Tesla Going to Fail To Deliver an Inventory Car in Time as Claimed to Complete FSD Transfer - What To Do?

[Deaf Paul]

I'm on Oahu, Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I have a 2020 MYLR AWD with full FSD purchased.

Earlier this month I put down a deposit on a Midnight Silver 2023 MYP that popped up in local inventory (Honolulu, Hawaii) on September 11 for $49,590 after a $4.9k inventory discount. Then added in my $500 self-referral discount, bringing it down to $49,090.

I promptly started the FSD transfer process as well.

Turned out the MYP was not actually here in inventory, but "was on the way" with an delivery date of September 26 or 27 (tomorrow/Wednesday).

I've been waiting patiently... Anxious, today I contacted Tesla via text to ask them to confirm that the car was here in Honolulu and asked them to schedule a delivery appointment if one was needed.

They responded saying that the car was not yet on the island, would not be here by the 30th, had no idea where it was, and that they would contact me once it was here to schedule the delivery. When I asked if my FSD transfer would still go through if the car was late. They said no, the FSD would NOT complete the transfer. They told me to look at the local inventory again so I did. Of the 2 listed on the local inventory they only have a black MYP which is a hard no for me.

Then they said the other one listed (red, $56,490 - almost $7k more) was due on the 30th. I told them that I would accept this if they would transfer my discount pricing. They said they could only do a "Showroom Adjustment" of $1,130 and apply my self-referral discount of $500, bringing the price down to $55,490 (their math).

Still 6.5K higher than the deal I was planning on getting which is a tough pill to swallow and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that.


Options:
1. Pay the extra 6.5K and get FSD in a HW4.0 MYP - as bad as 4.0 is currently, hopefully very future-proof.
2. Stick with the old 2020 MYLR with FSD. It's slow. The hardware is slow. Still has a bumper to bumper warranty. It does it's job. Just doesn't bring me joy. Fight with Tesla to get my $250 deposit back, if unable to, try a credit card reverse back
3. Wait til Sept 30 comes and goes and sees what happens with FSD transfers being allowed in case it somehow gets extended. If FSD transfers really do stop as claimed then try to get my $250 deposit back.

Somewhat iffy option: We also have 2 M3s in the household and a M3P is tempting however I've been meaning to sell my M3 and decided to go to the MY because of the hatchback - always having issues fitting my gear through the small trunk opening. It IS an option I'm somewhat considering though - just sucking it up and dealing with the M3 trunk as-is.

Thoughts?

 

[Tam]

I'm on Oahu, Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I have a 2020 MYLR AWD with full FSD purchased.

Earlier this month I put down a deposit on a Midnight Silver 2023 MYP that popped up in local inventory (Honolulu, Hawaii) on September 11 for $49,590 after a $4.9k inventory discount. Then added in my $500 self-referral discount, bringing it down to $49,090.

I promptly started the FSD transfer process as well.

Turned out the MYP was not actually here in inventory, but "was on the way" with an delivery date of September 26 or 27 (tomorrow/Wednesday).

I've been waiting patiently... Anxious, today I contacted Tesla via text to ask them to confirm that the car was here in Honolulu and asked them to schedule a delivery appointment if one was needed.

They responded saying that the car was not yet on the island, would not be here by the 30th, had no idea where it was, and that they would contact me once it was here to schedule the delivery. When I asked if my FSD transfer would still go through if the car was late. They said no, the FSD would NOT complete the transfer. They told me to look at the local inventory again so I did. Of the 2 listed on the local inventory they only have a black MYP which is a hard no for me.

Then they said the other one listed (red, $56,490 - almost $7k more) was due on the 30th. I told them that I would accept this if they would transfer my discount pricing. They said they could only do a "Showroom Adjustment" of $1,130 and apply my self-referral discount of $500, bringing the price down to $55,490 (their math).

Still 6.5K higher than the deal I was planning on getting which is a tough pill to swallow and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that.


Options:
1. Pay the extra 6.5K and get FSD in a HW4.0 MYP - as bad as 4.0 is currently, hopefully very future-proof.
2. Stick with the old 2020 MYLR with FSD. It's slow. The hardware is slow. Still has a bumper to bumper warranty. It does it's job. Just doesn't bring me joy. Fight with Tesla to get my $250 deposit back, if unable to, try a credit card reverse back
3. Wait til Sept 30 comes and goes and sees what happens with FSD transfers being allowed in case it somehow gets extended. If FSD transfers really do stop as claimed then try to get my $250 deposit back.

