Rich Rebuilds: How Tesla is failing its most loyal customers

[moosehead]

^The opposite is true. Good technology, safety, reliability, charging networks, and service will drive EV customer adoption.

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[Polecat]

This is me. I was looking hard at getting a Model Y Performance, but I’ve just seen so many reports of quality issues and customer service headaches that I decided I’d rather get a Ford than put up with Tesla. Even my super tree hugger neighbor (I kid, he’s a great guy) gave up on buying a Model Y after hearing so much about their quality and service issues. He’s currently waiting on Mustang Mach-E.

This is 100% us as well, new Tesla service center just down the road from us as well, but my neighbor has nothing but problems with his Y.
Pretty happy so far with the Polestar we got to tide us over, but they have a whole slew of potential issues as well as they're going through teething pains.

 

[Lil'Dave]

Our MY is 1.5 years old and we had service come out once. Scheduling on the app was easy, as well as communication via messaging. Compare this to calling a dealer, going through 2-3 people before actually talking to a service advisor. Repeat that process for anytime you have to change your appointment, etc.

We have a great Tesla service center in Central IL (Bloomington-Normal). Our Volvo service experience was horrible (both local dealers have/had bad reputations). Our friend with a BMW M5 would go 90 miles extra to avoid our local BMW dealer. Neither of us ever felt compelled to make YouTube videos.

 

[Taycanfrank]

^The opposite is true. Good technology, safety, reliability, charging networks, and service will drive EV customer adoption.

In a perfect world, yes. Unfortunately every EV on the market would score well below average in any test of reliability, customer satisfaction, or servicing and there's no evidence to suggest Rivian will change that. This isn't a Tesla issue, this is an EV issue.

The charging network is a disaster that will only get worse. As we can already see from the very, very quiet "Rivian charging network" installing modern chargers into our infrastructure is incredibly difficult and almost all supercharger installations hit massive delays and problems. The current EA network is already arguably overtaxed and with the huge numbers of EVs set to hit in the next year or so will be utterly overwhelmed.

These Tesla issues will be issues Rivian owners experience, as every new EV has the same problems. Polestar, eTron, Taycan, Mach E, iPace.. all highly unreliable and buggy cars that are notoriously difficult to get fixed.

People getting a Rivian in the next couple of years need to be prepared for issues and willing to be adaptable to them.

 

[LeoH]

The worst service ever, and terrible quality. I am not sure if any here remembers the old days of the Kia Rio, when they were selling them as Buy 1 get 1 free, but that car had better quality and broke down much less.


Why do I say that? Well a drivetrain component failure that Tesla knew about yet still gave me back the car, caused one of the rear tires to completely lock while driving...having 3 kids in the car, and avoiding cars coming at me ( actually I was going at them ) in the opposite lane, I ended up crashing "safely". Kids were fine, but I had to have shoulder surgery and the car was totaled of course. I went I got another Model S, thinking I might have just had a dud, well I got another dud. So they tried to sell me a Model X because it was built using "better" manufacturing processes. I skipped and ordered a Rivian.

However, this might just be a side effect of not having a dealer network, and Rivian might end up in the same boat once deliveries sky rocket ( in 2028 or something like that ). If anything, that is the only doubt I have about Rivian or any startup for that matter.

 

[LeoH]

In a perfect world, yes. Unfortunately every EV on the market would score well below average in any test of reliability, customer satisfaction, or servicing and there's no evidence to suggest Rivian will change that. This isn't a Tesla issue, this is an EV issue.

The charging network is a disaster that will only get worse. As we can already see from the very, very quiet "Rivian charging network" installing modern chargers into our infrastructure is incredibly difficult and almost all supercharger installations hit massive delays and problems. The current EA network is already arguably overtaxed and with the huge numbers of EVs set to hit in the next year or so will be utterly overwhelmed.

These Tesla issues will be issues Rivian owners experience, as every new EV has the same problems. Polestar, eTron, Taycan, Mach E, iPace.. all highly unreliable and buggy cars that are notoriously difficult to get fixed.

People getting a Rivian in the next couple of years need to be prepared for issues and willing to be adaptable to them.

Every EV start up probably. But I have yet to meet a Taycan owner with such massive issues, and the one I know really well had an issue, and they gave him a 911 loaner for 2 days.

