Poor test drive experience - getting cold feet?

[manitou202]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

 

[Bus Driver]

If you’re superstitious like me, I’d take it as a sign. Now is not the time.

Not only that, if you press on with this, with every little hiccup in the purchase and delivery experience, inevitably you’ll be second guessing yourself, and agonising over whether you’d made the right call. Do you really want to put yourself through that? To me it’s just not worth it. Forget about the Lucid Air for now, and come back and take a look at it at another time.

 

[xponents]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

Paging @Worldwide Beagle and @joec for Colorado opinions.

But I agree, if you are not prepared for this, you can always wait some time and see if things can get better. After all, prices are the same as they were before and assuming you reserved early, the only thing you should lose is EA charging.

 

[mnat]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

I live 75 miles from Chicago and service has been over the top good. Last time I reported something minor and they showed up next day.

 

[RM-S8]

Actually, in my case, happy to report, Lucid's Plainview location is very responsive.
I wish, all (piss poor/abyssal Tesla's service included) should be like Lucid.

 

[Shane_SLC]

As an owner who lives in the general area (Salt Lake City, UT) I can tell you the mobile service team out here has been excellent. One of my main concerns when I purchased the car was having issues with service, as there is no official Lucid presence in Utah. I've had my car for almost 6 months now and have had no problems getting help from the mobile service team for the few small issues there have been.

I've had them out about 5 times, and each appointment has typically been within a week of me notifying Lucid of the issue. The mobile service techs for our area are extremely helpful and courteous. I'd still like to see an official service area set up somewhere in the area soon, but the excellent service I've received from the mobile team so far has really eased my worries significantly.

As Lucid grows and establishes themselves there are bound to be unfortunate misses and lacks of good service or communication like you've experienced. However, I believe that the folks at Lucid really do want to take care of owners and do the right thing. The Air really is an impressive feat of engineering, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find a car that is as joyful to drive. I hope that your future experiences with Lucid are as positive as mine have been.

 

[manitou202]

I appreciate all of the replies. Sounds like service has been excellent, which is great to hear.

My wife is convinced I will love the car and I still should go through with it. So at this point I'm sticking with the order and will hopefully take delivery in a couple of weeks.

Part of the problem with the non-dealership approach, is no central contact for all of your issues. I ran into the same problem when we had our Tesla. So it was frustrating this morning when there obviously was a miscommunication, but I struggled to get a clear answer from anyone. I just needed a good mountain bike ride to forget about and will write it off as a simple mistake.

 

[stratus]

I live in Idaho, 8 -9 hrs from any service center . Mobile service has been outstanding and has taken care of all my needs.

I have experienced a few hiccups with customer service, etc, but I can say unequivocally that some of the minor hassles melt away when you drive the car on a daily basis. It’s over the top incredible , in every regard.

 

[joec]

Colorado service is evolving. They have finally hired a full-time person, and my understanding is that more support is available in busier times.

I will say both times my car went into service, I was happy with the final outcome. And the people Lucid hires are top notch humans as well as experts on the car.

So if there’s any downside to owning a Lucid here, it’s mostly that you may have to wait a bit longer for service in the short term. But I don’t expect that to be the case much longer. They are selling more and more cars in CO now. And they are well aware of the need for more service here.

If you have any real issue along the way with getting help, there are folks here on the forum who would be happy to get you in touch with the right people.

 

[Drendino]

Am I over reacting?

Yes

 

[vices]

Ordinarily I'd be wary of living so far from service center. But it seems like you have enough extra cars to tide you through in case something happens and there's a service delay due to the distance. It's an awesome car is all I can say

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Colorado service is evolving. They have finally hired a full-time person, and my understanding is that more support is available in busier times.

I will say both times my car went into service, I was happy with the final outcome. And the people Lucid hires are top notch humans as well as experts on the car.

So if there’s any downside to owning a Lucid here, it’s mostly that you may have to wait a bit longer for service in the short term. But I don’t expect that to be the case much longer. They are selling more and more cars in CO now. And they are well aware of the need for more service here.

If you have any real issue along the way with getting help, there are folks here on the forum who would be happy to get you in touch with the right people.

I agree completely with Joe. Small items take time. Nothing happens instantly in Denver like it seems to do on SoCal.

 

[scal_air]

I agree completely with Joe. Small items take time. Nothing happens instantly in Denver like it seems to do on SoCal.

Things don't always happen instantly in SoCal either

 

[quantum]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

Believe me it's a one off! A single employee who missed the boat. Would you let that one bad experience tarnish your ability to enjoy the best EV out there? Believe me, my Lucid Air Touring is the best car I ever owned ( Tesla, Jaguar, Lexus, Subaru, Mazda, Acura, VW , Honda being my previous cars) The ride and driving dynamics for a sedan this size is amazing. And they did this without air suspension!

I was seriously considering buying a used Ferrari with 4 seats. Even test drove a Ferrari. But after driving the Lucid, I have lost all my desire for owning a Ferrari! That is how brilliant I think this car is. The electric BMW M5 that BMW should have built! Instead they come out with a i7 monstrosity!

