Photo: Tesla
When journalists point out all the issues with Tesla products and the company, its advocates and investors accuse them of trying to damage the company. That’s what made a line that owners adopt to prevent the harassment that will surely follow so famous: “I love my Tesla but…”. A recent Facebook post shows the tide may be turning.
I did not talk to the person who did this post because they would probably not like to discuss with me the points they raised in their post. I will also not name them because what this person wrote represents several other customers that probably feel the same but are too afraid to express these views: the almost guaranteed backlash makes them refrain.
Curiously, other Tesla owners in that Facebook group supported the venting, and that’s what led me to write more than anything. What this person had to say was more than relevant or accurate: it was accepted by a community that used to fight anything negative about the company.
As someone who owned a Model 3 Standard Range Plus for more than a year and a half, this Tesla consumer felt the need to say the car is not the solution for all problems like most fans like to make these vehicles seem. The post they made shows many of the reasons why their criticism points were necessary and welcome.
The first one was about range. This is something we have brought up more than once and that Edmunds also demonstrated with road tests. Very few Tesla vehicles really accomplished to run as much as the certified EPA range said they would. That’s an exception compared to all other electric cars, which easily exceeded it.
This Model 3 owner was pretty specific about their experience as well. Instead of the 240 miles of range, they thought they would get, their best shot was 170 mi – even with everything working in the car’s favor. In cold weather, the Model 3 would not exceed 130 miles. That’s pretty close to what EPA said the Mazda MX-30 could get. Tesla fans made fun of the Japanese company when this number came out.
The Tesla customer then states that this range is only suitable for urban use, not long distances. Although they recognize that Supercharging stations are handy, that’s not enough. The post writer does not recommend that anyone buys a Tesla without knowing they will have to stop every hour and a half to recharge.
The second reason for this Tesla client to be upset with the EV was the cost of electricity. Although it is cheaper than running a car with a combustion engine, their electricity bill got $150 more expensive than it used to be.
To be fair with Tesla, this customer should have compared that amount to what they used to spend filling up a gas tank. Despite that, their testimony shows that expenses are still there for those who think an EV is some sort of perpetual motion device.
This customer actually thinks that one of the brand’s main advantages, according to Tesla advocates, is “maddening:” OTA (over-the-air) updates. They are fed up with the constant changes and give an example that makes the why pretty clear: “Once I get used to the UI and where things are, it changes. I shouldn’t have to pull over to find where the wipers have gone.” Indeed. Many owners have sided with this person. Some never get used to not having buttons or levers to control crucial vehicle functions.
The Tesla customer then complains about two of these functions: automatic wipers and automatic headlights. According to them, the first never matched the necessary speed to keep rain or snow away from the windshield. The second just did not turn on and off when it was supposed to. That makes the “automatic” part of these functionalities inconvenient and, therefore, useless.
The final topic of criticism from this customer is phantom braking. According to them, it happened only once but “scared the hell out of” them because “it could literally get you killed.” This Tesla customer gave up on using Autopilot and does so only “sparingly.”
This Facebook post ends with this person hoping to help those who want a Tesla to have the right perspective on what that represents. However, I feel many other aspects were left out of their testimony, probably because they have not experienced them.
The first is the quality issues Tesla cars present. Recently, the white hat hacker GreenTheOnly shared a post about how people criticizing another brand felt exactly like one of those we see about Tesla. It said that the automaker in question – which GreenTheOnly does not disclose – is notorious for bad quality. The sad bit is that this also suits Tesla pretty well.
The second is how much time it takes for these quality problems to be sorted out because Tesla Service Centers are so crowded with people complaining about the quality problems they find. With Tesla still pumping out more vehicles with these flaws, there is no sign that things will be easier anytime soon.
The third is how Tesla seems to take customers, journalists, and even its own advocates for fools. It keeps repeating that defective cars are “within specs,” that known and well-documented defects were never seen before or are anecdotal evidence, that it promotes inclusive work environments while racism lawsuits pile up, that it is protecting the environment while it commits emission violations at its factories, or that Autopilot and FSD make cars safer based on deceiving statistics. Coherence is not something Tesla can brag about.
Luckily, more people are noticing that. Regular customers with no financial interest in the company are asking Tesla to be upfront to its promises and allegations – just as they would do with any other car company. That is a sign of maturity. Sadly, it relates more to how customers view Tesla than to how the world’s most valuable carmaker (when it relates to market cap) treats them.
