Model X FWD, is it okay to have FWD adjusted to address alignment issue?

[Gizmo17]

I was scheduled to pickup the MX I had ordered today. While inspecting the car, I noticed the FWD and rear quarter didn't align, maybe 1/8" off, the other side was off a bit less. The sales manager (forgot his title) offered to have it looked at and adjusted by the Service team. I wasn't comfortable with this as I had previously heard this shouldn't be done.
I was curious if: 1. is this a common issue, do other X owners have this? I walked around the lot checking the other MX (new and old) and most of the MX's there seemed to align better, and 2. have any of you had their FWD doors adjusted? Any issues afterwards?

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Yes, I did. My issues were smaller than 1/8th of an inch, but the service center experience was hell. The most annoying issue I did not notice during delivery was that my front door and FWD were not flush perpendicular to the car - both doors did not sit flush in the same plane. On the driver side the front door was protruding by the thickness of the glass beyond the FWD and on the passenger side it was the opposite where the leading edge of the FWD was sticking out a bit. There were tiny other imperfections I was ready to ignore, but these annoyed me and I was determined to have it fixed.

The experience was bad. 2 service center visits in Springfield NJ and on the 1st they decided to align one of the tiny imperfections that did not bother me and ignored the issue I complained about. While doing that, they also damaged my rear quarter window trim with FWD glass rubbing it during adjustment, and did not tell me about it. During the 2nd visit they replaced the rear quarter window but again ignored the FWD issue. I was ready to pay an independent body shop but for some reason they declined to work on it (likely because they were busy w bigger insurance based claims)

For a 3rd visit I went to a different service center 26 miles further (Paramus NJ) and they finally fixed it so it's now near perfect.

If I was ordering an X today and saw a misalignment of the FWD, I'd reject the car. This is based on my experience. Your local SC could be better (as good as Paramus NJ for example, which has a Tesla body shop), but do you want to gamble? Adjusting the FWD can be a simple or a very complicated process depending on which of the many axes needs adjustment. Most SC staff are not well trained to do it, if your SC doesn't have a body shop, I would not do it.

Also, like you I started examining SC lot model X's old and new. Most had some imperfections but I did not notice a single car where the doors were not flush in the same plane it was all either the handles or the trim gaps. Only accept the car if you can live with the imperfections.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Just noticed you're in NJ. Not sure which SC you're at but avoid Springfield. I live only 4 miles from it but now I service both my Teslas in Paramus and am willing to go the extra 30 miles.

 

[Gizmo17]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I’m actually closer to the Paramus location. That was where I was supposed to pick up my car the other day. Actually it was the 2nd car I rejected for the same issue, FWD not lining up to rear quarter panel. But it’s good to know they can make adjustments and it doesn’t lead to issues afterwards. I don’t expect a perfect car, I just want one with body panels that line up.

 

[yerEVan]

I had a certified body shop do it on our 18 X. $300. Totally worth it. But Paramus is a good SC.

 

[Milan Djabirov]

Yes, Paramus has a good manager and a body shop. But don't expect perfection, most X's have some misalignment issue, you just don't want it to be one that bothers you every time you approach the car.

 

[Gizmo17]

Yes, Paramus has a good manager and a body shop. But don't expect perfection, most X's have some misalignment issue, you just don't want it to be one that bothers you every time you approach the car.

I don’t expect perfection. If I was looking for perfection, I’d probably go with a Honda or Toyota. I just don’t want any obvious gaps that I’ll notice every time I hand wash the car. Hopefully 3rd times a charm.