Was eagerly awaiting Cybertruck, but getting disillusioned with Tesla

[Circadian Power]

Berkshire Hathaway divesting is telling me something….

 

[ÆCIII]

I have one of the early model 3's (VIN 28 k) and sure it has the large panel gaps etc., but overall I have had very few problems and I am very happy with the the car and tesla, but I really need a truck as my 2009 silverado is getting old and costing me a fortune on repairs.

On that note, I also have a 1st day CT reservation and have also put a deposit on a silverado and sierra EV.

I will never buy another vehicle that is not an EV and I would much prefer to buy another tesla.

Quite frankly, I do not trust the OEM car manufacturers for many reasons (lying to consumers, profits above safety, forced by tesla's competition to make EV's etc. etc.). But one of the major concerns is that service/repairs is a main revenue stream for their dealer network and as everyone knows, tesla has no dealer network and Elon has stated that service/ repairs will not be a profit center such that the vehicles are made to last, not breakdown after 7-8 years.

The best 'Service' - is 'No Service'.

- ÆCIII

 

[Crissa]

Have you seen the recent story of tens of thousands of 2021 BYD dumped with a few miles on the odometers and registered license plates….no wonder Berkshire Hathaway dumped shares in Nov 2022 and in April 2023…they must know about this…to run a capitalistic business model in a communistic plan economy does not work imo. I am irate about this…first they built too many buildings, then it was the mountains of rotting ride share bicycles and now rotting brand new 2021 BYU EVs…all to meet production quotas…and what about when these batteries decay? I am not liking this…check out the channel Serpentza on YouTube. I don’t want to believe the story but you’ll be the judge

It was a collapsed rideshare company. Not related to the cars, specifically, just not enough demand for the debt they took on. And it was all old video.

-Crissa

 

[CyberTW]

Yeah bleeding edge may not be for me anymore...

I continue to love how Tesla came up with a refreshing new ways of making and selling cars - continues to innovate. The scale of people and the resulting "corporate culture", to me, means they are becoming another legacy company.

Maybe BYD is the way to go - whenever they can breach the political barrier and enter the US market lol

So ethically Elon bugs you but a Chinese car company doesn’t ethically bug you? ?

 

[dodgy-truck]

I have one of the early model 3's (VIN 28 k) and sure it has the large panel gaps etc., but overall I have had very few problems and I am very happy with the the car and tesla, but I really need a truck as my 2009 silverado is getting old and costing me a fortune on repairs.

On that note, I also have a 1st day CT reservation and have also put a deposit on a silverado and sierra EV.

I will never buy another vehicle that is not an EV and I would much prefer to buy another tesla.

Quite frankly, I do not trust the OEM car manufacturers for many reasons (lying to consumers, profits above safety, forced by tesla's competition to make EV's etc. etc.). But one of the major concerns is that service/repairs is a main revenue stream for their dealer network and as everyone knows, tesla has no dealer network and Elon has stated that service/ repairs will not be a profit center such that the vehicles are made to last, not breakdown after 7-8 years.

Yup we are in similar situation. My X is getting long in the tooth and I would like a truck for the extra space. EV is certainly the way to go. However, I am getting wary of Tesla Service as the company has gotten so much bigger and I expect that there will be dilution and/or a lot more variance in the people manning the service stations. Also I just mentioned my latest experience with Service - I have more. But to their credit - someone eventually stepped up to make it right for me - though in some cases months after the issue.

 

[Crissa]

So ethically Elon bugs you but a Chinese car company doesn’t ethically bug you? ?

Just because the company is Chinese doesn't mean it's using slave labor or abrogates human rights more than other companies. ?‍

-Crissa

 

[MEDICALJMP]

Berkshire Hathaway divesting is telling me something….

I saw a video yesterday of 30,000 BYD’s abandoned in a field. New, registered, with barely any miles on them. Evidently there is a government program whereEV auto companies get a subsidy for cars sold and registered.

As a Berkshire shareholder I wondered why they were divesting of an apparent goldmine. I think I know why now.

 

[Circadian Power]

It was a collapsed rideshare company. Not related to the cars, specifically, just not enough demand for the debt they took on. And it was all old video.

-Crissa

Yes but did you see the new clip with the EVs? Berkshire dumping shares in November 2022 and April 2023?

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

I respectfully and categorically disagree.

Twitter is also an 'environment' structure - for communication and expression. Sustainability for people and their expression is equally as important as the planet, because without people or their creative input, saving a planet is pointless.

Elon has every right to any expression he wants, especially with all the work and contributions he's made - just like the MSM, and just like each one of us.

- ÆCIII

I do not care what Elon does with his time and money as long as it doesn't affect me or the planet. Sadly, everything he does 'does' affect me, others, and the planet. With respect to Twitter, if it was actually a news source, or a source of opinions but the opinions were clearly distinguished from fact (right!), then fine. Unfortunately, when I left Twitter it was because I could no longer find 'any' facts on any posts; it was all opinion and little of it was based on fact. It became a waste of time. At least here [most] everyone's interest is focused on things Cybertruck and, if you participate long enough, you know when information is being provided and when a discussion is going sideways.

You say something that I disagree with entirely and I have to comment on it. You say "...without people or their creative input, saving the planet is pointless." The planet needs to continue whether or not there are people on it. We have no right to destroy this planet or the other creatures we share it with. I liked both versions of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" because they both paint us [humans] as the problem that the rest of the universe needs to solve. I suppose The Matrix looked at it from a different point of view, but as much as I value creativity, I think the planet would be better off without [almost] any of us (and yes, I include myself in the category of not needed organisms).

