# Tesla Service Center Repair Experience(s)



## Brokedoc

I was at my local Tesla service center yesterday to have a few issues addressed and I wanted to share the experience to those that are not yet owners. I haven't yet used the Tesla Mobile repair service so perhaps @SoFlaModel3 can add to this thread since he had a recent Mobile service call.

I can't speak for all of the Tesla Service Centers but their location in Syosset in Long Island, NY is has pros and cons. The employees are AWESOME and overworked! They are friendly and try to go the extra mile but sometimes issues get overlooked if they don't make it into the computer when the car is dropped off. Make sure the service advisor types every issue into the computer or the tech in the back won't know it needs to be addressed. Shout out to Jason who is GREAT and very knowledgeable. He was very upfront in saying that a lot of times, Tesla fanatics and forum members bring cars to them with solutions or updates that even they haven't been made aware of. He doesn't blow smoke at you like I've seen many Tesla employees do.

This facility is a smaller one compared to some of the others I've visited on Supercharger stops. There's only 4 Superchargers at this location and they are almost always full and don't charge as quickly as those in other locations. I've seen the car jockeys use the superchargers to charge cars that are there for service. There is only one parking lot which is where the supercharger is located so anyone can drive in and leisurely browse any new Model 3s that have been dropped off ready to be prepped. Unlike some other dealer service centers, there is no drive in intake area shielded from the elements. At this location, you have to park in the crowded lot where there often aren't any open spots and walk at least 200-300 feet through the elements to speak the staff inside. Hopefully this will change if they open another location or move. Inside, they have clean restrooms, free wifi, free bottled water and a KCup machine with a decent selection. There are comfortable chairs and TVs and lots of electric plugs and tables are available to do work if you are waiting.

In my trip yesterday, one of my parking sensors was starting to fall into the bumper as if the bracket keeping it in place was dislodged. They told me it was about an hour worth of work to take the bumper off and fix the bracket. No big deal. The other issue I had was I couldn't get my door to "auto present". The S and X have automatic opening doors and can be set to open automatically when the car senses the keyfob approaching the door. On an AP1 Model X loaner, I found that I really liked the feature but I wasn't able to figure out a way to activate it on my AP2 car. It turns out there is a Service Bulletin out for this issue and as soon as I mentioned it to Jason, he knew EXACTLY what the problem was. The technician that went with me to look at the parking sensor wasn't aware of the Service Bulletin and had me do a reset with no results.

This repair would involve replacing the receiver antenna and possibly the module located in the driver's door and require dismantling the door and the carpet. A 4 hour job estimate. Being that driveability and safety aren't affected, I set an appointment for 3 weeks from now to bring it back and get a loaner. This service center has a small fleet of Teslas for loaners and also uses luxury rentals from Enterprise. They said that they've loaned out BMW7 series in the past and that Enterprise also has Teslas for loaner. Alas, no Model 3s yet to loan out (I did ask)

After setting an appointment which was offered to me at 30 minute intervals, you receive an email to the address on file with Tesla that confirms your appointment and a link in the email to add the event to your calendar. Two days before the appointment, you get a reminder email and IIRC there is a phone call as well. Because my phone calendar is synced to the car, I get another reminder on the day of the appointment when I get in my car. I'm not sure if the car would automatically dislpay a reminder if your phone calendar wasn't linked to your car but as the Model 3 uses your smartphone as a key, I imagine 99.9% of people would be syncing their phones with their cars anyway.



















When your car is there for service, the service center communicates with you by texting your phone with updates. It is a 2 way text so if you have questions or want an update, you can respond to the text and the Service Center staff responds to you pretty quickly. The Tesla is returned to you washed and charged if it was there overnight. When was the last time your ICE was returned to you with a full tank after a service?

I LOVE the Tesla service experience and these guys understand that customers are early adopters and are part of the solution in making a better car. Tesla uses email and texting in a useful way to keep owners in the loop and the staff tries to do the best they can even though they may be understaffed.


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## SoFlaModel3

Great post!

My experience, while limited has been great. My mobile tech gave me his cell number and said he can do anything the car needs from my office parking lot or home (can’t beat that).

I do have concerns over what happens with more 3’s on the road and volume they can’t handle but hopefully the car remains low maintenance and it’s a non-issue!


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## 3V Pilot

Brokedoc said:


> I was at my local Tesla service center yesterday to have a few issues addressed and I wanted to share the experience to those that are not yet owners. I haven't yet used the Tesla Mobile repair service so perhaps @SoFlaModel3 can add to this thread since he had a recent Mobile service call.
> 
> I can't speak for all of the Tesla Service Centers but their location in Syosset in Long Island, NY is has pros and cons. The employees are AWESOME and overworked! They are friendly and try to go the extra mile but sometimes issues get overlooked if they don't make it into the computer when the car is dropped off. Make sure the service advisor types every issue into the computer or the tech in the back won't know it needs to be addressed. Shout out to Jason who is GREAT and very knowledgeable. He was very upfront in saying that a lot of times, Tesla fanatics and forum members bring cars to them with solutions or updates that even they haven't been made aware of. He doesn't blow smoke at you like I've seen many Tesla employees do.
> 
> This facility is a smaller one compared to some of the others I've visited on Supercharger stops. There's only 4 Superchargers at this location and they are almost always full and don't charge as quickly as those in other locations. I've seen the car jockeys use the superchargers to charge cars that are there for service. There is only one parking lot which is where the supercharger is located so anyone can drive in and leisurely browse any new Model 3s that have been dropped off ready to be prepped. Unlike some other dealer service centers, there is no drive in intake area shielded from the elements. At this location, you have to park in the crowded lot where there often aren't any open spots and walk at least 200-300 feet through the elements to speak the staff inside. Hopefully this will change if they open another location or move. Inside, they have clean restrooms, free wifi, free bottled water and a KCup machine with a decent selection. There are comfortable chairs and TVs and lots of electric plugs and tables are available to do work if you are waiting.
> 
> In my trip yesterday, one of my parking sensors was starting to fall into the bumper as if the bracket keeping it in place was dislodged. They told me it was about an hour worth of work to take the bumper off and fix the bracket. No big deal. The other issue I had was I couldn't get my door to "auto present". The S and X have automatic opening doors and can be set to open automatically when the car senses the keyfob approaching the door. On an AP1 Model X loaner, I found that I really liked the feature but I wasn't able to figure out a way to activate it on my AP2 car. It turns out there is a Service Bulletin out for this issue and as soon as I mentioned it to Jason, he knew EXACTLY what the problem was. The technician that went with me to look at the parking sensor wasn't aware of the Service Bulletin and had me do a reset with no results.
> 
> This repair would involve replacing the receiver antenna and possibly the module located in the driver's door and require dismantling the door and the carpet. A 4 hour job estimate. Being that driveability and safety aren't affected, I set an appointment for 3 weeks from now to bring it back and get a loaner. This service center has a small fleet of Teslas for loaners and also uses luxury rentals from Enterprise. They said that they've loaned out BMW7 series in the past and that Enterprise also has Teslas for loaner. Alas, no Model 3s yet to loan out (I did ask)
> 
> After setting an appointment which was offered to me at 30 minute intervals, you receive an email to the address on file with Tesla that confirms your appointment and a link in the email to add the event to your calendar. Two days before the appointment, you get a reminder email and IIRC there is a phone call as well. Because my phone calendar is synced to the car, I get another reminder on the day of the appointment when I get in my car. I'm not sure if the car would automatically dislpay a reminder if your phone calendar wasn't linked to your car but as the Model 3 uses your smartphone as a key, I imagine 99.9% of people would be syncing their phones with their cars anyway.
> 
> View attachment 5784
> 
> 
> View attachment 5783
> 
> 
> When your car is there for service, the service center communicates with you by texting your phone with updates. It is a 2 way text so if you have questions or want an update, you can respond to the text and the Service Center staff responds to you pretty quickly. The Tesla is returned to you washed and charged if it was there overnight. When was the last time your ICE was returned to you with a full tank after a service?
> 
> I LOVE the Tesla service experience and these guys understand that customers are early adopters and are part of the solution in making a better car. Tesla uses email and texting in a useful way to keep owners in the loop and the staff tries to do the best they can even though they may be understaffed.


Thanks for the great write up. It's nice to know that the Tesla service experience also exceeds most ICE dealerships. Not to nitpick but I do need to make one correction, only the X has auto presenting doors. It's never been an option on the S and one of the main reasons I'd buy an X if I could afford it. Talk about living in the future, to never have to touch the car door would be so cool!


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## Brokedoc

I have seen some nicer Tesla service centers that allow you to drive in to check in your vehicle. Unfortunately, the Long Island location doesn't have that yet but the rumor is that they are looking to relocate.

I just dropped off my Tesla for a few small issues and they've made some improvements in the intake process. There is a dedicated intake person that makes sure your issues are documented and now they text you a list of what they will be addressing during your service call:


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## Zombietech

I had my Model 3 in for service last week. It was clear they were going through growing pains and needed a much larger site/lot to accommodate all the cars. It was bursting with vehicles. The employees were all nice and professional. Communication was great. Unfortunately when I got the car back, despite being washed, the interior was covered with dust. It was flawless when I brought it in. There were several scuff marks on my arm rest which I could not clean off and a dirty hand print on the pass side B pillar. Guessing these issues occurred at the body shop, but someone should have caught and corrected before I got the car back.


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## Brokedoc

With all the excitement of all NA reservationists being invited to configure tonight, I want to add another chapter to Tesla service that isn't so pretty.

My X is in the SvC for the annual maintenance and an error code on my falcon wing door. Taking my own advice, I request a Tesla loaner weeks in advance. Upon taking my car in today, they bring me to a beautiful Blue Model S. Getting in, I notice this is clearly not like the Teslas I'm used to sitting in.

The binnacle display shows an unfamiliar round center dial and all the control stalks are different. I tap the T to check out the cars vitals and it's a first gen P85+ with no AP! At least it has the latest FW and it's crazy fast. Hopefully I'll get my regular car back quickly....

















30 miles into my loaner I'm on my way home in the dark at 10pm and I start hearing a thumping from the back right wheel. Lovely. I pull over and look at the driver rear wheel first.










Looks fine. Then I shine the light on the back passenger wheel. Doesn't look flat from the sidewall but the tread...










Holy CRAP! The sound was a strip of rubber that has peeled away from a CLEARLY misaligned wheel that is showing exposed ply on the inside. I can't believe they let a car like this out for a loaner. I'm sure @Mad Hungarian can fully explain what's going on with the screwed up alignment on this wheel but this tire should not be on a car given out as a loaner!

I figure I'm only a few local miles from home so I limp into my driveway and call Tesla Roadside assistance. My first experience with them. I explain my situation and he says he'll call to have a service provider come out and put a loaner tire on the car for me. GREAT!

I get a call back a few minutes later. None of the service providers in my area have a loaner tire in stock for this car. They can send someone from the SvC to me tomorrow am with a loaner tire or they can tow the car to the SvC tonight and they'll change the tire tomorrow and I can pick up the car.

Wait! You want to tow the loaner to the SvC so I can pick it up tomorrow after they change the tire? My car is at the SvC and the loaner will be at the SvC. How do I go to the SvC in the AM? I have no car and I need to work. That's why I asked for the loaner!

I declined all of the options and I'll just limp to the SvC tomorrow on the way to work. It's about 10 miles and I can go local so I'll budget a little more time. This was NOT an ideal first experience with Tesla Roadside assistance. Thankfully the tire isn't flat and I'm not in a hurry and stranded on the highway but after hours Tesla Roadside service in NY needs some refinement!


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## ummgood

Ok something I haven't seen before but kind of goes with how much actual software stuff that Tesla does that other car companies probably haven't even considered.

I pulled into Tesla service today because I am having my roof replaced on my Model 3. I pulled up to the electric door and it opened and I pulled my car inside. It felt strange to begin with because most repair shops won't let you anywhere near the service bay. It was so strange pulling inside. Anyway when I stopped where indicated I got out of my car and someone immediately walked over to me and greeted me by name. My first reaction was how the heck did he know my name already? I asked him how he knew my name and he got a big smile. Here is where it gets cool and creepy at the same time. I guess the geofencing on the car knows that it is pulling into Tesla service and contacts Tesla that it has arrived. Then on their computer it pops up with my name and info about my appointment without them having to do anything. Talk about a cool way to make things more efficient but creepy at the same time 

Anyway I guess if I want to go check out a future Tesla by lurking around the service center at night I should take my wife's Honda.


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## GDN

ummgood said:


> Ok something I haven't seen before but kind of goes with how much actual software stuff that Tesla does that other car companies probably haven't even considered.
> 
> I pulled into Tesla service today because I am having my roof replaced on my Model 3. I pulled up to the electric door and it opened and I pulled my car inside. It felt strange to begin with because most repair shops won't let you anywhere near the service bay. It was so strange pulling inside. Anyway when I stopped where indicated I got out of my car and someone immediately walked over to me and greeted me by name. My first reaction was how the heck did he know my name already? I asked him how he knew my name and he got a big smile. Here is where it gets cool and creepy at the same time. I guess the geofencing on the car knows that it is pulling into Tesla service and contacts Tesla that it has arrived. Then on their computer it pops up with my name and info about my appointment without them having to do anything. Talk about a cool way to make things more efficient but creepy at the same time
> 
> Anyway I guess if I want to go check out a future Tesla by lurking around the service center at night I should take my wife's Honda.


That is very cool and I experienced that in Dallas just yesterday, first time stopping by for service. I had an appointment and arrived just a few minutes before. I parked and went inside the door, they told me I can just pull right up the ramp and through a like door you described. I was treated the same way, I was approached and greeted by name. I did have an appointment so they knew I should be stopping by and of course they knew which model and color car I was driving, so I don't know from there about the geofencing, etc. Are you guessing or do you know? Were you there near your appointment time or just stopping by?

I love the way they use technology, but I was also surprised they wanted me to just pull right in. To be honest there is a glass wall right beside where they have you pull in with no real protection, I'm just really surprised someone hasn't hit it.


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## ummgood

GDN said:


> That is very cool and I experienced that in Dallas just yesterday, first time stopping by for service. I had an appointment and arrived just a few minutes before. I parked and went inside the door, they told me I can just pull right up the ramp and through a like door you described. I was treated the same way, I was approached and greeted by name. I did have an appointment so they knew I should be stopping by and of course they knew which model and color car I was driving, so I don't know from there about the geofencing, etc. Are you guessing or do you know? Were you there near your appointment time or just stopping by?
> 
> I love the way they use technology, but I was also surprised they wanted me to just pull right in. To be honest there is a glass wall right beside where they have you pull in with no real protection, I'm just really surprised someone hasn't hit it.


Same situation with the glass wall in Austin. I was close to my appt time. I specifically asked how they knew my name and he told me the car uses geofencing to inform them when I got there. I took their word for it. He had all my paperwork ready so I am sure he had some clue.


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## JimmT

I had my first service center experience today at the Santa Clara service center. It was to buff out some minor paint blemishes; everyone there was super friendly and professional. In and out within 30 minutes and blemishes removed.


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## theonlysamiam

Question regarding connection to car while the car is at a service center.

I dropped my car at the service center on Friday, 6/29. Since then, I haven’t been able to connect to my car via the Tesla app. The app says “Updated on June 29, 2018” and that’s it.

Is that normal?


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## SoFlaModel3

theonlysamiam said:


> Question regarding connection to car while the car is at a service center.
> 
> I dropped my car at the service center on Friday, 6/29. Since then, I haven't been able to connect to my car via the Tesla app. The app says "Updated on June 29, 2018" and that's it.
> 
> Is that normal?


That is normal. This prevents summon, honking the horn, turning on systems that perhaps need to be down, etc while its in service.


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## Point 3

theonlysamiam said:


> Question regarding connection to car while the car is at a service center.
> 
> I dropped my car at the service center on Friday, 6/29. Since then, I haven't been able to connect to my car via the Tesla app. The app says "Updated on June 29, 2018" and that's it.
> 
> Is that normal?


I was able to watch mine when they had it for service last month.
I could see when they were test driving it, what the speed was, when they were in reverse, and which door they had open at any given time.


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## Varina Wooster

My big concern about the service centers and the mobile service is that we live more than 150 miles, 3 hours drive, and a mountain range away from our nearest service center. It's not the kind of distance where we'll just pop in to have something looked at. And what happens if something serious needs to be fixed? Do any of you have experience with a vehicle problem that far away from a service center? Will mobile service vans travel that far to fix a problem? Who pays if we have to have the vehicle towed 150+ miles?


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## PandaM3

Contacted Tesla regarding some build quality issues.
- they told me to send pictures so they can figure it out
- sent pictures and they said the parts would need to be changed out 
- they setup an appointment for me so that I can get a loaner car and I took the afternoon off from work (so athough I have pto to cover, it still affects my productivity bonus)
- I get to the appointment 
1) no loaner cars and offered uber
2) they told me the parts had to be ordered which will take a week but they will send uber to get me so I can get the car the next day... that made no sense... why did they even schedule me? Why even take my car for the night? Everyone there seemed like they where hired as a valet service and now they have to work as service advisors.
3) after seeing other service people lay another customers luggage on the trunk of their car and against the rear bumper of the customers model 3 (looked like it caused damage cause they called a manager out after the owner noticed scratches on the bumper)... I told them to reschedule me after the parts are ordered. And I demanded a hard copy due bill for the parts since they wanted to just email me... good thing I did cause now 2 weeks later no email, no follow up, no reschedule... but I have a hard copy.

I’m just gonna document what needs to be done and have them do it 1 year from now... hopefully they will have their act together by then and have less cars to have to service.


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## Love

Varina Wooster said:


> My big concern about the service centers and the mobile service is that we live more than 150 miles, 3 hours drive, and a mountain range away from our nearest service center. It's not the kind of distance where we'll just pop in to have something looked at. And what happens if something serious needs to be fixed? Do any of you have experience with a vehicle problem that far away from a service center? Will mobile service vans travel that far to fix a problem? Who pays if we have to have the vehicle towed 150+ miles?


I'm about 3 hours away from my nearest service center (more like 2.5 hours in a Tesla!). So far it's been totally fine and I've had zero issues. The rangers have come to my house twice for minor things, and the "major" things I had at delivery (cosmetic and a rattle noise), Tesla came to my house, loaded it onto a trailer and then brought it back on a covered trailer when it was done. They even washed and detailed the car. I've said it elsewhere before ...it was like delivery day 2.0 for me seeing my beautiful car unloaded from the trailer right in front of my house.

So, minor issues: rangers will visit you
Major issues: I would imagine they would come pick it up
Towing: not sure, I've not yet experienced that but I'd guess you're insurance if you have that coverage or you if not. That's at least what I've experienced with a past vehicle.

Hope this is helpful.


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## Quicksilver

SoFlaModel3 said:


> That is normal. This prevents summon, honking the horn, turning on systems that perhaps need to be down, etc while its in service.


I also noticed something interesting after a SC visit. When I took Quicksilver in for the first service to confirm the vanity lights, A pillar, etc... they took Quicksilver back to check everything and when they finished, the car was pulled up in the service bay exit lane for me to drive home. As I drove out about a mile from the SC, I turned on the radio and I noticed the radio/stereo had no base at all and the sound was awful - meaning, it was like I was listening to old FM radio or something like that. It wasn't until I got home and parked and restart the car did the hi-fi sound returned. I almost call the SC to see why they messed up.  I am thinking the service techs had something to do with the sound system while they were working on the car.


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## FF35

Brought my car in 2 weeks ago for the front window, rear window, paint defect and rear wheel squeaking. My car had 200 miles on it at the time. The technician came out, looked at the car and said they'd fix the rear wheel, the paint defect and they'll be ordering new front and rear windows.

Called today for an update. After waiting 22 minutes to get through, the guy who answered the phone said the windows were never ordered and they'll order them today. Thanks for the awesome service Tesla.

I also told him that both passenger side windows roll down for no reason when the car is parked. They may roll down an inch, few inches or all the way. It seems to be completely random. He said to reboot the system. Don't have much confidence in that "fix" but I'll try it.

Anyhow, I've bought 3 new cars in my life. I don't recall any of those cars having any defects upon delivery. I'm not impressed with the service nor the build quality. What worries me more is the longevity of the car.


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## ravisorg

FF35 said:


> I also told him that both passenger side windows roll down for no reason when the car is parked. They may roll down an inch, few inches or all the way. It seems to be completely random. He said to reboot the system. Don't have much confidence in that "fix" but I'll try it.


HA! That used to happen to me the first while too! I thought I was just pressing the buttons by accident when opening or closing the door. Seems to have stopped after the first week or two. Might have been because I learned to stop hitting the buttons, might have been due to a reboot, might have been a software update. Not sure, but don't lose hope on that one, mine seems fixed one way or the other.


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## Dano9258

So I took my model 3 in for a dash pad replacement due to a previously discussed issue with bumps and divets in the pad. They said they had the part ordered and had arrived. When I got there I added in a tire rotation, fixing the transmission lever that kept coming up, and replacing the driver side metal peice that covers the autopilot camera. I dropped it off on Friday and was told it would probably be done the next day or Monday at the latest.

Those days all obviously came and went and I called them Tuesday morning. They stated the dash peice they had ordered to install had a warped plug and had to order another. They said it would be there in the afternoon and the car would be done by the evening. Now it is Wednesday, still no word. I called again and they said they texted me in the morning the status, but I never received any text. They stated they replaced the steering wheel module and were still waiting on the new dash to come in. When asked when I would get my car back, they said they can't give a date/time but would call me when it's ready.

1) Why is the steering wheel module broke and replaced when nothing was wrong with it when I gave it to them.

2) How long am I going to be without my car? This is absolutely ridiculous and unheard of with any other car manufacturer.

I want to love Tesla and I love the car but this experience has honestly turned me against them a little bit. I didn't pay $57000 on a car to not have it and be in the shop. Shouldn't they have examined the dash peiece they ordered to verify it was good when I made the appointment? I purposely had them order the peice so that it could take only 1-2 days only to fix it. Not a week plus however long additional now.

What are my recourses? Anyone else have this happen?


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## babula

Did you get a loaner?

Doesn't sound like the end of the world to me. Sure it could be better but at least they are taking care of it for you and you'll have your car back before you know it.

How busy is that service center? Might be better to take a longer drive and visit another one next time if needed. Personally I would cut them a little slack considering how busy they are lately. I've been to the Brooklyn service center and the employees always take care of me, so no complaints here.


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## PNWmisty

Dano9258 said:


> 2) How long am I going to be without my car? This is absolutely ridiculous and unheard of with any other car manufacturer.


You brought it in on the last Friday before the end of the Quarter?

I can't say this has ever happened to me with a Tesla. But I've never brought a Tesla in for service on a Friday at the end of a quarter. Come to think of it, neither of my Model 3's have ever needed any service (and we've had one of them for 4 1/2 months).

But I have had that happen with other makes. However, they gave me a loaner! Tesla didn't? And if they did, what's the problem?


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## teslarob

Dano9258 said:


> fixing the transmission lever that kept coming up





Dano9258 said:


> 1) Why is the steering wheel module broke and replaced when nothing was wrong with it when I gave it to them.


You answered your own question - the "transmission lever" is part of the steering column control module, which is why it was replaced.


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## Dano9258

teslarob said:


> You answered your own question - the "transmission lever" is part of the steering column control module, which is why it was replaced.


It was just the peice on the end that kept coming up. If they have to replace the whole lever and steering column module, they have some issues in engineering as well.


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## Love

Dano9258 said:


> It was just the peice on the end that kept coming up. If they have to replace the whole lever and steering column module, they have some issues in engineering as well.


This is the design on both the Model S and Model 3. The wheel itself comes off, then a section between the wheel and the dashboard is all one piece. I had the same drive/shifter stalk raising issue and had the whole thing done while I watched. Quick and easy.
My wife had a rattle start in her Model S drive/shifter stalk. They replaced the whole thing there too.

When it comes to engineering, I think there are others in positions that weigh the costs of replacement versus repair on assemblies and have come to the conclusion that it's more cost effective to just have this entire assembly replaced when there's a problem.

I think with them getting back the entire assembly, they could then look into replacing the component parts on their own repair shops time and then have another usable assembly... and a happy customer who got a whole new assembly for a minor problem.


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## He Chen

I wanted to detail my recent Tesla Service Center experience(s). When I took delivery, I noticed that the glovebox was misaligned. One side was "sagging". I did not measure it but it didn't look more than a few millimeters at most lower than the other side. Purely "cosmetic" since the glovebox was fully functional. About a month or two later, I noticed the top roof glass panel had some bubbling on the tint layer. This was summer time so I'm guessing the interior cabin temperature caused the glass defect to pop up. Another "cosmetic" type of issue since it was on the edges and it wasn't visible when looking from inside the car, meaning it wouldn't cause more UV rays to reach the cabin. Tesla took around 3 months to order the glass panel. Somewhere in this time, a rock hit my windshield on the highway and caused a rather large unrepairable crack. $900+ to replace the entire windshield. Life sucks sometimes. Oh well.

By that time, the California raining season just started. After leaving my car parked outside over a weekend, I opened the trunk on the following Monday to put my bag in there and head to work. I noticed a lot of water puddles inside the trunk. It was raining all weekend and on Monday morning but this was much more than random drops falling in while the trunk was open. I drove to work and called my nearest Tesla Service Center. They squeezed me in that same day and just asked me to come in in the afternoon, the sooner the better obviously. The call did drop once while the rep had me on hold to check on availability for the service center but I blame my carrier since my signal is always rather poor at my work and this isn't anything new. The rep did call me back and leave a voicemail detailing that I could come in anytime in the afternoon and they'd take care of the rest. Tesla water tested my car and replaced the entire seal that goes around the trunk opening that was slightly leaking. They said the leak wasn't enough to let water into the trunk and advised me to come back if the same thing happened again. They also called me and said the glass panel came in and if it was okay with me, they could replace it and re align the glovebox but it would take another day. They had me in a Model S 75D loaner so I didn't mind at all.

I got my car back with a perfectly aligned glovebox, new top glass panel and a new trunk seal. But I noticed some dust/debris and scratches on the half circle shaped dashboard panel. And some foot scuff marks on the driver-side door near the speaker. And a faint white blemish on the passenger-side door. And a rather long gouge on the plastic B pillar trim (the black vertical plastic piece below the white cloth trim where the seat belt is attached) of the driver's side. So being the OCD person that I am, I made an appointment to have those cosmetic issues looked at as none of this was there before. The service person checking my car in was really friendly and nice. He took ownership of the issues right away and assured me that they'd take care of it. I was set up with another Model S 75D loaner which I still have today, waiting for my car to be ready for pickup. One of the door panels might need to be ordered but the service person said a mobile service tech could be sent to my location if needed, to reduce the time I am without my car.

Tesla does have some problems. They aren't perfect. But they do own up to their problems (at least in my experiences thus far) and make it right. Every time I talked to someone at Tesla, I talked to someone who was professional, courteous and willing to help me. The experiences I had thus far left me a very happy customer. Problems happen, that's just life. The difference is how it is handled. I'm just one customer/person and I recognize my experiences are of no statistical significance.

I don't see a thread for people to share their Tesla Service Center experiences but if there is one already out there, then mods please move this post to the appropriate thread. Otherwise, please share any experiences you've had with Tesla Service Centers for repairs (both good and bad and anything in between).


----------



## MelindaV

He Chen said:


> Somewhere in this time, a rock hit my windshield on the highway and caused a rather large unrepairable crack. $900+ to replace the entire windshield.


was this replaced thru Tesla also? just curious if the $900 was Tesla's price for a new OEM windshield, or a neighborhood glass shop's price.


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## ltphoto

I had my windshield replace by Safelite. Tesla service told me $900 and that Safelite would use the same windshield anyway. Went with them since it was handled directly by insurance. If I used the Tesla SC I would have had to pay and file a claim for reimbursement with insurance. Not worth the hassle.


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## He Chen

MelindaV said:


> was this replaced thru Tesla also? just curious if the $900 was Tesla's price for a new OEM windshield, or a neighborhood glass shop's price.


This was Tesla's price. It included labor and tax. The total was ~$960.



ltphoto said:


> I had my windshield replace by Safelite. Tesla service told me $900 and that Safelite would use the same windshield anyway. Went with them since it was handled directly by insurance. If I used the Tesla SC I would have had to pay and file a claim for reimbursement with insurance. Not worth the hassle.


I called my insurance and I was transferred to Safelite. Safelite confirmed that they do not have third party glass for Teslas and I would have to go through Tesla Service Center and file a claim if I wanted to get it reimbursed through my insurance. My deductible is $1000 so it didn't really matter since I would be paying for it regardless. Apparently I don't have some kind of coverage in my insurance that would essentially give me a free windshield (full coverage?). Oh well.


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## Coco

I have not had the best experience with Tesla service. Picked up the car 10/10/18 in Palm Springs Ca, drove the next day to Seattle Wa. After washing the car noticed some paint issues and had some minor issues with door not closing properly, frunk not opening a couple of times, carpet in the trunk coming up, water in the lights, and auto winshowipers not working. I made the first available appointment in Palm Springs in November when we were driving the car back to Ca because all appointments were booked up in Seattle in October. Something happened and we could not drive the Model 3 to Ca so I cancelled the service appointment and rescheduled for the next available service appointment that worked for me in Seattle in December. Took time off work to drop the car oof on my scheduled appointment and when I got there I was told that I didn’t have an appointment and that I was scheduled for an appointment in Palm Springs in January. I spoke to them about my issues and asked if I could leave the car. I was told that I had to reschedule and that paint issues had to be addressed 3 days after delivery or they would not be fixed. I don’t think this is acceptable especially since you can’t get an appointment 3 days delivery because they are so backlogged with fixing people’s cars. 😖😖


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## FRC

When did you first report these paint issues to Tesla? Obviously, they can't warrant paint indefinitely. But, if you reported the flaws within the 3 day grace period, they should honor that. Even if you didn't and it's an obvious manufacturing fault and you play nice, they'll likely honor it. Good luck!


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## Coco

I scheduled the appointment about a week after picking up the car. How else are you to report a problem? Emails are ignored and calling was a complete nightmare for October delivery issues. I’m not asking for a lifetime paint warranty, just to have the paint fixed that was not properly painted at the factory it’s pretty obvious if they were to even look at it. I’m going to have to call the service center to see why they didn’t call me back about getting it fixed and then take more time off work to take the car in again.


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## Johnm6875

He Chen said:


> This was Tesla's price. It included labor and tax. The total was ~$960.
> 
> I called my insurance and I was transferred to Safelite. Safelite confirmed that they do not have third party glass for Teslas and I would have to go through Tesla Service Center and file a claim if I wanted to get it reimbursed through my insurance. My deductible is $1000 so it didn't really matter since I would be paying for it regardless. Apparently I don't have some kind of coverage in my insurance that would essentially give me a free windshield (full coverage?). Oh well.


I had my windshield replaced by Safelite at my home in California. From the receipt: Part Subtotal (windshield) $530.00, Flat Labor $120.00, tax $38.43. It's been a couple of months and I've had no issues.


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## garsh

He Chen said:


> My deductible is $1000 so it didn't really matter...


You might want to check your insurance again to see if your regular deductible applies to windshields. I have a $1500 deductible, but a separate $100 deductible for windshield replacements (and no-deductible windshield repairs).


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## Perscitus

Windshield replacements (or in the Model 3s case -all but door glass replacements) are a double-edged sword.

The glass itself might be ok, correctly positioned, installed, and luckily of OE quality with potentially less distortion, more/different IR coating, etc., 
but the removal of the old glass, weather seal/gasket goo can (and typically does) cause all kinds of immediately in-observable issues:

a. scratches/cuts into the paint finish or frame perimeter on removal 
(note what's use to remove the old windshield)

b. leaks from poor seal replacement

c. rust as a result of 'a and b' above that may not be visible for years to come


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## He Chen

garsh said:


> You might want to check your insurance again to see if your regular deductible applies to windshields. I have a $1500 deductible, but a separate $100 deductible for windshield replacements (and no-deductible windshield repairs).


Interesting. I did ask my insurance if it was covered at first. I was told "your deductible is $1000... etc. so you'll be responsible for the first $1000". Maybe that's a perk offered by your insurance company and/or plan in which case, is pretty good.


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## He Chen

Coco said:


> I have not had the best experience with Tesla service. Picked up the car 10/10/18 in Palm Springs Ca, drove the next day to Seattle Wa. After washing the car noticed some paint issues and had some minor issues with door not closing properly, frunk not opening a couple of times, carpet in the trunk coming up, water in the lights, and auto winshowipers not working. I made the first available appointment in Palm Springs in November when we were driving the car back to Ca because all appointments were booked up in Seattle in October. Something happened and we could not drive the Model 3 to Ca so I cancelled the service appointment and rescheduled for the next available service appointment that worked for me in Seattle in December. Took time off work to drop the car oof on my scheduled appointment and when I got there I was told that I didn't have an appointment and that I was scheduled for an appointment in Palm Springs in January. I spoke to them about my issues and asked if I could leave the car. I was told that I had to reschedule and that paint issues had to be addressed 3 days after delivery or they would not be fixed. I don't think this is acceptable especially since you can't get an appointment 3 days delivery because they are so backlogged with fixing people's cars. 😖😖


I had and still have the same issues you did with getting an appointment sooner rather than later. I agree that it's not reasonable to expect someone to come in (with a scheduled appointment no less) within 3 days of delivery to correct paint issues.


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## He Chen

So a quick update on my car. The dash pad was eventually replaced. The passenger side interior door panel was replaced. The B pillar plastic trim was replaced. I also found some gouges on a rear seat belt buckle. That was replaced too. The right side control stalk plastic tip cover piece was lifting/loose and that was replaced. I also had the rear bumper painted at a Tesla-certified body shop to fix 2 small spots where I was rear ended in bumper-to-bumper traffic going at <1mph. All issues seem to be resolved right?

Nope.

I picked up my car less than a week ago and I spot checked the dash pad, B pillar plastic trim, rear seat belt buckle and right side control stalk plastic tip cover piece. All were good. I pulled out onto the main street and I hear something loose inside my steering wheel. And then I noticed a nice even layer of smudgy hand and finger prints on the driver's side A pillar cloth trim. I figure I could clean the cloth trim but there wasn't anything I could do myself about the steering wheel. It sounded like coins moving inside a plastic box. I heard that sound every time I made a turn. I go right back to the Tesla SC. They got a technician to sit besides me on a test drive to replicate the steering wheel noise. He confirmed it on the first turn I made onto the main street. We go back to the SC. I get another S 75D loaner. I also noticed a really long gouge in the passenger side A pillar cloth trim (most likely from the new dash pad scraping it when being installed). And I noticed some debris inside my driver side taillight. Sigh. On the plus side, they did offer to completely detail my car in addition to fixing the new crop of issues they caused.

Today I get a call from Tesla saying they found whatever was rolling around in my steering wheel and fixed it. They also are ordering a new passenger side A pillar cloth trim piece. And ordering a new driver's side taillight. But they found a crack in the windshield that they said was probably from installing the new dash pad (FWIW, I didn't see this crack when I picked up the car... but then I only had it for <20 mins before I discovered the loose object inside my steering wheel and drove right back to Tesla SC). They are also replacing the windshield. To date, the windshield has been replaced once (rock hit it on freeway and caused a really long crack) and the top roof glass has also been replaced once (tint layer was bubbling). The only glass that hasn't been replaced is the rear glass panel and the 4 windows. I think Tesla needs to focus on their service center experience. I know that this isn't the experience people get at every SC. I think it may just be my bad luck, this particular SC location or maybe a technician's off day or something. I love my car but I am afraid to bring it to this SC in the future. I am definitely buying another Tesla (Model Y!) but I will take it to the other SC in my area. On the bright side, I am enjoying the S 75D loaner. I have spent more days driving a loaner car this year than I have driving my own car!


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## Karl Sun

Coco said:


> I scheduled the appointment about a week after picking up the car. How else are you to report a problem?* Emails are ignored and calling was a complete nightmare* for October delivery issues. I'm not asking for a lifetime paint warranty, just to have the paint fixed that was not properly painted at the factory it's pretty obvious if they were to even look at it. I'm going to have to call the service center to see why they didn't call me back about getting it fixed and then take more time off work to take the car in again.


 Tesla is NOT in the customer service business.

Same issues they've had since my first experience with them in September, 2018. Nothing to do with the increase of deliveries in 4th quarter.


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## He Chen

Another update on my car...

I got it back and apart from it being really dirty inside, it seemed like everything was good... until I cleaned the interior yesterday. I noticed the windshield wipers are no longer smooth and silent. In various rainy conditions (lots of rain, sprinkling, moderate rain, etc.), it will consistently make a rubber + glass noise, like if the wiper blades are near the end of their life span. When the wipers are fully extended and are about to go back down, instead of it being smooth/silent it will vibrate/stutter/shake. I also noticed the center console black plastic has some clear glue-like residue that I couldn't get off as well as a bunch of scratches. While driving on the highway yesterday in bumper to bumper traffic with NoA, I noticed it consistently makes this grinding noise when stopping gradually. I called and got an appointment in mid February. Sigh.

To make matters even worse, on the way home yesterday, I noticed a pretty alarming message pop up on the screen. It said "car may shut down unexpectedly, contact Tesla Service". I took the nearest exit on the highway and I called Tesla Roadside Assistance. After being on hold for over 20 minutes, I got a Tesla rep who was able to remotely access my car's logs and tell me that the error occurred because the car's computer couldn't communicate with the 12V battery. It seemed like the connection was loose/unstable. If the connection completely went out then my car wouldn't work at all. Scary stuff. Apparently there is a limit of 1 tow per incident so the Test rep asked me to decide if I wanted to be towed back home and then drive to the SC on Tuesday (Monday is MLK day and I guess SC's are closed) or if I wanted to limp back home and then get towed on Tuesday to the SC. I chose to limp back home because the SC is farther from my house than I was from my house.


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## Kenz300

Customer service has been an ongoing concern. There have been quite a few YouTube videos lately documenting the problems.
I don't know if the huge production ramp has just overwhelmed them or if it is a deeper problem.
One issue that has been brought up time and again is the not answering phone calls, text messages or emails.
Seems like Tesla drops the balls when handing a problem from one person / department to another.
I do not understand this. Seems like some good customer service / customer contact software would go along way with helping with this problem.
YouTuber Sean Mitchel did a nice video on this problem and explains customer contact tracking software benefits.
Basically all customer contact either by phone, email, text or app should all end up in one file under that customer.
All service work would also get documented and be in the same file. Seems like this would go a long way toward fixing customer contact issues and with proper tracking they could identify the weak points where the ball is being dropped. I know Tesla prides itself as a IT software company but if the software already exists I would buy it.


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## Bokonon

Kenz300 said:


> Basically all customer contact either by phone, email, text or app should all end up in one file under that customer.
> All service work would also get documented and be in the same file. Seems like this would go a long way toward fixing customer contact issues and with proper tracking they could identify the weak points where the ball is being dropped. I know Tesla prides itself as a IT software company but if the software already exists I would buy it.


Tesla uses Salesforce.com for customer relationship management. Salesforce is largely regarded as the market-leader in CRM software, and offers an "app-store"-like marketplace that allows companies to easily add features and customize how Salesforce works. So, as far as CRM software selection is concerned, Tesla has chosen fairly wisely. (And it pains me to say that, as someone who works for a Salesforce competitor.  )

With that said, from my 15-ish years building and implementing CRM software, I can tell you that software is not the problem here: it's the people using (or not using) the software. Any decent CRM system will log every interaction with a customer (regardless of medium), track products/services sold and not sold, and keep a record of any service/support issues that arise (as well as the customer's satisfaction with the outcome), among many, many other things. Ultimately, though, it's up to the humans to:

Agree on how the system will be used, and clearly define how it interfaces with the company's processes, policies, and other information systems.
Define clear data-entry standards and conventions so that all humans using the system can easily understand what the other humans are doing within the system.
Identify common exception cases (e.g. "What if a Delivery Advisor quits or is fired? What happens to his/her assigned customers?") and resolutions for those cases (e.g. "re-assign them to Bob")
Define a "catch-all" process for handling unforeseen or extraordinary cases (preferably one that is more rigorous than, "Shrug and hope the problem goes away").
Train other humans on all of the above.
Ensure that all humans using the system are doing so in the agreed-upon fashion, day-in and day-out.
If the processes that the humans put in place are too cumbersome or difficult to follow, or the humans are not properly incentivized to adhere to them, then it doesn't matter how state-of-the-art your CRM system is, because the humans will make a mess of it.

With respect to Tesla in particular, I get the sense that they are struggling with all of the above bullet points, with the primary causes being the company's frenetic growth, frequently-shifting policies and processes (often announced by Tweet), and high staff turnover. The end result is a less-than-stellar customer experience... though customers have largely remained loyal so far due to the sheer awesomeness of the product.

Hopefully this is something that Tesla will grow out of, just as they overcame some of their early manufacturing challenges to become a well-oiled machine. I think the first step needs to be hiring another customer-service all-star like Jon McNeill, someone with a clear vision of what the Tesla ownership experience should be from end-to-end, and who isn't afraid to get into the trenches to show the rest of his team how to bring that vision to life.


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## justaute

...though, I'm not really surprised.


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModel3/comments/aj7z0z


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## SoFlaModel3

My latest update on this topic (as of right now my car is back in service and I am hopeful it will all be resolved today).


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## Jay79

SoFlaModel3 said:


> My latest update on this topic (as of right now my car is back in service and I am hopeful it will all be resolved today).


That blows my mind that they dented your car on two separate occasions! Your a very patient man, kudos

I've read many occasions that peoples cars are done and they don't get a call from service what so ever. This is very strange behavior and not only isolated to one or two Service Centers, I've heard this happening all over the country in various videos and blogs. Tesla needs better training otherwise this lack luster customer service will catch up with them.


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## Jay79

I feel that because the Service Center management really have no skins in the game this is a problem that will never truly go away. Without significant oversight at each SC location the employees set the standard and things like no call when you cars service is completed, show up to take delivery of your car and its not their will continue to happen. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Tesla can't do everything nor should they. They can easily third party the Service Centers to professional that knows what they are doing while Tesla is still selling its cars with its current online direct to consumer platform.

If they would third party the Service side of things and allow the owners of the Service Center to buy and sell used Tesla's this would elevate a huge burden on the company and free up an enormous amount of capitol in regards to buying and constructing a new Service Center location time and time again. We would now also have used Tesla's on the lot for people to see and test drive, a dynamic that does not exist currently. 

As an owner/operator of a dealership I'm required by my OEM to stock parts and accessories which give them a predictable amount to manufacture each year and substantially decreases back orders and delays. I think this idea would satisfy people that like the current way Tesla conducts their new vehicle sales while drastically improving customer relationships and support after sale while cutting a huge expenditure for the company and being able to sell its used inventory directly to the Service Center owner.


