3 ms·

No. The "dealer prep" you're referring to is literally taking just taking the plastic wrap off the car. He's talking about fixing production errors, like panel

No. The "dealer prep" you're referring to is literally taking just taking the plastic wrap off the car. He's talking about fixing production errors, like panels being stuck on wrong[0], or window gaskets being misinstalled[3]. As a side note, this is the first time I've heard anyone defend the lemons coming out of Detroit in the 70s. It was so bad, that my dad would check the VINs, so that he would never buy a car that was built on a Monday or Friday, because it was too likely that the workers were either drunk or hungover.[1][2][4] And this is when he was in the UAW as mechanic and then a body man. I thought these production issues might be overblown, so I checked the deck lids on three 3s in the parking lot at work. All three were misaligned. I didn't expect them to be perfect (it's not laser perfect on my 2010 Jetta either), but I didn't expect to fit my finger through the gaps. All three cars. All three in different places. That killed it for me. I will never buy a Tesla 3. [0] https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/body-panel-gap-and-alignment-issues.12255/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/body-panel-gap-and-a... [1] https://jalopnik.com/the-ten-worst-car-factories-in-history-1595864932 https://jalopnik.com/the-ten-worst-car-factories-in-history-... [2] https://jalopnik.com/5645880/auto-workers-drinking-getting-high-during-lunch https://jalopnik.com/5645880/auto-workers-drinking-getting-h... [3] https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/unfinished-metal-and-glue-seen-around-front-windshield-normal.107230/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/unfinished-metal-and... [4] https://www.thisamericanlife.org/403/transcript https://www.thisamericanlife.org/403/transcript

lifeformed 8y ago
How do you convert a VIN to the date of manufacture?
- mikestew 8y ago
  https://electrek.co/2017/07/18/tesla-model-3-vin-decoder/ https://electrek.co/2017/07/18/tesla-model-3-vin-decoder/ EDIT: whoops, missed the context. The above just tells you the model year. But you were replying to someone that implied it could be done down to the day. It can be done down to the month, but in my experience down to the day is rare, if non-existent (none of my vehicle VINs have that resolution).
- jonathankoren 8y ago
  The last few digits are sequential within a model. Combination of this and knowing when the transports arrive might give you an estimate. I’m telling you what I remember him telling me. How accurate he actually was, I don’t know. But Detroit earned their horrible reputation, and the Japanese manufactures are them alive.
omgwtfbyobbq 8y ago
Do you have any pictures of the three 3s? I can see alignment being off a little, but not enough to fit a finger in the gaps.
- jonathankoren 8y ago
  I’m sure there’s plenty of pictures online. But no, I didn’t bother to take picture of me putting my hand through strangers’ cars. Why would I think to do this?
  - omgwtfbyobbq 8y ago
    To provide proof of your claims. After looking at my 3, I'm thinking you either have the hands of a small child, or you're spreading FUD. I can see panel gaps being an issue for some cars, but I can't see the deck lid being misaligned to the point where you're able to put your hand through any gaps.
    - jonathankoren 8y ago
      My fingers are thin, and it was a little finger. A photo of my hand can be provided upon request.

lifeformed 8y ago

How do you convert a VIN to the date of manufacture?

mikestew 8y ago
https://electrek.co/2017/07/18/tesla-model-3-vin-decoder/ https://electrek.co/2017/07/18/tesla-model-3-vin-decoder/ EDIT: whoops, missed the context. The above just tells you the model year. But you were replying to someone that implied it could be done down to the day. It can be done down to the month, but in my experience down to the day is rare, if non-existent (none of my vehicle VINs have that resolution).
jonathankoren 8y ago
The last few digits are sequential within a model. Combination of this and knowing when the transports arrive might give you an estimate. I’m telling you what I remember him telling me. How accurate he actually was, I don’t know. But Detroit earned their horrible reputation, and the Japanese manufactures are them alive.

omgwtfbyobbq 8y ago

Do you have any pictures of the three 3s? I can see alignment being off a little, but not enough to fit a finger in the gaps.

jonathankoren 8y ago
I’m sure there’s plenty of pictures online. But no, I didn’t bother to take picture of me putting my hand through strangers’ cars. Why would I think to do this?
- omgwtfbyobbq 8y ago
  To provide proof of your claims. After looking at my 3, I'm thinking you either have the hands of a small child, or you're spreading FUD. I can see panel gaps being an issue for some cars, but I can't see the deck lid being misaligned to the point where you're able to put your hand through any gaps.
  - jonathankoren 8y ago
    My fingers are thin, and it was a little finger. A photo of my hand can be provided upon request.