Somewhat iffy option: We also have 2 M3s in the household and a M3P is tempting however I've been meaning to sell my M3 and decided to go to the MY because of the hatchback - always having issues fitting my gear through the small trunk opening. It IS an option I'm somewhat considering though - just sucking it up and dealing with the M3 trunk as-is.

Thoughts?

Tesla clearly says that it cannot guarantee you the timeliness of the delivery and you might lose the FSD transfer even when it's their fault for being late and past the deadline.

 

[jjrandorin]

Thoughts?

That you should expect Tesla to not allow Transfers after September 30th, per every bit of information they have shared on this process. Whether that actually happens or not, is immaterial to what should be EXPECTED to happen by anyone in this circumstance.


As far as what you should do, I dont really have an opinion on that. It sounds like you have already mentally "moved out" of your current car, per the verbiage you used to describe it.

 

[Watts_Up]

2. Stick with the old 2020 MYLR with FSD.
It's slow. The hardware is slow.
Still has a bumper to bumper warranty.
It does it's job. Just doesn't bring me joy.
Fight with Tesla to get my $250 deposit back, if unable to, try a credit card reverse back

2. I would prefer waiting for the future updated Model Y Juniper,
especially if there will be some range improvment like for the Model 3 Highland.

Do you really need FSD in Hawaii, especially in Oahu?
The only really use, I think, would be during comuting hours,
but EAP would be sufficient then, unless you need to use Sumon to park in your garage.

I have FSD but I mostly use it when doing a long trip, like 8 to12 hours.​

For daily drive, FSD is nice when there is some heavy traffic.​

​

But if I need to drive fast, I prefer no using FSD. because the Navigation​

don't always chose the itinerary that I want, and FSD also decides to change lane​

when there is no real need and I always need to fight against it.​

Note: I love your foil board avatar (I'm very jalous) !!!
Can you put some pics or a link to Instagram or Youtube if you have any videos.

How do you carry it?
See this video: Can a lift efoil fit in a Tesla model X fully assembled.

 

[jsmay311]

I’m in a similar boat.

If/when I don’t get my “inventory” vehicle by the 30th — and assuming Elon doesn’t extend the transfer window (which is probably a slim but non-zero chance) — I’ll probably just cancel my order and eat the $250.

I wouldn’t expect any luck getting your $250 back in any scenario.

As for the value of FSD… I really only care about the functionality of EAP. I almost never use FSDb. But EAP ain’t free either, and the FSD transfer covers all those features without shelling out an extra $6k+tax for EAP.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Then they said the other one listed (red, $56,490 - almost $7k more) was due on the 30th. I told them that I would accept this if they would transfer my discount pricing. They said they could only do a "Showroom Adjustment" of $1,130 and apply my self-referral discount of $500, bringing the price down to $55,490 (their math).

I'm just replying to the above portion of your post. I'm surprised by the refusal to give a larger showroom discount. The wife just bought a showroom MYLR with a 10% showroom discount along with a $500 referral discount and drove it home the next day. So not sure why they are offering you less. Maybe someone else knows.

 

[Deaf Paul]

2. I would prefer waiting for the future updated Model Y Juniper,
especially if there will be some range improvment like for the Model 3 Highland.

Do you really need FSD in Hawaii, especially in Oahu?
The only really use, I think, would be during comuting hours,
but EAP would be sufficient then, unless you need to use Sumon to park in your garage.

I have FSD but I mostly use it when doing a long trip, like 8 to12 hours.​

For daily drive, FSD is nice when there is some heavy traffic.​

​

But if I need to drive fast, I prefer no using FSD. because the Navigation​

don't always chose the itinerary that I want, and FSD also decides to change lane​

when there is no real need and I always need to fight against it.​

Note: I love your foil board avatar (I'm very jalous) !!!
Can you put some pics or a link to Instagram or Youtube if you have any videos.

How do you carry it?
See this video: Can a lift efoil fit in a Tesla model X fully assembled.

I was holding out for Highland in case it went to a hatchback design and was disappointed with the updates except for the cooling vented seats. I suspect Juniper will be more or less the same - Mild refresh, vented seats, no stalks and some cut costing measures.

I like FSD and use it often. In my M3LR which I still have, I have EAP. Both have summon which I need for my garage to give my wife as much space as possible for her M3 so she doesn’t ding the side of my teslas. My commute is in traffic and EAP/FSD is a Godsend as scary and frustrating as it is at times to use.

