Placed a deposit. New owner questions.

[Hemi314]

Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking for awhile trying to learn as much as I can, but I have a couple questions.

I finally bit the bullet and placed a deposit on one. Used 1600 mile Foundation series AWD, 19xxx VIN for under $70k.

My first question is regarding the glue issues and delamination of panels. I know the cant rail is a NHTSA issue now so Tesla has to replace it no matter what. The problem I’m having is potential issues with other panels coming loose after the warranty period. Since this is a known issue, is there any chance Tesla will replace these on their dime after the warranty period is over? I’m thinking almost certainly not but I’ve never had a Tesla, or any EV for that matter, so I’m not sure how good their service is.
It gets 10 below zero or colder where I live in the winter so that won’t help the glue issues.

Second, I do not like the white interior trim, but the truck was priced so well I’m going with it anyway. Are there any aftermarket overlays for the white door trim pieces? I found a carbon cover for the white dash trim but nothing for the doors.

This will be my first EV so I’m hoping all goes well. Coming from a Ford Maverick and before that a Ram TRX.

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[CyberT]

Welcome to the owners' club of the most bad-ass vehicle ever made. You got a smoking deal, congrats.

Once the 4 years or 50k miles end, do not expect Tesla to pay for anything. Warranty is a Warranty.

Once this truck is in your driveway, you'll stop worrying about the small stuff and will have that dropped jaw, along with the biggest smile on your face every time you get in.

 

[JUSTICEQD]

Except recalled items. They have to fix recalls whether the vehicle is under warranty or not

 

[CyberTexas]

White trim with black seats are perfect combo! I will be ordering mine with it too. Don’t cover it up!

 

[Art138]

If panel integrity is good thought the warranty period,very unlikely you will experience issues after. All my panels appear tight-to include the cant rails. Just check everything well before you accept the truck.

 

[Hemi314]

If panel integrity is good thought the warranty period,very unlikely you will experience issues after. All my panels appear tight-to include the cant rails. Just check everything well before you accept the truck.

I hope you are right. I just wonder about ice jacking over time. Liquid water gets in between, freezes and then slightly lifts the panels. I’m probably worrying about it too much. If I still have the truck near end of warranty I will purchase an extended warranty.

 

[Hemi314]

White trim with black seats are perfect combo! I will be ordering mine with it too. Don’t cover it up!

After sitting in both, I much prefer grey. I’ll get the white dirty and stained over time.

 

[koolio]

After sitting in both, I much prefer grey. I’ll get the white dirty and stained over time.

First off, congrats! I also prefer the tactical grey interior.

Other than what others have said, the one thing to look out for are little cuts in the rear passenger door trim (at the bottom of the trim). Apparently, the cause of the cuts is due to the wheel covers / hub caps being placed in the back when shipped from the factory. Just take a picture of it and schedule a service appointment for 'delivery day issues' to be fixed. Note, you need to do this within 24 - 48 hours (or 500 miles) after taking delivery.

 

[Hemi314]

First off, congrats! I also prefer the tactical grey interior.

Other than what others have said, the one thing to look out for are little cuts in the rear passenger door trim (at the bottom of the trim). Apparently, the cause of the cuts is due to the wheel covers / hub caps being placed in the back when shipped from the factory. Just take a picture of it and schedule a service appointment for 'delivery day issues' to be fixed. Note, you need to do this within 24 - 48 hours (or 500 miles) after taking delivery.

Thank you for the info! Unfortunately I am buying this second hand so I’m out of luck there if it does have the cuts you are talking about.

 

[koolio]

Thank you for the info! Unfortunately I am buying this second hand so I’m out of luck there if it does have the cuts you are talking about.

Gotcha. I'm sure the previous owner had it replaced (if it was even an issue).

The good news: Tesla parts are relatively cheap (they don't rake you over the coals like all other OEMs), and I believe you can find the pricing of all parts in their parts catalog.

 

[CyberTexas]

Gotcha. I'm sure the previous owner had it replaced (if it was even an issue).

The good news: Tesla parts are relatively cheap (they don't rake you over the coals like all other OEMs), and I believe you can find the pricing of all parts in their parts catalog.

Are the parts cheap? Then why is Tesla repairs so high?? Significantly higher than other OEMs. And i can imagine that CT is higher than average Tesla?

 

[dalton108]

After sitting in both, I much prefer grey. I’ll get the white dirty and stained over time.

You shouldn’t have to worry about the white staining. It’s very resilient. I think it’s just unbecoming of a off-road vehicle (which is 80% of my use case scenario), but that’s just my opinion.

 

[dalton108]

Are the parts cheap? Then why is Tesla repairs so high?? Significantly higher than other OEMs. And i can imagine that CT is higher than average Tesla?

“So high” according to whom? I’ve never found that to be the case. But in fairness, over five vehicles, I’ve scarcely had any repairs to report. And virtually none of those have been out of warranty.

 

[CyberTexas]

So high according to whom? I’ve never found that to be the case. but in fairness, over five vehicles, I’ve scarcely had any repairs to report. And virtually none of those have been out of warranty.

From ChatGPT:

• Post-collision repairs on EVs—including Teslas—run about 29% higher than ICE vehicles. Average claims in Q1 2024: $6,066 for EVs vs $4,703 for gas cars  .
• Specifically for Teslas, repair costs average around $5,552, which is $1,347 more than ICE vehicles and about $1,078 more than other non-Tesla EVs 

 

[dalton108]

From ChatGPT:

• Post-collision repairs on EVs—including Teslas—run about 29% higher than ICE vehicles. Average claims in Q1 2024: $6,066 for EVs vs $4,703 for gas cars  .
• Specifically for Teslas, repair costs average around $5,552, which is $1,347 more than ICE vehicles and about $1,078 more than other non-Tesla EVs 

Yeah I was gonna ask if you were talking about collisions. Very little experience on this front. And honestly kinda don’t care cause that’s what I have insurance for.

Only parts I’m concerned about are those that I might have to replace in the normal course that are general wear items or like my fairing that fell off on my recent trip.

If I had to guess on repairs though, I know that many people (and probably a significant number in whatever those stats are) don’t have a Tesla SC near them and “authorized shops” tend to gouge Tesla customers, from what I’ve seen reported.

I’ve got two SCs within 4 miles of my house in either direction (E/W) so again not something that affects me.

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