Hey! maybe unrelated but I want to acknowledge your work in the audio field. I was myself involved in the development of audio technologies for the hard of hearing for over a decade, including a low-latency audio transmission protocol over WiFi. In my junior days, I learned a lot about audio thanks to your blog. I remember your "Real-time audio programming 101: time waits for nothing" as one of the most influential articles that shaped my understanding of real time audio. Thanks so much for sharing all that knowledge!
Greeting from Tenerife! Thanks for sharing such a great picture and timelapse showing Teide from an unconventional angle. I go to Izaña from time to time just to appreciate the sky and take some amateur pics with my Sony A7III. It is truly wonderful up there.
One should pay special attention when making comparisons like this, like adjusting for mileage and car segment. It known this segment of cars with more complex suspension systems is known to be hard on the bushings (but this is not unique to Tesla). Also the brake system.
Take away is: Take your car for inspection before the warranty expires (which for Tesla is 4 years or 80.000km in Europe)
I have 2 Teslas at home. Previously have been a user of premium brands like Mercedes and Audi. I have to say that the build quality of my Model 3 and Y is way better than what I got from those "premium" German auto brands. Suspension geometry and design is what you would expect from a car priced much higher.
The issue with these Teslas (and also other electrics) is that you almost never press the brake pedal. This becomes a problem in the inspection when the brakes are not performing as they should. One should keep special attention to these parts when driving an electric vehicle with one-pedal driving. You must use the brakes from time to time.
I've driven a couple Model 3s from carsharing and while they're not built badly I wouldn't say they are at the level of german brands if you start looking for issues. They kinda get away with it since the interior and exterior are extremely simple though and they do drive very well. I haven't driven other as powerful electrics but the way you can treat the throttle as an on/off switch in corners and jerk the wheel without losing control is kinda incredible. It lets you drive like a complete mong and still be fast. It's quite hilarious.
I don't think suspension geometry and design is what people mean when they say build quality. Stuff like panel gaps and alignment, roofs flying off on highways, inability to handle drive-through car washes, and so on is what the "build quality" complaints refer to.
I know most people don't look at those things when evaluating build quality (but some others do). From personal experience I cannot say I've experienced any of the things you mentioned, but it's true that first US made batches of Model 3 were notorious for panel gap alignment issues, and we know those were produced "in a rush" in order to create a viable product.
I believe those issues are not related to the article in question though. The article mentions defects in cars, that given the segment and usage pattern, are to be expected imho. People need to learn how to maintain properly those cars (particularly suspension bushings, wheels and brakes). If you're not familiar with cars, I would recommend taking your car periodically (once a year) for an inspection by a professional.
I haven't explicitly checked my current EV, but IIRC the BMW i3 I had previously would track regen usage and periodically forego regen in order to exercise the brakes. The point being to avoid old crusty brakes when you need them the most.
A lot of cars automatically turn on the AC unit when you turn on the defroster / defogger. This does of course help with fog, but it also ensures that the AC unit gets used all winter. I've been told a problem they used to have with AC in cars was that they'd stop working after 6 months of not being used in the winter; turning on the AC with the defroster effectively fixes that problem.
So it seems like the obvious thing to do would be to have the electronics system make sure to exercise the brakes for you -- e.g., once a week use the disc brakes even if regen braking is on; and possibly just put the brakes on when the car is stopped or stopping, even if it's not necessary.
Putting the brakes on if the car is stopped wouldn't help solve the whole issue (move the calipers - yes, but the wear surfaces remain essentially untouched).
