Everyone working in the front lobby was friendly, helpful, and professional--five stars for that team.
Unfortunately, the quality of the bodywork and the experience with the advisors who inspected the vehicle before and after the repairs tarnished the entire visit. During the final walk-around, we repeatedly heard statements such as, "We are human, not robots," "This is considered commercially acceptable," and "It won't come out better than factory." Hearing these explanations before we could even fully examine the vehicle immediately made us uneasy.
As shown in the photos, the vehicle was returned with numerous problems, including:
* Paint chips that were never corrected
* Ten or more bubbles in the paint on just one roof rail, plus additional bubbles on other areas they supposedly repaired
* Incomplete clear-coat coverage along the edges of the hood, even though we were told the entire hood would be clear-coated after the blemishes were repaired
* Red overspray on a black plastic body component because the surrounding area was not properly masked
* Paint dripped onto the vehicle's taillight
* White compound residue left between both headlights and around several plastic and rubber components
When I pointed out the clear-coat issue, the advisor told me not to touch the area too much because I could damage it. If the hood had been properly refinished and protected, there should not have been anything vulnerable to damage from simply touching it.
The reason we brought the vehicle here was that, upon delivery, Tesla Clermont documented more than ten paint chips, swirl marks in two areas, and extensive paint bubbling across approximately seven to ten different body panels. We were assured these issues could be properly addressed at the Tesla Collision Center. After waiting two months for the appointment, the condition in which the vehicle was returned was extremely disappointing.
I understand that no repair is absolutely perfect, but visible paint bubbles, overspray, incomplete clear coat, paint on the taillight, remaining chips, and compound residue should not be dismissed as "commercially acceptable." These are basic quality-control issues that should have been identified and corrected before the vehicle was presented as completed.
The front-lobby staff deserves recognition for how well they treated us. However, the workmanship, quality control, and dismissive explanations from the body-shop advisors fell far below what I expected from a Tesla-operated collision center. read more