I was a delivery specialist for many years- Ask Me Anything

[DESinUS]

Sorry to hear that. What were the things you were berated for? Panel alignment, scratches, rescheduled deliveries, etc? What percentage of new Tesla owners would you say are generally reasonable and understanding vs. snobs/a$$holes when issues come up at delivery?

Production timelines were an issue- sales saying one thing blindly to get a sale vs. the reality of production. Tiny imperfections post-delivery. Trade estimates too low. Pretty much anything and everything you could think of. I'd say 20% of customers were just miserable people that held themselves above everybody else.

 

[Litigate28]

All Teslas are pretty much the same across the board regardless of trim. It's safe to equate different trims to different stickers you'd put on a computer or something like that. At the core, they're all the same. Performance models differ because they're manufactured with a larger motor in the rear.

Regarding reliability/quality, I think the MS conquers the MX. The MX is way more complicated on so many levels (i.e. more things that can potentially need servicing), and is essentially the same vehicle as the MS under the skin. It's also counterintuitive, but the MS has a much larger cargo capacity in real world situations due to the seats folding and the hatchback.

Upgrading to Ludicrous isn't possible unless you had one of those P90D's that had the option to have it. I believe it now comes standard. But if you have a 90D or 100D, it's impossible to convert. Plus it's much more cost effective to just order the car with it in the first place.

Thanks, appreciate the detailed answers. On the last point I have a P85D that I know can be upgraded, but apparently they just won't do it anymore unless you previously had placed a deposit or something. I was hoping (and by that I mean dreaming) you had some secret phrase I could use to "allow" me the upgrade.

 

[gavine]

a guy bring a flashlight and spend 4 hours combing all of the paint to see any minor clear coat mark (rejected delivery due to a 1mm defect)

Amazing. In the grand scheme of life, is something like that really worth sweating over? That "blemish" will have zero affect on the resale value of the car.

 

[Chedawg]

Thanks for all the insight, getting my AWD Model 3 later this summer hopefully and wanted to ask a more light hearted question...

Are donuts the best way to get in your delivery specialist's good graces or are they getting old/something else preferred?

I'm a bit OCD so may be a bit of a pain with any visible imperfections so I'd like to start off on the right foot if possible at least

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Uh, sales people don't give out their own referral code because if you're in sales, you are ineligible for the referral program rewards.

The "sales person" I dealt with at the Portland showroom offered me his referral code.

 

[chibi_kurochan]

The ~5000 vehicles or so off the production line for new models tend to have these issues. The problem with panel gaps are that they take forever to address when we receive the vehicles. Shops have to have all surrounding panels taken off to realign. It's definitely something that they can do, but don't expect to have your car back in a week's time.

haha, thanks for the info.. my model 3 VIN is right on your ballpark number.. VIN#5XXX, the price we pay for being "early adopters".
Again, appreciate all these great insights!!

 

[bonnie]

The "sales person" I dealt with at the Portland showroom offered me his referral code.

I think I already explained why it does them no good to do so. Most don't give out their own codes because it doesn't do them any good. (And thanks for explaining why you hit disagree on my post about that - I'm just reporting policy, wasn't sure why you would disagree with it. Now I know.)

 

[DESinUS]

Thanks for all the insight, getting my AWD Model 3 later this summer hopefully and wanted to ask a more light hearted question...

Are donuts the best way to get in your delivery specialist's good graces or are they getting old/something else preferred?

I'm a bit OCD so may be a bit of a pain with any visible imperfections so I'd like to start off on the right foot if possible at least

Ha-ha! Just tell them straight up so that they can properly prepare for a longer window of time. As shady as this sounds, money/gift cards are the best way to their hearts. They don’t get paid well, so anything to help people financially at tesla is always HUGELY appreciated.

 

[DESinUS]

Thanks, appreciate the detailed answers. On the last point I have a P85D that I know can be upgraded, but apparently they just won't do it anymore unless you previously had placed a deposit or something. I was hoping (and by that I mean dreaming) you had some secret phrase I could use to "allow" me the upgrade.

Honestly, I’ve never heard of Luda being added to a P85D and really have my doubts that they’d do it for anybody. I had a handful of clients pushing and pushing for it, but it never once happened. Your P85D is still one of the quickest cars out there- enjoy it!

 

[Bebop]

...and a $75-140k car.

I want my swag bag!

 

[pdxgibby]

I want my swag bag!

When they got rid of swag-bags, all the DESs were disappointed. It was always fun to get a little something extra. When I sold my 1st Model S, I remembered how much fun it was to get some swag at delivery so I bought 2 of the Tesla logo water bottles for the buyer. Was totally cool and the buyer and I remain friends to this day.

 

[chibi_kurochan]

I took my 2nd MS a few weeks ago. originally scheduled at Marina Del Ray but changed to Burbank center. Marina Del Ray center is great for the first time, in my opinion, but you may feel "you will be rushed to take the delivery". I must say Fit, Finish, and QC has 'decreased', comparing from my first delivery (2014-ish). I have immediately addressed to Tesla and they are addressing all issues at this moment. I have also submitted a report to the management but I haven't heard back anything even a single email. I have referred so many friends to Tesla that the recent delivery experience made me serious concerns. Elon has mentioned during the last stockholder meeting that "we really care about products. We really do..". I hope the message will reach to the upper management so that they get aware of it. The price tag is more than 100K+ and the built-quality was like "30K-ish vehicle". Absolutely not nearly close to the level of Mercedez, Lexas, Porche, unfortunately. That said, the service/support on-field staffs are great and they really work hard to make things right for customers. The issue I see is the upper management decision - rushing orders, poor QC. As a result, # hours of labor spent on a-after-care service is increasing.

