Model 3 woes
I'll start out by saying I love my model s. There are some tiny issues with it, but overall it's a great car.
The model 3 we got on the other hand has been a disaster. It's now sitting in my driveway inoperable for the second time. When you get in, it says "pull over safely" and "power reduced - please exit and re-enter the car - may restore operation". Just 2 weeks ago it refused to turn on. My wife complains constantly that the thing is making weird noises. She's just gotten used to things like the radio not working for no reason.
Luckily we didn't get rid of the car that the model 3 is supposed to replace, so my wife is able to go about her day, but I can't imagine how much of a PITA this car would be for someone who actually relied on it.
I keep thinking I must have just gotten a dud or something. I really want this car to be good (when it's working, it's a great car). I want to return this one and hope that I can get one that isn't broken, but I don't want to have to wait another couple months to get a working car.
I'm now sitting and waiting for a tow truck for this less than 6 month old luxury priced car for the second time, this is ridiculous.
/rant
Sucks... But lemon laws were actually passed for a reason, apparently in a machine made of thousand of parts for one reason or another this can happen. Any manufacturer could have this problem. Having said this, it still sucks that you have such an experience. Keep us updated with how Tesla service deals with this situation
Don't delay either. I waited too long on my lemon Model S and regretted it until I sold at a huge loss.
Not sure if I'm sensing /S correctly. In any case the whole tent thing is so overblown, this is not a tent this is a semi-permanent structure which could be properly air conditioned and all. At Microsoft we had couple of smaller tent assembled once a year for a Hachaton. I can tell you with certainty that those "tents" sometimes feel much nicer than office buildings :)
So you think it gonna stay this way? I don't
I would hope they would build something more permanent, like an actual factory building with 4 walls a roof, and level floors.
Made out of honest timbers and mud, like grandpa used to do!
Why does a prefab tent-thing matter, if it meets requirements?
It's a premium car company that sells cars that are supposed to be sophisticated and high tech.
And the high tech does not mean walls and roof :) It's robots and their software that matter, not where it's installed. This "tent" is installed on the concrete pad so level floors are there, and these structures can be very sturdy. You know, it like when Begelow aerospace was testing it's new inflatable habitat module on the ISS, one could have just written this off as inflatable toy and ridicule the whole idea, but there are good reasons why this route is pursued in favor of old and tested tin can design :)
Are you really that delusional that you are defending building a $70k car in a semi open tent?
tent assembled once a year for a Hachaton
I guess thats what building the M3 is turning out to be.
The point was that these tents could be permanent if needed and they are good enough to host thousands of developers for a week. I actually think that those should be called something else so people don't have misconceptions based on the sound of the word
You got a dud, I have a model 3, it is 4 months old now and I haven't experienced any one of the problems you mention.
Pursue the issues with service, you have a warranty, your car will be fixed.
Same. It’s crazy to hear all the negativity about Model 3 quality when mine couldn’t be better (50xx), especially considering such an early build. However, I don’t doubt that things can go wrong. Tesla needs to make sure they make it right when they’re dealing with issues as serious as those described. I don’t cut much slack to people complaining about the little things, but un-drivable? This needs priority, and hope OP reports a good eventual outcome.
I think this is more of a threat to derail them as a company than their weekly production goals. Doesn't matter how amazing the car is if you cannot drive it. I drove mine for only 3 days and it has been in the shop for over a week. I have no idea when I will get it back.
Every car company on earth has this problem, it's not unique to Tesla. Every x unit will have defects like electrical malfunctions etc. that are just part of mass production. My wife's Ford has been in the shop 5 times for electrical problems they can't seem to isolate. One of my last BMWs had a persistent issue with the electronics, radio and bluetooth. Never got fixed.
I'm not saying Tesla doesn't need to worry about this, but let's not pretend it's a unique problem.
Sounds like you might have a problem with the 12V battery if I understand correctly. Hopefully Tesla service can get to the bottom of this for you quick.
They just replaced the 12v when it was in last time (~2 weeks ago), doubt it's that.
Could be wiring to the 12v.
Sometimes in an ICE car you have a dead battery when it's really the alternator or voltage regulator that's failing to keep it charged. It could also be that in the Telsa whatever module that charges the 12V from the traction battery is the problem. Replacing the 12V battery might have temporarily "fixed" it until that new battery also ran down.
Gotta love back-seat mechanics. The guy has had it at the service center multiple times..
Right? It's clearly the wiring from the 12V 😁
no it's clearly the whole car
How much longer until Tesla is able to sell cars without 12V batteries? They seem to cause so many issues.
Probably never... 12v batteries are quite useful. https://www.teslarati.com/why-tesla-12v-battery-needs-to-be-lithium-ion/
I came here to say this lol you beat me to it.
Look into Lemon Law-ing the car. Start documenting all the issues/fixes and whatnot. You shouldn't have these kinds of issues with a $15k car, let alone something that costs 3 times that amount.
Try more than 4x that, this was a previous owner model and I got a few of the upgrades (no fsd though)
So you bought the model 3 used? Lemon laws like other people are suggesting might not actually protect you.
Huh? No, brand new model 3, rolled off the line maybe 5 months ago
-edit Oh, I see where you got that. No, not used. The model 3s that we're available to previous owners had some things like long range version only and only the premium interior, I'm guessing you could get away with a cheaper configuration now than what was available when I was configuring mine.
this was a previous owner model
I understood what you meant after re-reading but that quote makes it sound like you bought it used.