No Tesla content on my instagram but there’s a bunch of foil surfing. In some of them you can see me with my downwind set up (and why I ordered another Y instead of another 3. Too hard sliding those boards into the 3. @paulgoingbig

I disassemble my foiling gear before putting it into the Teslas except for the wing, fuselage and tail. Those can stay assembled.

-Paul

 

[Deaf Paul]

I'm just replying to the above portion of your post. I'm surprised by the refusal to give a larger showroom discount. The wife just bought a showroom MYLR with a 10% showroom discount along with a $500 referral discount and drove it home the next day. So not sure why they are offering you less. Maybe someone else knows.

That’s great information to know - I’ll try walking into the showroom tomorrow after work and talk with somebody in person to see if they can do any better. If they can do 10% I would bite and switch to the red one even though it will cost a little bit more. I’m just uncomfortable with paying 6k more simply because they are failing to deliver a vehicle that was supposedly here and in inventory more than two weeks ago, and don’t even know where it is.

-Paul

 

[brkaus]

I decided to purchase late, talked to Tesla and they couldn’t guarantee me, so I just dropped the idea for now. Going to see what happens in Q4.

 

[dakhlkt22]

Can you buy and pay for a car that hasn't arrived yet? Not sure if you'd be willing to do that but maybe it's an option to secure your sale date before end of month.

 

[Silicon Desert]

That’s great information to know - I’ll try walking into the showroom tomorrow after work and talk with somebody in person to see if they can do any better. If they can do 10% I would bite and switch to the red one even though it will cost a little bit more. I’m just uncomfortable with paying 6k more simply because they are failing to deliver a vehicle that was supposedly here and in inventory more than two weeks ago, and don’t even know where it is.

-Paul

Example of what the wife bought. This car was built in late July in Austin and delivered to the showroom August 26. I told the rep earlier in the month that if a car shows up with the specs she wanted, then give us a call since we knew the car would be instantly available as an inventory showroom model before a bunch of people would get in it and playing around and we would still get the $5300 discount plus referral discount. I also knew from experience consulting at the GF that many of the showroom cars are handpicked for better paint look. He called the day it arrived, and the wife went to buy it a day later. So it was in the showroom for only 2 days before she drove it away.

SEE IF YOU can get a better deal. Don't let them tell you that you can't get a perfect new car in the showroom without a discount. It's being done at a lot of places.

 

[jjrandorin]

Example of what the wife bought. This car was built in late July in Austin and delivered to the showroom August 26. I told the rep earlier in the month that if a car shows up with the specs she wanted, then give us a call since we knew the car would be instantly available as an inventory showroom model before a bunch of people would get in it and playing around and we would still get the $5300 discount plus referral discount. I also knew from experience consulting at the GF that many of the showroom cars are handpicked for better paint look. He called the day it arrived, and the wife went to buy it a day later. So it was in the showroom for only 2 days before she drove it away.

SEE IF YOU can get a better deal. Don't let them tell you that you can't get a perfect new car in the showroom without a discount. It's being done at a lot of places.

The OP can probably attest more to this, but Hawaii is a "captive market" for a lot of car brands. Back when I was on a large bMW website helping people understand BMW leasing, and helping members review lease offers / deals, Hawaii was always one of the worst places to get a great deal due to the captive market aspect.

It shouldnt be the exact same with Tesla, but it doesnt surprise me that Hawaii has a smaller discount available than other places in the country. Like I said, OP could speak more to that as I dont live there, just remember helping people with deals.

With the above being said, I would definitely advise going into the delivery center, and seeing if someone with a bit of authority might be able to authorize a larger discount.

 

[Silicon Desert]

The OP can probably attest more to this, but Hawaii is a "captive market" for a lot of car brands. Back when I was on a large bMW website helping people understand BMW leasing, and helping members review lease offers / deals, Hawaii was always one of the worst places to get a great deal due to the captive market aspect.

It shouldnt be the exact same with Tesla, but it doesnt surprise me that Hawaii has a smaller discount available than other places in the country. Like I said, OP could speak more to that as I dont live there, just remember helping people with deals.

With the above being said, I would definitely advise going into the delivery center, and seeing if someone with a bit of authority might be able to authorize a larger discount.

yea, that is a great point.
Oh and to EDIT, a friend down in the SF bay area got a better deal by talking to someone with more knowledge and authority at his showroom. So good points you make.

