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100k miles in a facelift Model S

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ucmndd

Well-Known Member
Mar 10, 2016
13,037
25,922
California
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Lots of 100k+ Model S running around these days, but not as many stories on the newer cars. I hit 100k on my December 2016 Model S 75 this past weekend, so I thought I'd recount my tale to date.

The Good:
Drive unit replacements: 0
Battery replacements: 0
Door handle replacements: 0
Times the car left me stranded or otherwise refused to drive: 0
Supercharging speed: INCREASED from new thanks to recent software updates

The Bad:
Headlight replacements for burned out DRL (warranty): 1
MCU replacement for yellow screen (full MCU replacement because screen was backordered for ages - warranty): 1
MCU yellowed screen AGAIN this time out of warranty: DIY fix with UV light for $35
Squeaks and rattles: Countless

The Ugly:
Current 100% range as of this morning: 216 miles - ~13% degradation from new (fairly steady and consistent, no large sudden drops)

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Generally speaking the car has been quite reliable and not demanded much more from me than tires. I just recently installed my 5th set:

OEM Goodyears: ~20k miles
Michelin MXM4: ~30k miles - $900
Michelin MXM4: ~30k miles - $900
OEM Goodyears: ~20k - $660
Michelin MXM4: currently installed - $900 (not counting this in maintenance total as they've only been on a few thousand miles, will count towards the next 100k)


Out of pocket service has been infrequent and uneventful:

Year 1 service (performed at ~25k miles): Complimentary (I had some light scratches on the top of my bumper from a misaligned hatch lid that Tesla offered to fix by repainting the bumper. I declined and they instead comped the first year maintenance.

Year 2 service (performed just before 50k miles): $725 - This was probably unnecessary but I opted to have it performed while the car was in for some minor warranty issues described above (burnt out DRL, yellowing screen, etc). Since the warranty was set to expire I decided the $725 for a full inspection/service was money well spent.

Year 3 maintenance items (performed at ~75k miles): $540 - replace HEPA filter, tire rotation, alignment.


Energy costs:

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I have not been religious about tracking my energy costs, but the car has reported a lifetime consumption of 31,464 kwh. I do have free supercharging, but estimate that represents at most ~10% of my miles. For the purpose of cost estimates I'm disregarding both the free supercharging and the money I've paid at relatively high-expense public L2 charing stations, assuming they are more or less a wash. 31,464 kwh at my estimated yearly average of $0.13/kwh = $4,090 in electricity. For reference, my prior car, a rather efficient VW Passat TDI with a lifetime fuel economy of 40mpg cost me $8,750 in diesel over the same 100k period.


Thus, my total cost to maintain and operate over 100k has been $2460 (tires) + $1265 (maintenance) + $4,090 (fuel) = $7,815 or 7.8 cents/mile.

Speaking generally, I'm still in love with the car and look forward to driving it every day. Some of the shine has worn off with respect to Tesla the company - while my service visits have been very infrequent I do have trepidations about becoming more reliant on their service organization as the car continues to age. The MCU has become a weak spot and I'm not looking forward to that eventual repair. I suspect I'll need some suspension work sometime soon as the whole front end has gotten a little clunky and noisy over particularly rough surfaces.

The battery degradation has been a real bummer, much more than I expected given the experience of others to date at the time I purchased (however, given what's currently happening with the 85kwh batteries, it seems that ~10-15% degradation over 100k miles is a more reasonable expectation than the 2-3% that was being reported at the time). This winter has been the first time the reduced range has really had a tangible impact on me - just this weekend I took a trip to Sacramento that used to be easily achievable in a single charge, but the cool temps and reduced range forced a splash and go charging stop this time.

Reliability wise, the car hasn't skipped a beat. The interior surfaces have held up quite well and while there are indeed a ton of squeaks and rattles, my usual commute is a bit of a torture test in this regard and every car I've ever subjected it to for any period of time has had similar results in this area.

My current plan is to keep the car for the balance of the battery and drive unit warranty, which should take me to ~250k miles if nothing dramatic changes in my current work/living arrangement. Here's to hoping. :)
 
@ucmndd Awesome write up and story! I also have a 2016 75D (June build) and look forward to driving another 75K miles to hit 100K like you did. I have the exact same plan - keep it for the balance of the battery and drive unit warranties and then get another more current S. So far I've spent only $975 for my first set of winter tires, and nothing in maintenance/repairs (I got the car 7 months ago and it had only 17K miles on it).
 
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Reactions: MichaelP90DL
Very interesting—nice write-up. I also have a facelift 75 with over 80,000 miles on it which still gets 230 miles on a full charge. I do a lot of Supercharging and CHAdeMO charging. I’m surprised at the degradation on you battery—that’s quite a loss of range at 43 or so miles.
 
Great write up! Also looking forward to those milestones with my facelift 90D 2017. At 90.000km (56k mi) currently. Also with more than average degradation. (10%) Even though the shine wears off I still look forward to driving my car every day. Despite the vaporware FSD purchase and the terrible MCU1 performance with new versions, it is still amazing.
 
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Congratulations, @ucmndd! Great write-up and hope you reach 200K+ without drama.

What made you go back to the OEM Goodyears, besides cost? Also, in 100K miles, did you ever get a flat and how did you deal with it? Also, what is the lowest SoC that you've had? What do you normally charge to and how often do you got the Supercharger? Thanks for sharing.

We've only had our S for a few months and I'm always looking for excuses to drive it. I don't even drive it fast anymore, electing to go for range now, but I still love driving our S.
 
What made you go back to the OEM Goodyears, besides cost?
Really just cost and availability when I needed them. That said, the second set affirmed my initial opinion that they're not great tires and I likely won't buy them again. I'm generally satisfied with the Michelins.

Also, in 100K miles, did you ever get a flat and how did you deal with it?
I had a puncture early on with the first set of Goodyears. Local tire shop thought I had landed a spaceship in their garage once they saw the foam in the tire and refused to patch it, so I plugged it myself and drove it that way for another 15k miles with no ill effect.

I've had a few other flats in the Michelins, which are not foam lined. Two patched for free at America's Tire and one I plugged myself (tires were getting old and I only needed another month or so before they were set to be replaced anyway).

Also, what is the lowest SoC that you've had?
I coasted into home once last winter with 1% remaining, puckering the whole way.

What do you normally charge to and how often do you got the Supercharger?
I charge to 90%. My regular commute these days cycles the battery from 90% to ~35%. I don't supercharge all that often, but have taken a few long trips throughout California, Oregon, and Arizona. I estimate less than 10% of my miles have been supercharging.
 
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Reactions: pilotSteve
Which style of headlight do you have - the HID with individual bulbs in the DRL, or the LED with a single DRL strip? Do you run your DRL on or off by default?

Congrats on the lack of service/warranty work required - puts my car to shame with the 10ish services I've needed!
 
I'm confused about the amount of energy used to go 100,000 miles.

31,464kwh * $0.30/kw= $9,439
(100,000 / 30mpg)*$3.59/gallon = $11,966

So driving an electric car saved you only $2,500 over a gasoline car averaged over 100,000 miles? Shouldn't the savings be huge?
13 cents per kw, not 30 cents as you mentioned above.

31,464 kwh at an estimated yearly average of $0.13/kwh = $4,090