Strange damage to rear bumper

Driver's Side Fender Alignment

As I mentioned in a previous post, the fender on the driver's side does not align well. I took this to service, and they pointed out that this imperfection is evident on all Model 3's in their facility. The problem He took me for a walk around the service shop and showed me this trend. I took some photos and a video of the Model 3 in the showroom.

There is no way to make an adjustment to the panel without causing something else to be misaligned. The problem here appears to be the way in which the panels was stamped. I hope Tesla can realize this and address this annoyance.

Husky Floor Mats

I purchased Husky floor mats (see https://teslapdx.blogspot.com/2018/12/rubber-floor-mats.html) for both the front and rear rows. There arrived in a very professionally looking boxes.

The first thing to notice on these mats is the metal attachments which gives the mat a professional look.

I'm not a big fan of the metal attachment as it is riveted onto the mat and the backside of the mat does not sit flush with the floor. Given that the mat sits against the carpet which has some give and the metal is not located in a position where my foot would be applying much pressure, I think it is fine. If it turns out to be a problem, one could file away the rivet bump.

Here is the driver's mat. The two circles on the mat actually contain velcro underneath the mat that adheres to the factory carpet.

The fit is descent. During packaging, the mat is actually folded and you can see the crease. Also notice that the vertical foot rest portion of the mat doesn't quite align well with the vehicle base. I'm hoping that over time, the material relaxes and gravity takes over.

Here is the passenger's mat. Again, the two circles contain velcro on the bottomside to adhere to the factory carpet.

The fit here looks less desirable. The mat does not lay perfectly flush but I'm letting gravity and time to help with this. On the excessive creases on the right side, I don't know if this was due to the product being folded in the packaging or if it was simply badly designed. I will monitor this over time, and I may also contact the manufacturer. I don't know if applying a heat gun to the excessive creases would be a good idea.

Here is the rear mat. The fit looks very good.

The rear mat was folded down the middle in the package. The unfolded mat sits very flush with the vehicle floor. This is probably due to the weight of the rear mat.

Here is the view of the rear mat on the driver's side.

Here is the view of the rear mat on the passenger side.

Ordering Experience

My experience with ordering has been mostly a positive one. The set price for all customers makes the buying experience straightforward. The ordering process, payment process, delivery process is handled electronically also adding to the simplicity of the experience.

Buying from Tesla has been a much less stressful experience as compared to buying a vehicle from a traditional dealership. The need to haggle on the price of a vehicle really tarnishes the entire vehicle buying experience.

The entire order process from design to payment is all done online through the Tesla online portal without needing to interact with a Tesla representative. The first that you will encounter a live person is during the delivery of the vehicle.

One minor snafu that I faced was regarding my license plates. I chose to transfer old license plates from another vehicle but received new ones in the mail instead. I've emailed the delivery representative but have yet to hear back.

Tesla App PHONE KEY and Phone Battery Drain

In the Tesla app, there is an option to set up your phone as a key. I have noticed that when I set up my phone as a phone key for the Model 3, the battery on the phone drains at a significantly accelerated rate. My phone is out of power in the early morning. The phone is stationed about 40 feet from the vehicle.

I have an Android phone and the app version is 3.8.0-356.

Since the battery drain on my phone of this feature is an inconvenience, I've disabled the phone from being used as a key for now. Hopefully, Tesla can address this issue in a future app release.

Rubber Floor Mats

Here is a list of rubber floor mats for the Tesla Model 3 with raised edges that I have come across. If there are any mats that I have missed, please feel free to contact me and I will update this page.

1. OEM Model 3 All Weather Interior Mats
• https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-3-all-weather-interior-mats.html (link)

• $145
2. Tuxmat
• https://www.tuxmat.ca/store/p782/tesla-model3.html (link)

• $219
3. 3D MAXPIDER KAGU FLOOR MATS
• https://3d-maxpider.com/floor-liners-by-make-model/tesla-model-3.html (link)

• $205 on eBay
4. Husky MOGO Style Rubber Floor Mats


• https://www.amazon.com/Husky-Liners-HUSAD-70441-Custom/dp/B07K4H981P/ref=sr_1_44
• https://www.amazon.com/Husky-Liners-Floor-Liner-70451/dp/B07K3T6GXB/ref=pd_day0_hl_263_3
• $187
5. WeatherTech
• https://www.weathertech.com/tesla/2018/model-3/ (not yet available) (link)
• TBD
6. Protekz All Weather Floor Mats

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBM9JWW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0
• $89.99

After-Delivery Inspection

After finding time to do a detailed inspection of the bodywork on the Tesla Model 3, I discovered a number of quality issues. There were issues with the paintwork, body panel assembly/alignment, and front hood.

Paintwork
The paintwork is generally flawless. I did find some minor marks on the body and one significant scratch. It almost appears that someone attempted to scratch away the large scratch causing the additional minor scratches.

This one is located near the driver's side headlights. I have not parked this vehicle outside of the garage. It is hard to believe that this scratch was present from the factory.

Body Panel Assembly/Alignment

The body and the door near the driver's side mirror are not aligned well. The best way to see this is from the photos and video below. For reference, I took a similar photo on the passenger side.

The last problem with the body panel alignment is the front driver's side door which I identified during delivery. This door does not align flush with the read driver's side door.

Front Hood
On the front hood, there appears to be two slight indentations next to the Telsa logo where ones hands are placed to close the front hood. See the video below to see the light transition across this indentation.

I will discuss all of these issues with my delivery representative. I'm curious if other folks have similar issues and whether Tesla addressed them after delivery.