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Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

latimes.com

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Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#131

Post by Htsthbjig »

After you drive a Tesla, you feel everything else is outdated.

Today I drove a conventional car and it just feels so clunky and slow.

On the other hand, I prefer a normal key for opening my car, a simple, proven tech that works. Tesla has all those "someone had this idea and incorporated it in the car" that is typical of startups.

Everything has to be new and this makes reliability suffer in little stupid things, the basic experience is far superior to anything else.

The same happens to Apple in new products, you pay extra and you are the Guinea pig on anything new they include, think on ghost screens with retina display.

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#132

Post by macNchz »

brianstorms wrote: post #82

My 2013 Model S has had its share of issues. My car is on its third drivetrain. Am I unhappy about it? Nope. Was it a hassle? A little. Was it a show-stopper? Nope. Did Tesla always take care of the issues to my satisfaction? Absolutely. Would I buy another Tesla? Not only YES but I cannot imagine ever buying anything else ever again. Tesla's huge weakness continues to be communication between company and customer. T…

I'd say your expectations around car ownership are significantly out of line with a typical car buyer or someone who may be reading Consumer Reports. I don't think most people buying cars have any real expectation about communication or any relationship with the manufacturer of their car, and having the drivetrain replaced twice would seemingly be a dealbreaker in terms of brand loyalty for a great many car owners.

Obviously early adopters make for a different market, but I think your experience only serves to confirm Consumer Reports' latest report.

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#133

Post by jarek »

brianstorms wrote: post #82

My 2013 Model S has had its share of issues. My car is on its third drivetrain. Am I unhappy about it? Nope. Was it a hassle? A little. Was it a show-stopper? Nope. Did Tesla always take care of the issues to my satisfaction? Absolutely. Would I buy another Tesla? Not only YES but I cannot imagine ever buying anything else ever again. Tesla's huge weakness continues to be communication between company and customer. T…

A 7 Series on its third drivetrain within three years would have people tearing up message boards about how terrible internal combustion engines are

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#134

Post by scott_karana »

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #96
tghw wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They announced AWD over a year ago.

Interesting; I just went there ( http://www.teslamotors.com/models ) and it looks as though the AWD actually increases range. I would have thought that it would require more energy. Two separate motors, one for front and one for rear; I guess their engineers found a way to divide the work pretty equally, versus one larger motor on just the front axle.

> versus one larger motor on just the front axle.

I think you mean rear ;)

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#135

Post by burger_moon »

VLM wrote: post #112
jkestner wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget batteries. Rolls-Royce did well with jet engines, probably better than cars.

Agreed and don't forget licensing. OK so TSLA makes squeeky sunroofs, who cares, they can sell batteries and controllers and motors to ... construction crane companies or something. You know all the weird details of making a tow truck, cool, here's the parts to make it electric. Happens all the time in the automotive industry. The first "american" hatchback car I ever drove had a nice VW engine. Ironically it was som…

With that thought, I wonder if GE, Siemens, Mitsubishi, etc will move into the market of creating electric motors for automotive use. They all have a lot of experience in electric motors.

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#136

Post by Spooky23 »

toddmorey wrote: post #100
pkorzeniewski wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't take the owner satisfaction ratings too seriously, people who buy Tesla cars are mostly rich enthusiasts of new technologies and will quietly deal with a lot of issues before starting to criticize the car. If someone doesn't care about the electric engine, there's really no reason to buy a Tesla - for the same price you can get a much more luxurious german car with proven technology. It's similar to people…

I hear you, but it's important to note that it appears that Mercedes (a storied German luxury car with proven technology) currently has an even a lower reliability rating. That makes me think it's likely more than just company age and experience, I think there is something about a company's risk tolerance and how it relates to their eagerness to implement new tech. As the article states, the blander "appliance-like"…

Mercedes isn't a car you buy for reliability, and the core market are people who want to be seen driving Mercedes -- most of whom lease, because who wants to be seen driving an old car.

So yeah, they aren't Honda Accords. A friend had a "hanger queen" S class that was in the shop for 3 months in its first year. When the car itself is good, electronic doodads are supremely unreliable as well, reflecting poor reliability.

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#138

Post by secabeen »

macNchz wrote: post #132
brianstorms wrote: post #82

My 2013 Model S has had its share of issues. My car is on its third drivetrain. Am I unhappy about it? Nope. Was it a hassle? A little. Was it a show-stopper? Nope. Did Tesla always take care of the issues to my satisfaction? Absolutely. Would I buy another Tesla? Not only YES but I cannot imagine ever buying anything else ever again. Tesla's huge weakness continues to be communication between company and customer. T…

I'd say your expectations around car ownership are significantly out of line with a typical car buyer or someone who may be reading Consumer Reports. I don't think most people buying cars have any real expectation about communication or any relationship with the manufacturer of their car, and having the drivetrain replaced twice would seemingly be a dealbreaker in terms of brand loyalty for a great many car owners. O…

Out of curiosity, why would a drivetrain replacement be a dealbreaker? The replacement is usually a one or two day job in the service center, and they give you a loaner Tesla while they have it. Why do you care if they pre-emptively replace your drivetrain?

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#139

Post by agumonkey »

Lightbody wrote: post #20

I got my P85 in July 2013 and I can absolutely confirm what Consumer Reports is saying. My car has (and continues) to have all sorts of small fit-and-finish issues. While I've never had a drivetrain issue or any major problem, I have had some wireless and door handle issues that required as new Master Control Unit. Sadly, the work replacing the MCU introduced even more squeaks in the dashboard area :( That all said:…

I suspect other high end brands don't have fit-and-finish issues, but is it true or just brand distortion field ? any actual bmw / mercedes owner ?

Re: Tesla shares dive after Consumer Reports yanks recommendation for Model S

#140

Post by recursive »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #126
pkorzeniewski wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla has no other choice than to offer the best customer experience - otherwise they wouldn't stand a chance on the market as a new player. The question is how long will they keep it up?

At 25% margins, they can afford to keep it up long enough.

Is that high or low?
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