Tesla Service Santa Barbara

The first service appointment was on January 15. I had to wait for 6 weeks to get this appointment. The diagnosis was metallic noise, coming from the rear wheels. It took the Service team 7 days to identify the source of the noise. I paid $275 to repair the rear-wheel noise. A week later, I noticed that the noise was back. The source of the noise was generated from the same area, but it was at a quieter volume. On January 24, I took the car back for a follow-up appointment. The manager tried to persuade me that the noise could be coming from a different area -- even before running any diagnosis on the car. He asked that I leave the car at the Center, and I agreed. After 3 days of my car sitting at the service center, no one from Tesla had updated me on the app to let me know of the car's diagnosis or expected time in service. I had to call to get an update, and I was told by the advisor that they were finally able to identify the source of the issue. They notified me that the cost of the repair was $1300. When I declined to proceed because of the high cost, I was asked to pay $175 for the labor and the diagnosis. I believe that the technician, during the first appointment, should have driven the car to make sure that all noises were gone and the repair fully completed -- but he didn’t. The manager said that the noise was coming from a different area. He wanted to charge me twice for the same diagnosis. Even if the problem was coming from different area, then why didn't the technician catch it during the first appointment? I would like to know, why do I have pay twice for the same service? Why do I have to drop off the car twice for the same service? One very important consideration is that I rely on my car for my daily business income, and the very lengthy Tesla service visit (7 days of the first appointment + the 3 full days) caused me to lose not only time, but also money. The Service Center rep was aware of this before initiating service, and this became problematic as the days mounted and my car was unavailable to me for essential working purposes. I incurred significant income loss during those three days of not having a car available. I have come to several conclusions about Service Center protocols, after spending 10 more days trying to communicate with the service manager: 1) The Service reps only give a loaner car to customers with new cars still under warranty. They don’t even issue rideshare vouchers to customers who will need a ride back to their homes or offices. 2) If your car is out of warranty, you are ignored and treated with rudeness -- far from the ethic of treating all customers as valued, and worthy of a top-quality Tesla service experience. 3) If your car is beyond the warranty period, you will be pushed to the back of the queue, even if you came first. I had never realized that this was a Tesla protocol. 4) The SB Tesla Service Manager has an uncaring, brusque, and stoic attitude. He seems devoid of sensitivity in relation to customer feelings and reactions, and he lacks concern for the experiences of loyal and devoted customers. I had never imagined that Tesla would condone this kind of behavior. 5) If your car is out of warranty and you try to ask a question or try to check on your car service work via the app or by a phone call, you will be ignored. In other words, there are surprisingly long delays associated with repairs, but also with receiving automotive updates and learning next steps to follow. 6) The technicians are inefficient and seem to lack technical knowledge. The service advisors, as noted above, lack some very basic but absolutely vital communication skills. I really love my Tesla and I don’t want to switch to a different brand. However, given the uncaring and unresponsive nature of the SB service team and the incomplete and also low quality of the repairs that were offered, I am forced to consider changing brands.