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## garsh

Jay79 said:


> I've read many occasions that peoples cars are done and they don't get a call from service what so ever.


That seems to happen to me with EVERY dealership, as well as EVERY garage where I've had work done.


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## Jay79

garsh said:


> That seems to happen to me with EVERY dealership, as well as EVERY garage where I've had work done.


That may be your experience but we both know that this is not a common practice for service departments to complete the work not notify the customer.

What are your thoughts on my other points?


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## Love

SoFlaModel3 said:


> My latest update on this topic (as of right now my car is back in service and I am hopeful it will all be resolved today).


For the love of all that's holy... so sorry you've been through all this. And you still aren't even sure they've got the original issue taken care of. I think that for me is the big underlying thing here... as I can almost predict a follow up post that your autopilot issues are not resolved. I sure hope that's not the case, but I can't imagine a 3rd camera is going to make everything better.

Best of luck, friend. Keep is posted.


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## zztops

SoFlaModel3 said:


> My latest update on this topic (as of right now my car is back in service and I am hopeful it will all be resolved today).


Hoping you get your car back soon! I know how frustrating the car seat shuffle can be. I've been playing it for 2 weeks straight haha

Edit: Also, I dont know what Florida's Lemon Laws are, but a defect in an autopilot feature sure as hell sounds like a life threatening situation. 2 attempts to fix with no resolve would probably get you a new vehicle in CA.


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## He Chen

An update on my car...

I got it back this morning. It was towed to Tesla SC on Tuesday morning. They found a loose connection on the 12V battery, reattached it and tested it. They also fully detailed my car to make up for that service visit about 2 weeks ago where the left hand side A pillar cloth trim was covered in dirty handprints. They replaced the scratched right hand side A pillar cloth trim. It looks rather good so far! They/the detailing vendor they use even left an air freshener in the cup holder. Nice touch. They also found that the frunk secondary latch broke so that was replaced. The frunk didn’t open when I got the SC on Tuesday and I totally forgot about it. So kudos on them for finding it when I forgot to mention it. 

Unfortunately, there is a little dent in the bumper near the tow hole. It’s that circle plastic piece covering the hole where the tow thing attaches to. Not a big deal. I probably have rock chips/dents in the front that are worse than this. What is a big deal is the grinding noise that occurs when braking to a complete stop while NoA is engaged. It’s consistent and it’s still there (not that I expected it to magically go away). The wipers are still very NOT smooth nor silent. And the glue residue on the center console piano black plastic piece is still there. I’ve been to the service center 3 times just this month! Not even counting the numerous visits last year. And I still have to go back in February, which was their earliest available appointment. That makes 4 visits this year and assumes I won’t find any further issues.


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## NJturtlePower

garsh said:


> You might want to check your insurance again to see if your regular deductible applies to windshields. I have a $1500 deductible, but a separate $100 deductible for windshield replacements (and no-deductible windshield repairs).


Policy to policy they seem to differ.

I used to have Geico and they had a supplemental for glass of only $100, but my current carrier NJM (New Jersey Manufactures) there is no such glass coverage. Mine falls under my Comprehensive standard deductible, $750 currently.


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## SoFlaModel3

Lovesword said:


> For the love of all that's holy... so sorry you've been through all this. And you still aren't even sure they've got the original issue taken care of. I think that for me is the big underlying thing here... as I can almost predict a follow up post that your autopilot issues are not resolved. I sure hope that's not the case, but I can't imagine a 3rd camera is going to make everything better.
> 
> Best of luck, friend. Keep is posted.


Thanks! So I got the call the damage was repaired and Tesla offered to bring the car to me. Very kind and not expected. An hour later I got the other call... the camera issue has returned 



zztops said:


> Hoping you get your car back soon! I know how frustrating the car seat shuffle can be. I've been playing it for 2 weeks straight haha
> 
> Edit: Also, I dont know what Florida's Lemon Laws are, but a defect in an autopilot feature sure as hell sounds like a life threatening situation. 2 attempts to fix with no resolve would probably get you a new vehicle in CA.


I don't want to Lemon my car, but it is eligible to begin the process should I decide to proceed. The bigger issue if I do... they don't make my car anymore and I'll want a Performance car.


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## garsh

SoFlaModel3 said:


> The bigger issue if I do... they don't make my car anymore and I'll want a Performance car.


I feel like someone just gave me a major spoiler for a movie.


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## He Chen

SoFlaModel3 said:


> Thanks! So I got the call the damage was repaired and Tesla offered to bring the car to me. Very kind and not expected. An hour later I got the other call... the camera issue has returned
> 
> I don't want to Lemon my car, but it is eligible to begin the process should I decide to proceed. The bigger issue if I do... they don't make my car anymore and I'll want a Performance car.


I've been debating that process too. I think I'm going to ask them what they can do to make up for all the service visits. I've had 6 service visits for various issues in the 7 months I've owned my car. I have a 7th visit scheduled for additional issues that appeared after a previous service visit. I'm also in the same mindset as you. The LR RWD model isn't made anymore (I think you have this one too?) and I definitely want the LR battery which is currently offered only with AWD. I wouldn't mind a performance model


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## NJturtlePower

Service experiences.....hmmm yeah I got one for you! 

I'll just copy and paste my recent review of Tesla - 135 US-22, Springfield Township, NJ.

_"I should preface my review with a "Star Rating" breakdown...

My love of the Tesla brand and my overall experience of driving my Model 3 LR since July 2018: 5-Stars

My overall delivery experience and interactions with the Sales staff of Tesla Springfield: 4-Stars

My overall experience with Tesla Springfield Service (Management & Service Techs) both in person and on the phone (EVERY call in to Springfield will be a 10-15 min. wait IF you're lucky): 1-Star

Granted I think that this location is completely overwhelmed with the volume of cars and often OCD nitpicking Tesla owners, but that aside, my direct interaction with SEVERAL staff members during my last service attempt was completely unprofessional, disorganized and embarrassing.

I had set up an appointment with Springfield to address some Autopilot errors in my Model 3 after being repaired after my Tesla vs. Deer accident. My honest review of that recommended, "Tesla Certified" shop can be found in my Yelp reviews, but point being, my car needed some more TLC.

I showed up in Springfield at my scheduled appointment 12/20/18 to pick up a service loaner and be on my way, but this is where the confusion and issues started. The first tech who greeted me said maybe we can just check it out and you won't have to leave it.... so after 30-min wasted standing around during rush-hour, I was finally given my non-EV loaner directed by a more astute Tech's understanding of the pre-filed notes in my file. What was discovered two days later is that although the "Certified" Tesla shop had run up a HUGE bill on my insurance claim they either overlooked or damaged the front radar sensor during reassembly. Great! Problem solved right? Not so fast...

So I was called to pick up my car and when I showed up on 12/22 the car developed yet ANOTHER safety system error and could not be released, so I left disappointed once again in the loaner. Now my car sits for days between being diagnosed, service holidays and eventual replacement of a VCM unit until 12/31/18 when they finally offered to deliver my vehicle to my work. Vehicle is delivered; all errors are gone, good to go finally? NOPE Guess what's missing? My aftermarket front all-weather floor mats!!! I assumed that they must have been removed for service, sitting on the side someplace, but sure enough after two days of calls, emails with pictures and aggravation their solution is just to pay for my STOLEN mats.

I told them straight out the biggest issue is that customer property is going missing with employees being the only ones who have access to cars..."Service Manager" response, "yeah, it's weird they would only take the front ones". Unbelievable!!! Could they identify who worked on my car, moved the car, washed the car? Probably not, because their service is so disorganized and scattered I'm sure 10+ people were in and out of my car. Try to get the same Service Tech on the phone at Springfield...I dare you! It will be days running in circles between them taking down your number, never returning calls and having to explain your frustrations to a new face who doesn't really care anyways. Stay away from this place!

Bottom line, Tesla is the future, but working with the Springfield Service Department is like trying to get life advice at Walmart during Black Friday. I have owned and serviced cars from many brands like Jeep, Scion, Infiniti, Lincoln and most recently Chrysler and have NEVER had such a poor level of service, follow up OR anything stolen from my car... which is truly sad considering the amazing cars and brand Tesla is building. "_


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## justaute

FWIW. Musk is fine for innovation. When it comes to organizational design and management, he's terrible. I'd speculate a company like Rivian would do a much better job in terms of org and process design, assuming it can first deliver the product(s). I've not been a "fan-boy" of anything/anyone. Glad to see Tesla took the lead in mass EV design and production. Nonetheless, in the end, as a publicly traded company, it values only one thing -- short-term profit.


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## He Chen

I just discovered my charge port door doesn't open when I press it. The little magnet piece is missing on the inside of the charge port door flap. I bet this happened when they were replacing the charging pins.


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## SoFlaModel3

Things got crazy a few days ago, but the good news is that I finally have it back! I was also happy to see Elon make Service his first topic of the Q4 earnings call yesterday.


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## He Chen

SoFlaModel3 said:


> Things got crazy a few days ago, but the good news is that I finally have it back! I was also happy to see Elon make Service his first topic of the Q4 earnings call yesterday.


Glad you got your car back!


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## SoFlaModel3

He Chen said:


> Glad you got your car back!


Thanks! What a relief!!


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## zztops

SoFlaModel3 said:


> Things got crazy a few days ago, but the good news is that I finally have it back! I was also happy to see Elon make Service his first topic of the Q4 earnings call yesterday.


Really happy you got your car back!

Love the mission and vision of Tesla, and Elon as a whole, but I worry. I just find it interesting how Elon runs another company that shoots rockets into the sky that are reusable and obviously require a boat load of maintenance and service, but sort of missed this department with Tesla. I get that its totally different in terms of what, who and why the services are happening, but the culture and principles of the 2 companies should at least have something in common. Can you imagine service issues at SpaceX? Again, I understand one is exponentially more risk inherent, but I'm just saying.

Either way, I hope Tesla follows through on that plan to focus on Service and doesn't tie itself up too much with advancements on their position in China.


----------



## SoFlaModel3

zztops said:


> Really happy you got your car back!
> 
> Love the mission and vision of Tesla, and Elon as a whole, but I worry. I just find it interesting how Elon runs another company that shoots rockets into the sky that are reusable and obviously require a boat load of maintenance and service, but sort of missed this department with Tesla. I get that its totally different in terms of what, who and why the services are happening, but the culture and principles of the 2 companies should at least have something in common. Can you imagine service issues at SpaceX? Again, I understand one is exponentially more risk inherent, but I'm just saying.
> 
> Either way, I hope Tesla follows through on that plan to focus on Service and doesn't tie itself up too much with advancements on their position in China.


Thanks and I couldn't agree with you more!!


----------



## zztops

Another service center experience:

Dropped my car off on 3/1 to get a boat load of small misc. items done and got things corrected that I didn’t think the SC would even look at. So started off great and I’m still appreciative of them addressing concerns that most places wouldnt. Today I get a notification that the car was plugged into a supercharger on my phone and shortly after it was interrupted. Ok? Didn’t think much of it and went to check if the car was taken out of service mode. It wasn’t. Just tried to check again and this time it was out of service mode. Cool! Must have got completed late before they were about to close. Checked the location and it was parked. What puzzles me is why 40 miles were put on the car and what could they have possibly done that needed that much transport. They did have to address rattles, but 40 miles? Talk about thorough. I guess that’s whatever. My next, and biggest concern, is why was it just sitting there unlocked? If I didn’t catch this it would have been left that way til I came to pick it up earliest on Monday. Perks of being an owner I guess lol trying to tell myself it’s not a big deal, but kind of alarming. I’ll have to check all my belongings when I go to get it


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## Wooloomooloo

I'm always a little wary of posting these experiences as I know they can easily come off as a bit of a whine, and first world problems etc... but I thought it would be worth sharing, and it's more of an observation than a complaint.

A little over two weeks ago, I noticed a bulge in my rear driver's side tire, about half the size of a golf ball protruding about 3/4 of an inch or so (2 cm). I decided to take the car into the service center and get it looked at. I also pointed out that the car pulled slightly to the right and the steering wheel was also skewed slightly to the right even when driving straight (this is something I noticed immediately after driving it away from pickup, and just kicked the can down the road).

OK so one thing at a time. They confirmed the tire was damaged and needed replacing. There was no wheel damage, but I am pretty sure it was caused by one of NYC's many potholes. I was initially quoted $450 for a new tire, but after some discussion that came down to $320 and then later went to $340 (this is the 235/25/20). Additionally I was told that an alignment for the front steering was going to be $280, but after protesting that this was a delivery issue, they agreed to comp it and so no charge.

Later than day I got a call confirming the steering was off and needed aligning (no charge) and also the front driver's side tire also had damage (I never spotted that but accepted it). It was then I was told the $340 per tire, AND $50 per tire for labor, so a total of $780 plus NY taxes ($69.24 if you're interested). OK, life and its knocks eh?

I went to pick up the car that same evening, and was admiring the fact it has been clean when I started noticing hair-line scratches all over the car. They were uniform, in small circles and they covered the entire car from front to back, top to bottom. The only place they were not visible was between the doors and the glass room (those bars). I pointed this out and they said they were not responsible. Now to be honest, I don't know for sure they were not there before, because my car gets quickly dusty in NYC, but I do know that I have only done brushless washing, and only dried the car with a clean leather chamois after a brushless spray clean. So I am 99% sure that I didn't do it. It's even possible it was there on delivery, but I do think I would have spotted that.

Anyway, long story short, they actually agreed to pay for a detail at a local place for free, and have the scratches polished out. I wasn't entirely sure how well it would turn out, but agreed. So a few days later I took the car in again, but also noticed my rear-left tire (the one replaced) was registering 40 psi when the other 3 were registering 45psi, so pointed this out when I took it in to the detail.

So... after the detail, the car looked immaculate, aside from an obvious rock-chip on the hood, which was there before. It cost me $0 and I think it was a good gesture of goodwill on my Service Center's part to pay for it and get it done well. Unfortunately the story doesn't end here...

This last weekend, my wife and I made the most of the weather and drove out of the city to get some fresh air and a long walk. On the way back, just as we were joining 95, the car started screeching about low pressure in the (you guessed it) rear left tire. It was at 30psi and dropping rapidly. We managed to exit and take the seemingly endless ramp to another road and then exit again into a golf-course parking lot. All the time the pressure was dropping and it was 12psi by the time we stopped. So I called Tesla Roadside.