 

[jjrandorin]

My personal feeling is, Tesla will now use FSD transfer as a demand lever whenever they want to (meaning I dont think this will be a one time thing). Its too juicy not to (and frankly its the way it should work at all times, in my opinion). Still, if I were buying now, I wouldnt expect them to automatically extend past september 30th.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Thanks for the input guys.

I’ve decided on a game plan:

After work tomorrow I’m going in to the showroom to see if I can get a similar discount as the one that I originally got, or an increased “showroom discount of about 10% applied to the red MYP they said would be ready for delivery on the 30th.

If I am unable to get a more appealing discount, I will likely wait and see what happens with the FSD transfer past September 30. If they decide to extend, or to honor FSD transfers that were initiated before Sept 30, I will proceed with my purchase once the car materializes from who knows where.

If the FSD transfer offer ends as they say it will, I will likely not follow through with the purchase, and try to get my $250 deposit back, but half expect to just have to eat it at my end which will leave me with a bitter taste about the Tesla direct sales approach. I thought Tesla’s no nonsense approach was a Godsend especially in Hawaii’s captive market like we have here which @jjrandorin correctly pointed out. Guess not but I realize that this is an outlier case and this is not an issue that people normally run into.

-Paul

 

[Watts_Up]

I was holding out for Highland in case it went to a hatchback design and was disappointed with the updates except for the cooling vented seats. I suspect Juniper will be more or less the same - Mild refresh, vented seats, no stalks and some cut costing measures.

I like FSD and use it often. In my M3LR which I still have, I have EAP. Both have summon which I need for my garage to give my wife as much space as possible for her M3 so she doesn’t ding the side of my teslas. My commute is in traffic and EAP/FSD is a Godsend as scary and frustrating as it is at times to use.

No Tesla content on my instagram but there’s a bunch of foil surfing. In some of them you can see me with my downwind set up (and why I ordered another Y instead of another 3. Too hard sliding those boards into the 3. @paulgoingbig

I disassemble my foiling gear before putting it into the Teslas except for the wing, fuselage and tail. Those can stay assembled.

-Paul

Wow, thanks for the reply.... I'm quite stunned by all your aquatic skills!

Cudo for taking this picture at the right time for this free ride into the blue !!!
How deep did you go? Were you able to adjust your eardrum pressure fast enought?

And about the i3, were you able to keep the original EV license plates for your new EV?

- About the M3 Highland, no casting, no hatchback... not really too much R&D effort.
Let see if the M3 changes will make it much more affordable than the MY until the M2/X get build.
After that I think the M3 will sunset... as it will be the only Tesla with no hatchback and no casting.

- About the vented seats, I always put seat covers (Wet Okole) because of all the sport gears I carry.
So would the vented seats working when you use seat covers?
A choice of fabric seats would be simpler and cheaper than vented seats IMO.

- I might be wrong, but I'm a little bit skeptical about having an inventory car shipped from the Fremont factory.
For me an inventory is a car which has been used in a showroom or as demo driving, or maybe as a loaner,
or also who may have been damaged in transit and been in a body shop for few month?

Or the car is new but has a color or options that nobody want, but not the case with the limited Tesla color and
options choices. Honestly, why to shipped a discounted car when you can ship a new car to be sold at full MSRP?

- I really understand your need to replace the Model 3 with a hatchback such as the Model Y.
But did you looked at any other EV beside Tesla, because range, performance, Tesla Superchargers...
are not as critical than in the continental US when making cross country trips to sky resorts or beach,
since I assume you charge at home and never need to use a Supercharger.

- For my next EV, I would prefer to stay with Tesla, but the future NACS standard will certainly expand my choices.
So something I would be looking at would be for example the possibility to fold the passenger seat
so I could carry inside my surfboards. I think that a van would be great too, I wonder if Tesla would release
something similar to the VW ID.Buzz?

- I was tented with the FSD transfer, but because of my low mileage and high sale taxes I will keep my car a little bit longer.

 

[Kairide]

I thought Tesla’s no nonsense approach was a Godsend especially in Hawaii’s captive market like we have here which @jjrandorin correctly pointed out.

Part of Tesla’s no nonsense approach is what people don’t like, their take it or leave it attitude.
The bright side is, buying a Tesla in Hawaii is easier than buying a Tacoma.

 

[heavync]

Part of Tesla’s no nonsense approach is what people don’t like, their take it or leave it attitude.
The bright side is, buying a Tesla in Hawaii is easier than buying a Tacoma.

