Tesla backed my inventory P85D into a pole 5 minutes before delivery.. :(

[stephenpace]

"inventory car" [...] which has never been sold and is basically a brand new car with miles on it because it was used by the manufacturer.

Since you are in Houston like I am, I'll just point out that a number of the inventory test drive cars here have been in accidents that required repair (one in the Galleria green garage near the reserved Tesla parking), some more significant than this one. I assume those cars are repaired and sold as inventory cars, so just because it is an inventory car with low miles, doesn't mean it hasn't had body work done. The good news there is if Tesla is doing the repair, you know they are going to do it right.

 

[ecarfan]

The title is likely to still give people the wrong impression ("Brand New") but only a Moderator can modify titles.

The thread title could be interpreted as being contradictory: "brand new inventory"? Inventory cars are not "brand new". They are CPO cars.

 

[Kingside]

For clarity, perhaps the title should be changed to "Tesla backed my inventory P85D into a pole 5 minutes before delivery.. How much does this depreciate the car?"

 

[dsm363]

For clarity, perhaps the title should be changed to "Tesla backed my inventory P85D into a pole 5 minutes before delivery.. How much does this depreciate the car?"

Sounds good. Will change it (the entire title is too long to fit but the first half works I think). And thank you for being polite and reasonable. We sometimes change titles here to clarify what the content of the thread is about. It seems to upset some.

 

[andrewket]

If it was me I'd ask for a new car.

 

[FlasherZ]

For what it's worth, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (Jan/Feb 2013), Tesla accidentally damaged my front bumper cover when servicing the car at the Chicago service center by scraping it on something (whether a door or car is unknown). They had their repair facility repair it, but I was not satisfied with their repair and they paid my shop to repair it. Neither shows up on a Carfax report when I pull it.

I only worry when there could be structural damage that could affect the integrity of the car. The damage indicated seems easy to fix; I think it's reasonable to expect Tesla to bring it up to the condition it was in before the pole incident, with perhaps some type of consideration, but I wouldn't push too hard. They could always just cancel your sale and then you'd spend a lot of time looking for another discounted car.

I can understand your concern. I don't think demanding a brand new car at the discounted, inventory price is warranted. I believe Tesla will do right by you, including some consideration; if it happened to me, I would merely ensure it were fixed to my satisfaction.

 

[Canuck]

Your opinion, right? So because its your opinion that an inventory car is not a new car, you dictate that belief to all who read this forum. I do believe an "inventory" car is a new car, and I think the vast majority of people would choose "new" over "used" if given the choice to pick what an "inventory" car is closer to.

The OP felt his car was a "new" car. But you're correcting him, like you corrected me. You have a tough job, don't you?

And btw I'm happy you remember me! I'll be around until you ban me for having the nerve to disagree with you. I know you don't like that. Sorry.

It's not dsm363's "job". For your information, it's an unpaid volunteer position. And without him, and others like him being mods here, there would be no forum for us. Please show some respect. There's a way to respectfully disagree without being rude.

I think most people consider a vehicle being "new" as one that rolls off the assembly line and has about 50 miles on it -- for testing and moving purposes only. Any other use and it is a "used" vehicle. We don't use "refurbished" for vehicles like we do for electronics (where only the package may have been opened) but it may be time that we do since vehicles are becoming more and more like electronic devices. And "new" when it comes to electronics is only when the seal is the broken. After that it is no longer new. I see no difference when it comes to a vehicle.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Sounds good. Will change it (the entire title is too long to fit but the first half works I think). And thank you for being polite and reasonable. We sometimes change titles here to clarify what the content of the thread is about. It seems to upset some.

It probably upsets some mostly because the changes are perceived as being in favor of Tesla, more so than for any other reason. The perception is it rarely attracts mod attention if a subject is merely confusing - it is the combination with perceived/potential damage to Tesla or Tesla's reputation that seems to trigger most such changes, and indeed a lot of the backlash critical threads receive. There seems to be a cultural concern due to past events on TMC to be protective of Tesla with responses, thread edits included. What probably further irks people is that sometimes such responses seem overly cautious and overly in defense Tesla's assumed interests, meaning TMC peer support taking second place to being supportive of Tesla the company.

I agree the OP is reasonable, though. The biggest concern as him I would have with paint matching. If this were merely about replacing a broken trim with a new piece, it would be a no brainer. So, check the repairs, see if they are OK, if so, negotiate a moderate recognition of the event and enjoy the car. Tesla will have an insurance for these kinds of things covering their end anyway.

 

[tga]

The thread title could be interpreted as being contradictory: "brand new inventory"? Inventory cars are not "brand new". They are CPO cars.

OP's car is an inventory car. Inventory cars are not CPO cars. Inventory cars have never been titled and are still eligible for the Fed rebate. Both are used, however.

 

[JER]

What impresses me the most (in the worst way) is that they were able to bury the car into a pole despite the parking sensors. How fast were they backing up?

 

[dsm363]

It probably upsets some mostly because the changes are perceived as being in favor of Tesla, more so than for any other reason. The perception is it rarely attracts mod attention if a subject is merely confusing - it is the combination with perceived/potential damage to Tesla or Tesla's reputation that seems to trigger most such changes, and indeed a lot of the backlash critical threads receive. There seems to be a cultural concern due to past events on TMC to be protective of Tesla with responses, thread edits included. What probably further irks people is that sometimes such responses seem overly cautious and overly in defense Tesla's assumed interests, meaning TMC peer support taking second place to being supportive of Tesla the company.

I agree the OP is reasonable, though. The biggest concern as him I would have with paint matching. If this were merely about replacing a broken trim with a new piece, it would be a no brainer. So, check the repairs, see if they are OK, if so, negotiate a moderate recognition of the event and enjoy the car. Tesla will have an insurance for these kinds of things covering their end anyway.

If you could explain how adding [Resolved] in front of a post or the word inventory is being protective of Tesla I would appreciate it. There are less than a handful of people who have an issue with this, not a cultural concern. This fear you and others have about negative views being edited out or hidden are not backed by evidence. Let's not parse words with this thread too though.

 

[blanche]

Really? A new jacket makes up for the rear bumper and trunk being replaced? Or $500?

While this accident is certainly most unfortunate, this is not the first time it has happened. About 10 years ago I bought a brand new BMW X5 (loaded) and the dealer ran the back bumper into a pole while they were out gassing it up about 10 minutes before delivery. All I got out of it was a promise to fix everything as quickly as possible. That's it. No change in price, no discount, not even a free jacket. The only concession the dealer would make was letting me order a new X5. That involved a 3 month wait, so obviously I wasn't going to take them up on that offer.

As this accident was never reported to the police or the insurance company, it never made it to carfax either. It was sold to me as a brand new car. I wasn't overly concerned as this was a 3 year business lease, and other than the annoyance of having to wait another week, I was ok with it. Had no issues with the X5 so I barely recall this happening.

My story probably doesn't console you much but hey, it's life, and these things happen.

 

[ecarfan]

OP's car is an inventory car. Inventory cars are not CPO cars. Inventory cars have never been titled and are still eligible for the Fed rebate. Both are used, however.

Thank you for that correction. You are right and I was wrong, an inventory car is not a CPO car because Tesla has been the only owner.
That said, an inventory car is certainly not a "new" car, as it has likely been driven by dozens (possibly over 100) different people outside of Tesla and would have hundreds of miles on it, likely over 1,000 miles. And that is why it is sold at a discounted price from the list price for a new Tesla.

 

[bonnie]

So I went to go pick up my brand new P85D which I waited a month for and on the way there I get a call from Tesla saying they have bad news.. That they backed my car into a pole! I went to the service station to talk to them and they said they will fix it and it will take 2 weeks. I don't know if I will accept delivery since this is a damaged car and I'm certainly looking for them to compensate me. Now that this is a damaged car, how much is the car devalued?
What should I ask for compensation?

By the way, this was an inventory car with less than 1000 miles and discounted significantly. I literally searched for weeks to find this deal about 30 days ago.


Pics attached. The whole trunk and backend need to be replaced.

While extremely disappointing, I'm sure, this is not YOUR car, but a car you were planning on purchasing. You haven't accepted delivery. It is Tesla's car that was backed into a pole. If this was a car you owned and brought in for service & it was backed into a pole, then it seems discussions about compensation would be appropriate.

You can choose to buy this car or shop for another. Your choice. Tesla can choose to repair it and either offer with additional discount, or not. Their choice. But they do not owe you compensation for something you had not yet purchased.

This is no different than if you were buying a house and before closing it burned to the ground. Your deposit in escrow would be returned if you chose not to go forward with the sale. They could rebuild or sell the property as it was. But they wouldn't owe the prospective buyer anything UNLESS they burned it up AFTER closing.

Keep shopping. I'm sorry you're disappointed, I understand you've probably been looking forward to this car. There will be another - and (imo) if you took it repaired, even with a discount, you'd be looking at the back in different light trying to determine if the paint was off or not. Our minds work in funny ways.

Hope you get the car of your dreams soon.

 

[andrewket]

If I was leasing the car it's likely I would allow them to repair it. On an ordered purchase, I'd ask for a new build.

 

[Krugerrand]

If I was leasing the car it's likely I would allow them to repair it. On an ordered purchase, I'd ask for a new build.