A car being buggy is expected, but in some cases the cars are not drivable, that's a bit different. Interestingly, I haven't met any e-tron owners? Do they so many issues? But again, ICE Audi's are already a nighmare.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Compare this to calling a dealer, going through 2-3 people before actually talking to a service advisor

So the best thing for my Chevy ownership is that one of my high school friends became a service advisor. I can pretty much jump into their schedule whenever I need something by sending him a text message. Highly recommended.

 

[moosehead]

EV’s don’t somehow magically break the laws of free market consumer behavior. People tend to vote with their wallets.

Sure Tesla has first mover and now massive production advantages.

Yes, I am also willing to make extra efforts for EV adoption including home charging setups and lesser range, and certain service needs and quirks.

But if the product and service is crap, I ain’t buying it or will go elsewhere next time.

YMMV.

 

[Billyk24]

In a perfect world, yes. Unfortunately every EV on the market would score well below average in any test of reliability, customer satisfaction, or servicing and there's no evidence to suggest Rivian will change that. This isn't a Tesla issue, this is an EV issue.

The charging network is a disaster that will only get worse. As we can already see from the very, very quiet "Rivian charging network" installing modern chargers into our infrastructure is incredibly difficult and almost all supercharger installations hit massive delays and problems. The current EA network is already arguably overtaxed and with the huge numbers of EVs set to hit in the next year or so will be utterly overwhelmed.

These Tesla issues will be issues Rivian owners experience, as every new EV has the same problems. Polestar, eTron, Taycan, Mach E, iPace.. all highly unreliable and buggy cars that are notoriously difficult to get fixed.

People getting a Rivian in the next couple of years need to be prepared for issues and willing to be adaptable to them.

The EA network may be over taxed where you are located but in Norther Michigan, Ohio turnpike it is rare to see the chargers full.

 

[E.S.]

It's a known issue that EA chargers do not deliver the maximum rate they claim. Be it due to software issues, impendence/heat loss, fail to properly handshake, etc, etc, etc. I'd like to see reports from people using other chargers such as EVgo, Blink, Charge Point, and others, just to see if they too are suffering the same issues EA is.

 

[Riv240]

Hoping that Rivian takes notes and have a more pleasant service, customer experience than Tesla because I don't know what they're doing differently now and in the future (will still use in house and mobile techs?)

Know several Tesla owners, most of them are newer owners, most of which have no major issues (s, 3, x, y), with the x being the worst (sensors and computer parts on their wing doors failing, gaskets too, out of warranty would've been over a $10k fix).

 

[ajdelange]

I have, from time to time, used the CircuitElectrique chargers (low power DCFC) and found them to always work, to always deliver the rated power and to charge less than Tesla does for a KWh. I think a lot depends on who is operating these things. In this case it is Quebec Hydro and they just seem to do a good job.

 

[cmtaylor963]

How does Tesla (and soon Rivian) handle simple things like tire rotation when I live 400 mi from the nearest service center? They can't charge enough money to make it worth sending out a tech.

 

[OverZealous]

How does Tesla (and soon Rivian) handle simple things like tire rotation when I live 400 mi from the nearest service center? They can't charge enough money to make it worth sending out a tech.

You should probably never use the manufacturer (or dealer) for something simple like tire rotation. When I got my Tesla, they immediately recommended someone local for tire maintenance (shout out to Kaiser Auto in Middletown Kentucky!). Our guy never even charges us for tire rotation, which has made us a customer for life (bought many tires from them at this point, and started taking our ICE vehicle there for oil changes even if it takes longer, because they are great people). Tesla, on the other hand, doesn't really want to do stuff like that, so they charge a lot. I don't remember the exact amount.

The actual non-critical maintenance of an EV should be just tire care & topping off windshield washer fluid. You might want an annual inspection (though I didn't bother with one for a while, since Tesla way overcharges for it), but there really isn't much else to have worked on.

I expect the Rivian to be the same. You should just find someone local and make friends with them. The hardest thing might be finding someone local who can handle heavy vehicles. Kaiser's main business is fixing up work vehicles, so they are outfitted with the right machines for it.

 

[ajdelange]

Take it to your gas station or a tyre shop and ask them to rotate the tyres. For the Teslas you do need to mke sure they know how to lift/jack a Tesla. May be similar considerations on a Rivisn (need to protect the battery).

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