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Merrill
Merrill
Not everyone has had a frunk problem, I have had my car for over 1 year and never a problem, make Tesla take car of it for you!!!! Every vehicle you could purchase could have a problem, I find it difficult to believe that this problem would change your decision to buy.
Merrill, thanks for your response. I am happy that you have not experienced this problem, and of course I realize that not every single owner has experienced it. But if the evidence on this Forum and others is to be believed, hundreds and hundreds of people have discovered that, despite paying approximately $100,000 for a car, they (along with valets and repair people) cannot open and close their hood without creasing the hood. And Tesla, according to those who have complained repeatedly, has disclaimed any responsibility for this issue and refused to pay for any repairs. So your advice that I should "make Tesla take car (sic) of it for you!!!" is, despite the multiple exclamation points, not likely to be very helpful.
techMology
Member
+1 on all your points. I now have the frunk crease and I have no real idea how it got there. I too have always followed the approved procedure.
It may have even happened while it was in at Tesla for unrelated reasons. I have no way of proving anything or really knowing how or when it happened.
This really shouldn't happen on a $100.000 car, and Tesla should be fixing this gratis, IMO.
Closing a hood or trunk shouldn't cause such damage. Clearly a design issue.
I agree as well. I would go a step further and say this shouldn't happen on a 20K car either. I certainly hope they get this worked out
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Definitely a design issue. They should have worked out an automatic closing system for such a fragile hood.
Gizmotoy
Active Member
There were complaints about this going back at least into the middle of last year. I was aware this was an well before I put my deposit down back in 9/2013. At some point around that time they supposedly added more metal to the leading edge of the hood to assist in closing the old way that's now specifically cautioned against.
So I don't really think it's a new issue.
Thanks to everyone for your help. I just got back from the Tesla-authorized body shop. Bad news: They say they've seen many, many of these same frunk issues with Teslas and that it is generally not possible to repair the creases with traditional dent removal techniques. (The dent removal guy recommended by Tesla told me the same thing over the weekend.). So the only option is to take off the hood, repair, and repaint. I am waiting for an estimate now and will let you know what it is. In the meantime, though, I am wondering: If this is happening to so many owners, and it happened to me with a brand new vehicle, what is the point in getting it fixed since chances are it will happen again, necessitating yet another repair? When I discussed this question with the body shop manager, he shrugged his shoulders. I guess Tesla's design flaw is good news for auto body shops but bad news for those of us who got suckered into this vehicle.
Gizmotoy
Active Member
I don't think I'd go that far. It's a relatively minor issue with an otherwise great car, but it is a bit frustrating that 1) We're coming up on 2 years since vehicle launch and this is still an issue, and 2) Tesla isn't helping owners with this issue. That said, you could be sure if (2) wasn't the case, neither would (1). As long as owners are paying the repair costs there's no real incentive for Tesla to fix the issue, and is probably why it's lingered so long. They can concentrate their efforts on other matters for which they will be held responsible. I don't blame them, but it is a crappy situation.
Gizmotoy, you are absolutely right that I should not speak for others when using the word "suckered" into buying this vehicle. For me, though, I know that if the Tesla representative had said when I walked into the store that "there is a pretty good chance that sometime relatively soon after you pay $120,000 for this vehicle, the hood will have a crease in it through no fault of your own," well, I would have not purchased the car. I understand that others may feel differently and respect that. For me, though, there are just too many super-nice vehicles out there in the $120,000 price range to put up with this.
I have the same crease. Tried 2 different paintless dent companies... Same result. There's not enough access. That crease is basically where the top of the hood is mated with the underside, thus having ZERO space and making the hood need a professional repair from a reputable body shop.
My last quote was $2300. They told me they would have to repaint in order to make it seamless. I know others have had luck with dent repair specialists, but I have not had the chance to consult with one yet.
NigelM
Recovering Member
So are Tesla taking care of this for you or not? Service Centers do a documented wear and tear (damage) inspection whenever they take a car in.
NigelM, in answer to your question, the Service Center's intake records do not show any damage to the hood. Unfortunately, I cannot positively prove that the damage happened during servicing because I did not notice the damage before I left the Center. And although I did not open the frunk after my Service Center visit, and no one else did either, I of course can't prove the negative here.
