Model 3 Build Quality Issues?

there have been a lot of qc improvements, how old is this?

 

The Model3 ain’t that old.

So recent I would say.

 

some of the the early ones were supposed to be fairly bad, but more recent overall pretty good from what i read. i'm sure there are some duds, but how do we know this car wasn't sabotaged?

who is this guy? can we trust him?

 

Probably just as much as you can trust anyone on the Internet.

But the video does leave things to be desired and many questions .

 

I will repeat what I said in the other thread:

Yes the paint quality is slightly better on my Prius than my model 3. It is only noticeable under very bright lights at less than two feet away. Tesla and Prius DO NOT have show car quality paint. The paint quality is pretty typical for mass produced cars. I took my model 3 to my detailer to see if he could buff out some of the unnoticeable orange peel. He is a high end detailer that does work for the Hollywood crowd (think Jerry Seinfeld). He said "no" he couldn't do much to fix it. Then he showed me a new $300,000 Porsche he had in his shop, dark purple. He put it under a laser light, same amount of orange peel as my model 3. He couldn't do anything about the Porsche either. Then he showed me a $500,000 McClaren, a light gray non-metallic, it was perfect show quality (but an unfortunate paint color for a McClaren). He said the quality of paint on my model 3 was perfectly acceptable for a mass produced car (and he works on Toyotas too).

With regards to the scratches along the driver's side of the car, a driver from a car hauling company responded that they were caused by the hauler driver as he carelessly squeezed by the car after parking on the hauler. He said drivers are taught how to load cars properly, this driver obviously didn't pay attention. This is not a Tesla quality issue, it is a careless driver issue.

The panel gaps on my Prius and my model 3 are about the same. But then I am not so OCD that I use digital micrometers to measure. We are talking about 1/32" to 1/16" discrepancies here. He was not even using the calipers properly and he was eyeballing the calipers.

He complained about the top piece of glass not being aligned properly with the back piece of glass, so I went out and checked mine. Mine was the same, but what he didn't tell you it is "misaligned" exactly the same on the other side. The top piece of glass is slightly narrower than the back piece of glass, but the "misalignments" are consistent, even, and aligned. Why did Tesla design it this way, I have no idea. I suspect that Tesla may offer a pano roof option on the model 3 (like the model S) at some time in the future and they have designed in the tolerances from the very start.

My 6 year old PIP/AT was about the same price as my model 3. When was the last time someone went over a Prius with laser lights and digital micrometers and posted on Youtube?

The Tuber says this car is a build from the last week in November but yet he doesn't give a VIN. So who knows. Should Tesla have delivered the car to him with these paint scratches? Absolutely not. But look at what the Tuber wanted:
- home delivery rather than service center delivery
- he wanted the car before the end of the year to get the full $7500 tax credit
- he wanted his car and he wanted it now!
- he lives in PA and the weather the last month has not been conducive to a great car hauling experience

What type of delivery would you have selected, a properly prepped car or the $7500 tax credit? What should he have done about delivery? What did I do? I was given the option for home delivery. I declined. I waited a week to pick up my car at the Service Center so it could be prepped properly. They were delivering several hundred cars that week. I am 100% satisfied with the paint and fit and finish.(and so are ~90% of other model 3 owners).

Yes, for those who are anil about laser lights, digital micrometers, and 100 point checklists, you can find all kinds of things wrong with any mass produced new car. I just don't happen to be one of those kinds.

Yes, the Tuber did find some perceived quality issues but he jumped to the wrong conclusions. The video is mostly helpful to those who are looking for reasons to bash Tesla. I (and most Tesla owners) just don't happen to be one of those kinds.

 

And they say American manufacturing is dead. Youtube is turning out to be an efficient and profitable social outrage factory. If you got good enough at it you could probably pay off a few nice cars that way.

 

i've only seen one model 3 up close and personal. i gave it a pretty good look over, and didn't notice any blemishes. it looked beautiful to me, but i don't even notice the saggy butt syndrome that some here complain about, but i can see it on mine when looking for it.

then again, i still have duck tape on my bumper

 

If you watched this YTuber's videos before (I have - he is pretty good and high integrity), you would know that this is the second video of his Tesla M3. The first one was when he just took delivery and he was beside himself from happiness (he made a video about it). He LOVES the car. His channel is dedicated to explaining and exploring various engineering aspects of cars. He was a pretty die hard ICE car fan and then he tried Leaf and then he had to buy a Tesla. This video of his about the fit and finish of a $50K car factual and honest. He is not a Tesla basher. Rather, I think he is trying to be objective and deliver facts. He is not a scam artist, he has a reputable YT channel (with over 2,000,000 subscribers) and his information is usually top notch.

People getting upset about this video should really stop and think what they would think if their $50K BMW was delivered with fit and finish of this Tesla. This is not bashing, this is simply stating the facts and expecting improvement (or price reduction). He mentions that the paint was a $2,500 option. WHAT?! I'd be pissed if I paid $2,500 for paint that had orange peel and scratches. I am also not a Tesla basher, I am very much a fan. And this is customer feedback here. If Tesla ignores it, they will not succeed as a company that sells things to consumers.

Comparing a $50K Tesla to $30K Prius as was done above illustrates exactly what I am talking about. A $50K car is in a different category than a Prius. It just is. 5 series Beemer is more in the same category. And, BTW, my 2007 Prius has darned good and consistent panel gaps all around.

 

So does my Model 3. But I also didn't measure them with a caliper. Did you?

I completely agree with your statements, and Tesla does need to improve their product IF it isn't up to snuff.
My main question is, if other cars are also put under a fine microscope, how do they do?

 

I did not take calipers to my 2007 Prius since I paid $3,400 for it last year and really, this was not a priority If I had paid $50K for a car and noticed sub-par fit and finish I would not be happy, though. I think people are taking digital calipers to Tesla because of the historically bad fit and finish. If that didn't occur in history, calipers would not be out. I am sure if BMW started delivering their 5 series with visibly uneven gaps and bad paint jobs, they'd get some scrutiny also.

 

His VIN is #5YJ3E1EA6JF155029.

22 miles on the odometer seems rather high to me. My Prius had 4 km when I picked it up.

 

My model 3 had less than 5 miles on it when I picked it up.

The Tuber wanted his car NOW and that's what he got. Be careful what you wish for.

 

A car manufacturer is responsible for the condition of the car when they turn it over to the customer. Tesla's choice of delivery methods combined with the new owner's choices conspired to produce some scratches.

This delivery hell is one of the reasons why I didn't order this year. I figure that under a more relaxed delivery schedule and after all the service needs of the 4Q deliveries are met, I'll have a better chance of a satisfying delivery. The $3750 difference isn't worth the risk. The new headlights and the next gen auto-driving hardware from the factory and another few revs of s/w are also reasons. Plus my wife keeps reminding me her car is older than mine by a year.

 

can't you have it delivered to a tesla store, and ask for any defects to be repaired before taking ownership?

 

advanced pip was 40k back in 2012

this model 3 is the same body and paint as the coming 37,500. car

 

If and when the $37,500 Model 3 shows up and is as good as the 2012 PIP in fit and finish, we can re-visit this topic.

 

agreed, and it might already be. and don't discount inflation

 

Yes. However, by law, tax credit date is based on when you take ownership.

The Tuber took ownership of the car prior to 1/1/19 so he is eligible for the full $7500 credit. He admits that Tesla says that they are going to fix the paint. Tesla will have his car for maybe a week. In the meantime, Tesla will give him a free loaner car to use, probably a model S, while he is without his model 3.