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Which is another way of saying no car is perfect you decide on the totality. You'll also be surprised to learn other brands have quality issues, paint issues, failures etc. but you won't hear about it because well, sensationalism sells when it comes to Tesla. I could cite many, many examples but not here.
Just take a look at my dash, I have never seen this in any of my other cars, ever. Just go look at the Model S refresh issues thread, kind of ridiculous.
I do not buy your reason for buying the Plaid, only because new cars are hard to find? There are not that hard to find.
Find me an allocation for a M5, not going to happen anytime soon. That’s the only other car I was considering and I wasn’t going to wait until next summer to “hopefully” get it. I was on a list and I want even close to the front.
Just take a look at my dash, I have never seen this in any of my other cars, ever. Just go look at the Model S refresh issues thread, kind of ridiculous.
horrendous. did you notice that when you picked it up? if i had, i would have said, fix it and let me know, or keep it.
a friend of mine got a plaid too, and he's appalled at the fit/finish problems. he also hates the yoke and the steering/brakes and finds the 'full self-driving' a joke. but he does find the car a blast to drive.
a friend of mine got a plaid too, and he's appalled at the fit/finish problems. he also hates the yoke and the steering/brakes and finds the 'full self-driving' a joke. but he does find the car a blast to drive.
This is the friend that has other expensive ICE cars? It sounds to me that despite the issues he pointed out the drive experience is whats the highlight for him with his Plaid. That's high praise indeed if you own performance cars like a Porsche 911 - despite people calling it a one trick pony.
Tesla is on whole another level of poor quality control. A friend of mine had windshield seals come of within two weeks after picking brand new facelift Model S. Such a great wtf moment.
This is the friend that has other expensive ICE cars? It sounds to me that despite the issues he pointed out the drive experience is whats the highlight for him with his Plaid. That's high praise indeed if you own performance cars like a Porsche 911 - despite people calling it a one trick pony.
yes, he certainly appreciates the blinding speed and acceleration, but that's it.
horrendous. did you notice that when you picked it up? if i had, i would have said, fix it and let me know, or keep it.
I didn’t notice it until I was on my drive home. Brought it back a day later and they said they are going to try and fix it. There is no 7 day refund anymore or I would’ve done that and had them give me a new one with some of the other issues I have but I couldn’t wait another month and I didn’t realize when I got mine that they pumped out a bunch of unsold Plaids which they could’ve gotten for me.
I worry that electric cars in general would have a very short lifespan because of the enormous cost of traction battery replacement. This 2013 Tesla S owner decided to not pay €20.000 for a battery.
This is going to be one long post so I apologize in advance. I just bought my Model S Plaid a little over two weeks ago and have already had some ups and downs with the car and just wanted to give what I feel is a fair representation of my experience through this process. I ordered the car in pearl white exterior/black interior with the 19" wheels since I didn't feel like paying $4,500 for the upgraded wheels that aren't even forged wheels so I plan on getting some new BC Forged wheels in the next couple of months. The total price was a little over $130k since it was essentially a "bare bones" optioned car with no up-charges at all. We considered getting it in black but since it wasn't a metallic black I didn't feel like paying a premium for a color that wasn't really premium.
TLDNR: The Model S Plaid is a great all around car that is perfect in some ways and fails in other ways. The powertrain is as good as it gets but the fit and finish issues are real and the overall service from Tesla is subpar when you are used to dealing with Tier 1, let alone Tier 2 legacy auto makers.
Test Drive Scheduling/Ordering Process
When I first started down this journey to ordering my first EV back in mid October, there was only one manufacturer I was interested in and that was Tesla. So I set up my account online and was immediately contacted by a Tesla rep that told me he was my contact and that current builds are well into 2022 and that I should consider putting a order in before the pricing goes up and also to ask him if I had any questions. I had three quick questions for him (one about test driving a Model S) and I responded to his text about an hour after I received his test, only to get a response two days later with a link to the Tesla website. Thanks, so helpful.
Knowing he clearly couldn’t be bothered with my questions, I went to the website to schedule an appointment for a test drive at one of the stores near me and asked to test drive a Model 3P since a Model S wasn’t an option. The website said that a rep would contact me to set up an appointment. I waited two days and didn’t get an email or phone call so I called the store to see what was up. I told the person I talked to that I never received a call and the rep told me they called me and sent me an email and that my appointment was scheduled the day before and that I missed it. I told her I never received a call or email and checked my email (including junk folder) and voice calls/voicemails and didn’t see anything. The rep proceed to tell me I was wrong and it showed they contacted me on her end. I knew at that point I wasn’t going to win so I let it go. I then went to schedule an appointment with the rep and it was all set for a Saturday around noon which was the earliest appointment they had after which she told me that if I wanted an earlier appointment I should’ve called earlier. I was like, what? Are you kidding me? I was waiting for two days to receive a call that I never got!
