
Found this little gem on my $55K Model Y - tobijkl
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/found-this-little-gem-on-my-55k-model-y.205922/
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bri3d
The _way_ this was discovered is more interesting than the bodge itself,
really. This was discovered due to the owner feeling that they needed to
personally disassemble and reassemble their entire car to fix other, obvious
manufacturing defects, _after_ the dealer damaged the vehicle while trying to
fix them!

I think I'm also quite surprised that the strap holding the condenser has
persisted in spite of its obvious manufacturing inefficiency / manual process
overhead (albeit sometimes with less improvised edge protection) - it seems
like a workaround for an inadequately designed retention system for the
condenser to begin with.

~~~
appleiigs
The whole thread is interesting... As you said the mis-aligned panels, but
also the variety of different materials used in the production patch job (faux
wood, white plastic, clear plastic), like Tesla grabbed whatever they could
find. Then some customers unwavering faith that Tesla can do no wrong despite
evidence staring them in face.

~~~
fred_is_fred
> unwavering faith that Tesla can do no wrong despite evidence staring them in
> face.

This has disturbing analogs to all aspects of life in the last few years -
what you believe has become more important than whether what you believe is
right - even with evidence.

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canada_dry
Were this found on a production model from one of the big 3 I'm guessing there
would be calls for a massive recall, but because it's just part of the
fluid/continuous-updates manufacturing process that Tesla has maintained, it
certainly won't.

Personally, I am amazed that their factory process is this innovative/flexible
- though I'd be pissed to find Home Depot material holding the insides of my
car together like some last-minute-quick-fix!

~~~
anoncareer0212
man this absolutely broke my heart when I read it, thanks, that was the wake
up call I needed to take this stuff more seriously

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abawany
This article was amusing while also providing more context as to why this may
have happened, quoting Munro Associates: [https://jalopnik.com/tesla-model-y-
owners-have-found-home-de...](https://jalopnik.com/tesla-model-y-owners-have-
found-home-depot-shit-used-to-1844999285) .

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teruakohatu
Can someone explain the panel gap issue mentioned in the linked article, and
often referred to somewhere. Are the panel gaps defective (noisy, leaky or
unsafe etc.) or just don't look very nice?

~~~
brianwawok
Mostly looks unless extreme or in certain spots.

All cars have them. If you want to stare, you can find them in a brand new BMW
or other well regarded brand. Just a little more common in Tesla I guess. (I
have one that bothers me. I got Tesla to 75% fix it. Doesn’t really bother me
now)

~~~
fred_is_fred
I don't understand why they couldn't fix it and why you didn't insist after
paying a lot of money for a new car?

~~~
brianwawok
1) it’s on my trunk which is a moving part. I suspect the perfectly aligned
setup doesn’t close or scrapes. I would rather have a trunk that closes
perfect and looks a tad off, vs a trunk that doesn’t close right and looks
perfect. I am a form over function guy

2) the car is far and away the best car I have ever owned or driven. If
someone sitting behind me at a stoplight sees my trunk is 1mm off perfectly
centered? Sorry not going to take my car back for that. At this point I don’t
see myself buying a non-tesla again.

3) what car do you drive? Have you measured panel gaps with a caliper? If so,
why haven’t you gotten them all adjusted to perfect?

~~~
BoorishBears
1) Trunks with even panel gaps that are well aligned are very much a thing.

Your use of perfect seems to be a slight deflection, even "ok" would have been
a fine goal.

But that photo is worse than anything I've ever seen on a car, period. I've
seen overblown complaints about panel gaps on Teslas, but most manufacturers
would not let that out into a dealership.

2) That's great for you, but it's hardly a defense against _general_
complaints about a car. After all the Model 3 is not the best car _others_
have driven. My most driven car these days is my new S4, a car with less
interior noise despite an ICE, comparable performance (I'll trade the .7
second difference in the quarter mile for driving a car not put together with
scraps)

3) None of my gaps are so horribly misaligned I ever had the inclination to!

There are two common complaints about panel gaps in general: too big, or
misaligned.

I can forgive too big, I really don't care. But seriously misaligned like that
picture? It looks like a bad body repair job, and it's right out if the realm
of what can be ignored. Not for the sake of others, but for the sake of
knowing I paid for a precision instrument and am getting a bodge job.

~~~
fred_is_fred
Thanks for the good explanation. It befuddles me that someone can willingly
pay $55k for a car and just do a Tesla Shrug about the fact that it looks like
it was built in a high school shop class. I wish I could come up with a
business plan who had fans that loyal.

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zeeZ
One of the pieces posted looks like an edge protector used when shipping cargo
that needs to be strapped down...

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encom
I will already never buy a Tesla, because it's essentially spyware on wheels,
and their criminally poor build quality makes me want to even less.

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fortran77
In all fairness, he didn't pay "full price". That would be their flagship
model, the S.

~~~
ThisIsTheWay
What a lame excuse. No vehicle should ship with laminate edge detailing from a
DIY store to be used as a brace to hold a component in place. That's just poor
design and a lazy fix to hit your numbers, plain and simple.

~~~
teruakohatu
Probably poor supply chain rather than poor design. I doubt the designer
mandated Home Depot™ #xxxxxxx detailing.

~~~
Cerium
Yeah, but why molding? They are using steel strapping, why not standard strap
corners? Eg: [https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-3474/Strapping-
Protec...](https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-3474/Strapping-
Protection/Strap-Guards-2-1-2-x-1-3-4-Black)

~~~
brianwawok
Bet they were out and sent someone with a truck to Home Depot.

