I believe Tesla is now scrapping Model 3s, and using recovered parts to repair other defective Model 3 inventory.
The “smoking gun”, as it were:
Model 3s now rolling out of Fremont with parts that do not match the cars on which they’re installed — specifically, mismatching body panels. Below, a blue front hood installed on a red Model 3.
Model 3s now rolling out of Fremont with parts that do not match the cars on which they’re installed — specifically, mismatching body panels. Below, a blue front hood installed on a red Model 3.
Consider in particular the below unit, a blue Model 3 with a "quirky" front driverside quarterpanel that is red.
Why would a unit rolling out of the factory for transport/delivery already be plastered with dirt/dust? (taking our cue from William Blake — to see a World in a Grain of Sand.. )
The unit hails from Lathrop, the dirt lot where inventory bakes away.
The unit hails from Lathrop, the dirt lot where inventory bakes away.
Note that idle Model 3s run A/C fan even to protect batteries/screen and run its electronic components. To upkeep/repair Model 3 inventory, Tesla has used diesel generators [Lathrop, see above] and has even needed to replace depleted 12V batteries [Joliet, IL] h/t @PlugInFud.
Now note our case study has a dangling tow eye cover, which is characteristic of 12V battery failure. But the most interesting part of this story is actually the red quarter panel...
First, let's dismiss the idea that the mismatched panel was sourced from surplus parts inventory. One of the biggest scandals is Tesla's inability to supply parts for its own cars. Here's 112 pages of customers attesting to the ongoing parts shortage.
In addition, were the red quarter panel sourced from surplus parts inventory, why would the part not match? And why would Tesla haul a car all the way from Lathrop to Fremont to conduct a relatively trivial panel replacement?
The factory has two paint shops — one for plastics (e.g. bumpers), one for the main body — a mismatch could conceivably happen if one paintshop was not in synchrony with the other. However, quarter panels and hoods are painted w/ the rest of the body.
That is, quarter panels and hoods are already welded to the body prior to paint. There is no way to hold a lonely red quarter panel in your hand without first disassembling a car body. The red quarter panel was salvaged from a painted Model 3 body.
Economically, there is one scenario where it makes more sense to salvage panels than to fix the car — catastrophic EV battery failure. Unmarrying the body from the battery-carrying underbody safely, requires specialized production equipment.
In the past, I've documented dilapidated inventory from Lathrop entering the Fremont factory finished vehicle lot [see shenanigans p. 1]. There are now cars actually being hauled directly into the heart of the factory complex (GA4), which would be necessary for bricked cars.
There are three windows during which catastrophic battery failure would be detected — at the Gigafactory, the underbody sub-assembly testing (where faulty units can be replaced), and in finished inventory. Only salvaged finished inventory would throw off odd panels.
Note also that Tesla's end-of-the-quarter "factory gated" bursts require major re-work, and that the level of re-work needed is unknown even at the time inventory is hauled out of Fremont (see )
732 dented/punctured battery modules have been used in Model 3s, according to whistleblower Martin Tripp. As per Tripp, Tesla subsequently disabled its vehicle-parts tracking system in order to presumably cover its tracks.
Per Tripp Tesla fraudulently re-categorized scrap material as test material in the Gigafactory— inflating gross margins (h/t @orthereaboot). One is left to wonder how Tesla accounts for these vehicles vis-à-vis, inter alia, scrapping, testing, and production.
To invite criticism, allow me to clearly summate: mismatching panels entail salvaged cars. Salvaged cars entail catastrophic battery failure. Why cars need to be repaired (w/ salvaged parts) to begin with on the other hand is an open question.
Perhaps irreparable cars are hauled in and salvaged to fix repairable ones. As per @nealboudette, dents and damage are the price of fenced inventory. But if so, why repair these cars at Fremont?
This operation has coincided with the Model 3 backlog approaching near depletion, and concomitant excess production capacity at the factory.
As for production, Tesla's notorious "factory gated" strategem presumably signified cars leaving the factory. Hitherto, most assumed those would be production cars. We're now looking at factory gated cars leaving the factory, but which weren't immediately produced there.
In other words, room for more production shenanigans, i.e. double-counting defective and non-recoverable vehicles as they are "factory gated" a second time
*a request: After Tesla's Q2 "factory gated" skullduggery, I distinctly recall Tesla retroactively claiming that "production" had always signified "factory gated". Please lmk if you know how I can track this down.
Much respect to @phoennix10 and @Coverdrive12, our resident auto manufacturing experts, for helping verify and work out this view. All mistakes are mine. Thanks for tuning into the latest installment of Tesla shenanigans™.
P.S. @temp_worker and I did some work on Redwood Materials — JB Straubel's metal recycling shop, which is about 7 miles from Fremont factory. I'll let readers connect the dots.
(h/t to @TheBenSchmark for reminding me)
(h/t to @TheBenSchmark for reminding me)
a minor corrigendum: quarter panels, hoods, and trunk lids are bolted (not welded). thanks @heikki_anttila. (doesn't materially affect the argument/view)
