I Am Paying for Tesla To Write their Service Manual for Cybertruck

[paperhanddan]

Disclaimer: I'm not a Tesla hater. This is our third Tesla and we have had generally positive experiences with Tesla service for the most part.

A couple weeks ago I posted this thread, describing the issues that I ultimately brought it in to our service center for.

I dropped the truck off on April 17. They initially set my completion date as April 18, but informed me that they may take a little extra time since this is one the first Cybertrucks they'd be servicing- which I was fine with.

On April 18, they informed me they needed to "keep the truck overnight" because they weren't quite done fixing the issue. "Overnight" turned into "over the weekend". They told me to reach out to them on April 22 (Monday) for an update. When I reached out to them on April 22, they told me they needed more time, and would be in touch. I asked someone to call me to explain, which they did.

At that point the service rep told me via phone that they were "waiting for parts to arrive" and they were modifying my pickup date to April 26 (today). I asked "is April 26 the day the parts will arrive or is it the day that the repair will be completed?". The rep answered "Both. We identified the issue and as soon as the parts arrive on Friday, we'll implement the fix and get the car back to you."

April 26 rolls around and they again have pushed my completion date to April 30. I asked for further explanation and again was called by a rep. This time, the story had completely changed and now was "We still have no idea what is causing the error message in your truck, so we don't know when it will be fixed. We are in conversation with Tesla engineers and techs from other service centers to find out if anyone has experienced this issue and how to fix it- but we don't have any answers. We are going through the truck assembly by assembly to try and figure out where the High Voltage System Error is coming from- but we don't have a service manual entry for this issue, and are using your truck to write the service manual entry for this issue as we try to determine how to fix it." (emphasis mine)

At this point, by next week's new estimated completion date, I will have owned the Cybertruck for just over 5 weeks. It will have spent 2 of those weeks (40%) of my ownership in the shop. Additionally, they are using my truck to write service manual entries. I have a feeling I'm not the only one in this situation, and I understand the downsides of being an early adopter- but this is ridiculous. At what point does Tesla "sound the alarm" on my issue, or any others like it- and do whatever is necessary to resolve these issues as quickly as possible? Use one of the 1,000 trucks they produced in a week (that they are so proud to announce) to write their service manual- and give me back my truck that I paid for. Video chats with engineers in California or Texas to fix the issue, or even in-person visits from engineers shouldn't be off the table in order to fix this issue- especially if they're using my truck as a guinea pig for writing the service manua shouldn't be off the table. Heck, give me a different truck at this point (unrealistic I know).

Having a truck spend 40%+ of my ownership in the shop less than 1,000 miles in to its life is below any bare-bones standard that any automotive company should have for any vehicle, ever.

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[REM]

Annoying sure, but most of us would just like the chance to own one at this point.

This is what it means to be an early adoptor.

 

[bang21]

My 2017 Model S spent about a month in the shop within the first six months of ownership. I got loaners each time (three total shop trips). Totally a distant memory now. They’ll get it right for you!

 

[jookyone]

They are looking for a fix, there is no "hurry up" to fix an unknown issue, you keep trying to fix it until it's fixed. If you are really concerned, consult your state's lemon laws. Did they give you a loaner?

 

[Crissa]

Having a truck spend 40%+ of my ownership in the shop less than 1,000 miles in to its life is below any bare-bones standard that any automotive company should have for any vehicle, ever.

Tell that to my neighbor with the RAM he eventually sold, or my buddy on his third of the new Bronco currently with electronics issues.

Sometimes things happen.

That's the problem with new technology, there will be edge cases you can't predict as an engineer, and that one in a thousand and then one in a million events kick your butt.

-Crissa

 

[paperhanddan]

Annoying sure, but most of us would just like the chance to own one at this point.

This is what it means to be an early adoptor.

Yeah. I think I agree mostly with that sentiment. Typically, in similar situations, I'm the more permissive/passive person, while the company tries to bend over backwards to accommodate me as the customer. If Tesla were to approach these problems with more urgency and concern, I think I would be more OK with the same end result.

I think my problem with this situation is that Tesla is basically shrugging their shoulders and saying "I dunno- I guess we'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime you have your Model 3 loaner, so just be patient while we write a service manual for a vehicle we're charging people $100K+ for."

 

[paperhanddan]

Tell that to my neighbor with the RAM he eventually sold, or my buddy on his third of the new Bronco currently with electronics issues.

Sometimes things happen.

That's the problem with new technology, there will be edge cases you can't predict as an engineer, and that one in a thousand and then one in a million events kick your butt.

-Crissa

I think I agree with you. But my complaint is that Tesla doesn't seem to be acting like this is that one in a thousand edge case. If it was a one in a thousand edge case- I would expect a bit more urgency and proactive communication. I don't feel entitled to anything more than an ownership experience equivalent to the purchase price- in this case just over $100K. But right now it feels like I'd get better service if I had bought a $35K Mazda.

This vehicle is currently Tesla's most expensive by a factor of around 50%. But I feel like they're handling this like I bought a used 2014 Model S.

 

[paperhanddan]

They are looking for a fix, there is no "hurry up" to fix an unknown issue, you keep trying to fix it until it's fixed. If you are really concerned, consult your state's lemon laws. Did they give you a loaner?

