Painful model S buying experience from tesla

[bzhang9]

ordered my first tesla from their website 2020 LR+, 1-2 week delivery

no word for 2 weeks, call around and apparently car is in the shop getting repaired
asked around for details of course no one knows anything
finally getting delivery 5 weeks later, still no one knows anything about the damage or repairs, they try to claim "state inspection" delay

I have to decide to keep the car tomorrow at delivery, but not comfortable taking a car that's been in the shop for a month which unknown issues or history

what would you do? $1.5 k in delivery/deposit fees paid

 

[jjrandorin]

In general, I wouldnt buy a used vehicle site unseen but thats how Tesla operates. I am fairly risk averse so I would want the full history of the repairs before I took it, or some sort of extended warranty provided by Tesla itself.

 

[shahryaran]

Tesla claims that their used cars are inspected. Whatever the repair is, you shouldn't worry about it in items of safety.
However, this doesn't mean that you would get a perfect car. And I don't mean little dent or scratch.
My used M3 turned out to have a missing bolt and a broken chassis nut on the sway bar bracket that holds the front under body aero.

 

[gnomee2]

I bought my 2017 MS in November 2020 right before they stopped showing pictures. I would probably have taken more months to talk myself into it if I couldn't see it.

Sorry to hear you had such a poor communication experience. Within 2 business days I was getting calls, emails and texts. I had a rep that was my "personal" contact through the experience, and they answered all my questions.

I screwed up on pickup. I was so excited I did not thoroughly scrutinize the car. I'd just driven two and a half hours from OK to MO to pick it up in a rental and was ready to head back in my new car.

I think part of why they are getting away with the no picture thing is they will do their best to correct anything you find on pickup.

I pointed out a few minor things and they happily documented them and scheduled service to remedy that later. I can't remember what that even was off hand. I think I was missing an adapter and there was a scuff on a door panel.

What I did miss was a bubble on the chrome on the mirror and a real bad touch up job on rear bumper. Both things my service center told me they would have fixed had I pointed it out during pickup. They don't want you walking away when they are that close to closing.

I had touched up rock chips on the hood though that were well done and nothing to complain about on a used car. I also couldn't see those in the pictures so a lot of good those did me.

I'm unsure how far they will go to satisfy you, but I recommend you go over it and be super picky, no harm in trying to get anything you deem an issue corrected.

Good Luck! I hope you have a good experience moving forward and love the car.

 

[razorbakz]

They do not do a damn thing besides charge a stupid high pre delivery price to clean the car to an average standard.
I bought a Model S and on face value you think yeah tesla certified seems great to a degree.

But really they just do not fix much just bare minimum.

One advantage is that 1 year with limited km warranty on some models for the first year. If you are mech minded with cars then go over everything and honestly research like no tomorrow.

They really have no idea what they are selling at the best of times the delivery teams.

You ask questions and they will walk off to talk to service and like well trained political Sh1t talkers will only stray away from your questions so press on them constantly. You are required to pay in full at least 48hours prior to delivery due to their terms and conditions and they still do not tell you anything about the car before or even after you buy it!. They will not tell you previous history on what has and what has not been done! and spin the bs line of privacy for the previous owner. Well I do not really give a flying F about the previous owner I just want to know the cars history!. Most of the time they will claim they do not have that kind of record. Honestly! they log every little bit of data on the car when it is first delivered to the first owner and it is like they need to walk into a warehouse full of piled boxes to find information. We all know its BS. they have the information on their servers they just do not want to say a thing.

Use that same tactic to you're advantage!. Charge them a fee to whatever you see fit and just say sorry that just policy. If you fail their payment terms they will break the contract at any time.

I have had at least 20k worth of parts replaced under the stat warranty and I am only finding more and more issues and this excludes the HV battery so far.

So although it is a massive pain in the ass do not bother ringing then asking questions! just find you're listed problems and lodge a service request with everything listed as a problem. I not talking about general wear and tear things like maybe stone chips or scuffed interior panels but proper genuine safety problems with the car and or faults and keep pushing them. if it is not right then do not take NO or it is within spec as an answer.

Invest in a obd2 cable and bluetooth adapter and use programs like Scan my Tesla or TM-Spy!. it might be $150 or so but well worth the investment.

They have no choice but to repair the car at their expense and yes what a massive pain in the ass to constantly go back and forth but just keep doing it.
In the long run you will be much better off getting them to cover the costs now rather you lashing out of pocket costs.

Spending time dropping it off and picking it up is a real pain but demand a courtesy car for the poor service and remind them they failed to deliver you're car that you paid in advance in good faith of functionality and proper working condition.

Do not believe what you read online with their advertised ranges and so on. they are all deceptive numbers. Youtube similar models and see what other people are saying about the cars

My initial impression prior to buying the car was calling them asking about the car was no real answers to basic questions only to be met with we can not discuss what options the car exactly have ect due to privacy reasons!
I knew i was going to have an interesting process ahead of me but decided to take on the challenge.
One main factor for me was being told to do my own research hence already being hesitant on the car.

I suggest taking it to a third party mechanic and having them inspect the car if you are just not that mech minded. Just as long as business you are dealing with they have some decent knowledge and credentials to back yourself up if issue present and have them document all detailed information. It is a small price to pay for piece of mind.