I completely agree with you and have experienced exactly the same thing. All the issues from bad QC out of the factory goes into Service centers, and at least the Service Centers and Advisors really trying their best to help. But they are also spread thin, so many cars in service and they ended making more mistakes while trying to fix the original problem.

So i learn to live with minor imperfections, unless it's a major problem.

1. My SC tried to fix the headlight that was protruding and then forgot to re-connect some cables (for radar and sensors) behind it. Noticed because auto lane change, AC and seat heaters stopped working after I picked up the car.
2. Had to take it back to re-connect the connectors, but this time the bumper was not put back properly. Luckily i had PPF, otherwise it would have chipped the paint. So they had to re-adjust the bumpers again.

This is just one example of employees being spread too thin, too much work to do and not getting trained properly.

 

[Joe F]

The "salesman" I dealt with was a computer, or at least a web site somewhere running on a computer. Oh, and the early adopters on TMC, whether they knew it or not.

 

[dramsey]

I'd say 20% are pains. I had so many customers demand cars being driven to their home to take delivery (There's almost never enough man power for that), a guy bring a flashlight and spend 4 hours combing all of the paint to see any minor clear coat mark (rejected delivery due to a 1mm defect), people being entitled pricks in general... i could go on and on. No offense intended- but the PITA's were usually the base model customers who were just in the tax bracket to afford the vehicle, or celebrities that are used to getting anything and everything they want.

Well, to be fair, these delivery checklists exist and some customers are anal about them because Tesla's developed a (deserved) reputation for shoddy quality. After reading a few nightmare stories about horrible delivery experiences, it seems only judicious to take a really close look at that car you just spent so much money on.

My second MS (late 2016) was much better than my first MS (early 2013)-- there was nothing grossly wrong physically although the Drive PX computer had to be replaced-- but as others have noticed to this day, things like panel and body trim fit are at best hit-and-miss. I'd suspect it's probably the worst of any car sold in this country today.

Mercedes, Audi, etc. customers don't bother with this stuff because they know they don't need to.

 

[Super_Popular]

The "sales person" I dealt with at the Portland showroom offered me his referral code.

Me too, when I had given them Bonnie's code to use....Remember that Bonnie.

 

[SlimX]

Those checklists are delivery's worst enemy. They consume SO MUCH time and are mostly unnecessary.

Things to look out for for MX are squeaking falcon wing doors (usually addressed prior to delivery) and trunk latches not connecting smoothly. Also, look at the glass from the inside on the roofline of the of the FW doors. They sometimes (not often) crack from the heat they get from baking in the sun during transport, to being washed with cooler water after being unloaded from transport.

Thank you!!! I will do just that tomorrow.

I must say, I’ve gone through most of this thread and your objective responses are invaluable and insightful. Thank you!!

 

[Destiny1701]

So appreciative you’re helping here!
I have a dilemma..I ordered a new 100D MC red to arrive eta end of July. Recently found a P100D MC red with virtually identical features with a 30k adjustment and 3000km on it. When I push the lease numbers, the capital cost reduction puts the monthly payment on the P within $200 of the 100D new.

Dilemma is I’ve had an inventory car before and by about 3000km driven, I saw pits in the paint, scratch on windshield, creases in seats etc. It’s hit and miss I know and some demos were well kept whereas others not.

I love the range of the 100d and the ‘real world’ 3.6sec 0-60 vs the 2.4 0-60 (rollout spec) and lower range of the P100D. But at only $200/month apart? Arghh...it’s the red rocket vs the little less red rocket? Lol

I would be putting ppf on either car! Is there any way I could get pictures up close of the P from someone at the SC where it’s located? Who would I ask for this?

Thanks

 

[whitex]

Honestly, I’ve never heard of Luda being added to a P85D and really have my doubts that they’d do it for anybody. I had a handful of clients pushing and pushing for it, but it never once happened. Your P85D is still one of the quickest cars out there- enjoy it!

In case you talk with any of your old friends still working there and they would find this useful: Luda was a $5,000 retrofit available to those who ordered a P85D before November 2015. It took a while before retrofits started taking place, but also Tesla offered it much longer (close to 1.5 years vs. the original announced 6 months IIRC) and didn't seem to limit to original owners or stick to the the order date cutoff as originally announced. The upgrade was discontinued last year some time (anyone interested in exact dates you can find in here on TMC in some threads) - no more ability to order the necessary retrofit kits (and I suspect not training techs how to do it anymore either - I remember when they started doing it the techs had to go through special training how to do it as it involved opening the battery and replacing parts in there too).

 

[boswell]

How much insight did you have on when a delivery would really happen? I have S100D that was supposed to be a late June delivery but, today, my DS said that it will probably be July instead. Should I trust that information?

 

[Bebop]

Mercedes, Audi, etc. customers don't bother with this stuff because they know they don't need to.

You can say that about any other cheaper brand too. Honda, Mazda, etc. When I had my Mazda, I never had to think about bringing some checklist, everything was perfect. Not so much with my Tesla. Quality control is a problem considering how much you are spending on said product.