Curiously, other Tesla owners in that Facebook group supported the venting, and that’s what led me to write more than anything. What this person had to say was more than relevant or accurate: it was accepted by a community that used to fight anything negative about the company.
As someone who owned a Model 3 Standard Range Plus for more than a year and a half, this Tesla consumer felt the need to say the car is not the solution for all problems like most fans like to make these vehicles seem. The post they made shows many of the reasons why their criticism points were necessary and welcome.
The first one was about range. This is something we have brought up more than once and that Edmunds also demonstrated with road tests. Very few Tesla vehicles really accomplished to run as much as the certified EPA range said they would. That’s an exception compared to all other electric cars, which easily exceeded it.
This Model 3 owner was pretty specific about their experience as well. Instead of the 240 miles of range, they thought they would get, their best shot was 170 mi – even with everything working in the car’s favor. In cold weather, the Model 3 would not exceed 130 miles. That’s pretty close to what EPA said the Mazda MX-30 could get. Tesla fans made fun of the Japanese company when this number came out.
The Tesla customer then states that this range is only suitable for urban use, not long distances. Although they recognize that Supercharging stations are handy, that’s not enough. The post writer does not recommend that anyone buys a Tesla without knowing they will have to stop every hour and a half to recharge.
The second reason for this Tesla client to be upset with the EV was the cost of electricity. Although it is cheaper than running a car with a combustion engine, their electricity bill got $150 more expensive than it used to be.
To be fair with Tesla, this customer should have compared that amount to what they used to spend filling up a gas tank. Despite that, their testimony shows that expenses are still there for those who think an EV is some sort of perpetual motion device.
This customer actually thinks that one of the brand’s main advantages, according to Tesla advocates, is “maddening:” OTA (over-the-air) updates. They are fed up with the constant changes and give an example that makes the why pretty clear: “Once I get used to the UI and where things are, it changes. I shouldn’t have to pull over to find where the wipers have gone.” Indeed. Many owners have sided with this person. Some never get used to not having buttons or levers to control crucial vehicle functions.
The Tesla customer then complains about two of these functions: automatic wipers and automatic headlights. According to them, the first never matched the necessary speed to keep rain or snow away from the windshield. The second just did not turn on and off when it was supposed to. That makes the “automatic” part of these functionalities inconvenient and, therefore, useless.
The final topic of criticism from this customer is phantom braking. According to them, it happened only once but “scared the hell out of” them because “it could literally get you killed.” This Tesla customer gave up on using Autopilot and does so only “sparingly.”
This Facebook post ends with this person hoping to help those who want a Tesla to have the right perspective on what that represents. However, I feel many other aspects were left out of their testimony, probably because they have not experienced them.
The first is the quality issues Tesla cars present. Recently, the white hat hacker GreenTheOnly shared a post about how people criticizing another brand felt exactly like one of those we see about Tesla. It said that the automaker in question – which GreenTheOnly does not disclose – is notorious for bad quality. The sad bit is that this also suits Tesla pretty well.
The second is how much time it takes for these quality problems to be sorted out because Tesla Service Centers are so crowded with people complaining about the quality problems they find. With Tesla still pumping out more vehicles with these flaws, there is no sign that things will be easier anytime soon.
The third is how Tesla seems to take customers, journalists, and even its own advocates for fools. It keeps repeating that defective cars are “within specs,” that known and well-documented defects were never seen before or are anecdotal evidence, that it promotes inclusive work environments while racism lawsuits pile up, that it is protecting the environment while it commits emission violations at its factories, or that Autopilot and FSD make cars safer based on deceiving statistics. Coherence is not something Tesla can brag about.
Luckily, more people are noticing that. Regular customers with no financial interest in the company are asking Tesla to be upfront to its promises and allegations – just as they would do with any other car company. That is a sign of maturity. Sadly, it relates more to how customers view Tesla than to how the world’s most valuable carmaker (when it relates to market cap) treats them.
A person I know got Model Y delivered with a seemingly significant safety defect missed by QA.
— green (@greentheonly) March 10, 2022
So I wondered how comon this sort of a defect is with other vendors. Got a bunch of hits on Google, and after following one link thought I accidentally got to some Tesla forum. pic.twitter.com/HKP1dPdaNh
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