If the third party finds major defects and get it in writing and present the report to the service center using the app and uploading pictures as your ammunition to fight back at them and book you service appointment as quick as you can.

Demand they repair any damage components and if they refuse just threaten legal action upon them for breach of contract and remind them that you followed all contracted requirements they set out for you for a car you could not even look at in person. Not sure if all dealerships wont let you see the car this was my own personal encounter.

I honestly could not believe that the so call 102 point or whatever it is suppose to be rubbish prechecks are setout. I presume stupid things like color. wheels. tread depths. wipers. if the DC motors are in it and does it have a battery.

Just also remember that all second hand tesla with have various levels of battery degrading! it honestly does not matter even if it has low miles or kilometers or even if it is 3, 4, 5, 6 years old. even some older variants with much higher miles/kilometers can have much less battery degrading. Its all how the car has been treated and charged over its lifetime.

Hopefully this helps someone out. if you have any other questions just send me a message and I will answer them the best way.

 

[sorka]

As others have said, Tesla doesn't do anything except a basic crappy detail. I'd never buy a used car sight unseen until I've inspected and driven it myself. For most others, this means paying for a third party inspection.

 

[The Long C_0_N]

Hard pass on this used vehicle, especially since you're likely paying a premium. Tesla's used vehicle prices are a joke compared to their competitors. Ironically, Tesla also pays the least for its own vehicles when it comes time to trade in.

 

[bzhang9]

Hard pass on this used vehicle, especially since you're likely paying a premium. Tesla's used vehicle prices are a joke compared to their competitors. Ironically, Tesla also pays the least for its own vehicles when it comes time to trade in.

thanks all, no surprise they cancelled delivery an hour before the appt and delayed again, price not bad so I'm hesitant to let go since I haven't found a comparable one for comparable price
46.8k for 2020LR+ with 32k miles, MSM with white interior, and sonic carbon slip streams, clean autocheck before these new repairs
theres some 2020LR+ from local dealers 40-45k with 40k+ miles and worse options, also not ideal since warranty is basically gone
Used S prices might go up with 3/Y tax credits going away
Thinking I'll just wait it out and do a careful inspection and ask them to fix any issues vs bail and try to get credit card chargeback

 

[jjrandorin]

I bought a Model S and on face value you think yeah tesla certified seems great to a degree.

Im almost positive Teslas used cars are "USED CARS"... NOT "Certified Used cars". They dont have a certification process that I am aware of. If they did sell "certified" used cars, they would be obligated by law to provide all the inspection information if asked. By NOT selling "certified" used cars, they dont have to do that.

If I am wrong and Tesla does actually "certify" their used cars, I am sure someone will point this out. Note that what a salesperson says doesnt mean anything. " We inspect all our used cars and bring them up to standards" as a verbal or even emailed statement means absolutely zero.

 

[razorbakz]

Im almost positive Teslas used cars are "USED CARS"... NOT "Certified Used cars". They dont have a certification process that I am aware of. If they did sell "certified" used cars, they would be obligated by law to provide all the inspection information if asked. By NOT selling "certified" used cars, they dont have to do that.

If I am wrong and Tesla does actually "certify" their used cars, I am sure someone will point this out. Note that what a salesperson says doesnt mean anything. " We inspect all our used cars and bring them up to standards" as a verbal or even emailed statement means absolutely zero.

Perhaps not you're location. But where we are they are most certainly listed as certified pre owned cars on the website.

Deceptive conduct. Service guys are just part changers and highly doubt they have any knowledge on what they are doing.

Never answer questions when asked and never supply correct documents when asked several times even weeks after payments have been made.
Sales have no idea what they are doing. Service team has no idea what they are doing. Have order agreement papers with paid deposits confirming costing.
Then invoice arrives and hit with extra costs!. not a few hundred extra a few thousand extra!.

Simply put they are full of *sugar*!

 

[jjrandorin]

Perhaps not you're location. But where we are they are most certainly listed as certified pre owned cars on the website.

Deceptive conduct. Service guys are just part changers and highly doubt they have any knowledge on what they are doing.

Never answer questions when asked and never supply correct documents when asked several times even weeks after payments have been made.
Sales have no idea what they are doing. Service team has no idea what they are doing. Have order agreement papers with paid deposits confirming costing.
Then invoice arrives and hit with extra costs!. not a few hundred extra a few thousand extra!.

Simply put they are full of *sugar*!

Well... your location says "earth" so I have no idea where you are, other than on this planet somewhere.

The same screen you are sharing, in the US looks like this:

So, whatever country you are in, they must either not have an issue with the laws as it goes with certification, or you should be able to ask for the list of what was checked for the certification.

The OP of this thread, though, has a US based zip code, so thats what I was addressing.

 

[razorbakz]

Well... your location says "earth" so I have no idea where you are, other than on this planet somewhere.

The same screen you are sharing, in the US looks like this:

View attachment 1000254

So, whatever country you are in, they must either not have an issue with the laws as it goes with certification, or you should be able to ask for the list of what was checked for the certification.

The OP of this thread, though, has a US based zip code, so thats what I was addressing.

Have already requested that information several times as previously mentioned and supplied nothing at all. I have transcripts of message logs with them back and forth aswell as call logs. They will only answer questions that suits them. Either way they are not at all transparent.

 

[sorka]

Look at the canceled delivery as a blessing and get out of the deal as fast as you can. You'll pay less in the long run if you buy new.