Agreed, though the inventory car the OP was going to purchase falls into neither category.

 

[hiroshiy]

I don't. The OP was never getting a 'new' oven (car). The OP was getting a CPO car that was already discounted - kind of like buying a 'scratch and dent' oven. Unfortunately the CPO car got further 'scratched and dented'. Tesla is willing to fix it to previous condition. The OP can either accept it after repair or wait for another CPO car to become available that is to his liking.

Maybe too late to comment, but for Tesla to succeed and for the OP to feel happy, I think it would be best for Tesla to seek happy resolutions for the OP. It may not sound fair, may sound inappropriate or inconsistent, the customer's happiness is the best way for a company to succeed or stay in business.

If Tesla makes many many luxury cars to sell to affluent clients, they might need to change.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

What impresses me the most (in the worst way) is that they were able to bury the car into a pole despite the parking sensors. How fast were they backing up?

Parking sensors in general are fairly bad at recognizing poles. I'm not saying Model S wouldn't recognize it, but it may be delayed for example. Reliance on the rear-view camera can be another issue, objects higher up from the ground (like a pole) may seem farther away on a rear-view camera than they actually are (Audi has a red line for this on their rear-view camera).

Of course a really fast reverse can leave the ultrasonics out of breath anyway. I'm guessing P85D is well capable of such.

- - - Updated - - -

If you could explain how adding [Resolved] in front of a post or the word inventory is being protective of Tesla I would appreciate it. There are less than a handful of people who have an issue with this, not a cultural concern. This fear you and others have about negative views being edited out or hidden are not backed by evidence. Let's not parse words with this thread too though.

I think only you can answer (if anyone) on why a particular topic change was made in this thread, I make no claims of why you or others on this particular thread felt that need. I am discussing the general perception of some, as it is understood by myself.

That general perception being that TMC moderators and many readers are mostly active worrying about the suitability of thread subjects and content that may be viewed as negative towards Tesla. I have understood this to be, at least in part, due to the history of negative press being generated from TMC content, so an extra care is being taken. It is the same with the don't quote me signatures.

I guess some people just don't see similar level of attention being paid to the precise wording of other types of subjects, and feel this is OTT, hence the irritation. I'm somewhat in this camp, however I see it irks other people more than myself.

Those who are irritated by that particular type of moderator attention, feel free to nod or correct me if I'm wrong, if this is the reason or not for you.

 

[Krugerrand]

Maybe too late to comment, but for Tesla to succeed and for the OP to feel happy, I think it would be best for Tesla to seek happy resolutions for the OP. It may not sound fair, may sound inappropriate or inconsistent, the customer's happiness is the best way for a company to succeed or stay in business.

If Tesla makes many many luxury cars to sell to affluent clients, they might need to change.

Tesla has already succeeded. :wink: But to your point, there's been no indication at all that Tesla isn't trying to resolve the issue for the OP. Indeed, Tesla has agreed to repair the car at their expense.

What some of us are trying to explain to the OP (and others) is that there is no 'new car' entitlement here. There's no 'discount' entitlement. There's not even a 'make me whole' entitlement because the OP has lost nothing (except perhaps a few days of extra enjoyment of driving a Model S :smile. Asking for something which you are not entitled to is at the very least unreasonable.

This isn't a complex problem. The OP can agree to purchase the car once it's repaired, or not. If or not, then the OP can a) order a brand new car, or b) wait for another inventory or CPO car to come onto the market that meets his criteria.

 

[gizmoboy]

Tesla has already succeeded. :wink: But to your point, there's been no indication at all that Tesla isn't trying to resolve the issue for the OP. Indeed, Tesla has agreed to repair the car at their expense.

What some of us are trying to explain to the OP (and others) is that there is no 'new car' entitlement here. There's no 'discount' entitlement. There's not even a 'make me whole' entitlement because the OP has lost nothing (except perhaps a few days of extra enjoyment of driving a Model S :smile. Asking for something which you are not entitled to is at the very least unreasonable.

This isn't a complex problem. The OP can agree to purchase the car once it's repaired, or not. If or not, then the OP can a) order a brand new car, or b) wait for another inventory or CPO car to come onto the market that meets his criteria.

+1 -- an eminently reasonable response with which I agree 100%.

I also sympathize with the OP's dilemma, and he should reasonably expect to get the car in *at least* as good a condition as it was, with a slight delay.

Slight delays don't typically warrant much in the way of "compensation," but there might be some goodwill gesture on tesla's part (and I would certainly do that if I was management), but the $3-5K compensation suggested by some posters seems wildly out of proportion to me.

As someone else posted, this is all opinion (which is what the OP asked for). As a wise man (or woman) once said, opinions are like a-holes: we all have one, and they all stink but your own.