There are plenty of Tesla fans in the US, and many of them consider the Tesla Model S Plaid their dream car as it's one of the best EVs of 2021. Considering it costs $130,000, which is $40,000 more than the Model S Long Range, they are not wrong. And the Model S Plaid costs this much because of insane acceleration considering a 0-60 mph run happens in under 2 seconds.
But now that the deliveries are rolling, are the Tesla Model S Plaid buyers truly happy? Tesla fan Ryan Shaw just got his hands on his Model S Plaid. And he ended up making a video about it, which makes for an interesting watch.
Problems With Quality Control
Tesla has the coolest options for its 2021 lineup, however, the company's quality control has often come under fire and there have been many times when under-pressure deliveries have rolled out with glaring defects. And so the Tesla cars have minor defects such as loose trims, rattling parts, bad paint, and more.
In 2018, engineering consultant Sandy Munro tore into the Tesla Model 3 rather brutally. He stated at the time that the Model 3 had “flaws that we would see on a Kia in the '90s." Surprisingly, Musk agreed with Munro, later. And also said that perhaps buying a Tesla when the company was upgrading was a bad decision.
Considering that Tesla is ramping up again, buyers may face some QC issues again, such as new Tesla Model S Plaid owner Ryan Shaw.
Ryan Shaw’s Model S Plaid
In a 15-minute video, Shaw takes his viewers around his blue Tesla Model S Plaid, pointing out the various issues and problems with the car.
For example, the interior door trim is a bit loose and there’s a dent on the bumper.
There’s excess adhesive on the window trim creating an untidy look and one of the exterior door handles is also not set right. There’s even a tear in the car’s carpet.
For a car that costs $130,000, it's disappointing. Of course, Shaw is quick to add that these are the problems in his car, and not every Tesla Model S example may have any of these issues.
To give Tesla credit, the door and the bumper both got replaced. And Shaw says that the other issues are going to get fixed when he takes the Model S Plaid back to the service center.
Fans Are Still Happy With The Model S Plaid
Despite sharing the many little faults in his model, at the end of it all, Shaw still calls the Model S Plaid “worth it." And this is a recurring theme with many of the Tesla buyers. They may see some quality issues, however, since Tesla is ready to fix them all, the Tesla fans are happy.
But is that right on Tesla’s part? Should they not truly amp up their quality control unit and make sure the deliveries go smooth and error-free? Or would you consider them teething troubles?
Sources: CNN, YouTube