Dream car a ‘nightmare’: Tesla NZ sold woman a new $79,000 Model 3 with multiple scratches to paintwork

The brand-new Model 3 Tesla had scratches to the paintwork on the day it was collected from the showroom.

A woman who spent $79,000 on a brand-new Tesla said she was left in tears after discovering multiple scratches to the paintwork.

The Auckland woman noticed the scratches when she went to collect her “dream car” from the Mt Wellington showroom just after Christmas last year.

She immediately raised the issue with the manager and said she didn’t want to take the car and wanted a refund or a replacement car.

But she said staff at the showroom said it was not possible to leave the car and told her Tesla would sort the issue.

“I noticed scratches straight away in the showroom and they were trying to use polish to cover the scratches. They said we will load the job. Everything is going to be fine,” the woman said.

“They said it was up to Tesla and there was nothing they could do.”

Teslas are ordered and paid for in advance and then collected from the showroom when they are ready.

The woman, who cannot be named because of her work, said she reluctantly drove the car out of the showroom, parked on a side street, and looked over the car again.

“I looked at it in the sun and I noticed more scratches. I took it to a car detailer immediately.

“We found long deep scratches around the car, there was a 50-60cm scratch over two panels, the skirt was scratched, the door was scratched.”

The woman said she collected her brand-new Tesla from the Ponsonby showroom with scratches like this all over the car.

She drove the car back to the showroom but it was shut. She then called Tesla and sent photos of the damage.

After spending two hours on the phone with customer service she was told she could not get a refund or a replacement but the car would be repaired.

“I was sitting in the car crying wondering what have they done to me with this car. I was in shock that this was my dream car and this was happening.

“It was supposed to be an exciting day and I was in tears the whole day on the 30th of December and there I was going home with this bloody car.”

The woman drove to the Tesla service centre in Ponsonby and the damage was assessed.

“They assessed the damages and agreed to the poor condition of the car and it was unacceptable for a new car.

“Then since they agreed I was trying to leave the car, they said they can’t store it and I need to leave.”

Since then a panel beater, appointed by Tesla, has attempted to remove the scratches five times over the four-month period.

“Each time there is more damage and the scratches are still there,” she said.

“The third time the panels were still damaged and there were white marks that look like burns from a heat lamp on the car.

“The car was wrecked.”

Scratches and white marks were visible on numerous panels of the brand new Tesla even after repairs. Photo / Supplied

The woman said she bought one of the famous plug-in electric cars because her brother had bought one and had a great experience.

“He picked his up and it was immaculate and he has had no issues. I thought my experience would be the same as his and it would be a dream car but it has been the opposite.”

Emails to the Tesla media team from the Herald have gone unanswered. Tesla infamously dissolved its public relations division in 2020.

Management at the Auckland Service Centre said they were not allowed to comment to the media and to email the media team.

It is not the first time New Zealand consumers have suffered trouble with a Tesla.

Last year a Tesla customer took the company to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal after finding their brand-new Model 3 damaged.

This included a coffee stain in the driver’s side footwell carpet, scratches on the front bumper and undertray assembly, a scratched wheel cover, a black mark on the ceiling liner, a scrape on the boot lining, creased leather on the driver’s seat, and scratches on the wing mirrors.

The tribunal said the man was entitled to reject the vehicle “because its defects are a failure of a substantial character”.

It said the man was entitled to a new car but because of stock availability, he chose to have the car repaired.

Even after repairs the Tesla still had visible damage to paintwork.

The company was ordered to remove the carpet stain, replace the front bumper and undertray assembly, and replace the driver’s seat within 10 days of the decision.

Consumer NZ said because Tesla had been given at least three chances to repair the scratches to the woman’s car and was unable to she was entitled to reject the vehicle.

The consumer watchdog said under the Consumer Guarantees Act, goods have to be of acceptable quality. This includes being free from minor defects – which they said the Tesla clearly wasn’t.

“As Tesla has failed to remedy the issue after multiple attempts, she’s entitled to reject the car and ask for a refund or replacement,” Jessica Walker at Consumer NZ said.

“Alternatively, she could claim compensation from Tesla for any drop in value of the car or have it repaired somewhere else and recover the costs from Tesla.”