Back in 2013 I purchased a P85+ Model S after being blown away on the test drive. I followed up by getting a Model X 90 in 2016 because although I had experienced some issues with the S Tesla was by far the best service experience I had ever had. It was shortly after the purchase of the X that things really started to go south. It became harder to get them to service the car in a timely manner, or to get a loaner, and they stopped offering to take the car to the service center (over 2 hours each way). Still, I stuck with them because I believed in what they were trying to do, and that Tesla would get the kinks worked out and make things right. 6 weeks ago I was backing down my driveway and heard a loud pop noise. I stopped, got out of the car and found part of my lower control arm lying under the car. I saved this part thankfully. Those of you who follow Tesla knows this has happened in some cases on almost new cars and there was no impact or other damage. Just apparently bad metallurgy. I called Tesla. They told me they would pick up the car and I should ride with them to get a loaner. Being a Friday I could not take 5 hours to ride there, get a car and ride back so they offered to put me into a rental from Enterprise locally which I appreciated. The rental agent told me it was approved for 30 days which he said was odd and asked if I had been in an accident (since it was a longer than normal authorization). I took the car, went home and saw my car had not been picked up. I called a few days later and was told there was some issue and that they had never serviced my X before, which I informed them was not correct/accurate. I then called back later in the week and was told it should be picked up soon. I went out of town. When I got back, the car was still in the driveway. I reached out again and was told they would check into it. I have been traveling a lot for work so this week I get a call from the service center. They told me I had been in the rental for longer than the 3 days they authorized and there would be a $2500 bill owed to enterprise. I explained they had still not picked up my car and while I appreciated them putting me in a rental, it was not the car I had paid my hard earned money for and I could not understand why it was STILL IN MY DRIVEWAY. I also told them the car had been authorized by them for the extended timeframe and I was not going to pay for the rental bill. I called Enterprise and found out they had contacted Tesla 5 different times over the last 2 weeks about the car but no one did anything about it until the day I was called about the bill. Then I called back to discuss this with Tesla and no one called me back either. The next morning my service center called and said my rental was going to be over that day and basically told me that I could be pretty sure I would not get a loaner in the future as they were a courtesy. It came across as very much a “we will punish you” type of statement. I asked them to explain why no one had picked up the car for over 5 weeks. They said that was a different department and they would have no comment about it. I was stunned.
So, I turn in the rental. I get a ride to my other place where I store the model S for when we are down there. The key fob wont’t work but I figure the battery on it is just dead. The app starts the car and I drive it back. That was yesterday. Today I used the app again and drove to get a battery for the fob at an auto parts store and went to work. I noticed yesterday the energy function would not update just stuck at 328. I also noticed my Nav was not working. I rebooted the main console and the IP. No improvement but I figured I would get to the bottom of it later. At lunch I try the fob. No luck. I try the app. It says it last connected about an hour after I got to work today and won’t connect. I can’t use the car. The backup fob (base of windshield) entry method does not work. I call Tesla. They say they can unlock the car for me and they can see the car on their network. They try, but the car won’t unlock. Over an hour on the phone and finally they say “ you have not updated your software in a while and sometimes we stop supporting old software”. I AM ON VERSION 9! It’s not like I am running around on 2014 software. In any case why would the lack of a software update that was current a few months ago render the car undriveable? So now, they can’t get in the car, can’t connect to the car, want me to pay a $300 tow bill to get it towed to their service center so that they can (presumably for a charge) somehow get into the car and update the software (which will kill my range by the way, and this will lead to me probably seeking legal relief since I need that range to make it to the beach house). Oh, and I STILL have a model X in the driveway at home with a broken lower control arm, for almost 2 months. Tesla has failed me and as much as I have sung their praises for years ( cars and coffee regular since 2013 showing enthusiasts features and helping to dispel the myths about going to an EV) I feel like they have lost the ability to service cars in a timely manner and operate in a manner that actually makes me think the no franchise model they have is flawed because there is no accountability. I should have sold them both when Jon McNeill messaged me that there would be a service center in my area before the model 3 was released that failed to materialize. I should have but I didn’t because I love the cars. But this is too much to deal with. When you have this much invested in a companies products they should understand there is a reasonable expectation of them taking care of their problems. This is why I still have 2 deposits for a model 3 and Y but that I will now be getting a refund on. I can’t trust this company any longer. I hope they get back on track but I don’t know if it’s possible. If you were thinking about getting a Tesla, please consider this a cautionary tale.
So, I turn in the rental. I get a ride to my other place where I store the model S for when we are down there. The key fob wont’t work but I figure the battery on it is just dead. The app starts the car and I drive it back. That was yesterday. Today I used the app again and drove to get a battery for the fob at an auto parts store and went to work. I noticed yesterday the energy function would not update just stuck at 328. I also noticed my Nav was not working. I rebooted the main console and the IP. No improvement but I figured I would get to the bottom of it later. At lunch I try the fob. No luck. I try the app. It says it last connected about an hour after I got to work today and won’t connect. I can’t use the car. The backup fob (base of windshield) entry method does not work. I call Tesla. They say they can unlock the car for me and they can see the car on their network. They try, but the car won’t unlock. Over an hour on the phone and finally they say “ you have not updated your software in a while and sometimes we stop supporting old software”. I AM ON VERSION 9! It’s not like I am running around on 2014 software. In any case why would the lack of a software update that was current a few months ago render the car undriveable? So now, they can’t get in the car, can’t connect to the car, want me to pay a $300 tow bill to get it towed to their service center so that they can (presumably for a charge) somehow get into the car and update the software (which will kill my range by the way, and this will lead to me probably seeking legal relief since I need that range to make it to the beach house). Oh, and I STILL have a model X in the driveway at home with a broken lower control arm, for almost 2 months. Tesla has failed me and as much as I have sung their praises for years ( cars and coffee regular since 2013 showing enthusiasts features and helping to dispel the myths about going to an EV) I feel like they have lost the ability to service cars in a timely manner and operate in a manner that actually makes me think the no franchise model they have is flawed because there is no accountability. I should have sold them both when Jon McNeill messaged me that there would be a service center in my area before the model 3 was released that failed to materialize. I should have but I didn’t because I love the cars. But this is too much to deal with. When you have this much invested in a companies products they should understand there is a reasonable expectation of them taking care of their problems. This is why I still have 2 deposits for a model 3 and Y but that I will now be getting a refund on. I can’t trust this company any longer. I hope they get back on track but I don’t know if it’s possible. If you were thinking about getting a Tesla, please consider this a cautionary tale.