What to watch for in your Tesla Delivery

It is no secret that Tesla has had a hard run at quality control compared to some other manufacturers. They are getting better but I wanted to take the time to write out this list that you can use to help you with looking over your Tesla at delivery. I typically offer to meet clients at the dealership to help them navigate the various quality control issues. We will typically help with delivery in the Devon, PA and Cherry Hill,  NJ area.

My job is just to help you have issues documented that are within your 100-mile delivery claim window and show you things you may not normally recognize.  

Telsa Model 3 Delivery Inspection in Cherry Hill, NJ

Some of the most common issues we find are as follows: 

• Panel Gap
• Headlight Alignment & Socket Wobble
• Paint imperfections such as water spots, sanding marks, holograms, buffer trails
• “Trash” in the clear – usual bits of dirt and debris that appear to look like a raised “chip”
• Interior Panel Clips Unsecured
• Scratches and damage from the prep process
• Heavy Iron Contamination from Rail Car Trips
• Leftover adhesive from transport film

This is the headlight housing on the Tesla Model 3. You can see here, there are a few things going on. 

• It is too high in the socket, exposing a large gap. 
• It also needs to slide back into the fender a bit more. This is very common.

Tesla is usually pretty good about getting this alignment correct after an adjustment. 

Panel Gap Issues

This is the passenger fender “finger”. This is what we see. 

• The headlight here is correctly aligned. 
• The bumper is too high and will need to be shimmed under the headlight. This causes the fender finger to appear to be misaligned. It is actually the bumper. 

Tesla will likely have a hard time getting this right but if you press them it could end up being covered.

This is the driver’s side trunk lid where it meets the forward a-pillar. We typically see this, in just about every single Tesla. The trunks appear to be mounted with a slight tweak to the right, which causes the driver’s side to appear “forward”. When it moves, it slides down, creating an uneven height difference between the a-pillar and the trunk lid. 

This is usually an issue that requires you to surrender your tesla to have the hinges adjusted in the trunk lid OR the body holes for the trunk lid are retapped. Usually shimming it gets it pretty close. You will need to press for this to be “out of spec”. 

This is the passneger side trunk lid where it meets the forward a-pillar. You can see, it isn’t aligned and appears to be more “left”. The quarter window trim is also at an improper depth. Don’t try and fix this yourself, there is single apply gasket tape there and if you pull on it, it will never stick again unless you install new trim tape. This is an easy fix and a Tesla body shop can do it pretty quickly.

Scratches

This is the same passenger-side trunk lid. These are surface scratches, likely from whoever de-filmed the car after it arrived. They will likely come out with a machine polish. 

Paint Defects

Dead center on the hood, water spot etching is present. This is fairly superficial but if your area has acid rain issues, you can end up with the car being spotted permanently. 

Bumper Gaps

The entire rear bumper should really be adjusted here. It is out of alignment in a few different places. This will be fixed by removing the bumper and installing shims into the mounting clips or even the mounting brackets. There are large gap issues and the whole bumper needs to be moved towards the inside of the car, because the bumper sticks out beyond the fender, creating a ledge for dirt and debris to enter behind the bumper.

If you are considering purchasing a Tesla and want us to assist you in the inspection process of your Tesla – we are happy to do so for our clients. Let us know when your delivery date is and we can set up a time to meet you at the dealership.