The fact is that I would swallow the large repair bill myself if I knew I could return my new car to its pristine condition for any length of time. Unfortunately that's not the case. If the frunk was damaged this easily, and so soon in the young life of the car, there's a strong likelihood that it will be damaged again when closed by someone, such as a valet, who is not the recipient of Tesla's special frunk closing training. So, the idea of having to pay more than $2,000 each time to repair and repaint part of the hood is just not something I am in for.
The fact is that I would swallow the large repair bill myself if I knew I could return my new car to its pristine condition for any length of time. Unfortunately that's not the case. If the frunk was damaged this easily, and so soon in the young life of the car, there's a strong likelihood that it will be damaged again when closed by someone, such as a valet, who is not the recipient of Tesla's special frunk closing training. So, the idea of having to pay more than $2,000 each time to repair and repaint part of the hood is just not something I am in for.
cstromme
Member
Tesla really needs to add some kind of soft close mechanism to the frunk. Denting aside, the paint can so easily be scratched when it's dirty and people put their hands down on it and apply pressure.
Brass Guy
Active Member
LaJolla - If you still have not opened it, you may be able to "prove the negative." It's probably in the car's logs. I remember a thread about a fuse...
After very close scrutiny yesterday, I was able to notice a very slight anomaly in the reflection on mine. It does not look like the photo here though. It is a long line about 1" from and parallel to the leading edge, and I probably cannot capture it in a photo without elaborate setup. I will not stop using my front trunk though, usually the French horn goes there; and sometimes groceries since I back into the garage.
Gizmotoy - thanks for the thread link. I tried pressing the new areas to close it, but the aluminum feels thin there and does flex quite a bit. I may try near the corners as uncovered in that thread and see how if feels.
Tesla engineering should be working on this, this is not a one-off. Also you should be able to close anything with one hand. It's often a bad idea to put on the ground what I've stowed there so just I can close it. Especially if its raining.
After very close scrutiny yesterday, I was able to notice a very slight anomaly in the reflection on mine. It does not look like the photo here though. It is a long line about 1" from and parallel to the leading edge, and I probably cannot capture it in a photo without elaborate setup. I will not stop using my front trunk though, usually the French horn goes there; and sometimes groceries since I back into the garage.
Gizmotoy - thanks for the thread link. I tried pressing the new areas to close it, but the aluminum feels thin there and does flex quite a bit. I may try near the corners as uncovered in that thread and see how if feels.
Tesla engineering should be working on this, this is not a one-off. Also you should be able to close anything with one hand. It's often a bad idea to put on the ground what I've stowed there so just I can close it. Especially if its raining.
Gizmotoy
Active Member
I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. I doubt Tesla (or any company) would be interested using their own data to incriminate themselves.
I tried it once, and it does feel impressively fragile there. I get the impression you can cause a whole new type of frunk crease by pushing in the recommended spots, probably along the vertical supports that run front-to-back on the hood. The hood indents a substantial amount when closing in the new recommended way.
Good point, Gizmotoy. I have no great hopes that Tesla will use its own log information to help prove what happened.
In any event, this morning I showed the frunk crease to two of my business associates -- one who was about to order a Model S this weekend, the other who has a Model X on order -- and they were both appalled at the fact that Tesla has allowed this kind of fundamental design flaw to persist throughout the life of the Model S. Both said that they were going to forego their plans to buy a Tesla for now. (The potential Model X buyer was having some hesitation already, having read the Edmunds.com wrap up review which highlighted the repeated drive unit replacements and other quality control issues.)
In any event, this morning I showed the frunk crease to two of my business associates -- one who was about to order a Model S this weekend, the other who has a Model X on order -- and they were both appalled at the fact that Tesla has allowed this kind of fundamental design flaw to persist throughout the life of the Model S. Both said that they were going to forego their plans to buy a Tesla for now. (The potential Model X buyer was having some hesitation already, having read the Edmunds.com wrap up review which highlighted the repeated drive unit replacements and other quality control issues.)