So this is Sunday evening, at 4:30 and the snow-pocalypse is apparently on its way. It took about 5 mins to get an agent, and after explaining my situation, the agent tells me they have no "loaner wheels" in the area (this is NYC...) and so I had a choice of being towed about 50 miles west (into the oncoming snow storm) or would have to locate "my favorite" tire shop in the area, and then call Tesla back to get towed there. I've never had a flat in the 15 years I've lived IN NYC, so I don't have a favorite tire shop (can't they do that for me, anyway?) So after hanging up and calling the nearest shop and not being comfortable about their ability to fix the tire on a Tesla, I called Tesla Roadside again.

This time I asked if I could be towed to Brooklyn and have the car dropped off at the Tesla Service Center there (I live 0.5 miles from it). After a call to them, they said no because only the show room was open on Sunday and they didn't allow drop offs. After another 15 mins of negotiation with Tesla Roadside, they agreed to let me be towed home as I was starting to panic about not getting home in the storm. Bear in mind I'm about 30 miles from home, Sunday night, travel advisories, with a crippled car.

I was given a 90 mins wait time for the truck, but he arrived in 40 mins and got us home. So my car is now in the building parking lot with a flat, and I have an appointment with the local Service Center (half a mile away) on Friday morning. I'm still not sure how to get it there, but given it's a really quiet area, I could limp it there.

It's hard for me to think of a single thing they did 'wrong' given the circumstances, but I do feel a little frustrated about the service center situation at the weekends. There are very few open during the weekends (kind of staggering for New York City) and the mobile repairs apparently run out of spare wheels and tires very quickly.

The agents were polite and professional, but I could see a scenario where you're really stuffed in terms of options if the car is crippled. What would happen if there was a battery fault or motor failure at the weekend or at 3am? Not allowing 24 hour drop-offs at nearby service centers feels like a big issue - where would the car be stored? The experience has made me slightly less confident about driving and getting stranded somewhere, although maybe that's irrational and I will get over it.

I'll post an update on how they deal with the flat and if I find out what caused the tire to fail. I am grateful it didn't blow and the car warned me of the issue, and grateful my wife and I got home safely, and I still love my car.


----------



## Perscitus

Sorry to hear. Sounds eerily typical (and not just of Tesla).

Yes, the SCs are notorious about being closed on the weekends (most of Sat, all Sun).
Almost counter-intuitively, I think this will only get worse as many showroom/stores close under the new sales model 
and all we're left with are SCs (one would hope some locations would convert to SCs, but I doubt that will happen).

If you're ever in need of tire or alignment work and are further out in Queens while driving back to Brooklyn 
- have them take you to any 106St Tire location: https://106sttire.com/

Good luck with the tire/wheel repairs. Don't let them scratch your wheels while dismounting/remounting the tires
or re-torquing the lug nuts.


----------



## John

I think this is a situational thing.
We hit a pothole so bad that it bent one of the wheels, and ruined both tires on that side. One had a giant hole in it. The other had a bulge, but still held pressure.
We called Tesla Roadside, who called around and sent a third-party firm with a loaner wheel (evidently, the last in the area not being used). 
In less than an hour, we were on our way.
It was a much better solution than AAA, which would have resulted in: Where do you want us to tow your car with a flat tire (at midnight)?
Instead, we got to drive ourselves home and deal with it the next day.
Very pleased, a perfect solution. 
The next person that night? Wouldn't be so happy.


----------



## Achooo

My dad has a model X and went through a similar situation with two flat tires within one week and no loaner tires available either time. This was in OC and LA county. I did not want to end up in the same situation in my model 3. Looking for a solution, I found one from another friendly forum member, @Jaywlker. He gets full credit for the following idea.

He had purchased a set of 4 OEM wheels from yet another forum member so that he would have a spare. He then proceeded to sell the other three for cost. I picked up one of them. @Jaywlker had already mounted and balanced a Tesla tire onto it for me at his local Discount Tire store. I only throw it in the trunk during long drives or road trips, and don't keep it on a daily basis. However, it is comforting to know that, no matter what, I have a spare tire sitting at home in my garage. If I am local and the Tesla Roadside can not provide a timely, ideal solution, I just have my car towed home, switch out the tire, and I am ready to go the next day. If I am not local, I would have planned ahead and thrown my full size spare in the trunk. I keep tire changing equipment in the deep well of my trunk at all times as well including a simple scissor jack that I picked up from amazon, a lug nut wrench, and a set of 4 jack pads that I purchased from @No_petro.

This of course may not be the perfect solution, but considering that I often have my wife and two kids in the car during the weekends, this solution provides some assurance that we won't be stuck on the side of the road for extended periods of time with a flat tire.

Edit: For clarity.


----------



## Jaywlker

Achooo said:


> My dad has a model X and went through a similar situation with two flat tires within one week and no loaner tires available either time. This was in OC and LA county. I did not want to end up in the same situation in my model 3. Looking for a solution, I found one from another friendly forum member, @Jaywlker. He gets full credit for the following idea.
> 
> He had purchased a set of 4 OEM wheels from yet another forum member so that he would have a spare. He then proceeded to sell the other three for cost. I picked up one of them. @Jaywlker had already mounted and balanced a Tesla tire onto it for me at his local Discount Tire store. I only throw it in the trunk during long drives or road trips, and don't keep it on a daily basis. However, it is comforting to know that, no matter what, I have a spare tire sitting at home in my garage. If I am local and the Tesla Roadside can not provide a timely, ideal solution, I just have my car towed home, switch out the tire, and I am ready to go the next day. If I am not local, I would have planned ahead and thrown my full size spare in the trunk. I keep tire changing equipment in the deep well of my trunk at all times as well including a simple scissor jack that I picked up from amazon, a lug nut wrench, and a set of 4 jack pads that I purchased from @No_petro.
> 
> This of course may not be the perfect solution, but considering that I often have my wife and two kids in the car during the weekends, this solution provides some assurance that we won't be stuck on the side of the road for extended periods of time with a flat tire.
> 
> Edit: For clarity.


Our spare has saved us once already! Most times it just hangs on the garage wall, but I do the same as Achooo, and throw it in the trunk for longer trips. Safe Tesla-ing, everyone!


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## TheMagician

Just my two cents worth but think 25 series sidewalls and New York City streets are a recipe for disaster (I used to run a driving program so have some experience with issues like this). A 25 series sidewall has almost no flex. If I was in your shoes, I would be willing to trade a little handling away for a tire with a taller sidewall that will hold up to day to day usage. 

You could look at getting 20” tires with a taller sidewall but don’t know how much room you have (they could be 1 to 2” taller than your stock tire). If the rims will fit over your calipers, trading your 20’s for 19’s would be the easiest answer (bet someone on this forum would do it). That would give you a 40 series tire which has a much taller sidewall and would be able to handle potholes a lot better (and give a slightly softer ride).

And consider getting an air compressor and tire plug kit and learn how to use them (and like others have said, a spare is even better). Otherwise you’re going to continue to be at the mercy of Tesla.


----------



## Wooloomooloo

TheMagician said:


> Just my two cents worth but think 25 series sidewalls and New York City streets are a recipe for disaster (I used to run a driving program so have some experience with issues like this). A 25 series sidewall has almost no flex. If I was in your shoes, I would be willing to trade a little handling away for a tire with a taller sidewall that will hold up to day to day usage.
> 
> You could look at getting 20" tires with a taller sidewall but don't know how much room you have (they could be 1 to 2" taller than your stock tire). If the rims will fit over your calipers, trading your 20's for 19's would be the easiest answer (bet someone on this forum would do it). That would give you a 40 series tire which has a much taller sidewall and would be able to handle potholes a lot better (and give a slightly softer ride).
> 
> And consider getting an air compressor and tire plug kit and learn how to use them (and like others have said, a spare is even better). Otherwise you're going to continue to be at the mercy of Tesla.


OK so today they took a look at the tire, and it basically has two holes in the sidewall almost like a double slash - definitely from the pothole. I am actually shocked it survived the 1.5 mile journey to the lot we stopped in. An air compressor and patch kit would not have got very far. $390 again plus tax... ouch.

I do think I want to switch to 19" rims and tires, but they have to fit the Performance brakes I have and I think options are limited. But 3 tire failures in 3 weeks is ridiculous. I'll probably get a slightly smoother ride like you said, and even a little more range.

BTW, each time this has happened as NOT been in NYC... it was out in the sticks. This last one was an on-ramp to I-95.


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## garsh

Wooloomooloo said:


> I do think I want to switch to 19" rims and tires, but they have to fit the Performance brakes I have and I think options are limited.


You'll have no problem finding 19s that fit the performance brakes.

If you want 18s, then you have to look around. I can confirm that the FastWheels FC04s will fit in 18" size.


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## Wooloomooloo

garsh said:


> You'll have no problem finding 19s that fit the performance brakes.
> 
> If you want 18s, then you have to look around. I can confirm that the FastWheels FC04s will fit in 18" size.


OK so those 18's fit the performance brakes? That's quite a change, but I'll give it serious consideration.


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## Wooloomooloo

garsh said:


> You'll have no problem finding 19s that fit the performance brakes.
> 
> If you want 18s, then you have to look around. I can confirm that the FastWheels FC04s will fit in 18" size.


Would you mind telling me the exact size you need?

18x(8, 9 or 10)

Offset +35 or +40

Thank you!


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## garsh

Wooloomooloo said:


> Would you mind telling me the exact size you need?
> 
> 18x(8, 9 or 10)
> 
> Offset +35 or +40
> 
> Thank you!


Mine are 18x8.
I believe the ones on @Mad Hungarian's car are 18x9.
Ian, do you remember the offsets?


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## garsh

Wooloomooloo said:


> OK so those 18's fit the performance brakes? That's quite a change, but I'll give it serious consideration.


The FastWheels FC04 is also available in 19" and 20" sizes.
https://www.fastwheels.ca/productinfo.aspx?wn=fc04&fn=titanium&lang=en-US


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## Mad Hungarian

garsh said:


> Mine are 18x8.
> I believe the ones on @Mad Hungarian's car are 18x9.
> Ian, do you remember the offsets?


Yes, your 18x8.0's are +40, my summer 18x9.0's were +30 but I switched to +40 for the winter set and will probably keep those for summer too, less range loss.


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## garsh

Mad Hungarian said:


> Yes, your 18x8.0's are +40, my summer 18x9.0's were +30 but I switched to +40 for the winter set and will probably keep those for summer too, less range loss.


Tagging @Wooloomooloo for the answers.


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## JML

I'm dropping my car off at the service center for the first time on Monday. It's to fix a paint chip and some other paint defects that were noticed on delivery, 6 months ago. They said it will take a few weeks, so I'm doing it now because I'll be out of town for a week. I'm not exactly anxious about it, as that's not my personality, but I want to talk about it, which is my personality, and I'll save my marriage the stress by discussing it here, instead of at home. There are very few repercussions if I bore you people.

The service center is 30 miles away, I assume they'll charge the car for me before I pick it up? I'd hate to arrive for pickup and find it has 12 miles left, and I have to spend 2 hours at the public park with free charging that is nearby.

What are the chances I get loaner a that is interesting? It would be great to get an S, X, or even another 3. I don't want a performance 3, though, because I like to think my AWD is fast. My guess is I'll get something from the Enterprise a few blocks away. Will Tesla try to keep my in something comparable to the Model 3 (not that there really is anything)? I mean, 3 weeks with a Versa will be annoying, but 3 weeks with a Cadillac XTS could be kind of fun.

Do I leave them one of the Tesla key cards, or do they just take over the car?

I am pleased that the car I get to leave at the airport for a week will be a rental. No need to pay extra for the covered spots.


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## SoFlaModel3

JML said:


> I'm dropping my car off at the service center for the first time on Monday. It's to fix a paint chip and some other paint defects that were noticed on delivery, 6 months ago. They said it will take a few weeks, so I'm doing it now because I'll be out of town for a week. I'm not exactly anxious about it, as that's not my personality, but I want to talk about it, which is my personality, and I'll save my marriage the stress by discussing it here, instead of at home. There are very few repercussions if I bore you people.
> 
> The service center is 30 miles away, I assume they'll charge the car for me before I pick it up? I'd hate to arrive for pickup and find it has 12 miles left, and I have to spend 2 hours at the public park with free charging that is nearby.
> 
> What are the chances I get loaner a that is interesting? It would be great to get an S, X, or even another 3. I don't want a performance 3, though, because I like to think my AWD is fast. My guess is I'll get something from the Enterprise a few blocks away. Will Tesla try to keep my in something comparable to the Model 3 (not that there really is anything)? I mean, 3 weeks with a Versa will be annoying, but 3 weeks with a Cadillac XTS could be kind of fun.
> 
> Do I leave them one of the Tesla key cards, or do they just take over the car?
> 
> I am pleased that the car I get to leave at the airport for a week will be a rental. No need to pay extra for the covered spots.


They will take your keycard and likely disabled mobile access to the car so you won't be able to track in the app. As for loaner cars, it can really be anything. They do have a new partnership with Enterprise which has a fleet of brand new base Model S cars.


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## JML

Drop off was easy, they sent me in a Lyft to Enterprise, who said I can have anything on the lot. Which meant I had a choice of a Corolla, Malibu, or Countryman, so I'm waiting while they cleanup the Countryman. I guess the XTS and Armada I can see aren't on the lot (I know, they're probably reserved).

Tesla also says they'll pay for all of the gas, so bring back receipts.

Not too bad, as my only prior experience is with Volkswagen warranty repairs. They were willing to drop me off anywhere in town, as long as I could wait 45 minutes for the van to get back...


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## Kary993

I dropped my car off last Friday at 8:15 am for an appointment I made four weeks earlier the day after I took delivery. Yes that is how long until I could get an appointment to repair some items that were not right upon delivery. Upon dropping off the car everything seemed fine. I reviewed the items with them, badging, issue with bluetooth microphone sounding like I am in a wind tunnel with anyone I speak to via my iPhone, and straightening my steering will that is 30 degrees to right while driving straight down the road. The Performance wing was out as they simply don't have them.

He told me it might be done the next day, Saturday but for sure on Monday morning as the app indicated, Monday April 1, 2019 at 9:45 am.

I needed a loaner and he put me on the list. Didn't exactly know what that meant but in my case it meant I wait for just about 25 minutes until a person, who I had no idea was from Enterprise until I received a text a few hours later. No worries she went through the car damage and handed me a Model S 75D. All good.

