable either (most US people are also reasonable, but you have a share of Entitled Customers from Hell that I would wish upon no company on Earth, and the backlash makes life more miserable for people with more justified concerns).

Over here if you want bad service you go to the official importer of the car brand; they're usually large enough not to care.

It's not only cultural; even in the Netherlands everyone seems to know which SeCs to avoid and which ones not to avoid ;-). Although to be fair in Europe there are even stark cultural differences within countries that would surprise someone from the US.

As far as quality is concerned, perhaps in Europe we are blessed to receive cars that haven't been made under pressure to ship them out the door for end-of-quarter delivery in quite the same manner: to get the cars on a boat in time for delivery they must be produced in the middle of the quarter in Fremont. That, or the SeCs take more time to fix some issues before their customers get their hands on the cars. I've seen some US colleagues get far shoddier cars than the ones I casually inspect at my local SeCs when I happen to be there.

 

[JanG007]

I think there are also cultural differences, to be fair: I'd rather receive service from a Belgian SeC than a US one ;-).

Relations with car dealers / garages here in Belgium tend to be less adversorial than in the US (even though one issue is that for Tesla a lot of things are decided by Fremont, who really don't have a clue about the various quirks about the way every country operates slightly differently in Europe).

It's not only the dealers/service centres, though: customers usually make an effort not to be unreasonable either (most US people are also reasonable, but you have a share of Entitled Customers from Hell that I would wish upon no company on Earth, and the backlash makes life more miserable for people with more justified concerns).

Over here if you want bad service you go to the official importer of the car brand; they're usually large enough not to care.

It's not only cultural; even in the Netherlands everyone seems to know which SeCs to avoid and which ones not to avoid ;-). Although to be fair in Europe there are even stark cultural differences within countries that would surprise someone from the US.

As far as quality is concerned, perhaps in Europe we are blessed to receive cars that haven't been made under pressure to ship them out the door for end-of-quarter delivery in quite the same manner: to get the cars on a boat in time for delivery they must be produced in the middle of the quarter in Fremont. That, or the SeCs take more time to fix some issues before their customers get their hands on the cars. I've seen some US colleagues get far shoddier cars than the ones I casually inspect at my local SeCs when I happen to be there.

Off topic, do you have a favorite SeC in Belgium? (I guess you visit Aartselaar as your location states Boechout)

 

[sixela]

I've had good experiences both in Ghent (Sint-Martens-Latem) and Aartselaar. Aartselaar was more responsive in June because of the crazy number of Model 3s being delivered in Ghent (they even delivered some Model 3 in Aartselaar in the end of quarter rush but that lasted only a week or so).

 

[pipestem]

Yes, a big one, in my case.

Looks like sound deadening because it's right over a heat engine making thousands of combustions per minute. Or something else is making lots of noise. Good thing my Tesla does not do that. It also does not get sooty and oily under the hood. Neither does any another BEV.

Me, I'm the one. My car. No problems. 7100 mi. Still love it every day.

I just drove my nephew's brand new GTI. Really nice car. Great shifter. Solid doors. I'm not trading for it.