Tesla has a service and repair problem – The Wall Street Journal

DUBLIN – Building, distributing, repairing, and maintaining hundreds of thousands of cars is not a simple task. Quite the contrary – it is a very difficult and complex task that makes enormous demands on logistics systems, particularly given the global nature of auto supply chains. So, it should come as no surprise that Tesla, a teenage car company that is still finding its manufacturing feet, is having a hard time making its service network work. If you spend any time on the Tesla part of Twitter, you'll read plenty of delighted commentary from fans who love to drive their Model S, X, or 3 Teslas. But you'll also read more and more complaints from people who have run into problems, from bumper bashes to malfunctioning parts, and can't seem to get them fixed. Reports abound of people waiting months on end for replacement panels to fix dents and scratches. And more complex parts can sometimes take even longer. CEO Elon Musk is aware of the problem, but it's just one issue on his already-long To Do list. And in the meantime, even the most ardent Tesla fans are starting to feel a little neglected by the company they love. As Tesla struggles to build enough cars to meet demand from potential new customers, the company may be well advised to remember the old adage that it's far, far cheaper to retain a customer than it is to get a new one. – Felicity Duncan

Tesla Is Cranking Out Model 3s—Now It Has to Service Them

By Tim Higgins

Gus Schmidt was so excited when he received his Tesla Model 3 sedan in August that he tweeted a photo of himself and his wife grinning next to the electric car. Six weeks later, the thrill was gone.

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