Signs of service motion improving? (My recent case actually not a head scratcher!)

[DreamTour]

Want to share my recent service encounters with Lucid: Signs of logical processes exist!

Background: I had a first run build, December 2022 Touring. Lots of service visits to fix early teething problems, most in the first year. Including:

1.) Panel alignment / trunk
2.) AC compressor failure (never worked)
3.) High voltage contactor
4.) Many interior trim panel quality / replacements
5.) Misaligned bow-tie
6.) Driver monitoring camera not working

Each of those early visits had the long sitting in the shop time, me running around in a loaner for long periods of time for seemingly small issues. In the early days wait time wasn't a big deal, just time in service. Later on wait times became a problem too.

Fast forward to this recent encounter series: Instead if going straight to the shop and sitting around waiting: Mobile came by to fix another trim quality issue and diagnose a drive system warning that's been going on and off.

The second time they came by, they were able to diagnose the drive system warning to be a module imbalance out of spec. 15% imbalance. HV Battery replacement is the remedy.

But instead of needing to go to the shop and get a loaner and wait a long time they are actually ordering the parts first and scheduling it in. (Car is drivable in the meantime, the diagnostics cause the degradation early enough it's not a critical failure yet).

Supposedly the HV Battery replacement can be done in <1 hour. 30 minutes for techs that are fast. That said apparently their process isn't quite there for a sit and wait for it: There's still the check in queue and how they manage the 100 or so cars in the shop at SJ Service, which need check in, diagnostics, confirmation from owner, order parts, wait, queue for actual repair work etc.

So the process / triage seems like it's getting some sense to it, but my observation is because the parts network isn't developed as well as older OEMS, wait times and cars sitting around is going to be a problem for a while, since you can't get parts the next day and move the car out. The many cars in the shop I think are a consequence of the queues backing up on each other due to the parts / supply chain being a weak link.

Maybe hiring a supply chain elevator guy does make sense...

 

[scal_air]

As an owner since early 2023, i can say that service in the early days was great! Only in the last year or two has it been difficult to get appointments and reasonable times. I will say that i have always been offered a loaner for the duration of the service visit so it makes it less painful.

Supply chain may be part if the issue, but even routine maintenence or even CCCV2 replacement, after confirming parts received, still seemed to have a queue. You can tell by the number of labor hours charged and the days they had the car... Mobile service is definitely the way to go if your problem can be resolved that way. And in many areas that were overloaded, new service centers are being opened as well as more service technicians being hired. Unfortunately, this is not a quick process... but things are getting better.

 

[tmichael]

It sounds like the number of service centers and the turn around times were better when there weren't many vehicles sold. As sales of Air increased and a flawed rollout of Gravity quality began, the service centers became overwhelmed; and it is being felt by Air owners. I am starting to believe that an annual check up for a perfectly working Air taking 3 months of wait time is a function of so many Gravity ahead of them in line. As Gravity quality is improved, so will the service experience for Air drivers.

On behalf of other Gravity owners, I apologize for us causing your early positive service experiences to go down from where they used to be. I am confident Lucid is working hard to eliminate the problems that put Gravity in service bays and are trying hard to get the annual checkup billings back as a revenue item.

Dream Ahead!