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Tesla Model 3 Performance Shows “Bad Build Quality” In Extensive Photo Gallery

We’ve covered the Model Y as of late – including the crossover’s bad points – but the Model 3 comes back into the limelight with “bad build quality.” The owner of a Performance that retails at $66,000 has taken to Reddit to showcase how many issues his car has even though it’s relatively new, and it’s not a pretty sight.
Tesla Model 3 Performance build quality problems 33 photos
Photo: OnYourSide on Reddit
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“I've got it with Tesla’s service right now, so we'll see how it looks when it comes back next week.” The owner isn’t too happy about his purchase, though, but who could blame him when you lay eyes on so many obvious problems?

It’s forgivable to defend Tesla’s quality problems to a certain extent, but after three years of production in July 2020, you’d expect the Model 3 to be built with a little more attention to detail. The gallery the owner has uploaded to Imgur further reveals dirt inside the taillight’s lens, paint imperfections, blue scuffs, protruding trim, uneven body panels, some serious cases of asymmetry, and gaps between the taillights.

The “trim panel chrome is peeling,” a paint chip on the door is also visible, the glass roof is scratched, and “perhaps the most important issue” comes in the guise of “the glass rooftop not seated in all the way, leaving a protruding and noticeable lift up on one side.” Considering the price of the M3P, these issues are very, very bad.

As mentioned time and again, Elon Musk should definitely learn a thing or two from Toyota about how build quality can be combined with high production volumes. At the present moment – and this has been going on since the Model 3 started rolling off the line in Fremont, California – the American automaker appears to be exclusively interested in making as many cars as possible to the detriment of build quality.

Tesla’s battery and e-motor technology may be great, but when it comes to actually putting the car together, Elon Musk still has a long way to go. On an ending note, the Reddit thread started by the owner of this Model 3 Performance has received a few replies that cement Tesla’s reputation for second-rate build quality.

Here is one of them. “My dad’s friend just took delivery of a Model 3 Performance after owning a 997 [the Porsche 911 sports car from two generations ago] for 5 years. He said the exact same thing. The build quality is terrible. The driver’s window is very slow compared to the others and the rear windows aren’t properly fitted. Even though the car hasn’t been washed yet, it has swirls and a large scratch already.”
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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