Background
I placed an order for my car and thought that all I need to do is order a Wall Charger and have it fitted, boy was I wrong! My friend also ordered a Tesla at the same time, and between both of us, we found that as soon as we put down a £100 deposit, we were down a rabbit hole!
Through out the experience, we had to constantly compare notes and giving each other advice. To be honest, it was one hell of a steep learning curve, not to mention the additional money I ended up spending on extras.
For this reason, to help you through the Tesla journey, I have created a comprehensive list of all the steps that I went through whilst buying my Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
They are organised in chronological order, so all you need to do it traverse down the list and the next thing you know it, you will have your new
Tesla Model S 3 X Y parked in your drive way, all with minimum head ache :)
Arrange Tesla Car Finance
If your buying it on cash, then you can skip this step
When you put down your £100 Deposit, Tesla put forward Black Horse as the optional recommended Lender, however from others experiences, I would say keep clear of them and use your own Financial Advisor \ Lender.
The Gen 3 Wall Charger requires a Wifi connection to your Home Wifi Network, so check if the Wall Charger will be within range, if not, you need to find a technical solution, e.g. wifi extenders, or set up an access point by plugging it into an ethernet port if you have one close by.
Tesla Collection Notification
Tesla will SMS you and notify you to choose a date & time for the car collection (click the URL in the SMS)
Next, call Tesla (01628 450 660) and ask them to SMS you your car VIN and Registration number (normally they SMS you this 7 days before collection, but you need it now for Car Insurance)
Car Insurance
Direct Line work with Tesla and were by far the cheapest for me (living in London): https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/insuremytesla
As it is a new car, you will not be able to add the car registration number when getting a website quote, your car will be only registered with DVLA on the day you collect it, so you need to call your insurance company and tell them you have the registration number and for them to add it to the quote, and at the same time do mention if you plan to have window Tints or any other modifications. In my case the Tints cost me an extra £40. At the same time I asked if Tesla roof bars were any extra, but I was told they are included by default.
If you purchase Autopilot or Full Self Driving, don't forget to mention this to the Insurance Company, they will give you a discount \ refund on your premium. In my case it was 5%, £40.
Roadside Assistance
Tesla provide a Roadside Assistance for the Warranty term of the car, however it is very slightly limited, so your may need to obtain additional breakdown cover depending where in the EU you may be driving too, as some Tesla Service Centres are only found in neighbouring countries. I signed up for Green Flag Euro Plus and it cost £66, UK only costs £44.
Check Tesla Roadside Assistance details here: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/roadside-assistance-policy-en-gb.pdf
Tesla Collection
7 days before collection time, login to your Tesla account, click + on the Pyaments tab to view the message asking you to settle the outstanding Final Payment. It says, payment has to be cleared 48 hours before collection and send an email to Tesla attaching a screenshot \ receipt to show the payment as proof. If it is a private buy then you need to settle this amount, if finance, then the finance company will pay the total amount, including any down payments. The down payment will be added to your first monthly direct debit payment, e.g. £800 + £10,000.
The day before collection, Tesla will SMS you and and also give you a call to remind you about the collection. They will mention to bring your dirving license to prove identity and that we should have already taken out Insurance to cover the car.
2021 Low Touch Collection: Tesla through out put emphasis on us to watch Tesla videos about our car, so we understand how to drive the car away, as the Tesla staff will not be able to show us anything (due to Covid-19 restrictions).
On the day, I provided my name to a Tesla representative, who then handed me my 2 key cards and this registration also unlocked my Tesla App.
Next I was tasked with locating my Tesla in a car park where there were several hundred Model 3s parked, but I think staff moved mine to the front on purpose, so it took me under a minute to locate my Tesla Model 3.
Before you drive off, do make sure you have the following in the boot of your car:
1) Roadside Safety Kit (in a red bag)
2) Universal Mobile Connector (in a black bag)
3) Type 2 Adaptor (blue cable in a bag)
One very annoying thing though, my Tesla came with less than half charged batteries!!!
Post collection, check the Vehicle for any faults and register themon the Tesla App within 24hrs. If any issues are found, the car may need to go into a Service Centre for them to be rectified. Luckily I didn't find any issues \ faults with my car, may be because it was manufactured in China, as opposed to the US?
Register for Charges \ Taxes
Even if you don't live in London, it is a good idea to register for the below, incase you need to pay of them during future visits:
