Purchased 2020 Model S Performance Used from Tesla.com

[Bo Kim]

Hi,

The car I picked up has tons of moldings missing; a storage unit under the screen, cup holders inside the deep middle storage unit, trunk cover, back left seat handle molding. While one agent in Tesla is working through the issue with me, this car seems heavily tempered with prior to sale and Tesla didn’t even bother covering it up. It makes me wonder what else may be wrong with the car that I’m not aware of.

Also, there were tint removal stains (sticky stuff) in all windows, nasty dirt type stain in air vents (not ordinary dust that can be wiped off), animal hair all over the trunk, a duct tape and clear tapes on four doors, etc.

Does anyone have an experience with Tesla taking returns on used vehicle sales? I bought the car little over two weeks ago but the car went into service about a week ago. Correspondence with the Tesla has been ongoing since the day the car was purchased.

Yes, I’m not a car person and that’s why these items were not noticed at the time I picked up the vehicle. Exterior looked perfect. My wife and my daughter noticed these imperfections right away, which prompted us to start this discussion with Tesla.

 

[shahryaran]

Hi,

The car I picked up has tons of moldings missing; a storage unit under the screen, cup holders inside the deep middle storage unit, trunk cover, back left seat handle molding. While one agent in Tesla is working through the issue with me, this car seems heavily tempered with prior to sale and Tesla didn’t even bother covering it up. It makes me wonder what else may be wrong with the car that I’m not aware of.

Also, there were tint removal stains (sticky stuff) in all windows, nasty dirt type stain in air vents (not ordinary dust that can be wiped off), animal hair all over the trunk, a duct tape and clear tapes on four doors, etc.

Does anyone have an experience with Tesla taking returns on used vehicle sales? I bought the car little over two weeks ago but the car went into service about a week ago. Correspondence with the Tesla has been ongoing since the day the car was purchased.

Yes, I’m not a car person and that’s why these items were not noticed at the time I picked up the vehicle. Exterior looked perfect. My wife and my daughter noticed these imperfections right away, which prompted us to start this discussion with Tesla.

Unfortunately, rejecting the car at the time of delivery was your only option which would have resulted losing the $500 deposit.

I bought a 2020 M3 with 38k in June and this is how it was:
No floor Matt
Little tiny ding on the door
Little tiny scratches on the hood
No rim rash
Included mobile charger/ power supply
Minor small several blemish on paint
10% battery degraded

And I had to service it for:
Rear camera recall
Coolant leak fix

Tesla also told me the bolt and welded nut to the aero shield bracket is missing which concludes this is how I got the car since you can't put the car on a jack at the time of delivery while it is stated that all used cars sold are inspected by Tesla.

I don't know what degree of inspection is considered acceptable by Tesla!

You can go the legal way. Or have a family day together and get the car clean and buy whatever is missing.

 

[Bo Kim]

Unfortunately, rejecting the car at the time of delivery was your only option which would have resulted losing the $500 deposit.

I bought a 2020 M3 with 38k in June and this is how it was:
No floor Matt
Little tiny ding on the door
Little tiny scratches on the hood
No rim rash
Included mobile charger/ power supply
Minor small several blemish on paint
10% battery degraded

And I had to service it for:
Rear camera recall
Coolant leak fix

Tesla also told me the bolt and welded nut to the aero shield bracket is missing which concludes this is how I got the car since you can't put the car on a jack at the time of delivery while it is stated that all used cars sold are inspected by Tesla.

I don't know what degree of inspection is considered acceptable by Tesla!

You can go the legal way. Or have a family day together and get the car clean and buy whatever is missing.

Thank you for a prompt response. I’m waiting to hear back from the advisor, so crossing my fingers. Good news is that the car is under warranty and the air suspension compressor issue should be covered. The advisor already agreed to a free detail washing so even if I keep the car, a few missing parts are the only immediate concern.

Not a great feeling either way though. :/

 

[Tam]

Thank you for a prompt response. I’m waiting to hear back from the advisor, so crossing my fingers. Good news is that the car is under warranty and the air suspension compressor issue should be covered. The advisor already agreed to a free detail washing so even if I keep the car, a few missing parts are the only immediate concern.

Not a great feeling either way though. :/

Different brands have different policies. Some would offer refunds. Tesla does not.

 

[gsmith123]

For what it’s worth a good detailer can get the interior cleaned up. Unless you like cleaning I’d let a professional deal with the sticky adhesive residue and pet hair and stuff. They have tools to do it effectively

 

[Yelobird]

Curious. In purchasing a 4 year Used car were you expecting flawless? Seems like part of the Used buying experience which depends on the previous owner.

 

[Bo Kim]

Curious. In purchasing a 4 year Used car were you expecting flawless? Seems like part of the Used buying experience which depends on the previous owner.

No. But I don’t expect moldings missing from the car.

 

[jjvan]

No. But I don’t expect moldings missing from the car.

Tesla should fix it for you if you have the evidence of these issues at pickup time. Tesla doesn't repair cosmetic issues like scratches and small dents but they will cover any mechanical issues. I would think that missing panels will be covered. I was told by a service advisor recently that they cover these types of defects for the first 160 miles after delivery. If your current advisor doesn't help you, just schedule a service appointment with the app for these issues.

 

[Tam]

Curious. In purchasing a 4 year Used car were you expecting flawless? Seems like part of the Used buying experience which depends on the previous owner.

Depending on who are sellers.

