In early 2018, expert consultant Sandy Munro, whose team completely disassembles cars for quality assessment, gave the Model 3 a tough assessment of the flaws inherent in Kia cars in the 90s. In particular, he noted gross imperfections such as uneven gaps between the outer panels and paint problems. “I can’t imagine how they released this,” Munroe told Autoline.

Surprisingly, Musk, who usually reacts sharply to criticism, agreed with the expert’s words. “I think your criticism is correct,” he told Munro in an interview that aired Tuesday on YouTube and the Munro Live podcast. Musk also admitted that it is best not to buy new Tesla models during the time to market.

“Friends ask when the best time to buy (a car) Tesla is? Musk says. – Well, either buy it at the very beginning or when production reaches a stable level. It isn’t easy to be in the vertical lift during this production growth and do everything right in detail. “

Munroe also compared a 2021 Model 3 he bought late last year with a Model 3 that someone he knew bought a month later and noted a significant quality improvement. “In the end, that guy’s car was great … as good as it gets,” the expert said. – I don’t understand. My car was released this month, his in a month. Mine had problems. His is just perfect. ” In response, Musk said that this is a problem of production growth, but the company has become more responsive to the discovered flaws. “When you move faster, you just discover these things,” he said. ” If we had known about them in advance, we would have fixed them immediately. “

The head of Tesla also talked about some of the other issues the company has faced in the past. After Munroe described the seats in the Model 3 as the most comfortable he had ever experienced in a car, Musk said he called the seat in the early Model S, one of the company’s first cars, a “stone toadstool.” “ The early Model Ss probably had the worst seat I’ve ever sat in,” said the billionaire.

We add that the Consumer Report magazine has repeatedly pointed out the problems with Tesla cars’ quality. Of the four Tesla models currently in production, only the Model 3 has a buy recommendation from Consumer Reports. Yes, and she lost this status for a while at the beginning of 2019.