 

[Steveinarizona]

Believe me it's a one off! A single employee who missed the boat. Would you let that one bad experience tarnish your ability to enjoy the best EV out there? Believe me, my Lucid Air Touring is the best car I ever owned ( Tesla, Jaguar, Lexus, Subaru, Mazda, Acura, VW , Honda being my previous cars) The ride and driving dynamics for a sedan this size is amazing. And they did this without air suspension!

I was seriously considering buying a used Ferrari with 4 seats. Even test drove a Ferrari. But after driving the Lucid, I have lost all my desire for owning a Ferrari! That is how brilliant I think this car is. The electric BMW M5 that BMW should have built! Instead they come out with a i7 monstrosity!

I agree with you but BMW has now released the I5 which would be the appropriate competitor. I prefer a smaller vehicle so driving the I7 would, for me, be like driving a container ship.

 

[manitou202]

I view the competitors as the i5, Taycan, EQE, and Model S. The Lucid is much sportier than the i7 or EQS, although it has similar interior space. So it's the sportier more compact feel of the Taycan / i5 but with a lot more interior space.

We previously owned a Taycan which I loved, however the back seats were miserable for three kids. Driving the Air felt so similar to the Taycan. That is the driving experience I want.

 

[JHDonahue]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

My wife and I live in Santa Barbara, about 90 miles from our closest Lucid service center in Beverly Hills. We have owned our Lucid Touring since March and have needed service a few times. Lucid has handled each service in an extremely convenient, professional manner. So, our initial worry on this issue has disappeared. Also, when needed, they have provided another Lucid as a loaner car. Our other cars are a Tesla and a 911 - I most love driving the Lucid. The 18 month lease to get a Gravity sounds perfect for you. I would go for it.

 

[BobFM]

Can't speak to Colorado, but living in Austin, the closest service center is 2.5-3 hours away in Houston. Mobile service has been exceptional. No other way to put it...

 

[Wes]

My wife and I test drove a Grand Touring about 6 weeks ago and were extremely impressed. I would have ordered an Air right away however we are waiting for the Gravity. Then last week we were contacted by Lucid about the 18 month lease with Gravity priority. So we ended up ordering a Touring that was available and should be taking delivery in a couple of weeks. Lucid reached out early this week and said they had another test drive in our area on Saturday and asked if I was interested in driving the Touring (we only drove the Grand Touring previously). So I signed up for a morning time slot.

This morning I showed up to our test drive (10 minutes early) with no signs of Lucid. After 20 minutes (10 minutes past our scheduled test drive) I texted our contact and was told they were running 10 minutes late. We waited for another 20 minutes and with no signs of Lucid still, so we decided to head home. 20 minutes later (50 minutes after our scheduled test drive) they texted and said they were there and would let me drive the car if I could come back. We turned down the offer as we had already wasted 1.5hrs between driving to the test drive location (30 minutes away) and waiting for almost 45 minutes at the site.

I get mistakes happen. But we live in Colorado without an official Lucid service center. The closest temporary service shop (apparently they borrow space from a shop in Denver) is 75 minutes away. I'm worried I might be getting into a poor customer service situation. I love buying a car with the latest technology, understanding it might be less reliable, but if the customer service is terrible, I'll be really disappointed.

Am I over reacting? Do I just write this off as a simple mistake and move on? This is giving me a bit of cold feet and making me question if they are ready for customer service in an area like Denver. Maybe I should cancel and wait for another year or two when they most likely add a real service center and support staff in the area?

I should add that the Air Touring will be our third (extra) car. We only have two drivers in the family (until my oldest turns 16 in 1.5 years), so going without the Air from time to time isn't that big of a deal.

Hi, I've had my AGT for about 11 months. I live in Seattle but spend the winter in the CA desert. I had a minor issue in the desert with my window. The nearest service center was 3 hours away. It took 2 days for them to show up (they wanted to bring all the parts for the DOOR, just in case). Frank came out from I think San Diego (WHAT A GUY!). He fixed the window in about 20 seconds and spent a couple of hours with me going over minor things in the car I didn't fully understand. I had a separate issue in Seattle in which my battery drained completely. They were on it immediately with a special tow truck to take my car to the service center. They called me to advise the status the next day. After I got the car back they made a follow up call to make sure everything was ok. Sooo, my experience in two different locations with Lucid service has been more than satisfactory.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Hi, I've had my AGT for about 11 months. I live in Seattle but spend the winter in the CA desert. I had a minor issue in the desert with my window. The nearest service center was 3 hours away. It took 2 days for them to show up (they wanted to bring all the parts for the DOOR, just in case). Frank came out from I think San Diego (WHAT A GUY!). He fixed the window in about 20 seconds and spent a couple of hours with me going over minor things in the car I didn't fully understand. I had a separate issue in Seattle in which my battery drained completely. They were on it immediately with a special tow truck to take my car to the service center. They called me to advise the status the next day. After I got the car back they made a follow up call to make sure everything was ok. Sooo, my experience in two different locations with Lucid service has been more than satisfactory.