So Saturday arrives and I hear nothing so I figure fine, Monday it is. Monday is good because I have that day off. So now it 2 PM Monday and still no call, no text, nothing. I try and call three separate times and no one answers. Eventually it just says leave a message. So instead I use the text number the representative sent me a text on after dropping off the car the previous Friday. It's now close to 4:00 pm and they are closing at 6 pm and he texts back all they have to do is align the car. Align the car to straighten the miss installed steering wheel? Well mayb e except for the fact that my phone was notifying me of charging and lock and unlocks of the car. The previous hour the technician, or I hope the technician, went on a 45 mile round trip drive up the freeway and back. hhhmmmm....well maybe he was testing the bluetooth at freeway speeds, but over 20 miles each way? It couldn't be the alignment could it, he just said they still needed to do that, or were they at all in sync in the SC as to what is going on? Anyway the car is back and is now charging and locked for the night.....

Tuesday morning hits, time to go to work. Phone app notifies me at 8:20 am that the car was unlocked and unplugged....and it is in motion again! I look at the location and it was off again, exact same route up the freeway turn around and back again.....the car has now had just over 100 miles put on it since they had driven another 8 or 10 miles for some other reason another time. Now the car is parked again in what looks like the back of the service center not locked.....

Now about 2 pm Tuesday the car is off and driving again.....same route up the freeway and back, I am assuming because I just noticed it is out again, another 32 miles add to the clock and he is heading back like the previous two times.....still no reply to my text today about what is going on......I dropped the car off with 551 miles and at this moment it now has 689 and still cruising down the freeway, presumably back to the SC.

I'll update if and when I get an update...but thus far they have driven my car 25% of all the miles I have driven the car in the past two days.......not really pleased about so may things here.......


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## Kary993

Here is an update to my service experience. About two hours after the above post, I finally received a call that my car was ready but that the final paperwork needed to completed which could take a while. I had already started heading to the SC to try and make it by 6 pm with the intent to get the car regardless. They said they would do the paperwork and it would be ready. Mostly true just a little bit of waiting.

But in terms of the 140+ miles put on the car, they showed me why that was the case (finally information). So I had asked that the steering wheel be centered given it was set to the right when driving straight. Having been a sports car racer for years I of course understand the alignment nuances, but not with Tesla's. It turns out whenever they make a wheel alignment, a windshield change, a camera change, any of those, the entire system needs to be calibrated through what he called, " a delicate dance". That dance is trying to align the wheels and get the camera, through at least 15-20 minutes of driving at 45 mph+ so the camera will align with the alignment for autopilot purposes. As he showed me, 5 alignment print outs, the first two were absolute failures on 2 to 4 corners, and then the next three green in terms of specs but two of those not in sync with camera (still not calibrated). The fifth one was when all were finally in spec and calibrated together.

It turns out, now that I have driven the car, it really transformed the experience. Yes previously my steering wheel was centered to the right and now is perfectly straight but the alignment and turn in are so much better than before. Obviously from looking at their first attempt at alignment it was a long way off!

My service advisor was very nice and I think he tried very hard. I think he is overwhelmed with the volume of cars to service. But one simple thing could stem the tide in terms of customer satisfaction. If you are promising a car on a date, and you are not delivering, you need to call the customer and explain the issue and reset expectations. That did not happen until I was finally there and more than a few days late with little to no explanation. I am fine if it takes longer, things happen, but customers also have lives and need to plan accordingly, so a small amount more communication would go a long way....but they are so overloaded it is very obvious.

Lastly, everything else seems to be repaired that I asked for. Still testing the bluetooth further to ensure it all works well, but.......the A-Piller white material has been marred in two places that was not there when I dropped the car off. I was driving home directly in the sunset and it just stuck out like a sore thumb. I am guessing that it was scrapped while working up in the center top to replace and insulate the bluetooth microphone. This is really unfortunate as I am not sure it really can be easily repaired given the material and if it can here goes another visit for potentially days again that is needless....................


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## JML

The Tesla app shows my car as in service, but it keeps sending me notifications that it's charging. I hope that means it's almost ready.


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## Olds442

i'm sorry to hear the rough experiences. 

to hear some good news i've had great service at highland park il with the P85. (shoutout lisa/john/allman) i haven't needed anything on the 3 and only have one "issue" that i've noticed. my left turn signal stays on with a light tap, instead of going off after 3 blinks. no biggie, i can cope until it's time for something else or i'll maybe see if mobile service can fix it.


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## Kary993

I agree that the Tesla service folks I have met are really nice people, they are just overwhelmed. They also told me to call mobile service, gave me the number and what options to use, to have my A-Pillar damage repaired. They do bend over backwards to solve issues....but that has to take it's toll over time......


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## JML

Pickup was easy. No need to return the rental car and figure out a ride to the service center, just leave the rental at the service center. However, don't keep the keys for the rental car in your pocket, and not find them until you're home, 30 miles away.


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## lance.bailey

Shout out to Sean and the team at Vancouver Service. They are - to my eye - the shining star in the Vancouver Telsa infrastructure.


----------



## bernie

So my bumper became unsafely loose on I5 with some research seems to be a known issue (see links below). Service Center in SF bay area is about 1 week wait, not bad compared to So Cal (I've read 3 week wait times down there!). Before this happen I put in a service request via the app to rotate tires and some miscellaneous things - no confirmation and thought I got in the queue - didn't happen. After the bumper issue on Sunday - e-mailed the SC directly and then called and waited on hold for 30mins. The SC was inflexible unable to listen/care about customer need. My "drop off only" appointment is next Monday, but I need to drive out of town this weekend, they will not let you drop off earlier. They told me to rent a car! Loaner can be provided but only at drop off appointment so you're on your own if the appointment window doesn't work for you. After $56k and 1 year wait to buy this car that I absolutely love, its a slap in the face. I got a confirmation email from the service center. I will update.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/found-out-what's-causing-undercarriage-composite-to-break-apart.135657/
https://electrek.co/2019/03/05/tesla-model-3-design-flaw-underbody/
https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/rear-bumper-and-under-tray-winter-maintenance-update-video.11658/


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## mnsweeps

Had a great experience at Burbank CA SC. I had to replace my rear glass under warranty as it had developed a small stress crack at bottom left side. Took 2 days and got a Model S loaner through Enterprise.


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## FestiHeads

Side note - Tesla's service is beyond piss poor. I don't understand how me getting in my car and physically driving to my service center that's thirty minutes away is quicker than a phone call. It's seriously worse than comcast.


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## porkupan

Unfortunately, I had to deal with Tesla service quite a bit since taking possession of my Model 3 almost a year ago. I have been getting persistent "Blindspot detection limited" messages (or "Autopilot features limited" messages, before some firmware upgrade changed the wording). The problem appears to be with the passenger side camera or its connection to the central computer unit. The message goes away for a few weeks after "repair", but after some time invariably pops up again. These errors are not intermittent, and don't go away after a few seconds or a few minutes. After some hours, the warning message seems to go away, to show up again hours (or days) later. When the error is detected, the Autopilot is essentially unavailable as there is no surround awareness. 

Tesla replaced the right column camera (twice), the coax cable (once). Having visited Cherry Hill, NJ service center quite a few times, I can report that the quality of service doesn't appear to improve with experience. 

The first time I had my car in service, I was thoroughly impressed. There was a kind of a concierge who asked me if I wanted the vehicle washed and charged up after repair, and got me a rental car. The second time I had to ask the service advisor to wash the vehicle and charge the battery. The third time I was told the service center had lost all its wash personnel, and the cleaning was no longer available. But I was still offered a complimentary battery charge. And the next time I was offered neither a wash nor a battery charge. 

I keep reading online stories about free tire rotations customers have been offered at Tesla service centers. Having asked about tire rotation, I was quoted $60, which is probably the most expensive tire rotation price I've ever seen. 

Cherry Hill Tesla still seems to be pretty good with loaner vehicles, however. In fact, better. The very first service, I was given a rather shabby Nissan Rogue to drive, but since then they always gave me a Model S. So while my Model 3 is in the shop I get to feel like a fancy Model S driver for a day. 

I kind of feel that the service personnel's attitudes reflect the attitude that Tesla management (Musk) bestows upon them. They obviously lost a lot of people, and they feel they will soon lose more. When I come in, their showroom is totally devoid of salespeople. They no longer even try to push their solar panels to you. It just doesn't feel like a happy workplace.


----------



## DocScott

On Monday the 13th I had my passenger side mirror glass stolen. (Thread here) This is the first time I've needed any service on a Tesla, so it was all a new experience.

I used the mobile app to schedule an appointment for service, and the backlog wasn't too bad--I was scheduled for Friday the 17th. So far so good.

On the morning of the 14th I got a text from Tesla asking me to send a photo. That's a pretty quick response!

I texted the photo, and within 3 hours was told the mobile team could handle it, and that I would be contacted within 24-48 "business hours." (That's a weird phrasing, as it could technically mean a week, but I think a normal reading of that would be as 1-2 business days.)

Up until that point, things seemed to be going well.

But now it's been 9 days since that text, and I haven't heard a thing. I tried texting back 3 separate times, but no reply.

Any suggestions as to what I should do? If the part's just back-ordered, I could live with that. But as far as I can tell my case has fallen in to a black hole; I worry that I may never get scheduled to have the glass replaced. Is there any way to tell if I'm queued up? Is there anywhere I should be contacting other than just continuing to text back the number that texted me?


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## garsh

DocScott said:


> Any suggestions as to what I should do?


I suggest calling them.
Customer Service is not Tesla's strength, as you've probably guessed. The individuals mean well and try their best, but there is so much churn within the company that processes can't be well developed, and then they have to change anyhow.


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## DocScott

On Garsh's suggestion, I called the SC direct number today. Short phone-tree, quick pickup. They quickly found the info and told me the part is still on order and I'll be contacted when it comes in. The guy I spoke to was quite pleasant.

That's good news. I really was worried that my request had vanished in to the ether. 

I think Tesla needs to get its service info a bit more streamlined. I really should be able to see a message on the app that says "parts on order," but I guess because my car isn't actually in for service and I don't have an appointment or a mobile appointment, it doesn't. I don't even have an email record of any of this. 

That sort of thing seems like it should be Tesla's strength, even if the parts themselves take a while to get here. But right now, it's not handled well.


----------



## shareef777

Tesla has to realize that the pro-Tesla buyers word of mouth can turn negative after just ONE bad service experience. A month plus to remedy even basic issues shouldn't be acceptable.


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## Wennfred

Service Center Kearny Mesa in San Diego Ca. Top notch service, nothing like at any other ICE service center. Went in to have the Homelink module installed, they told me it would take around 4 hours since they had to go pick up the module at the Miramar location. They offered to give me a Model S, to drive home in but I declined. Coffee in the waiting room and the facility nice and clean.


Fred


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## shareef777

Finally was able to pickup my car today. Found the passenger visor broken. Whoever broke it at the service center literally closed the visor on the broken clip to hold it in place. Their service is getting worse and worse. I get these are all small issues, but waiting 3 weeks and making half a dozen trips isn’t a small thing for me.


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## Klaus-rf

If I understand the pic, the retaining clip isn't broken but it looks like a trim cover (to cover the retaining screw access) is missing. 

#7: M3, VISOR CHECK COVER, 1090080-00-B


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## shareef777

Klaus-rf said:


> If I understand the pic, the retaining clip isn't broken but it looks like a trim cover (to cover the retaining screw access) is missing.
> 
> #7: M3, VISOR CHECK COVER, 1090080-00-B


Thanks for the image. I have the cover (that's the part the tech just left hanging under the visor). Part #6 broke and the tech just jury rigged it back in so that the cover won't fit on.

In the image the small part is supposed to be attached to the larger part so that when the screw is attached it sits inside the hole so that the cover can be clipped on. The person that broke it just put it in backwards rather then replace the broken part.


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## Troz

shareef777 said:


> Thanks for the image. I have the cover (that's the part the tech just left hanging under the visor). Part #6 broke and the tech just jury rigged it back in so that the cover won't fit on.


I have a broken visor check base part 6 as well (self inflicted, I was struggling with putting in a sun screen). Haven't contacted Tesla about it yet, but I'm 5 hours from a service center so I think I'll wait for another reason and just catch it then. In the meantime I think I'll do the same jury rig repair your tech did to keep the visor latched (better than nothing!)

Would be nice if we could order little things like this - I understand that's possible in Massachusetts but I'm in Florida.


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## Vparepelly

Worst Service from Tyson's corner service center:

I was hearing some kind of vibration noise on the right side of the dashboard, so I went to Tyson's corner Tesla Service center. They asked me to Leave the car and the drop off was ok. next day I received the invoice with Technician note that says test drive was done and nothing was found. for some reasons I wanted to see how many miles they have done the test drive, I checked odometer reading, and surprise I don't see any miles on the car. so called the service center and asked how did they conclude without driving the car. their answer was so stupid and ridicules and ignorant, (Response: you are right, it appears these notes were added incorrectly, the technician had test drove a like model 3 that was not yours. they are going out to perform about a 10 mile test drive now. sorry about the confusion)

such a stupid service center, how can they do such a stupid mistake? how can they test drive some other car and write notes for my car? what if the issue is life threatening and if they give me the car without fixing the car?

after this I wanted to talk to the manager and the technician's responded like this" he is busy, I can answer if you have any questions" I told him need to complain about this, he says he cannot do anything about it.

I never thought I will get such a stupid and worst service from Tesla, I still cant understand how can they do such a blunder mistake.

I need to escalate this, guys please suggest me what should I do with this situation? attached are the screenshots of the conversion.

[mod removed images of text conversation with phone number showing]


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## Wooloomooloo

Vparepelly said:


> I never thought I will get such a stupid and worst service from Tesla, I still cant understand how can they do such a blunder mistake.
> 
> I need to escalate this, guys please suggest me what should I do with this situation? attached are the screenshots of the conversion.


I don't think I can recommend anything to someone who has clearly never made a mistake in their entire life. Given that, I'm sure whatever you do will be perfect.


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## Vparepelly

Wooloomooloo said:


> I don't think I can recommend anything to someone who has clearly never made a mistake in their entire life. Given that, I'm sure whatever you do will be perfect.


I didn't mean anyone to be perfect and the way they responded made me to take it to this far, I am a big fan of tesla and I love my car, I want the service center to respond in a gentle way when they are responding to their customers.


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## JML

I'm supposed to drop my car off this morning, and I got a text from the service center saying that they are out of loaner vehicles. A few things:

Why can't they get me a rental like last time? Maybe this is what I get for using the Evans service center instead of the Littleton one.

