PACEMD
Active Member
Our ranger for years came to Montana once a month from Idaho. Now we have a ranger out of Bozeman. Call and ask about coverage in South Dakota. Lot of Teslas in the Rapid area.
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Where in South Dakota? Minor work can be done by the ranger, and there is no regular maintenance. In 70k miles I recently replaced the 12v battery, rotated tires and replaced those tires this year, and added windshield wiper fluid. That's it other than the minor things I mentioned above.Hello
Questions on my mind:
1. Maintenance and Repairs: For those of you in states without a Tesla service center, how do you handle regular maintenance and minor repairs? Are there authorized third-party mechanics that can work on Teslas?
2. Roadside Assistance: In case of emergencies or breakdowns, has Tesla's roadside assistance been effective in providing support, even if you're far from a service center?
3. Personal Experiences: If you've faced any challenges or advantages specific to owning a Tesla in a state without a service center, I'd love to hear about your personal experiences.
Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
I live in New Mexico. The nearest Service Center is 2.5 hours away in El Paso, Texas. I needed to get the car serviced and I made a day of it. The people at the Service Center were really nice (and capable). They said they could tow the car to the Service Center but then I would have to arrange for a ride to pick it up. I decided it was simpler to just do it in one long day.Hello
I've been seriously considering getting a Tesla lately, but there's one aspect that's been on my mind – service and maintenance. I live in a state that doesn't have a Tesla service center, and I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this situation.
Questions on my mind:
1. Maintenance and Repairs: For those of you in states without a Tesla service center, how do you handle regular maintenance and minor repairs? Are there authorized third-party mechanics that can work on Teslas?
2. Roadside Assistance: In case of emergencies or breakdowns, has Tesla's roadside assistance been effective in providing support, even if you're far from a service center?
3. Personal Experiences: If you've faced any challenges or advantages specific to owning a Tesla in a state without a service center, I'd love to hear about your personal experiences.
Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
Thanks for your thoughts. I understand that. Frankly, the brakes not being used much is a concern for me. With the roads being salted up here and living on the ocean, my feeling is that as long as the car is under warranty, I will use Tesla for these types of Maintenance issues.That's an interesting choice... anyone can do the brakes. I'm at 50k miles and the brakes are still like new since I barely use them (Regen braking).
Absolutely! Unfortunately, exponential growth is really hard. As long as Tesla sales grow exponential it will be hard/impossible for the service centers to keep pace.There really needs to be more service centers! I was worried driving the car home when we bought it from Sacramento, which is about an hour or so away (that was mainly because of the idiots in traffic and driving our first electric car ever), but some people have it WAY worse!
For what it's worth, the car before the 2018 M3 RWD was a 3rd gen Prius. Like the Tesla, Priuses use regenerative braking.. a lot. Admittedly, the Prius method is a bit more complicated; when one comes off the gas and lightly hits the brakes, it's regen doing the works. And when one gets below 10 or 15 mph or so, at which point regen doesn't work so well anyway.Thanks for your thoughts. I understand that. Frankly, the brakes not being used much is a concern for me. With the roads being salted up here and living on the ocean, my feeling is that as long as the car is under warranty, I will use Tesla for these types of Maintenance issues.
The Toyota dealer in Topsham can do the little non-software stuff like brakes.I live in Maine. The closest SC is 2 hrs and 15 minutes of interstate driving away. I picked the car up in NJ, 400 miles away. The very next day after delivery, the car was undrivable due to electrical problems. They sent a tow truck and took the car to Peabody, Mass. I could afford to live without the car for a few days. A few days turned into a week. I told them I needed a loaner which they took care of. I hired an Uber ride down which was paid for by Tesla to pick up the loaner. The car has run perfectly since then. There are Tesla Rangers around here, but I have not needed the service. I would buy another Tesla in a heartbeat as I was treated very fairly by them. The local Toyota dealer advertises that they will take care of Tesla cars such as tire rotations, wiper blades, etc...anything short of true service work. I will need my brakes serviced next spring and will likely drive down to Peabody Mass to have them do the work.
I'm also in Maine. In the winter, make a mental note to occasionally use your foot to activate the mechanical brakes. Also, on the warmer days we get in between storms, not a bad idea to Rinse everything underneath including your brakesThanks for your thoughts. I understand that. Frankly, the brakes not being used much is a concern for me. With the roads being salted up here and living on the ocean, my feeling is that as long as the car is under warranty, I will use Tesla for these types of Maintenance issues.
Helpful suggestions. Thanks very much.I'm also in Maine. In the winter, make a mental note to occasionally use your foot to activate the mechanical brakes. Also, on the warmer days we get in between storms, not a bad idea to Rinse everything underneath including your brakes
Yeah, I saw a TV ad saying they could do some Tesla stuff. Thanks!The Toyota dealer in Topsham can do the little non-software stuff like brakes.
I brought it to them for my tire rotation, because I know they have the correct lift point pucks
Thanks for this.For what it's worth, the car before the 2018 M3 RWD was a 3rd gen Prius. Like the Tesla, Priuses use regenerative braking.. a lot. Admittedly, the Prius method is a bit more complicated; when one comes off the gas and lightly hits the brakes, it's regen doing the works. And when one gets below 10 or 15 mph or so, at which point regen doesn't work so well anyway.
But the basic idea is still there: energy that, for non-regen cars would go into heating up the brakes gets dumped into the battery, instead.
I sold the car with 150,000 miles on it. It had its first and only brake job (my daughter has it now) at 120,000 miles; and the tech told me later that it could have gone another 10k or 15k miles, the pads weren't quite worn out.
And that's the point: Compared to the Prius, Teslas' regen braking is a lot stronger and a lot simpler (the Prius has this really complicated bunch of electronics and hardware that manage the switcheroo between regen and mechanical). The "stronger" bit means that the need to hit the mechanical brakes is a lot less on a Tesla than a Prius; I figure that means it'll be even longer between brake jobs.
Now, if one has a Performance version of a Tesla and takes it to the track, then all bets are off. But if one is simply driving it around town, well, it'll be a looonnnggg time between brake jobs. One might have to grease the brakes from time to time so the pistons don't stick or drag, but that's it.
I believe lubing the brakes is a yearly maintenance item, because they aren't used much. I'll be doing that myself. Will be using that ceramic brake lube stuff I have from working on my ice cars.One might have to grease the brakes from time to time so the pistons don't stick or drag, but that's it.
Brakes? What are brakes?I believe lubing the brakes is a yearly maintenance item, because they aren't used much. I'll be doing that myself. Will be using that ceramic brake lube stuff I have from working on my ice cars.
Well, the calipers to be specific. Of course, you're joking in reference to high use of regen.Brakes? What are brakes?
LOL, guys. No... even ICE cars with no regen, you should lube the caliper once a year or so. Since I don't live in an area where roads are salted, I can probably get away with every two years but I'm anal about things like this.Accelerate and brake hard once in a while to keep the brakes healthy. Easy solution.