Frustrated trying to figure out Tesla quality
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Anonymous
| I'm quite frustrated trying to gauge whether Tesla is a good buy. You constantly read about the quality control issues that have plagued Tesla, but Teslas constantly get outstanding reviews in Car and Driver etc. So which is it? Were the quality issues only a rough patch that Tesla is over? Or are quality issues still a problem? Are reviews on Tesla giving them high marks accurate? Really hard to discern between the extreme haters, the hardcore fanboys, and just s good 'ol honest to good unbiased opinion about Teslas. |
Anonymous
| the first year of their models were not that great, afterwards they've fixed the issues and the quality issues are corrected. It's the best car out there and I've owned porches, ferarri and prefer the tech to the small penis cars. |
Anonymous
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We’ve only had our Tesla for a year, but I’ve heard the same thing from friends about their experience. Tesla is it really well designed car, as long as everything is working. But the normal bumps and bruises that can happen to a car can be incredibly expensive and inconvenient because the company overall is poorly run. For example, a friend of mine was in a totally minor accident in a parking lot where another driver sideswiped her. Unfortunately, the barely-visible damage happened to be right around the doorhandles which are so f-ing complicated that they had to replace a ton of different parts all of which was expensive and time consuming. Thankfully she didn’t have to pay for it, but that didn’t make it any easier logistically. Likewise, our Tesla has been out of commission for several weeks while we wait for a back order on a replacement part for something totally standard that should be expected at this point in the life of a vehicle.
Basically, I would not advise anyone to buy a Tesla as their only vehicle. If you have another vehicle that you can use as well and just figure out car sharing between two spouses if the Tesla is out of order for any reason then it’s honestly worth it in my opinion because when it works it is such a great car in so many ways. |
Anonymous
| They explode too often for my liking. |
Anonymous
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I feel the same, OP. We have close friends with one and they love it. They actually just drive a lot of places they used to fly (like Chicago, Maine, Florida, etc.) because they can go so far on one charge and there are supercharging stations everywhere and it's cheaper and more eco-friendly. With Covid it's a no-brainer. I figure if they can drive all over the continental US in it with zero problems, it must be reliable.
But then whenever we start looking seriously at one, we get stressed about the tech issues and keep not pulling the trigger. I think it's actually a great car that just got cursed by bad press. Partly due to real problems (since fixed), partly do to Elon Musk being an ass, and partly due to the fact that some Tesla drivers are super annoying. But I think the car itself is great. Maybe 2022 is the year we finally bite the bullet. |
Anonymous
| Love mine. Zero problems. |
Anonymous
| Parts are very hard to come by if something goes wrong. |
Anonymous
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Ultimately Tesla intends to reach a business model wherein the car itself is much like an iPhones. The product itself is more or less disposable with revenue largely being generated from routine upgrades and subscription services. They have no intention of becoming the next Toyota...
Nothing about them screams quality, but they certainly have the latest and greatest in terms of bright and shiny features. I think it ultimately depends on your priorities and how long you intend to keep the vehicle. |
Anonymous
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Fit and finish is terrible. They are still new manufacturers.
They break down less because electric motors are fundamentally way way mechanically simpler than ICE. Less things to break. I feel like I never see old Teslas on the road, which makes me suspect. |
Anonymous
| If you’re even remotely concerned about reliability, whether out of practicality or costs, you should probably consider something other than a Tesla. No different than a Land Rover. Don’t buy one unless you’re comfortable with possibility of unexpected trips to the service department and/or repair bills - not saying either are definite, but deciding based solely off of probability. |
Anonymous
How would you know if the Tesla you are seeing is old or not? The 3 and Y both have had very slight updates that only someone who really pays attention to Tesla designs would see - at most you'd be seeing a 3 year old Model 3. For Model S and X, I see the older ones all the time, but again, the styling has changed just so slightly it would be hard to tell. Tesla quality can be a bit all over the place. There are significantly fewer parts than a traditional gas powered car, so in that way, they are much more reliable. The vast majority of issues you see with newer 3s and Ys has to do more with fit and finish, and in this case, Tesla basically doesn't care. It is pretty common to see misaligned panels and zero attention to detail in the assembly process. They are also known for using lesser quality paint that can chip/scratch more easily than traditional manufacturers. But, they have a leg up on charging, range, over the air updates, etc. The problem is people compare them to other vehicles as if they are a luxury manufacturer of automobiles, and so expect perfection, high quality customer service (very hit or miss) and other things you'd find in luxury cars like quiet cabins, heads up displays, etc. But they are not a luxury manufacturer and so you don't have the fit/finish and customer service that would match a BMW or Mercedes, but at pricing approaching the lower range of those competitors offerings. Full disclosure: We own a newer Tesla 3. Is it a great car? Mostly - it is certainly a very good car with some funny quirks. Would I buy it again? Sure, considering the current available electric offerings. Am I in love with it? No. Do I think Elon Musk is our lord and savior? No - but many Tesla fanatics do. |
Anonymous
| This is one of those rare cases where I own stock in a company whose products I don't want to use. I'll keep my cheap reliable Japanese car, thank you, and profit from all the people who keep buying Teslas. |
Anonymous
Agree with this, shocked at how unluxurious the Tesla was when we test drove. We then looked at jaguar ipace and Audi Etron before going with the I pace. Really curious but the bmw all electric suv due out this year. I can easily see Tesla being an also ran in 5 to 10 years. |
Anonymous
About the bmw not but the bmw. |
Anonymous
Car and Driver reviews are focused on how much fun the car is to drive, not the long-term reliabillity. For insight into long-term reliability, look to Consumer Reports and JD Power. |