I had been reading for a while that these issues are mostly in Norway, but it sounds like more widespread then I previously understood. Has anyone one on the forum here run into these problems? http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-parts-service-20180724-story.html
Not just in Norway, but right here in the U.S. of A. Ordinary Tesla service almost always happens much faster, but Tesla service centers don't handle body shop repairs. Those are handled by outside contractors, and there are reports from some body shops of waiting on parts for weeks or -- in some (hopefully rare, isolated) cases -- for months. Tesla claims to be addressing that problem, but obviously they haven't solved the problem everywhere, at least not yet. See the InsideEVs news article: "Tesla To Apply 'Brute Force' To Solve Body Shop Wait Issues, 300 Additional Body Shops Added Soon" Tesla is having growing pains. That's what happens when you grow rapidly. It's one factor which car buyers need to consider. Tesla's very rapid rate of growth does have consequences, both good and bad; and car buyers should consider that situation before buying. But let's put this into context. Despite the probably rare cases of Tesla cars spending unreasonably long periods in the shop waiting for parts, Tesla's Model S tops the list of Consumer Reports' annual survey for customer satisfaction every year. And the Model X isn't far behind; it's in the top ten. * * * * * @David Green: You need to keep reminding us about how you have forgotten more about the auto industry than I will ever learn. For some reason, I keep forgetting that "fact".
The situation mentioned in this article is not a body repair, but a Model X with a door that will not open sometimes, and other times opens on its own, including while driving on the interstate. Scary... When I first saw the Model X with all those automated doors, I thought that was a terrible idea. It was an attempt to fix a problem that did not exist before. I still feel the same way, when my buddy picks me up in his X, I go to open or close the door, and it is a weird and slow experience... And I am not talking about the FWD, but the front doors.
I agree with you on this subject. The Model X is a rampant case of overdesign; of solutions in search of a problem. Even Elon admitted, with some uncharacteristic humility, that he had gone too far with making the Model X too complex. The original idea for the MX was to make a CUV off the MS platform, but what evolved was far different. For example, Tesla had to greatly reinforce the "spine" on the roof of the car, to provide sufficient structural strength despite the gaping holes required for the rear falcon wing doors. I still wish that Tesla would offer another version of the MX, with sliding minivan-style rear doors instead of the overly complex falcon-wing doors. I also wish it would make the power front doors optional. I've ridden in (and driven) a minivan; I understand the need for a power assist in sliding minivan doors. But putting those on regular front car doors is something that I would find merely irritating. In fact, I sometimes slammed the rear door of our minivan manually, because I was too impatient to wait for the power assist. Having to do that for the front door... well, I can't think of any good reason for that, unless it's to assist a handicapped person... which I'm not, thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster. (Bless his noodley appendages!) If you look at some older quotes from Elon and Tesla, it seems they were hoping the MX would outsell the MS in the U.S. market, given the passion for CUVs and SUVs, and the decline of sedan sales. It hasn't turned out that way; the MS still outsells the MX. I do wonder if Tesla offered a redesigned version of the MX, with the changes to the doors I've suggested here... if that would result in the MX outselling the MS. Sadly, it seems that so long as Elon Musk is CEO of Tesla, we'll never know.
