Follow us today…
There’s a fine line between automotive ecstasy and disillusionment, and on r/TeslaSupport this week, it was crossed at highway speed. The Tesla Model S Plaid is supposed to compress time and flatten the horizon, not your sinuses. Yet a Redditor’s delivery-day high dissolved into a wheezy, cough-rattled comedown, a story with the cool logic of a service bulletin and the human stakes of a hospital chart. The machine delivered speed. Something else delivered spores.
“So, backstory: I have wanted a plaid ever since they dropped, and I have finally worked enough to make purchasing one financially feasible. I purchased a used one with the exact specs that I wanted 5 days ago (8/27). After completing all pre-delivery steps, it said that I could pick up the car the very next day. My plan was to take the car on a road trip upon delivery from Orlando to Tampa to visit some family.
On the morning of delivery, I received a call from Tesla stating that my delivery had to be postponed by one day because “they had found water in the car”. I was a little taken aback, but I have always had good experiences with Tesla in the past, so I thought nothing of it (oops).
Come delivery day(8/29), I drove to the dealership, and the delivery went off without a hitch. Right near the tail end of my drive to Tampa, I began noticing that my nose had become runny, I had a slight headache, and my throat was a little scratchy.
That same day, I drove some family around in the car and also noticed that my symptoms had begun to worsen. By the end of the day, my cousin, who had spent the most time in the car, began to experience a slight headache and began sneezing a lot.
That night, I had a ton of trouble falling asleep due to the symptoms. When I awoke in the morning, I couldn’t breathe through my nose whatsoever, and I had a nasty cough. Due to this, I cut my trip short and began the long drive back to Orlando.
During the drive back, my symptoms continued to worsen. My cough got worse, and I had a headache so bad that it actually hurt every time my heart beat. I still hadn’t connected the dots…
Upon nearing Orlando, my girlfriend, who knew about the purchase, said she wanted to check it out even though I told her I was likely sick. I drove around with her for about an hour doing 0-60 pulls and whatnot. By the end, she said something that I found funny at the time, “I think the acceleration might be causing your symptoms somehow… My nose is starting to run a bit and I have a headache”.
It wasn’t until that night that I put the dots together.
That night, I shambled out to my car to revel in the glory of the plaid. I noticed that I hadn’t removed those little papers that dealerships put on the floor to keep people’s shoes from dirtying the car. As I picked them up, I was horrified to realize that they were completely soaked in water. Soaked to the point that they were dripping water as I picked them up. There was so much water leakage that it took me three bath towels to absorb as much as I reasonably could, and even then, if I pressed my hand hard into the carpet, it was still wet enough to make my entire hand wet.
It then hit me that all of these strange symptoms my family and I had been experiencing had to be due to mold. I spent time with a bunch of family members, and the only people who complained about these weird symptoms were people who had spent 1 hour+ in the car.
I ended up driving my car into the service center today (9/1). The service center workers do seem to be taking this seriously. My only concern is that even with extreme remediation and replacement of components, the mold issue may resurface, and that the car might continue to pose a serious health risk.
I am writing this in the hopes that people can share insights on what they think I should do and/or things to consider moving forward. Thanks
If anyone has any questions or wants updates on the situation, lmk.
TL/DR: I bought my dream car, and it was covered in mold. I am now sick and disappointed.”
The diagnosis from the gallery came quickly and without theatrics. “Mold is a serious issue, and also testing this water leak post-fix is tricky,” wrote Ill-Professional2914, capturing the essential problem: moisture is easy to introduce and maddeningly hard to chase out once it has explored carpets, padding, and HVAC guts. The timeline only sharpened the point; delivery was delayed due to “water found,” then a cross-town drive that left multiple occupants symptomatic, followed by floor protection sheets saturated enough to drip. That isn’t damp; that’s a soak.
From there, the thread forked in two plausible directions. Best-Play5839 wondered aloud if this was “flood damaged,” asking the uncomfortable question of how any manufacturer or seller could pass along a vehicle with that burden. North_Tour7530 took the less dramatic, more mechanical view: not storm surge, but a condensate issue, “The HVAC condensate is most likely leaking into the cabin.” Every veteran wrench knows the classic culprits: a clogged or displaced evaporator drain, a pinched line, and sealant gone missing. Either path ends at the same swamp: standing water where it doesn’t belong.
Tesla Model S Plaid Special Facts
- Flagship sedan with high-performance trims, including Plaid, which accelerates 0–60 mph in under 2 seconds.
- Range exceeds 370 miles on a single charge in Long Range versions.
- Optimized aerodynamics support efficiency at highway speeds.
- Compatible with the Supercharger network for rapid charging on long trips.
Then came the human variable. redditUser212568 pointed out that a meaningful slice of the population is more reactive to mold exposure, and that remediation inside a closed, complex cabin can be exasperating. “It is extremely difficult to remediate as the spores are all over the car and in the AC vents. I would return the car even if it means a slight financial loss. Maybe the Lemon Law can be applied.” That advice found chorus with bmwchic83: “Lemon law always works. It happened to my old car, and I won.” It’s not a call for combat; it’s a recognition that confidence is as critical as component replacement.
Advertising
First-hand anecdotes added texture and a reality check on how easily HVAC systems can incubate trouble. jetpilot_throwaway admitted to stretching a cabin-filter interval to three years and finding the element “covered in a brown and black mold,” with symptoms clearing once a carbon filter and cleaner were installed. 13300c added that on some models, “where the air filters are placed, is also inconveniently where some rainwater goes while driving, so it gets wet.” It’s a reminder that modern air systems move a lot of flow through tight spaces, and that water management is as much an engineering discipline as thermal management.
What Did He Do Next?
Where does that leave u/brosifmcjoseph? In a holding pattern, the car at the service center, technicians reportedly engaged. A thorough remedy would mean locating the ingress, validating the drain function, drying the structure, replacing carpet and padding, and sanitizing the HVAC box and ducts, all while ensuring that the nose, not just the moisture meter, signs off.
The owner’s concern is measured and reasonable: even with “extreme remediation,” will confidence and clean air return?
Is It Luxury?
- Luxury sedan design with minimalist interior and yoke-style steering option.
- Expansive 17-inch central display with cinematic-quality graphics.
- Premium cabin materials and an advanced sound system for a luxury experience.
- Cutting-edge driver assistance and continuous software updates to enhance features over time.
Through it all, the car remains blameless as a concept. The Plaid is a monumental achievement, a family fastback that treats distance like a suggestion. But machines, however advanced, operate at the mercy of fundamentals: gravity, capillary action, and the quiet persistence of biology. Water sneaks in; mold follows; people suffer. That’s not an indictment of propulsion type or brand so much as a case study in diligence, from inspection at sale to diagnosis in service and, if necessary, the consumer protections commenters urged the owner to explore.
The dream here isn’t speed; it’s trust, in a seller’s readiness, a service department’s thoroughness, and a cabin’s invisible atmosphere. When those align, a Plaid is magic. When they don’t, even one day can feel like forever.
Image Sources: Tesla Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
Follow us today…
Source: torquenews.com