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

I saw a video yesterday of 30,000 BYD’s abandoned in a field. New, registered, with barely any miles on them. Evidently there is a government program whereEV auto companies get a subsidy for cars sold and registered.

As a Berkshire shareholder I wondered why they were divesting of an apparent goldmine. I think I know why now.

And you believed it. Great.

 

[Gurule92]

For the superchargers moat point, we are all tracking that the gm and Ford thing happens in 2025 right? Plenty of time for tesla to install more chargers.

It's kinda weird to me that all these die hards are choosing that hill to die on.

Tesla will still have the best software, route planning, performance per dollar.

We still don't know specifics of the nacs/supercharger deal either. I'm sure it'll be more expensive for the other brands to use.

Plus, more money into tesla for licensing means more money for awesome roadsters and cheap next gens.

 

[intimidator]

Hear me out - I have an X with a mid-4 digit VIN. It had its issues in the beginning but we still enjoyed (and continue to do so!) the whole experience. Maybe because the volume of cars was small back then and service centers had the bandwidth to help us when needed.

Unfortunately I am getting disillusioned for the following reasons:
1. Signed up for Tesla insurance - the usual teething problems. They did not have a safety score and put me in some "standard bucket". Eventually my setup was enabled for the safety score -- I keep my safety score at 99%, but the premium has doubled (100% increase)! I was told that there was a general price increase. That aside - I tried to call them last week and waited for more than an hour and gave up.

2. Tesla Solar roof - our project has been going on for 2+ years, in starts and stops. Now Tesla contact tells me they do not have any resources to execute on the project. They offered to give our deposit back. This is after months of going back and forth and wrangling with the utility company.

3. Last month I had an issue with the navigation system - turned out that the sd card had given out. Got a quote from the service center that included an extra $100. I compared to another quote someone had posted on the web - asked the service center, and was told that they would only charge for the work actually performed. Now, the new service center process requires you to sign off on whatever quote they give you. I have not seen an option to dispute and say no to any item. Of course, you are not allowed to have any human interaction. I cancelled the appointment - when was the last time you were not charged for a line item listed in a quote from the service center?

I would rather that Tesla publish steps for DIYers to fix issues on their own - or at least have competition for servicing their vehicles.

4. Tesla charging moat is disappearing - since the Tesla chargers are now open to Ford and Chevy, there is less reason to stay with the Tesla brand. I get that the Tesla mission is to further EVs - but this was a significant differentiator!

The only factor left (for me) is the range on the Cyber Truck. Will wait to see how that shakes out between the competition. Perhaps solid state batteries will come sooner to production vehicles than later - one can dream, right?

On a personal side note - I wish that damn social media monstrosity (twitter) transaction never happened.

If you got this far - thanks, perhaps something resonates with you?

A lot of your comments point out exactly what is true for all companies:

Sales are easy, service is hard

Tesla is not immune to that.

As far as the charging moot, we are hoping Tesla installs tons and tons of more charging stations to keep ahead of the increase in demand. And Ford, and then Chevy drivers won't be using Tesla charging station until next year. Ideally Tesla will have installed a lot more new stations by then.

 

[davelloydbrown]

I do not care what Elon does with his time and money as long as it doesn't affect me or the planet. Sadly, everything he does 'does' affect me, others, and the planet. With respect to Twitter, if it was actually a news source, or a source of opinions but the opinions were clearly distinguished from fact (right!), then fine. Unfortunately, when I left Twitter it was because I could no longer find 'any' facts on any posts; it was all opinion and little of it was based on fact. It became a waste of time. At least here [most] everyone's interest is focused on things Cybertruck and, if you participate long enough, you know when information is being provided and when a discussion is going sideways.

You say something that I disagree with entirely and I have to comment on it. You say "...without people or their creative input, saving the planet is pointless." The planet needs to continue whether or not there are people on it. We have no right to destroy this planet or the other creatures we share it with. I liked both versions of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" because they both paint us [humans] as the problem that the rest of the universe needs to solve. I suppose The Matrix looked at it from a different point of view, but as much as I value creativity, I think the planet would be better off without [almost] any of us (and yes, I include myself in the category of not needed organisms).

This is a very pessimistic view of humanity.

If you listen to Elon, he is very optomistic and is convinced that human's will solve the problems they have created with technology and his main driver is to ensure the continuation of mankind by making it a multiplanet species (and having lots of babies lol).

If you agree with the fermi paradox, then mankind may indeed be unique in the universe and should be preserved at all costs.

 

[dodgy-truck]

So ethically Elon bugs you but a Chinese car company doesn’t ethically bug you? ?

Interesting you should put it that way - Elon does not bug me. I see him as a much needed face to my generation - we are mere months apart in age. I continue to have the greatest respect for what he has accomplished and freshness he brings to problems.

Having said that - it is impractical to expect the same from the many who work at Tesla. That has been borne from my various interactions - in hindsight, it should have been obvious. Perhaps I was in the "reality distortion field" spun by Elon when leveraging Tesla products/services ?

The BYD comment was in jest... I don't follow them and have no idea what to expect of them.

 

[rudedawg78]

I respectfully and categorically disagree.

Twitter is also an 'environment' structure - for communication and expression. Sustainability for people and their expression is equally as important as the planet, because without people or their creative input, saving a planet is pointless.

Elon has every right to any expression he wants, especially with all the work and contributions he's made - just like the MSM, and just like each one of us.

- ÆCIII

Also, I think it is pretty bad when you google "Elon Musk", the first thing that comes up is "CEO of Twitter." That is it. Elon got his fame from other companies, not Twitter, and why not mention he is "CEO of Tesla" or "CEO/Chief Engineer of SpaceX."

I know these thoughts are unrelated to this thread, but just wanted to vent my frustration with Google just highlighting Twitter.