You make several very good points about people who are not owners. You may also say that owners are hypercritical, but I feel that this is justified, since they had immense expectations based on how Tesla presented the car.
Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my car and would not return it based on lemon laws or anything else. However, I think it falls short of my expectations on several performance marks, and I am not even a race car driver.
The car was not presented initially, when it couldn't be test driven, as it is today. Do I believe that Tesla intentionally quoted numbers that were not based on actual performance? No, I believe they expected to significantly improve performance with OTA updates and they were successful in doing so for the 85D, but ran into technical issues with the P85D. They stated performance would dramatically improve at highway speeds. Why else would they come out with a marginal battery improvement within a year of the D event, when they stated "No new upgrades to the platform for another year!" The P90DL is probably what they envisioned the P85DL to be (minus he bigger battery). But I don't think it's ok to now charge for his upgrade. At least that's my opinion.
And I appreciate your having expressed it.
One thing is certain, and that is time will prove some of us right and some of us wrong.
My prime focus, is on whether or not this whole "horsepower" discussion, is likely to have any significant, or more importantly "damaging", impact on Tesla's reputation, outside of this particular community, a community which is of small number.
I see nothing to indicate that it will. Nor, in my opinion, should it.
But as I said earlier, I've seen nothing, anywhere, which would indicate that this matter and it's discussion are going to go much further than here.
I'll demonstrate what I mean in my response to Andy's post below.
...<snip>
I have stated the following before, but you conveniently choose to ignore it because it better suits the argument you are trying to make.
There is no doubt that the letter could have had far more signatures than it did. I started gathering signatures on a Thursday, without linking the thread to many of the threads I planned to link it to. I planned to wait a day or two, until there were a fair number of people expressing support, and then link the thread to some of the other threads where people had been discussing the related issues, and also link it to the original P85D ordering thread. When the letter was picked up by the "Learn Bonds" site, which happened the next day, I decided that I should try to maintain as low a profile as possible on the letter, since it was never my intention for word of it to get out beyond TMC and Elon Musk / Tesla. So I never publicized the letter or my attempt to get signatures the way I would have. I also closed the acceptance of signatures after just one week, so that the letter could be sent off.
So while you can keep using the fact that there were only about seventy signers to attempt to indicate a lack of interest, that's just not an accurate reflection of reality.
To the part in red above, it is difficult for me to imagine how one would not have the foresight to conclude that such a sensationalistic thread, complete with a letter meant for the CEO, would not potentially attract those with their own agenda, and provide "accelerant" to others who may not necessarily want to see Tesla succeed.
But anyway, a link to the Learn Bonds article is below.
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) Lied About Model S, now Fans Are Revolting
I don't get the impression that an awful lot of thought went into the possible down side of such a thread and effort as the one being referred to in that article.
However, at this point, it's all water under the bridge. What's done is done.
That said though, in light of the discussion on the horsepower and that letter managing to find it's way onto the "wrong ears", even though the Learn Bonds site got ahold of it, and attempted to run with it, the subject matter still never took off. Never made the front page or the cover of any notable main stream periodicals, at least not in these United States. Tesla has come through it apparently unscathed. Nobody grabbed this story and ran with it. Won't touch it. ....... And you have to ask yourself; "why not?" And when you do, what is your answer. I know what mine is.
That Learn Bonds site blared this as loudly as it could, and well, nothing. No apparent ill effects. P85D and P90Ds are still selling, and I've yet to see anything about this on the CBS Evening News.
This is part of why I'm not overly concerned that this matter will make it much further than what it has.
This matter reminds me a lot of the Obama birth certificate incident.
Started at the "grass roots" level. Had all the promise in the world, or so some thought, of becoming a "hot button issue", and an issue which would reach the mainstream. Those who brought it up, could swear that they were on to something. People who believed that it was an issue, held onto that belief.
Mainstream media, would not touch it. Many who were harping on it, weren't really taken seriously then, let alone now.
Very similar, but instead of hollering "where's the horsepower?", they were yelling "where's the birth certificate?"
Of course now, and really for a long time prior to now, anyone bringing it up, the "birth certificate" that is, is looked at in well, let us say, less than a serious light, and it is my belief that anyone bringing this matter up 5-6 years from now, will be looked at in a similar light, and taken just as seriously.