Just got a call from the dealer saying they think there is a 20% chance they will be able to deliver the vehicle carrier direct to me this week. If not I start all over and they keep my deposit, etc. Not the end of the world as I don't need the vehicle however any incentives/price adjustments go away as well. Wasn't the guy on the phones fault but a crummy practice by Tesla. They are working hard on a solution and I'm confident will make it right, but added stress/drama needlessly.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Wow, thanks for the reply.... I'm quite stunned by all your aquatic skills!

Cudo for taking this picture at the right time for this free ride into the blue !!!
How deep did you go? Were you able to adjust your eardrum pressure fast enought?

And about the i3, were you able to keep the original EV license plates for your new EV?

- About the M3 Highland, no casting, no hatchback... not really too much R&D effort.
Let see if the M3 changes will make it much more affordable than the MY until the M2/X get build.
After that I think the M3 will sunset... as it will be the only Tesla with no hatchback and no casting.

- About the vented seats, I always put seat covers (Wet Okole) because of all the sport gears I carry.
So would the vented seats working when you use seat covers?
A choice of fabric seats would be simpler and cheaper than vented seats IMO.

- I might be wrong, but I'm a little bit skeptical about having an inventory car shipped from the Fremont factory.
For me an inventory is a car which has been used in a showroom or as demo driving, or maybe as a loaner,
or also who may have been damaged in transit and been in a body shop for few month?

Or the car is new but has a color or options that nobody want, but not the case with the limited Tesla color and
options choices. Honestly, why to shipped a discounted car when you can ship a new car to be sold at full MSRP?

- I really understand your need to replace the Model 3 with a hatchback such as the Model Y.
But did you looked at any other EV beside Tesla, because range, performance, Tesla Superchargers...
are not as critical than in the continental US when making cross country trips to sky resorts or beach,
since I assume you charge at home and never need to use a Supercharger.

- For my next EV, I would prefer to stay with Tesla, but the future NACS standard will certainly expand my choices.
So something I would be looking at would be for example the possibility to fold the passenger seat
so I could carry inside my surfboards. I think that a van would be great too, I wonder if Tesla would release
something similar to the VW ID.Buzz?

- I was tented with the FSD transfer, but because of my low mileage and high sale taxes I will keep my car a little bit longer.

I don't recall how deep I went with that shark - probably no deeper than 100' as it starts to get a little too dark for comfort in the deep blue. Where there's a bottom with more light reflected back up, I've gone as deep as 174' on a single breath hold. I could have gone deeper as 200' has been a long time goal of mine, but I no longer have the thoraic flexibility to push enough air to continue clearing my ears manually.

In Hawaii regular plates and EV plates stay with the car when they're sold unless they're personalized plates. So the plates stayed with the i3s when we sold ours. I currently use a cheap neporene seat cover on my seat that's very quick to put on and remove and what I would also do if I got vented seats eventually - Wet Okoles are awesome, I've had them in the past but they cannot be removed quickly for vented seats so I wouldn't go with a set again.

I think inventory cars are strange ducks in Hawaii - I suspect they ship several new ones in batches, and if they're not reserved by the time they reach port, they get put into inventory at a discount. They pretty much sell every one that they send over here. Interestingly enough, they do NOT sell any used cars. They ship all the used trade ins and lease returns back to the mainland to be sold. A rep said it was because Hawaii's title transfer system is so bad that it's cheaper and quicker to just ship these vehicles back to the mainland to sell. Insane.

Next EV - I almost went to a Bolt EV and then a Ford F150 lightining but in both cases the dealership markups and games caused me to abandon the purchase process. I love vans and wish Tesla would make one. The iD Buzz reviews are meh and I've been told there's a 2+ year wait list on these when they arrive in Hawaii, and that's with mark ups. I've owned a few Toyota vans and hope they will make a EV Sienna eventually. I did rent one for the weekend last weekend while traveling on another island and found the computer interface postively horrendous after getting used to Teslas though so now I'm not so sure.

Yes, we charge at home - we have solar panels that provide more than enough electricity for our EVs and house. I've heard that the one supercharger station here on the island is the worst in the nation - always a line several cars deep waiting, even in the small hours of the morning. It's funny when local Tesla drivers share screenshots of their Nav system suggesting that they navigate to a less busy supercharging center... 2,000 miles away across the ocean.

-Paul

 

[Predation]

My money is on them extending the FSD transfer.