It is very disingenuous of them to claim that they don't have a loaner for me, because they are "waiting for owners to bring them back." I mean, are there a bunch of people not bothering to pick up their car for a week? I could at least respect Tesla's honesty if they said, "we don't bother to keep enough loaners on hand to cover the number of cars we have in service at one time."

They'll offer Uber credit. What if I don't have an Uber account (I don't. I know it's easy enough to get one, but still...)? What if I don't have a smart phone (I'm sure that is single digit percentage of Tesla owners, but phones die)? Other people have said they get offered $50. That won't even cover round trip to dropoff and pickup my car. My estimation is $70 for the dropoff, and $60 for every work day my car is out.

I'm still waiting for Tesla's promised gas reimbursement from my rental in April, so I'm certainly not taking any promises of paying me back for things.

I'm very tempted to bring a laptop and work from their lounge until a loaner shows up.


----------



## Achooo

JML said:


> I'm supposed to drop my car off this morning, and I got a text from the service center saying that they are out of loaner vehicles. A few things:
> 
> Why can't they get me a rental like last time? Maybe this is what I get for using the Evans service center instead of the Littleton one.
> 
> It is very disingenuous of them to claim that they don't have a loaner for me, because they are "waiting for owners to bring them back." I mean, are there a bunch of people not bothering to pick up their car for a week? I could at least respect Tesla's honesty if they said, "we don't bother to keep enough loaners on hand to cover the number of cars we have in service at one time."
> 
> They'll offer Uber credit. What if I don't have an Uber account (I don't. I know it's easy enough to get one, but still...)? What if I don't have a smart phone (I'm sure that is single digit percentage of Tesla owners, but phones die)? Other people have said they get offered $50. That won't even cover round trip to dropoff and pickup my car. My estimation is $70 for the dropoff, and $60 for every work day my car is out.
> 
> I'm still waiting for Tesla's promised gas reimbursement from my rental in April, so I'm certainly not taking any promises of paying me back for things.
> 
> I'm very tempted to bring a laptop and work from their lounge until a loaner shows up.


My service center uses enterprise as their loaner provider even when the loaners are Tesla's. When they're out of Tesla loaners, they will usually get me into an ICE vehicle through enterprise. Not ideal, but I definitely prefer it to Uber credits or a $50 credit.


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## JML

Turned out not to be a problem for me, but maybe it will for other dropoffs today. They gave me a 2015(?) Model S 70, which seemed to be the lowest end of the three loaners I saw out front. I definitely prefer the 3, because it is smaller and faster, but this is a perfectly adequate loaner while my car is in service. They also had an X and an S85D. Some of the cars parked around the side and back might have been loaners, but in that case, why text me that I'm getting Uber credit?


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## MelindaV

JML said:


> Turned out not to be a problem for me, but maybe it will for other dropoffs today. They gave me a 2015(?) Model S 70, which seemed to be the lowest end of the three loaners I saw out front. I definitely prefer the 3, because it is smaller and faster, but this is a perfectly adequate loaner while my car is in service. They also had an X and an S85D. Some of the cars parked around the side and back might have been loaners, but in that case, why text me that I'm getting Uber credit?


so more importantly, you returned from your trip and could still drive the car after it sat for a while!


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## JML

MelindaV said:


> so more importantly, you returned from your trip and could still drive the car after it sat for a while!


Yes, it was parked and not driven for 14 days. It was plugged in, but it never managed to charge, so I don't know if that affects things. In 14 days it lost 13 miles of range. That was garaged, so no use of cabin over heat protection, and sentry mode was off. Based on Teslafi, it woke up 2-4 hours a day for no reason I know of. Maybe somebody accidentally tapped the app, or maybe it just woke up to check in with the mothership.

Now of course, it is sitting outside at the service center with cabin over heat protection and sentry mode both running. I guess that's the service center's problem if they find it dead on Monday morning. Last time I dropped it off for service it was locked out of my account before I'd even left the building, but here we are 3 hours later, and I can still see it.


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## JML

The car sat exactly where I left it from Friday morning until Monday afternoon, with cabin overheat protection and sentry mode running. The battery dropped from 56% to 23%. That was nearly 22kWh lost. It doesn't particularly matter, as that battery is coming out. I'm guessing they somehow drain the defective batteries, anyway. The car is now showing "In Service" with an estimated time of completion of August 14 at 3:30pm. I'll be very pleased if it is done that soon.


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## shareef777

JML said:


> Yes, it was parked and not driven for 14 days. It was plugged in, but it never managed to charge, so I don't know if that affects things. In 14 days it lost 13 miles of range. That was garaged, so no use of cabin over heat protection, and sentry mode was off. Based on Teslafi, it woke up 2-4 hours a day for no reason I know of. Maybe somebody accidentally tapped the app, or maybe it just woke up to check in with the mothership.
> 
> Now of course, it is sitting outside at the service center with cabin over heat protection and sentry mode both running. I guess that's the service center's problem if they find it dead on Monday morning. Last time I dropped it off for service it was locked out of my account before I'd even left the building, but here we are 3 hours later, and I can still see it.


lol, I'd be lucky if my 3 SLEEPS for 2-4 hours a day.


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## JML

I got my car back from service, and things went about as well as can be hoped for. I wrote it all up over here.


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## Battery Man

As a owner of a 85s since 2013, I just purchased a Model3 that needed some fixes to the body panel alignment which was real bad. Also needed some paint defects corrected. I was told that there is no loners available, I told them in advance that I needed one, that I would have to call Uber. I guess I would have to call Uber every time I needed a car for as long as they would have it in the paint shop or whatever. I left without a work being done. I have made a appointment in Fremont, I think the service is better there. NO MORE DUBLIN SERVICE, real BAD.


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## Frully

Welcome to the forum - from what I understand there are no loaners for service any more, and 'that is being addressed'.

https://electrek.co/2019/08/16/tesla-shutting-service-loaner-elon-musk/

I think it just comes down to if a SC still has any used inventory in stock to use as loaners or if they have already switched to the new system. It's not that the SC is bad - just whether they switched.


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## Mesprit87

Last visit I had in Montreal, was initially told there was an ICE rental for me. When I asked for an electric car they just mentionned they don't do it anymore but I could bring the fuel bill... On that day, when the rental company arrived with an X3, one of the fisrt thing he told me was they were no longer paying for the gas... Anyway, at least I had something to drive back home.
By the way, I was very distracted by the 3 screens and 358 buttons and chrome and light effects of the BMW. So much bling... so little performance


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## tivoboy

when service is done, is there a place online to VIEW the service or repair ticket and results? I didn't get anything from my last warranty repair when picking up the car


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## Achooo

tivoboy said:


> when service is done, is there a place online to VIEW the service or repair ticket and results? I didn't get anything from my last warranty repair when picking up the car


I don't know if any place online to view those documents. In the past, they have always been emailed to me. Maybe try reaching out to your service advisor and asking for it to be emailed.


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## Guitarbare

It’s extremely difficult to get anyone to talk to you about your car issues on the phone. Nearly impossible to get any of them to call you back. But once you get their attention and they order the part and it comes in these mechanics / service people do an amazing job !!! Applause 👏 
I was there at San Antonio Tesla Tuesday 27th August 2019 . They replaced my entire rear drive unit , aligned all 4 wheels, pushed a software update and fixed my Slacker Radio and all in 3.5 hours. Wow!! Unbelievable!!! My hats off to the crew there. Simply amazing service dept!!
The only weak area is communication which is handled off site. There is no way to communicate directly with the shop. I had to physically drive there each time to check status of the ordered part or ask a simple question. 
Tesla needs to work on that but again bravo to the actual guys / mechanics who performed the service.


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## ELeeOs

The bracket in my vehicle was apparently broken and they had to replace the sensor. Told me it cost $590 to replace the parts and labor. 

They took over 48 hours to do this for me and didn't give me a loaner vehicle because the damage wasn't covered under warranty. He told me this after telling me he would have it done in one day (false. Took 3 days) told me I cannot get a loaner because it wouldn't take 48 hours (false. Took 3 days) and after I complained about having to pay for an Uber to pick up my car when they told me it would take a day says the policy is if the damage was covered under warranty and repairs took 48 hours. Is this the actual policy or is this just convenient when Tesla doesn't provide quality services and needs an excuse for not doing their job in a timely manner. Wouldn't even give me an update. I had to reach out to see the repairs on my car. It's awfully convenient when they mess up that there is no written policy anywhere for me to find. Must be nice to have an owner that makes rules whenever he wants. 

Terrible service. Is saying "sorry" an appropriate response...I couldn't go to work without paying $89 a day for 3 days to rent a car because I'm not allowed to Uber to my clients. I'm charged $590 for repairs and couldn't go to work because of the situation they put me in.


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## MelindaV

ELeeOs said:


> couldn't go to work because of the situation they put me in.


did they do the original damage?


----------



## ChristianZ

porkupan said:


> Unfortunately, I had to deal with Tesla service quite a bit since taking possession of my Model 3 almost a year ago. I have been getting persistent "Blindspot detection limited" messages (or "Autopilot features limited" messages, before some firmware upgrade changed the wording). The problem appears to be with the passenger side camera or its connection to the central computer unit. The message goes away for a few weeks after "repair", but after some time invariably pops up again. These errors are not intermittent, and don't go away after a few seconds or a few minutes. After some hours, the warning message seems to go away, to show up again hours (or days) later. When the error is detected, the Autopilot is essentially unavailable as there is no surround awareness.
> 
> Tesla replaced the right column camera (twice), the coax cable (once). Having visited Cherry Hill, NJ service center quite a few times, I can report that the quality of service doesn't appear to improve with experience.
> 
> The first time I had my car in service, I was thoroughly impressed. There was a kind of a concierge who asked me if I wanted the vehicle washed and charged up after repair, and got me a rental car. The second time I had to ask the service advisor to wash the vehicle and charge the battery. The third time I was told the service center had lost all its wash personnel, and the cleaning was no longer available. But I was still offered a complimentary battery charge. And the next time I was offered neither a wash nor a battery charge.
> 
> I keep reading online stories about free tire rotations customers have been offered at Tesla service centers. Having asked about tire rotation, I was quoted $60, which is probably the most expensive tire rotation price I've ever seen.
> 
> Cherry Hill Tesla still seems to be pretty good with loaner vehicles, however. In fact, better. The very first service, I was given a rather shabby Nissan Rogue to drive, but since then they always gave me a Model S. So while my Model 3 is in the shop I get to feel like a fancy Model S driver for a day.
> 
> I kind of feel that the service personnel's attitudes reflect the attitude that Tesla management (Musk) bestows upon them. They obviously lost a lot of people, and they feel they will soon lose more. When I come in, their showroom is totally devoid of salespeople. They no longer even try to push their solar panels to you. It just doesn't feel like a happy workplace.


My car has been at Cherry Hill for 3 days and I can't get someone on the phone or reply to the text message at 2:55 pm that stated "Good afternoon, we wanted to update you that your Tesla service will be continuing into tomorrow. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Thank you, Tesla Cherry Hill". I texted right away, and then again that evening around 4:30 pm. I texted today at 9 am. Then called and got the voicemail. After lunch I called sales and asked if anyone was answering phones in Service. They took a message and said they would give it to service. It's 4:52 pm and no text or call. This is frustrating...


----------



## ChristianZ

Frully said:


> Welcome to the forum - from what I understand there are no loaners for service any more, and 'that is being addressed'.
> 
> https://electrek.co/2019/08/16/tesla-shutting-service-loaner-elon-musk/
> 
> I think it just comes down to if a SC still has any used inventory in stock to use as loaners or if they have already switched to the new system. It's not that the SC is bad - just whether they switched.


They are now contracted with Enterprise to loan Model S vehicles if the service takes longer than 3 hours.


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## Mistersandman

Just got my car back from the service center and had almost $800 in work done. Boy has the quality of their service dropped. They no longer give loaners (they give Uber vouchers), they don’t wash the car no matter how dirty it got during the service, they no longer have a receptionist, they reduced the number of service advisors (which means a longer wait), they no longer offer snacks while waiting and they even ran out of water to drink. I spent 30 minutes dropping the car off (waiting for a service advisor and the Uber) and another 30 minutes picking it up (had to wait for the service advisor). Has anyone else noticed this too? Quite a contrast from a year ago.


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## ravisorg

Yeah that happened to me too. Fortunately I still got a loaner, but everything else was the same. They’ve removed all service people from the front, I had to walk back into the service area to find someone to talk to, and it was made fairly clear to me that that was not how things were expected to be done (I was supposed to book online and never actually see a person). Long wait to drop off and pick up, no drinks, very post apocalyptic with places for people and things but everything missing. This was at the Oakville service Center in Ontario.

I know they’re suffering financial growing pains, so really hoping they get cash flow smoothed out eventually and back to fantastic service in the future.


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## MikefromBK

Yeah. I had a similar experience on my visit of 9/11. They did offer a loaner (an old 2015/16 90D) which I declined. Other than that, it was pretty much what you guys said. This was in Red Hook Brooklyn.


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## TrevP

Not sure if this a localized thing but I’ve always had excellent service in Toronto. I prefer they don’t wash my car (scratches) but they generally vacuumed which is cool and they’re always prompt.
My biggest beef was getting gas cars as loaners about half the time but the last loaner i got was an 85D so can’t complain.


----------



## MikefromBK

TrevP said:


> Not sure if this a localized thing but I've always had excellent service in Toronto. I prefer they don't wash my car (scratches) but they generally vacuumed which is cool and they're always prompt.
> My biggest beef was getting gas cars as loaners about half the time but the last loaner i got was an 85D so can't complain.


Hi Trev,

Possibly localized. But it seems that the service department as a whole has been cut down some. 1 receptionist vs 2 previously. No more car washes is indicative of Tesla reducing expenses. I know they're going through growing pains. But it's noteworthy nonetheless.

Also, this is one of the locations where the sales department has been closed down. So the whole sales display area is a ghost town now. Sucks to see it in Brooklyn (huge metro area).

MP


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## Mistersandman

ravisorg said:


> Long wait to drop off and pick up, no drinks, very post apocalyptic with places for people and things but everything missing.


Haha. Post apocalyptic is exactly how I would describe it! There was a receptionist desk with no receptionist but rather a sign on it directing you to to a small door where the service advisors sat. An empty water cooler with no cups and the jug slightly slanted.