Grade – C
Test Drive
So I finally get to the store for my test drive and they had my car ready for me. I asked to make sure it was a Model 3P and they said no they don’t think they have any for test drives. I explained to them that the appointment I made was for a Model 3P and the sales rep told me he was going to see if there were any available. Luckily for me he had one I could test drive (which is odd because that is what I signed up for in the first place). The test drive was nice with just me and my wife in the car and no sales rep with us. The 3P was a nice car and very quick and fun to drive. Based on that test drive I was sold on getting my first EV.
Grade – B
Order Process
Ordering was pretty easy, I ordered it on 10/27 and I just went on the website and selected the few options they have and that’s really it. I don’t care much for the bogus default sales price which includes gas savings but it is what it is. I am a lease person but looking at the lease rates, they were awful and no cheaper than buying and if I leased I wouldn’t have the option to buy it out at the end. That sealed the deal for me that I was just going to buy the car. You have the option to finance through Tesla and the rates are actually not bad at about 2.5%. I contacted my bank who I always go through, BofA, and got a rate of 1.74% so I planned on using my bank instead.
Grade – B
Delivery
Since I ordered the Plaid model, the wait only looked to be about a month. I checked the website each week and it looked like delivery was estimated to be the week of 11/17. As it got closer to that date, the estimated date was pushed back a week. Then it was pushed back to the first week in December but now I had a new VIN number which I was okay with since the old VIN was a 2021 MY and the new one was a 2022 MY. Then delivery slipped one more week and I finally received an email that I could pick the car up 12/9.
When I went to pick my car up it was great, my car had my name in the window and normally it would have taken about 5 minutes, sign a few papers, and I would have been out of there. The person I was dealing with told me do check everything over and we noticed a few paint flaws/chips/scratches and he even pointed some out. As a result, I had them touch up the few chipped/scratched areas so I ended up being there for almost two hours. Had it not been for that it would’ve been a quick process. So to this day I still haven’t had a quick car pick-up.
The only thing kind of annoying about Tesla’s pick-up process is they give you constant reminders about paying off the balance of the car as well as making sure you have it insured before pick-up. Normally that is all taken care of when you are at the dealer. By doing all of this up-front prior to pick up you can end up paying interest and insurance before you even take delivery unless you show up with a certified check although any additional interest or insurance is likely immaterial, just annoying.
Grade – B
Fit and Finish
I knew this was going to be hit or miss on the refreshed Model S but I was crossing my fingers that I would get a hit and not a miss. Unfortunately I got a miss and even though my expectations were low I was still a little disappointed that some of the flaws somehow made it through QC. Even my lowly Dodge Durango’s fit and finish was better, a lot better.
First the paint on the front bumper in one area looks like they didn’t provide an even spray so it looks kind of blotchy. Then there was a paint chip under the taillight, a paint chip at the end of the bumper near the rear wheel and lastly, the paint was rubbed off down to the metal on the passenger rear door that was on the edge all the way down the door. I considered rejecting this car but I couldn’t wait another month since I sold my other car and of course I didn’t realize there were a number of Plaids a few states away in the same spec as mine. Had I known this, I probably would’ve rejected it. It was interesting that the person looking it over with me kind of laughed about how people accept some of these flaws and he even said he’s seen worse. It reminded me of a Land Rover tech I knew who laughed about people that continued to buy Land Rovers despite its poor reliability.
Then on my drive home, I noticed the door panel that meets up with the front dash was misaligned by about ¼”. It really annoyed me because it would always be in my line of sight and not only was the panel off at the top, the chrome trim and carbon fiber trim was off as well.
One thing I felt Tesla also could have done to give the S a little better refresh was to put in some new taillights. They use the old model’s taillights and they just look old compared to the Model 3 and Y. Just look at the new S next to a 3 or Y and you will notice it. Not just with the design itself but also the construction of the taillight. It looks like it was glued together but my kids and looks cheaply built. I hear they are refreshing the taillights but who know if that is true. I will be the first in line to buy some if true.
Overall, I have never seen such poor fit and finish on any of my cars and I’ve had some pretty cheaply built cars, but this is Tesla and I don’t think they care about much about fit and finish because I feel customers accept it because of the tech and powertrain you get for the money.
Grade – D (see pics)
Interior
This is where I feel like Tesla finally stepped up a bit on the Model S. Alcantara headliner, carbon fiber trim (my favorite), nice fake leather, etc.
The big touchscreen takes up a lot of real estate and it really nice and has great resolution. I love the gauge cluster that isn’t present on the Model 3. I would have loved to have a HUD but I don’t miss it much with the gauge cluster in front of me.
The seats are not the most adjustable seats I have ever had but they are certainly better than the M340 seats I had. They are very comfortable and heat up great. Are they as nice as my X7 seats, no they aren’t but to me there aren’t many that are as the adjustability of those seats are on another level.
Then there’s the yoke! There have been many people including my wife that complained about the yoke when they saw it and was almost a deal breaker for us but I just ignored her and told her she’d get used to it. Well I have to say I really like it. It is a little awkward at first with the big flat bottom but at the top of the wheel on the two edges there is an indentation where you can use your index finger or thumb to just one finger turn with it that makes it real easy. My wife even said she didn’t mind it after she drove it and actually said she liked it. Would I rather have a normal round wheel? Sure I would but not having the top half really opens things up on the dash cluster. The only negative is that it’s so wide that it covers the main “home” button on the large screen so you have to look around the wheel to touch this button on the screen. Kind of annoying and should have been thought out better (see pic below).
Grade – B
Features
This is where Tesla shines and also fails. It really shines in how smart they are about certain little things. For example, on some of my cars when you hit the turn signal stalk lightly it would signal three times to change lanes. With Tesla, you hit the turn signal buttons and it knows when you change lanes and it turns off automatically. Speaking of turn signals, I wasn’t sure how I would like not having a stalk and I’m still looking down to make sure I hit the right button on the steering wheel but it really is a non-issue and I kind of like it. Similar to the yoke, would I rather have a stalk, yes I would, but it’s not bad and shouldn’t be a deal breaker for anyone. Also, when I synced my phone to my car it was very easy and just works as the key to my car. BMW has this feature too but I don’t think it works as seamlessly as Tesla but to be honest, I never really tried it much with our BMW because I don’t trust it as much.
Additionally, the ability to watch Netflix, YouTube, play games, etc. is also a great feature for my kids. The rear screen is a little low but still usable for my kids and also allows them to control the rear temp and airflow with ease.
Where I feel Tesla fails a little is in a couple areas. First I loved the 360 camera in my BMW’s that I got so used to relying on them when I park, especially when I park on an end spot (where I always try to park) or where there is a curb in front so I don’t hit it. This seems like such an easy thing considering the amount of cameras this thing has.
Second, I didn’t pay for “Full Self Driving” and opted for only the standard “Autopilot” which was said to be great. Well maybe I’m not used to it yet or I am doing something wrong but I feel like my BMW professional driver’s assistance package is much better. When I use Autopilot it tells you that you need to keep your hand on the wheel but if you move the wheel even the slightest it disengages Autopilot. Similarly, if you engage the turn signals to change lanes, it disengages whereas my BMW will automatically change lanes for you. Once it disengages there is no “resume” button to go back to the set speed either so you have to hit the Autopilot button again and set the speed again (unless I’m missing something and can’t figure out how to do it).
Lastly, from what I understand in the Model 3 you can change the regen braking to three different modes from less to more. In the Model S I don’t believe they have this ability yet. While most would keep it at the highest level to save on brakes and one foot drive, it would be nice to have a choice at this price point.
Grade – B
Driving Experience
From what I understand from many, this is where Tesla really shines. Let’s start with the suspension. It is sporty enough in “sport” and comfortably enough in “comfort” so it really is tuned perfectly for me and although it is a big car and some reviewers like the Model 3P better, I feel Plaid really handles well for its size and is very confidence inspiring.
As for the power, it is nauseatingly fast, like not even joking. It will make a passenger sick with it’s instant acceleration and then it’s subsequent regen braking. As noticed in some reviews, I do notice that unless you have the wheels pointed straight, the car really cuts it’s power. Some people don’t like that but I actually don’t mind it given the amount of power this car has. I actually applaud them for doing that because in the wrong hands, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
The power is also so smooth. Coming from an ICE car, it is a little weird not feeling any vibrations at all. I got lucky that my car has zero wind noise so far, it’s as quiet as a tomb. I do still miss the sound of an ICE engine but that could pass over time.