I got a 4-year-old model 3 with a giant fleet decal on the windshield as a loaner. The issue is that once you get in the business of making trucks, unless you provide a truck as a loaner, you can't provide a like-for-like loaner. I already have a Model X- but I bought a truck to do truck stuff.

 

[Crissa]

I think I agree with you. But my complaint is that Tesla doesn't seem to be acting like this is that one in a thousand edge case. If it was a one in a thousand edge case- I would expect a bit more urgency and proactive communication.

I'm not sure what they could do. The techs are busy doing the other things, and they'll be stuck waiting for decisions or parts or data from afar. Remember, at the other end is not just the tech - who has other trucks they need to complete in the meanwhile - there's the engineer - who has many problems and tests to set up and it would be really time consuming to ship the truck back to them.

So they're playing a bit of a game of telephone, too.

And if I didn't make it clear, thank you for being so patient and being the canary in the coal mine.

As someone who has done this work before as a tech and an engineer, these sorts of problems which defy diagnosis totally makes you want to tear your hair out. So please continue being patient with them - and yes, keep calling when they tell you to have an update, keep reminding them this task needs to be completed. Because even if they are busy, they are also busy and might forget if you don't show it's urgent. Human nature.

-Crissa

 

[Lasttoy]

I said this weeks ago when I saw one in my SC torn all apart. ""Whats wrong?"" We have no clue was reply.
There seems to be NO engineering team to answer questions when a truck breaks down. We know the SC is clueless. Heck they can't fix my S.

 

[CTInProcess]

Just sit back, relax and be happy you have the greatest Truck on earth. You are being unfair with Tesla, they delivered your truck as promised and like any other vehicle there is an issue that they will eventually fix. While your Truck is a Guinea pig, it’ll help future CT owners who come to that service center.

 

[CyberTruckeeTheOne]

No use saying you are not a Tesla hater.

The fan boiz here like @HaulingAss will accuse you as one anyway. They may even add that you are a whiner, complainer, it's your fault -- no one got hurt and you are not dead yet. ?

I can sense your frustration. Yes, as @Crissa said and I agree having 3 techies in the family. But then the more that this is a new and unusual issue, the more reason to focus and for Tesla to do a nationwide all-hands-on-deck to resolve it. The best tech in the org would want to be the one to tackle this challenge.

I wonder if they have done Control-Alt-delete?

 

[HaulingAss]

Having a truck spend 40%+ of my ownership in the shop less than 1,000 miles in to its life is below any bare-bones standard that any automotive company should have for any vehicle, ever.

That really sucks, and I mean that.

But it's unclear why you believe they don't have "all hands on deck" trying to resolve the issue. What evidence do you have that they are being anything but dedicated and professional in resolving the issue? And why do you believe they shouldn't use their experience with your truck to document the problem, in case another owner experiences the same symptoms? How else would they do it?

I'm not sure how much experience you have troubleshooting a unique, first-time problem like this, but the fact that there isn't a Service Manual entry for a problem they have never seen is not only not unusual, it's expected.

No manufacturer has Service Manual entries for a never before seen issue that they couldn't anticipate. Tesla employees are real people, they could be your neighbor, trying to solve the issue. They thought it needed a certain part, they ordered it, they installed it, but the issue remained. Now they are using that new information to narrow down the remaining potential resolutions. It sucks that it is taking so long, and it's possible a technician made an error. It's also possible the problem is just really vexxing and, when they figure it out, they will have an "aha" moment.

They can't work miracles and, without knowing what the fix is, it's pretty hard to say they should have known better.

 

[Crissa]

I can sense your frustration. Yes, as @Crissa said and I agree having 3 techies in the family. But then the more thar this is a new and unusual issue, the more reason to focus and for Tesla to do a nationwide all-hands-on-deck to resolve it. The best tech in the org would want to be the one to tackle this challenge.

The problem is there there are probably a hundred trucks like this, each with a different answer.

The engineers will think they've solved it - but then the techs come back and say 'nope!'. And then you're like, 'did they do it wrong? What did we miss?' and so it all loops back around.

And sometimes all it is, is a part was busted and the replacement was also busted - sometimes in such a narrow edge case that it works on its own but not when plugged in.

New things are so frustrating that way.

-Crissa

 

[paperhanddan]

Update on this issue: It took them two weeks, flying engineers in from Texas to diagnose for two days, and a complete disassembly (their words) to find and correct the issue. The issue: Two separate connecting/communication pins between the front and rear body controllers were misaligned/incorrectly installed at the factory. In other words: pure human error and/or quality control issues at the factory.

I'm glad to have the issue fixed, and have my truck back- but I will echo what countless others have been saying about Tesla for years: the communication was HORRENDOUS.

It would have been so easy for them to just proactively update me as they went. I would have had an overall positive sentiment about the repair process and time, if they had simply made the effort to, for example, tell me "We are taking this issue seriously. In fact, we are having two engineers fly in from Texas next week (or tomorrow or whatever) to help figure this out." But instead I got silence, or vague answers when I talked to someone, and then only AFTER they did the work was I told about the extent of their effort.

So many unhappy customers can be flipped to happy customers with better communication.

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