Edit: You edited your comment I replied to after I got to this page.
Ok, yea that makes sense. I was confused because the “long range version with premium interior” is still the only version of the car available for sale, even though we’ve been past “previous owners only” for a few months.
FWIW, those restrictions are still in place. Outside of those of us that now have the option to spend even more/wait longer for AWD/P models.
I think he means that he is a previous owner of another Tesla and bought the model 3 new?
I'm sorry to hear. For what it's worth, my dad and I have about 6,000 miles on our Model 3s collectively, and have had zero issues. Can't say I had the same luck with my 2014 Model S in its early days, but that has been rock solid in the last 30k miles or so as well.
Hoping they find the issue quickly and it gets resolved once-and-for-all.
Yikes... if it is 6months old then maybe your situation is unique with an early build model? I’ve had mine for 3 months now and while I’ve had minor issues that required two trips to the SC, nothing quite like being towed. My neighbor, however, who got his about 5-6mo ago recently had his towed from his driveway. I’m really hoping they work out these kinks because it’s unacceptable — being towed twice is far above the issues I’d expect early adopters to deal with.
It's not exactly unique to 2018 Model S / X so I don't think we can just chalk this up to an early Model 3 car. I would bet the average Tesla is in the service center three times in it's first year. There's a reason places like Consumer Reports like it but relay how unreliable these cars are :(
What VIN?
003656
That’s a really low VIN. All early adopters of any new complex product bear some risk. Due to the no Beta approach on the Model 3’s this is even greater risk while they learn to refine their product. Very sorry to hear this risk has actualized into several issues for you. Was hoping the early models would skip this part, but that rarely happens.
Not to be rude, but that's a pretty bs explanation. Sure, for some cheaper products out there like a phone or some new tech gadget you're taking some risk, but this is a much bigger purchase that should have proper qa to make sure there aren't major defects like this. A car is a product where reliability is key, and the fact that this one has now gotten to the state of total failure twice is unacceptable.
You're paying 50k+ to get a product that lives up to the brand.
It's would be a different story if you got a massive discount for the "privilege" of being an early adopter.
You might be reading something into my statement above that is not intended to be there. I am not defending or advocating the way Tesla chose to skip a lot of beta product testing that normally takes many months. But that is what they did, it’s well documented and they have been transparent about it. End result is early adopters bear the risk more than usual for any generation 1 product. It’s just how this has played out and it’s unfortunate that it has played out extra poorly for OP. This is part of the reason they only sold the earliest models to employees only.
VINs are random and Automakers register VINs in large batches that anticipate coming production, which means that numbers will be assigned before a new car starts its journey down the assembly line. There’s theoretically no limit to the number of VINs Tesla might register in a batch.
Low VIN and the + OP’s statement about the car being roughly 6 months old means he got one of the early production models. Hopefully he can get some lemon law relief and a better Model 3.
Do you know when your car was made? All model 3 made in 2017 are pretty bad. I think the quality improved significantly at the end of January.
If you didn’t make a lot of noise before, make s lot of noise now. Make sure they check everything and replace all the necessary components because you don’t want to deal with it anymore. Hopefully they would run a thorough test.
Obviously you got a dud, most people's have been working flawlessly, mine included.
Same here. Not a single issue and best car I have ever owned.
What’s your favorite thing?
Strip mining for lithium
Is the noise your wife is hearing around the AC vents or behind the screen? I’m getting that checked out tomorrow amongst some other stuff that needed parts ordered at the SC tomorrow.
Yea, for a couple weeks there was a weird clicking noise from behind the dash. Almost took it in, but the service center here is horribly inundated so I didn't want to have to deal with that. Eventually it went away in its own.
My SC couldn’t replicate the problem last month. It became more audible oddly anytime the AC is set to auto at 70°
Took delivery yesterday and its been great. But I do really fear this happening because ours is parked behind our house, thru a narrow driveway, so I have no idea how to get it out in the event it dies and a tow truck is needed. *gulp*
Dude that really sucks
My Model 3 is in the shop for some squeaking in the rear and a scratch. They gave me an S85 loaner with 21” turbines so I’m not complaining!
are you in MA? Lemon law...
CA, but yea, we've got lemon law here too. Looked it up, I'm gonna give the SC a chance to make it right, but if it keeps up like this I'm definitely gonna be looking into that.
The key is documentation. Dates, times, notes. when problems occured. who you talked to. what they said. look at the law itself and make sure you know what conditions trigger it.
Not saying to be mean about it, but pointing out what they need to accomplish to not trigger the lemon law doesnt hurt.
Sorry you are feeling the worst of the early adopter experience. My 3 has a few forgivable glitches, but is otherwise really quite nice.
You definitely got a dud.
Sorry that people are trying to downvote your problem out of existence
Look into your states Lemon Law.
Your car is a lemon, and i suspect many others are too. Too concerned about hitting delivery targets to keep the stock pumped they just totally forgot about quality. I have a friend who also seems to be having similar issues, trying to get a refund based on the fact it is a lemon.
It’s new unfortunately and there are some issues that will be addressed/fixed/updated/prevented over time in the initial build.
I have a friend who sold his S75 RWD for one and loves the car but is torn just like you as what you have described has happened twice so far requiring a tow. He loves the 3 more than his S of similar configuration but is concerned that even service has shown some hesitation with respect to understanding the exact cause of the issue for address.
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