With the price drops from last week I decided it was time to get rid of the Lexus and replace it with a new Model 3. I posted ad on Craigslist for the Lexus and placed an order for the Standard Range Plus model. Lead time was quoted two weeks so I figured I had plenty of time to sell the Lexus.
Well, to my surprise the Lexus sold on Wednesday. So I asked Tesla to match me to an inventory model so that I could get it right away. They found a mid range model for me and arranged a delivery for yesterday.
When I got the service center to pick it up I could see the doors and hood had some pretty bad panel gaps. The car was built in January 2019. I know they had this problem with early builds but I was surprised to see it in a 2019 model.
After reviewing a variety of options we determined the only practical course of action was to place a new order and wait several weeks for another car. I let them know that I sold my Lexus based on their commitment to have me a car that day. After a couple of rounds of conversations with the delivery coordinator and his manager they handed me the keys to a model S Performance car and told me to keep it until my new car arrives. And they upgraded my wheels on the new order to the 19” models, a $1,500 option, at no charge.
So while I was disappointed in the poor build quality of the car they wanted to sell me, I left overall feeling very good about how they handled it. And now I have a free Model S loaner to play with until my car arrives.
The only thing I find a bit comical about all of this is that when they handed me the keys to the Model S they didn’t ask me to sign any paperwork acknowledging I was in receipt of the car, or any of the typical things you would see in a rental agreement. They just literally handed me the keys and told me to keep it until my new car comes in, which will be at least two weeks from now. Very strange but that’s how Tesla operates I guess.