However, it is not all positive. While this car gets up to speed insanely fast, the brakes are not confidence inspiring at all. I have read a lot about this on the Tesla forum and thought to myself, how bad can it be? Well it only took a quick jolt into triple digit speeds and then when I tried to brake hard the brake petal felt mushy and didn’t seem to stop as quickly as I would have liked. For a car with this much power, I feel that the brakes should have been better. No I don’t need or want carbon ceramic brakes, especially for $20k. I just feel like they could have provided brakes that were at least up to par with SRT and GTR brakes that I have had.
Lastly, there has been the talk of range and how Tesla over promises and it is clear they do. On paper my car with my options is supposed to be close to 400 miles a charge. Based on my experience, I will be lucky to see 300 miles a charge.
Grade – B (would have been an A if the brakes were up to par)
Service
I have heard mixed reviews here and my review here is also mixed. With my driver’s door panel not being aligned with the dash, I ended up calling the store I picked the car up from a couple days after delivery and they told me to bring it up and a tech would look at it to see if it was out of spec. This was on a Saturday and was about 45 minutes away. I get there and I talk to one of the sales guys in the store and I tell him why I am there and he tells me that there are no techs there on Saturdays and that I would have to go to another store (Rockville, MD) which was over an hour away. I told him that I called this store earlier and they told me to bring my car up and he tells me that it goes to a call center and they don’t know any better. I then ask him to take a look at my car and I just wanted to see if it was something that was even fixable so I didn’t waste anyone’s time looking for a fix and because I just drove 45 minutes. He kept giving me a hard time about taking a look at it and that it didn’t matter what he thought and was just very dismissive and said he would be surprised if anything got through their techs because they go through each car that gets delivered and they are really good, blah blah blah. After about 5 -7 minutes of back and forth, he reluctantly agrees to come look. When he finally looked he agreed with me and said, yeah that doesn’t look right. Let me see if a tech is still here (what? I thought there weren’t any techs in on Saturday). The tech tells me to pull in the garage and then he calls another tech to come look at it (what? Two techs were there when I was told no techs were there on Saturday). Both looked at it and told me it is fixable and that it looks like the panel isn’t clipped in correctly and to make an appointment on the App.
I end up making an appointment with a mobile tech and this is where Tesla shined. The mobile tech was very communicative and actually agreed to go to the shop that had my car that was doing the clear bra. He was thorough and told me he would order me a new door panel and hopefully that should take care of the issue. That same day when I went back to pick my car up from the clear bra place we couldn’t get my frunk closed. It was only opened once since I got the car and only had 70 miles on it and it just wouldn’t latch. It drove us crazy to the point where we looked it up on youtube to see if we were doing something wrong and couldn’t find anything. We called roadside assistance because it wouldn’t let me drive over 15 mph and we did a hard reset to no avail. I happened to have the mobile number from the mobile tech earlier in the morning and I called him and luckily he wasn’t far away and was done with his last appointment which was around 5pm. He went out of his way to come back to the shop and figured out the issue and I was able to drive my car home. This guy was an A+ and he could’ve just told me I had to make an appointment through the app but he didn’t, he went above and beyond.
Grade – B (only because of how good the mobile tech was)
Conclusion
All in all, it is a great car with great tech but could have been better with a few little details or features that other cars have especially since they give you so many cool gimmicks like Santa mode, games, etc. While I do appreciate these gimmicks, give me more features like HUD or 360 camera instead. People like to say that others that give honest opinions only sensationalize the anti-Tesla sentiment to try and put the company down but this is as honest of a review I can give especially since I just spent $130k plus on this car. I just call them like I see them, no cult fanboy here but it is still early on.
Interesting review. I will be interesting to read about your charging experience over time. The quality problems you describe remind me of GM in the 80s and early 90s. Glad you like your Tesla.
your range has everything to do with driving habits. my car is rated 310 miles but i am lucky to get 280 miles and during pandemic when i was able to do 80-90mph all the time, it went all the way down to 230 miles. i believe their rated range is with around 60mph driving? can't say i really care much about it, i drive it the way i like to. just like my previous ICE cars, i don't think i ever got the advertised range.
yup, the brakes. i have never tried the brakes on the new S (if they are changes) especially the plaid but i definitely won't count on them. on my car if i get to triple digits i always make sure i leave plenty of space to slow down...
can't say too much about quality since i just never care much about it since this is my daily. for sure it's not impressive, i see variance in panel gaps and then paint quality is very so-so for my standard. but it's my beater and it only stays for 4 years (getting another car next year) so it's ok. despite of what everyone says out there, i do urge everyone that if he/she really cares about quality and would be bothered by little issues, do NOT get a tesla!
in the meantime, got the new software update yesterday, still getting used to the new GUI but kids enjoyed the christmas light show
12-20-21, 09:08 PM
