You ran the inspection, and something’s off: a paint chip, an uneven panel gap, a rattle from the trunk liner. It happens more often than Tesla’s marketing suggests, and it doesn’t mean your delivery is ruined. What matters now is how you document it and how quickly you report it.
Start before you accept delivery. Tesla’s own delivery process walks you through confirming your vehicle, signing paperwork, and unlocking the car through the app, but it’s on you to actually look the car over first. Walk the exterior in good light, open every door plus the frunk and trunk, and run the touchscreen through its basics before you sign anything. If you’ve already worked through a delivery inspection checklist, bring it with you.
For anything serious, the wrong color, wrong wheels, a cracked window, visible structural damage, you’re within your rights to decline delivery on the spot. Tesla will take the car back and assign you a different VIN, though that can mean a real wait for the next one. Save refusal for problems that are genuinely disqualifying, not for cosmetic nitpicks.
For everything smaller, a scuff, a slightly uneven gap, a missing floor mat, accept delivery, but document the issue before you drive off. Photograph or video it on the spot, and get it written down with your delivery specialist rather than just mentioned out loud. Owners commonly describe this as getting a “due bill”: a record that a delivery-related repair is owed to you at no extra cost, separate from your standard warranty claims.
Once you’re home, report anything you found through the Tesla app as soon as you can. How much time you have to get a delivery-specific issue corrected for free can vary by service center, so don’t assume a specific window applies to you. Ask your delivery advisor directly and, if possible, get the answer in writing rather than relying on general owner consensus.
Then book the service appointment and bring your documentation. If your due bill items don’t automatically turn into an appointment, reference the delivery paperwork specifically when you schedule; it’s the difference between being told it’s normal wear and having it treated as something Tesla already agreed to fix. Keep your own copies of everything: timestamped photos, the written due bill, and the resulting case number. If a service center pushes back or reschedules weeks out, your original delivery-day documentation is what gets the appointment honored instead of dropped.
Photo by Gustavo Fring.
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