Got to see the Model 3 in person the other day.

What do you guys think? Would you walk away seeing these defects?

 

Probably would.....I'd have to want Model 3 pretty bad to put up with that.

To be honest, though, defect-wise, I've seen lots worse over the years.....particularly on some BMWs and some old Chrysler products I grew up with. Take that scene for instance, in the video, where the pull-down arm rest has a loud squeak when operating. Twice, I've seen new cars where that whole armrest assembly, instead of just squeaking, simply falls down on the rear floor...it was never truly installed or attached in the first place, just pushed into its hole, probably by a factory worker either drunk or high.

 

Those images are all from different cars with no context. Were the flaws fixed? Are some of them due to being damaged by the owner? Parking lot dings? Something else?

 

I would walk away. I’ve seen many without these build issues, so I’d walk away from one that wasn’t perfect.

 

I've had a Model S build sat there for a few weeks (Model S Performance with the Ludicrous Mode and Full Self-Driving Capability options) and it's concerns about build quality (plus the middling interior quality in general) that have so far stopped me placing the order - including letting the federal credit reduce this week. I like the car, I don't like the build quality.

Now - Tesla do what most don't and allow a 7 day return after purchase, so if it were delivered with any obvious defects the car can be returned. The concern is that many defects on friends' cars didn't manifest themselves until a few months into ownership. The car as I spec it is over 120K. The kind of issues I'm worried about really should not be things I should have to think about.

With that said, I suspect I will place an order soon - maybe waiting to see what the reported Q3 refresh may bring.

 

Quality issues or not the Model 3 has an incredibly strong structure

 

Saturn did that for years....you could return the vehicle, with clear title and no damage, within 30 days of the delivery date, even if you simply had Buyer's Remorse or decided you didn't like the color, and you got a full refund, minus taxes and tags (which Saturn had no control over...those are state charges). It was one of the things that helped endear the brand to customers.

 

Generally these would bother me, but they dont on a Tesla. I also heard the 3 has much better quality than the X or S (when it first came out), if it makes a difference. With how quickly everyone changes cars nowadays, I dont see anything going wrong enough to drive me away.

 

The X has problems with the gull-wing doors. No manufacturer has ever seemed to perfect them.

 

Collectively from four new cars on the lot pics below, one was in the showroom. All had multiple defects with the most common one being the buckled rubber door seal and varying external fit issues.

 

I take it you won't be buying one anytime soon. I just saw that Tesla sold a record number of cars this past quarter (95,200, Q2 2018 was 40,000) so it looks like people are willing to put up with some glitches.

 

it is all about going in knowing exactly what you are looking for. when we got our model 3, i cared about

1) no more gas station run
2) reasonable amount of power
3) fits my infotainment need

with all those 3, we went in and got our car and i have been very happy. i knew with tesla the fit and finish won't be there, and my car isn't perfect but none of these ever bothered me.

if i wanted great fit and finish, i would have gone with lexus or mb. if i wanted luxury i would have gone with mb. so it is all about what your expectation is

 

When I got my Model 3 recently, I went straight to my PPF guy and asked them to look it over carefully. I did my inspection when i received the car and the panel gaps were minimal. The PPF guy confirmed it and said I had a great build. He also said that the newer model 3s were higher quality than even a month before (they do a lot of Teslas). From a quality perspective, the car is really great. No squeeks or rattles (yet) however, my friend who got one in May had a ton of panel gaps and issues. Over time, they fixed the panel gaps and now the car is perfect.

I highly recommend test driving one...the build quality issues are getting resolved and the quality issues can be resolved through service centers. So far, the best car (spaceship) i've ever had.

 

Would not be of concern for our household.

 

I guess I have been spoiled growing up with (and owning) imports in the last 15 years where these issues combined have totaled what I saw in one Model 3.


I almost did until the next defect and the next and so on caught my attention; and in some unexpected way, this didn't bother me


It seems the Tesla buyer for the most part knows of these issues and is not a priority. Ordering one is like rolling the dice and I guess the nice thing is if you get a nice build, it's a keeper, if not, return it.



Fair enough - it seems other qualities/values of the 3 outweigh the build quality.


Makes sense and it's about one's priorities.


Fair statement. In fact, yes, I will be test driving one tomorrow to see what "all the hype" is!