By now, consumers shouldn't expect much from Tesla.

But other sellers have all kinds of levels/conditions including CPO that should be very nice and spotless.

 

[Yelobird]

Depending on who are sellers.

By now, consumers shouldn't expect much from Tesla.

But other sellers have all kinds of levels/conditions including CPO that should be very nice and spotless.

I guess just didn’t make sense to me. I have traded in cars (not proud) that looked nice but hadn’t had the oil changed in 30k miles so I rarely expect flawless complete in buying used at discount personally.

 

[Tam]

I guess just didn’t make sense to me. I have traded in cars (not proud) that looked nice but hadn’t had the oil changed in 30k miles so I rarely expect flawless complete in buying used at discount personally.

That's why Mitsubishi provides CPO coverage for 10 years/100,000 in case someone has ruined the engine for the next owner. Zero deductible for the duration.

Certified Pre-Owned Mitsubishi Vehicles | Mitsubishi Motors

Every Certified Pre-Owned Mitsubishi (CPO) vehicle is reconditioned and inspected for a quality driving experience. Learn more about Mitsubishi's CPO program.

www.mitsubishicars.com

Sellers need to assure that they got consumers' back.

But consumers should not confuse that with Tesla.

 

[jjvan]

That's why Mitsubishi provides CPO coverage for 10 years/100,000 in case someone has ruined the engine for the next owner.

But consumers should not confuse with Tesla policy.

I have found Tesla to be excellent at addressing the issues that have come up on the two used cars I bought from them.

Yes there may be some issues with the cars at first but they will fix the issues when you identify them. They treat used cars similarly to the new cars in that respect. I recommend to everyone that they take photos of everything and report any issues as soon as you see them.

 

[Bo Kim]

Tesla should fix it for you if you have the evidence of these issues at pickup time. Tesla doesn't repair cosmetic issues like scratches and small dents but they will cover any mechanical issues. I would think that missing panels will be covered. I was told by a service advisor recently that they cover these types of defects for the first 160 miles after delivery. If your current advisor doesn't help you, just schedule a service appointment with the app for these issues.

I think they are going to fix it. It’s just a total pain in the butt. I’ll keep everyone here posted on the status. Meanwhile, other than these issues, car looks beautiful from outside and accelerates like a demon.

 

[Bo Kim]

I have found Tesla to be excellent at addressing the issues that have come up on the two used cars I bought from them.

Yes there may be some issues with the cars at first but they will fix the issues when you identify them. They treat used cars similarly to the new cars in that respect. I recommend to everyone that they take photos of everything and report any issues as soon as you see them.

While my experience has been frustrating and not pleasant, your statement is slowly becoming true. The car has already been to service 3 times and I have two more appointments set up; one to install a missing molding and another to replace air compressor. They detailed the car today; Tesla detail is only as good as normal car wash but I’ll take it.

 

[jjvan]

While my experience has been frustrating and not pleasant, your statement is slowly becoming true. The car has already been to service 3 times and I have two more appointments set up; one to install a missing molding and another to replace air compressor. They detailed the car today; Tesla detail is only as good as normal car wash but I’ll take it.

Happy to hear you are being taken care of. I hope you get to enjoy the car soon.

 

[dsm363]

Thank you for a prompt response. I’m waiting to hear back from the advisor, so crossing my fingers. Good news is that the car is under warranty and the air suspension compressor issue should be covered. The advisor already agreed to a free detail washing so even if I keep the car, a few missing parts are the only immediate concern.

Not a great feeling either way though. :/

If the price was fair, I think you have to accept the small cosmetic issues if they were noted when you bought the car and at pickup, you mentioned them. But things like missing molding they hopefully will help out with. And coolant leak of course since you have a warranty.

A good detailer can take care of a lot of it.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

If I buy a vehicle 3rd party I expect to have some level of detailing to do on my own.....this is not that.

If I'm purchasing a used car from a dealer I do not expect to see pet hair and missing trim pieces. Unless I'm paying well below market and it's expressly noted they took the car in and didn't run through it, I expect to take delivery of a clean vehicle that has all it's bits and pieces. Scratches and dings on a used car is one thing....missing trim panels, pet hair and such is something else.

I guess we all have different standards.

 

[Yelobird]

If I buy a vehicle 3rd party I expect to have some level of detailing to do on my own.....this is not that.

If I'm purchasing a used car from a dealer I do not expect to see pet hair and missing trim pieces. Unless I'm paying well below market and it's expressly noted they took the car in and didn't run through it, I expect to take delivery of a clean vehicle that has all it's bits and pieces. Scratches and dings on a used car is one thing....missing trim panels, pet hair and such is something else.

I guess we all have different standards.

As the OP provided absolutely NO detail or context to the post none of our assumptions mean anything. If he/she bought a 60k car for 50k sure, should look nice and clean. If 60k was 24k with 95k miles yeah I don’t care who you bought if from the white glove experience is long gone and should not be expected. At the very least (which was not done) you should Fully inspect the Used car and only accept After you feel this will fulfill your expectations.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

Again, apparently we all have different standards.

If I purchased a $6k vehicle from a dealership I'd expect it to be clean. Did the OP say that they purchased it from Charlie & sons corner lot....or from a major manufacturer in Tesla? At the end of the day for me personally, I wouldn't have accepted it as I find it to be unacceptable, 5k or 70k. White glove treatment and a clean car are 2 seperate things for me. I wouldn't expect white glove treatment on a used car purchase, simply clean.