I’ve owned so many new cars over the years I’ve lost count. This is the first new car where the hood, trunk, and all 4 door bolts have the paint scraped off... meaning manual adjustments of all these panels post-painting. And I’m not alone. If they were adjusted at the delivery center, that’s a little disturbing. What’s also odd is that YouTube is filled with videos from every auto brand out there, and their doors and fenders are laser-aligned when installed.
There is no doubt in my mind that attention to detail has gone by the wayside to rush production. And why not? They’re all built to order so it’s not like you can wander the lot and pick one with better build. And if you refuse delivery, no sweat. There’s a line of folks who will snap it up as is. As long as demand outweighs supply, things will stay this way.
The other thing people simply don’t get is that you have a choice right now: Spend $70k on the most technologically advanced car on the planet in a Chevy body OR spend $70k on a less advanced car with excellent fit/finish. At the moment, you can’t have both... Nor should you expect a perfect car at delivery. If you push them hard post delivery, you can probably get most of your issues resolved. If you’re coming from a 2004 Corolla, you’ll feel like you hit the jackpot. If you’re coming from a late model BMW or Benz, keep your expectations low at delivery. I also have a 2019 Niro EV and the fit and finish are Lexus-Benz level and it gets 250 miles of range. When they’re parked next to each other, you can see the difference. The Niro is also quiet with little wind noise.
Tesla is still learning how to build cars. Mercedes has been building cars for over 100 years.