Questions on pre-delivery tasks

[vijay_vj]

Delivery date for my Y is 6/25 to 6/30. I need to upload proof of insurance in the Tesla app. Does the insurance have to show the Tesla VIN? I am confused because it could be up to 3 more weeks before I take delivery.

Also, is it better to get the loan check from my Bank sent to me or sent to Tesla? Is either option better for any reason? There is always a small chance that I might reject the car due to QC issues.

 

[Ostrichsak]

According to Tesla, the VIN needs to be on the proof of insurance which is idiotic, especially if you're paying cash the way we did. Once we take delivery, Tesla has no vested interest in that vehicle any longer. My insurance (and most people's insurance for that matter) will cover a new car for 30 days until you get the logistics taken care of and add it to your policy.

As for the funds, I would control them until the exact moment you take delivery. Whether that looks like you writing a check or attaching your checking account to your Tesla account to manually authorize at the point of acceptance and having your bank reimburse you or whatever that looks like for you is ideal. The horror stories about a botched delivery day aren't endless but they're out there. The botched refund stories are even more horrific.

Having the ability to cleanly & easily walk away is something you shouldn't voluntarily relinquish.

 

[vijay_vj]

According to Tesla, the VIN needs to be on the proof of insurance which is idiotic, especially if you're paying cash the way we did. Once we take delivery, Tesla has no vested interest in that vehicle any longer. My insurance (and most people's insurance for that matter) will cover a new car for 30 days until you get the logistics taken care of and add it to your policy.

As for the funds, I would control them until the exact moment you take delivery. Whether that looks like you writing a check or attaching your checking account to your Tesla account to manually authorize at the point of acceptance and having your bank reimburse you or whatever that looks like for you is ideal. The horror stories about a botched delivery day aren't endless but they're out there. The botched refund stories are even more horrific.

Having the ability to cleanly & easily walk away is something you shouldn't voluntarily relinquish.

Thank you for the detailed response.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Thank you for the detailed response.

Sure thing. For me it was simple at the point of delivery and way easier than some tried to make it seem/sound. My checking account was connected to my Tesla account (I don't recall doing it so it must have been many years ago during one of our many previous Tesla vehicle purchases) so all I did was click a button in the app to process the payment which it took from my checking account via ACH in a matter of seconds. There was no waiting around for anything. Just showed up, inspected the vehicle fully and only once I was happy was I going to authorize that delivery to be processed fully. I had moved the funds from a savings account prior to the delivery date just so funds were there but, other than that, pretty straight forward. If you're financing it then things may be a little bit different depending on if your lender will put the funds in your account and let you control disbursement or returning it if you refuse delivery or whatever. Honestly, financing just makes most things more complicated. I'm not a fan of financing a depreciating asset so I avoid it at all costs but that's an entirely separate conversation so I'll let it be. I digress. If your bank wants to issue you a cashier's check made payable to Tesla you can physically hand them said check after you inspect the vehicle. If you refuse it, you can simply check with your lender to see how they want to proceed but that's far better than depending on Tesla for a refund or anything for that matter.

 

[rub1k]

FWIW, and it may vary by state (here in CA a new car is covered by one's current auto insurance for 30 days), all I had to do for the pre-delivery task was upload pictures of my current auto policy showing that it's active/not expired. I did not have to show the Tesla VIN on any insurance documentation and I actually hadn't even discussed adding coverage for the Tesla with the insurance company up to that point. Took delivery of a MYLR7 on 05/20 (ordered on 05/05).

 

[Yelobird]

FWIW, and it may vary by state (here in CA a new car is covered by one's current auto insurance for 30 days), all I had to do for the pre-delivery task was upload pictures of my current auto policy showing that it's active/not expired. I did not have to show the Tesla VIN on any insurance documentation and I actually hadn't even discussed adding coverage for the Tesla with the insurance company up to that point. Took delivery of a MYLR7 on 05/20 (ordered on 05/05).

Same. Qualified and current insurance card is all I needed. Uploaded pic and was driving away 10 minutes after arrival.

 

[lmamakos]

Can you show up at delivery time with a certified check, or cashier's check? The idea of entering the username and password of my bank INTO SOME OTHER RANDOM WEB SITE is just CRAZY. I'd like to hang on to my $$$ right up until I accept delivery, rather than open the door to trying to get it back if there's some issue or disagreement that can't be resolved at the time.

 

[rub1k]

Can you show up at delivery time with a certified check, or cashier's check? The idea of entering the username and password of my bank INTO SOME OTHER RANDOM WEB SITE is just CRAZY. I'd like to hang on to my $$$ right up until I accept delivery, rather than open the door to trying to get it back if there's some issue or disagreement that can't be resolved at the time.

Yes. I showed up with a bank-issued Cashier's Check at car pick-up time. No problems.

 

[lmamakos]

Yes. I showed up with a bank-issued Cashier's Check at car pick-up time. No problems.

Thanks very much for confirming.

 

[Sai Ko]

Yes. I showed up with a bank-issued Cashier's Check at car pick-up time. No problems.

What happens if you reject the vin. Can I use the same check for next vin or do I need to contact the bank and get a new check

 

[rub1k]

What happens if you reject the vin. Can I use the same check for next vin or do I need to contact the bank and get a new check

I would assume that it would be fine since I don't believe you have to write a VIN# on the check -- I did write the reservation number (RN) in the check memo line as I believe the instructions mentioned... and that would remain the same if you reject a VIN#.

 

[dm121721]

I didnt even put the RN on the check.

I just showed up with a cashiers check made out to Tesla, handed it to the guy, and drove off. It was the easiest car I ever bought. No one cared about having the RN on the check even though it says to do that.

 

[rub1k]

Sounds about right... the person who took my check didn't seem to care and I'm sure it would have been fine without the RN on the check. I more or less did it for my own peace of mind (and took a picture of the check) since there was otherwise nothing on there to tie the check back to me and felt kind of scary just handing out a $60k+ check made out to Tesla Inc, etc. On second thought, I think it had my first and last name listed as remitter up towards the top so guess that was something, but anyway.

 

[lmamakos]

I showed up with a CERTIFIED check, not a cashier's check. I asked them ahead of time if that would be OK, and even included a photo of the actual check and got a positive response. So of course when I showed up, it was a problem. I pointed out that he said it was OK when I sent him email 2 days before and they decided to accept it.

He asked if I could do an ACH transfer, and I wasn't willing to do that because of disclosing banking credentials to some unrelated web site. And further, getting the certified check done puts a hold on those funds, making them not available. I think more clarity in the process would be helpful.

Anyway, they took the check, it has cleared, I have a car, and all is good.

 

[rub1k]

Glad they accepted the certified check. They definitely should accept it as it's listed as a valid form of payment on their website here, so it's not like you were crazy and just decided to do that on a whim. If anything, they need to add cashier's check as a valid payment method to their instructions since it's not listed.

Congrats on the new car; enjoy it!