Compare that with my local Mercedes dealer they give out Mercedes loaners, they wash the car, they offer coffee, cappuccinos, hot chocolate and espressos (with a fancy machine), and even cold bottled water with the Mercedes logo on it (lol). They have an assortment of bottled juices, they give fresh fruit (bananas and oranges), and even donuts. Granted all I got was the water, it was still nice to have those options. They even have free Wifi, a gift/accessories shop and a separate room with 4 big screen TV's and an assortment of comfy chairs, couches, desks and bar height tables/chairs. It makes waiting so much easier and keeps the kids happy.

Note, this is all in Los Angeles. I too get why they are doing this. I just hope they can figure things out. I'm not expecting Mercedes level service (nor anything close) but I thought it was an interesting observation nonetheless.


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## Nom

Had my first service center experience today — 10 months after getting car. 22,000 miles. Had weird tick sound coming from tire. Stuff needed tightening / lubing (there are other threads on this).

Was easy to get a slot via the app within a week. Service was quick - 1.5 hours. Also rotated tires. Very efficient. I’m very happy. 

Dedham, MA.


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## Burnchar

*My Tesla service experience: "Vehicle speed and power may be limited"*

*tl;dr:*_ Tesla paid for a 200 mile tow to the a service center and has the tow truck at my hours less than two hours after my call. They pay for a luxury car rental. The car is ready for pick-up the morning of day 2 at the service center.
This, and the car still drove fine. I was never left stranded, just limited to 50MPH._
Everything about the experience was fantastic. Everything went smoothly. Tesla did everything they could to provide perfect service. The employees are awesome and easy, even FUN to work with.

*November 8 2019:*
"Vehicle speed and power may be limited" error. I don't notice any difference in performance until I speed in a 45MPH zone where the car limits top speed to 50MPH.

*November 9: *
I schedule a service appointment for November 11

*November 11:*
10:04 AM: Called service center to ask about the drive from Idaho to Salt Lake considering the 50MPH speed limit. Tesla offers to pay to have the car towed to the service center (200 miles/320KM!)
11:54 AM: Text from tow service, "Help will arrive in 120 minutes"
12:50 PM: Call from tow truck driver (after only an hour), "We are at your house. Where's the car?"
4:19 PM: Text from Tesla about car's arrival: "Thank you for dropping your car off"

*November 12*
5PM: Enterprise Rent-A-Car calls to apologize that they were unable to get a luxury car for my rental (Tesla apparently specified "Luxury" in the contract; unnecessary but a nice touch)
5:30PM: I pick up my rental car, a Volkswagen Passat whose glacial throttle response makes me further appreciate electric cars.

*November 13:*
9:17 AM "Your car is ready for pick-up at Tesla Service Salt Lake" -- just two days in the service center.

*November 15:*
I drive my Tesla-provided rental to Salt Lake. The rental company provides a ride to the service center, where I pick up my car within a few minutes. Ralph, the person I have been communicating with, introduces himself and is very professional and personable. It's almost like we are friends.
I sign a paper and have the car, though I opt to stay and enjoy free coffee while my car charges a bit for the trip.


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## garsh

Thanks for sharing that story.
I hope this is a sign that Tesla Service is beginning to ramp up enough to handle all of these new cars. This should be a major differentiator for them, and it's disappointing when we hear other peoples' horror stories.



Burnchar said:


> *My Tesla service experience: "Vehicle speed and power may be limited"*
> 
> *tl;dr:*_ Tesla paid for a 200 mile tow to the a service center and has the tow truck at my hours less than two hours after my call. They pay for a luxury car rental. The car is ready for pick-up the morning of day 2 at the service center.
> This, and the car still drove fine. I was never left stranded, just limited to 50MPH._
> Everything about the experience was fantastic. Everything went smoothly. Tesla did everything they could to provide perfect service. The employees are awesome and easy, even FUN to work with.
> 
> *November 8 2019:*
> "Vehicle speed and power may be limited" error. I don't notice any difference in performance until I speed in a 45MPH zone where the car limits top speed to 50MPH.
> 
> *November 9: *
> I schedule a service appointment for November 11
> 
> *November 11:*
> 10:04 AM: Called service center to ask about the drive from Idaho to Salt Lake considering the 50MPH speed limit. Tesla offers to pay to have the car towed to the service center (200 miles/320KM!)
> 11:54 AM: Text from tow service, "Help will arrive in 120 minutes"
> 12:50 PM: Call from tow truck driver (after only an hour), "We are at your house. Where's the car?"
> 4:19 PM: Text from Tesla about car's arrival: "Thank you for dropping your car off"
> 
> *November 12*
> 5PM: Enterprise Rent-A-Car calls to apologize that they were unable to get a luxury car for my rental (Tesla apparently specified "Luxury" in the contract; unnecessary but a nice touch)
> 5:30PM: I pick up my rental car, a Volkswagen Passat whose glacial throttle response makes me further appreciate electric cars.
> 
> *November 13:*
> 9:17 AM "Your car is ready for pick-up at Tesla Service Salt Lake" -- just two days in the service center.
> 
> *November 15:*
> I drive my Tesla-provided rental to Salt Lake. The rental company provides a ride to the service center, where I pick up my car within a few minutes. Ralph, the person I have been communicating with, introduces himself and is very professional and personable. It's almost like we are friends.
> I sign a paper and have the car, though I opt to stay and enjoy free coffee while my car charges a bit for the trip.


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## Mesprit87

Burnchar said:


> *My Tesla service experience: "Vehicle speed and power may be limited"*
> 
> *tl;dr:*_ Tesla paid for a 200 mile tow to the a service center and has the tow truck at my hours less than two hours after my call. They pay for a luxury car rental. The car is ready for pick-up the morning of day 2 at the service center.
> This, and the car still drove fine. I was never left stranded, just limited to 50MPH._
> Everything about the experience was fantastic. Everything went smoothly. Tesla did everything they could to provide perfect service. The employees are awesome and easy, even FUN to work with.
> 
> *November 8 2019:*
> "Vehicle speed and power may be limited" error. I don't notice any difference in performance until I speed in a 45MPH zone where the car limits top speed to 50MPH.
> 
> *November 9: *
> I schedule a service appointment for November 11
> 
> *November 11:*
> 10:04 AM: Called service center to ask about the drive from Idaho to Salt Lake considering the 50MPH speed limit. Tesla offers to pay to have the car towed to the service center (200 miles/320KM!)
> 11:54 AM: Text from tow service, "Help will arrive in 120 minutes"
> 12:50 PM: Call from tow truck driver (after only an hour), "We are at your house. Where's the car?"
> 4:19 PM: Text from Tesla about car's arrival: "Thank you for dropping your car off"
> 
> *November 12*
> 5PM: Enterprise Rent-A-Car calls to apologize that they were unable to get a luxury car for my rental (Tesla apparently specified "Luxury" in the contract; unnecessary but a nice touch)
> 5:30PM: I pick up my rental car, a Volkswagen Passat whose glacial throttle response makes me further appreciate electric cars.
> 
> *November 13:*
> 9:17 AM "Your car is ready for pick-up at Tesla Service Salt Lake" -- just two days in the service center.
> 
> *November 15:*
> I drive my Tesla-provided rental to Salt Lake. The rental company provides a ride to the service center, where I pick up my car within a few minutes. Ralph, the person I have been communicating with, introduces himself and is very professional and personable. It's almost like we are friends.
> I sign a paper and have the car, though I opt to stay and enjoy free coffee while my car charges a bit for the trip.


Curious, what was causing it?


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## Burnchar

Mesprit87 said:


> Curious, what was causing it?


Tesla said that a fluid pump was near death, so they replaced it with a newer model. I asked if I should be worried about the other one. THe Tesla representative said they had seen a pump failure only 7 times at that service center, so that it was a very rare problem, unlikely to recur.


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## StromTrooperM3

Mistersandman said:


> Compare that with my local Mercedes dealer they give out Mercedes loaners, they wash the car, they offer coffee, cappuccinos, hot chocolate and espressos (with a fancy machine), and even cold bottled water with the Mercedes logo on it (lol). They have an assortment of bottled juices, they give fresh fruit (bananas and oranges), and even donuts. Granted all I got was the water, it was still nice to have those options. They even have free Wifi, a gift/accessories shop and a separate room with 4 big screen TV's and an assortment of comfy chairs, couches, desks and bar height tables/chairs. It makes waiting so much easier and keeps the kids happy


This is what separates a quality luxury brand from Tesla and why I continue to buy vehicles from these manufacturers. A little goes a long way.

I understand that mobile service seems to be a major talking point however there seem to be plenty of reports of people still needing to go to a physical service center so the hospitality would be nice to have


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## Klaus-rf

StromTrooperM3 said:


> This is what separates a quality luxury brand from Tesla and why I continue to buy vehicles from these manufacturers. A little goes a long way.


 ALL of the Toyota dealerships I have been over the past three years have had the same customer-oriented features. And I don't think most folks consider of Toyota to be a "quality luxury brand".

One Toyota dealer in Tempe has a jungle gym for the kids with overhead rope tubes, castles, etc. - MUCH larger than any McDonalds I've seen. My local dealer has 4 glassed-off private rooms with desks, chairs, adjustable lighting, cables and WiFi connections for folks to do remote work or web browsing (I haven't used this feature and wonder what web restrictions that have in place - a different subject for sure). And the free snacks and coffees is nice also.

Tesla delivery / service centers used to have free coffee and water. Not so much anymore.


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## tivoboy

StromTrooperM3 said:


> This is what separates a quality luxury brand from Tesla and why I continue to buy vehicles from these manufacturers. A little goes a long way.
> 
> I understand that mobile service seems to be a major talking point however there seem to be plenty of reports of people still needing to go to a physical service center so the hospitality would be nice to have


Well, one of the very BIG differences between a Tesla and a Luxury OEM like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus IS the business model of the manufacturer and the dealer network.

Tesla of course doesn't have a dealer network. They have Tesla service centers, and even then not in every state. For a traditional OEM DEALER, the overwhelming majority of that dealers revenue comes from the regular service visits and fees and the warranty pass through for warranty service that just gets billed mostly back to the OEM.

For this reason a traditional OEM Dealer is very incented to provide as much "service" as they can to get and keep that customer coming in to the Dealership, for service, not LOSE them to another Dealership and giving away free coffee, hot chocolate, having work stations for use, etc. is a small price to pay to keep those customers coming in for regular service (high margin to the dealership) and for any and all warranty or out of warranty work.

Without the service, the dealers wouldn't survive at all.

For Tesla, that isn't the case, Tesla as the OEM gets the majority of all the revenue and profit from the sales of the vehicle. Good customer service is probably the highest bar they think they need to achieve, not GREAT customer service.


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## John

I used to get that kind of service when I owned an Infiniti (early on). Very nice. 
But the repairs were super-expensive as I recall.
I can remember thinking, "Dang, I'm paying for all this niceness."
May have changed recently. Our Toyota dealer is certainly more bare bones.


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## processengr

Had my 2018 LR in to the Milford, CT Tesla service last week. Positive experience.


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## StromTrooperM3

tivoboy said:


> For Tesla, that isn't the case, Tesla as the OEM gets the majority of all the revenue and profit from the sales of the vehicle.


This is exactly why a granola bar and bottle of juice shouldn't be a hard ask. I sat in the service center for 8 hours when I picked up my car. There is only so much kcup coffee one can drink


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## StromTrooperM3

John said:


> I used to get that kind of service when I owned an Infiniti (early on). Very nice.
> But the repairs were super-expensive as I recall


I have always purchased the extended Infiniti Elite warranty for all of my cars from them. You can even get it on used private party purchases as long as you pay for the inspection fee which is a about $100. My last Infiniti had a $50 deductible unlimited items per visit. My current one has a $100 deductible still the same unlimited items per claim. So as far as costly repairs I'm not sure what it's like to deal with them outside of the bumper to bumper warranty. If it was covered I paid the $50. On my current one I've had only a CVT claim and it was a recall so I haven't paid anything out of pocket. 0 claims in 40k miles and I'm at 7 claims in 6k miles on my Tesla.


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## $ Trillion Musk

My local SC doesn’t wash serviced cars. Is this normal?


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## FRC

$ Trillion Musk said:


> My local SC doesn't wash serviced cars. Is this normal?


Same at my SC. Indicative of Tesla's overall disdain for customer service.


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## GDN

They don't wash them here either and I'm personally OK with that. It would not be a hand wash and would likely either be a no touch wash which wouldn't clean it or a brush wash which I do not want my car to go through. I take it there to get worked on, not necessarily cleaned. 

I also have further experience with this type of service. Just as I was about to trade for the AWD, my pickup was stolen from a Ford dealership. Very likely all an inside job by the team that did the washing and running of vehicles. They conveniently left the key on the tire overnight vs putting it away. A common practice at said dealership as it was even written on the invoice that is where the key was. 

So if you want it washed at the dealership, truly you'll get what you pay for.


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## tivoboy

They stopped washing cars around here at least two years ago


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## shareef777

$ Trillion Musk said:


> My local SC doesn't wash serviced cars. Is this normal?


My local SC doesn't even HAVE a car wash. I'm pretty sure it's all done by hand, and there's no way any dealership would hand wash customer cars just for a service visit.

In all honesty, the dealership carwash is just a free sales gimmick/ad. My last few ICE vehicles, the dealership offered free car washes for the life of the car (don't even need to go in for service). The day I bought the cars they run it through and it comes out still wet with water spots in areas that have dried off. They used no heated dry or any soap in the actually cleaning. Does spraying your car with water count as a carwash!? It's LITERALLY no better then a Fuller's $3 wash.


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## Klaus-rf

shareef777 said:


> Does spraying your car with water count as a carwash!?


In some parts of the country, Yes. Getting rained on is a "wash".


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## FRC

tivoboy said:


> They stopped washing cars around here at least two years ago


In my area, they have never washed cars. I had to wash all 3 of my purchases immediately after delivery.


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## GDN

FRC said:


> In my area, they have never washed cars. I had to wash all 3 of my purchases immediately after delivery.


This is interesting as we'd been talking about after service. However, upon delivery, both of our cars were cleaned, detailed and waiting inside for us. Things are likely different these days with home delivery, but I would still expect a clean detailed car even if driving to my home.


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## Quicksilver

GDN said:


> This is interesting as we'd been talking about after service. However, upon delivery, both of our cars were cleaned, detailed and waiting inside for us. Things are likely different these days with home delivery, but I would still expect a clean detailed car even if driving to my home.


Yep, at delivery, my car was washed and detailed...that was ages ago


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