What Tesla Service Considers "Driveable" and "Safe"

[Raphaelm]

Sharing what I consider to be outrageous attitude by Tesla concerning service, driveability and safety. Background: On July 8th, the MCU on my 2016 Model S (3 months after warranty expired) completely failed. Car minimally drives - brake lights work but turn signals don't, warning lights and sounds don't, and rear camera doesn't. Tesla considers this okay to drive and didn't schedule me to repair for 3 weeks. On July 29th, Tesla was able to factory reset. On August 21...MCU completely fails again.
Having been through this once, I know the drill. I implore Tesla to schedule an appointment at the service center right away, but they go through the nonsense of scheduling a mobile appointment - even though we already know the MCU cannot be repaired this way. So after wasting 5 days, they then schedule me another 13 days out...so virtually 3 weeks again.
I try to escalate pointing out that they should accommodate me sooner given that this is a recurring issue and the car is undriveable. I can't figure out how to paste in the chat conversation I had with Tesla...so I'm transcribing:
Tesla: Are both the screens out or just the MCU?
Me: Just the MCU. But the turn signals don't work. While the car drives...it is unsafe
Tesla: So do to the car still being driveable and the dash screen is still showing we would need to wait until the earliest available appointment.
Me. The car is not driveable! Nobody in their right mind would say a car without turn signals, all warnings disabled and no backup camera...
Tesla: The car is still drivable and you are able to use hand signals for the turn signals until the appointment. If you feel unsafe, you can reach out to roadside and they can assist you to get a tow into the service
Me: Note none of the other safety features work either, including the backup camera. I can't imagine Tesla thinks it's okay to drive a care in this condition for three weeks. I live close enough to the service center that I can drive it there myself (no highways, no need to park and back up)...if I had a service appointment sooner!
Tesla: You would be able to back up just have to look when reversing. As long as the car can drive they would require you to wait until the scheduled appointment
Me: Very disappointed. This is outrageously shoddy service attitude for $90,000 luxury vehicle. Driving on highways using hand signals GIVE ME A BREAK! Nobody in their right mind would suggest that. In addition, the car is designed so you cannot see behind and to the sides without the camera. You would not be able to pull out of a nose-in parking spot for fear of hitting another vehicle or pedestrian.
Tesla: If you do not feel safe, you can reach out to roadside to see if they can assist you with a tow...
Anyone out there think Tesla is right and I should be comfortable at 70 mph on California highways sticking my arm out the window to merge, change lanes, and exit...will the other drivers have a clue what I'm doing?

 

[Uncle Paul]

I drive the highways of California and everyday see many people changing lanes, merging and exiting without turn signals. Other drives do not have a clue what they are doing.

Kidding of course. Hope you get your service quickly.

Interesting how electronic devices that have only recently become available, become essential.

Can;t remember the last time I saw a California driver using hand signals.

 

[beatle]

It's annoying they are delaying the inevitable replacement of the MCU. If you were demanding a tow to the SC instead of a short drive using hand signals, I might side with Tesla, but their suggesting you driving a car for 3 weeks using hand signals is absurd and dangerous. The only people I see using occasional hand signals are on two wheels.

As for the backup camera, cars and trucks didn't have cameras for years and people survived, even those with no rear view mirror (such as a box truck). My S and my truck both have backup cameras and it has become such habit to use them when backing up that I felt like a 16 year old kid trying to reverse my Miata into a spot with the top down!

 

[cypho]

First off, I totally agree with you that their service has a long history of sucking. And if I were in your shoes I would be pissed off too. They absolutely do need to improve their service. They need to hire more service techs, and they need to do a better job of having a proper inventory of parts at the service center. 3 weeks for an appointment is not acceptable no matter what the problem is.

And I do agree with you that the lack of turn signals is a pretty big problem, and the suggestion that you can use hand signals for 3 weeks is stupid, even if it is legally permissible to drive that way. (However it would seem that more than 50% of the cars on the road either have broken turn signals, or broken drivers. I agree it is a problem, but not as big of a problem as say broken brake lights.)

But I don't think that letting you skip the line is the proper fix. That just screws over all of the other people who's cars may very well be even worse off than yours who waited patiently for 3 weeks.

Look at it from the perspective of the employee at the service center. They have two customers. Both have broken cars. One waited patiently in line for 3 weeks and the other is complaining loudly and demanding that they should get to skip the line. Guess which customer I am going to prioritise?

Also, IMO making a big deal about the that lack of a rear camera hurts your case by making you just seem like someone who is looking for things to complain about. If cars without backup cameras are undrivable, then 70%(totally made up number, but I suspect it is not that far off) of the cars on the road are undrivable. Until quite recently backup cameras were not a standard feature. Same thing with the lack of error warning light. It really isn't that big of a problem.

So yea, your car is broken - I probably wouldn't drive it until it is fixed. And yes, the line is unacceptably long. But no, I don't think you should get to skip the line.

 

[CyberGus]

Can;t remember the last time I saw a California driver using hand signals.

Weird, people wave hand-signals at me all the time

 

[beatle]

Weird, people wave hand-signals at me all the time

Likewise. I'm number one!

 

[logan]

Absolutely insane, but not surprised.

 

[hpartsch]

Sharing what I consider to be outrageous attitude by Tesla concerning service, driveability and safety. Background: On July 8th, the MCU on my 2016 Model S (3 months after warranty expired) completely failed. Car minimally drives - brake lights work but turn signals don't, warning lights and sounds don't, and rear camera doesn't. Tesla considers this okay to drive and didn't schedule me to repair for 3 weeks. On July 29th, Tesla was able to factory reset. On August 21...MCU completely fails again.
Having been through this once, I know the drill. I implore Tesla to schedule an appointment at the service center right away, but they go through the nonsense of scheduling a mobile appointment - even though we already know the MCU cannot be repaired this way. So after wasting 5 days, they then schedule me another 13 days out...so virtually 3 weeks again.
I try to escalate pointing out that they should accommodate me sooner given that this is a recurring issue and the car is undriveable. I can't figure out how to paste in the chat conversation I had with Tesla...so I'm transcribing:
Tesla: Are both the screens out or just the MCU?
Me: Just the MCU. But the turn signals don't work. While the car drives...it is unsafe
Tesla: So do to the car still being driveable and the dash screen is still showing we would need to wait until the earliest available appointment.
Me. The car is not driveable! Nobody in their right mind would say a car without turn signals, all warnings disabled and no backup camera...
Tesla: The car is still drivable and you are able to use hand signals for the turn signals until the appointment. If you feel unsafe, you can reach out to roadside and they can assist you to get a tow into the service
Me: Note none of the other safety features work either, including the backup camera. I can't imagine Tesla thinks it's okay to drive a care in this condition for three weeks. I live close enough to the service center that I can drive it there myself (no highways, no need to park and back up)...if I had a service appointment sooner!
Tesla: You would be able to back up just have to look when reversing. As long as the car can drive they would require you to wait until the scheduled appointment
Me: Very disappointed. This is outrageously shoddy service attitude for $90,000 luxury vehicle. Driving on highways using hand signals GIVE ME A BREAK! Nobody in their right mind would suggest that. In addition, the car is designed so you cannot see behind and to the sides without the camera. You would not be able to pull out of a nose-in parking spot for fear of hitting another vehicle or pedestrian.
Tesla: If you do not feel safe, you can reach out to roadside to see if they can assist you with a tow...
Anyone out there think Tesla is right and I should be comfortable at 70 mph on California highways sticking my arm out the window to merge, change lanes, and exit...will the other drivers have a clue what I'm doing?

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