50k mile report

Not too much to say - I haven't had a motor fail, bumper fall off, window crack, trunk leak, etc. Just the front upper control arms under warranty.

I drive the car hard in the worst conditions - crappy dirt forest service roads for mountain biking for three seasons, and snowy/icy mountain passes for snowboarding for three seasons. The inside has been a comfortable shelter for lots of kids, gear, paddle boards, and a Pembroke Welsh corgi. The roof holds a rooftop box and bike mounts all year, and even a Christmas tree once. I think I'm getting somewhere around 285 miles at full charge? I usually only roll out at 80% though. Have driven up and down the West Coast from Seattle to San Fran, plus a lot of backroads. Overall a great car.

 

[KenC]

How much does the efficiency suffer with the box and bike mounts?

 

[heavyD]

Has anyone managed to go high mileage without replacing the front upper control arms?

 

[talkingevs]

I’m at 58000 on our 2018 LR and haven’t replaced them. They came out and put something on then to oil them so I’m expecting them to go soon….

 

[Kevy Baby]

Has anyone managed to go high mileage without replacing the front upper control arms?

I'm at 64,818 with no issues

 

[Petermcg]

Has anyone managed to go high mileage without replacing the front upper control arms?

2019 LR AWD with 83,847 miles and no FUCA issues.

 

[pnwadventures]

How much does the efficiency suffer with the box and bike mounts?

I've heard anecdotally that it's 10% or something? I'm honestly not sure as it's kind of tough to do a true apples:apples comparison, plus it's generally on all winter when range takes a bit of a hit for all the other reasons. If I was driving far enough in a day to need more than 1 SuperCharger stop, I'd take it off to probably help with that, but for trips less than 4 hours or needing only 1 charging stop, it really doesn't make a difference - probably only pennies additional cost and few minutes additional charging time.

FWIW my lifetime average Wh/M is about 296 and I like to drive fast.

 

[KenC]

I've heard anecdotally that it's 10% or something? I'm honestly not sure as it's kind of tough to do a true apples:apples comparison, plus it's generally on all winter when range takes a bit of a hit for all the other reasons. If I was driving far enough in a day to need more than 1 SuperCharger stop, I'd take it off to probably help with that, but for trips less than 4 hours or needing only 1 charging stop, it really doesn't make a difference - probably only pennies additional cost and few minutes additional charging time.

FWIW my lifetime average Wh/M is about 296 and I like to drive fast.

Thanks, I saw your original comment that you got 285miles on a full charge, which seemed to imply excellent efficiency.

 

[vogz]

Thanks, I saw your original comment that you got 285miles on a full charge, which seemed to imply excellent efficiency.

I think he's talking about the rated range remaining after 50K+ miles when the car is fully charged.

 

[pnwadventures]

I think he's talking about the rated range remaining after 50K+ miles when the car is fully charged.

Yes, thanks for clarifying!

 

[fobo]

How’s the interior/seats holding up?

 

[cappo3]

Has anyone managed to go high mileage without replacing the front upper control arms?

My 2020 clocked 78k miles as of last week. No issues thus far, that I know of at least. How do these issues manifest?

 

[zannman]

My 2020 clocked 78k miles as of last week. No issues thus far, that I know of at least. How do these issues manifest?

Ball joint seizes and it’s thought to be due to moisture intrusion into the boot. Can be alleviated by adding grease, there are YouTube videos about it. Tesla did some pre-emotive sealing of the control arm later to address as well. There is no mistaking the sound when it seizes - car immediately creaks and moans like its 100 years old.

 

[pnwadventures]

How’s the interior/seats holding up?

For the most part still seems new! But, the steering wheel wrap scratches easily, and plenty of scuffs on the door trim near the speakers: in retrospect I could have used easy-entry, but was worried about wearing out the motors.

 

[vogz]

For the most part still seems new! But, the steering wheel wrap scratches easily, and plenty of scuffs on the door trim near the speakers: in retrospect I could have used easy-entry, but was worried about wearing out the motors.

I only have 32K miles on my 2020, but I've been really impressed with how the interior is holding up. The seats and the steering wheel still basically look brand new (I do take good care of my car and clean the interior frequently). I've never had a car's seats and steering wheel still look new after 30K miles.

 

[TesslaBull]

So 50k miles and no maintenance cost other than tires and one issue covered by warranty? Nice! I see total cost of ownership estimates done by places like Edmunds and they always seem to include thousands of dollars in maintenance cost over 5 years. Other than tires, wipers, cabin air filter, what are people realistically spending money on? I'm sure there are exceptions but I see an awful lot of folks that aren't spending much of anything compared to ICE cars with oil changes, brakes, etc.

 

[zannman]

At 62k I’ve put one set of tires on and replaced wiper blades for maintenance activites.

I had the UCA ball joint seize under warranty at around 30k miles and was replaced in a day, during which they gave me a loaner Signature Model S to use.

I think I’ve spent a little more in modificaions than any maintenance, with a tow hitch, mats throughout, and wireless charger that wasn’t standard in 2019. It’s close but both numbers are small.

Number of charges home vs away about 90%/10% split. Actual KWh used for charging is closer to 75/25 with not many, but a few long trips. My longest so far is about 1000 miles from home - roughly PIT to OKC.

 

[joetomasone]

2019 Model 3 LR DM AWD, 78k miles.
FUCA replaced under warrantly, maybe 6 months after taking delivery.
New tires at 40k miles (ok, so I had a heavy foot when I got it...)
Rear glass replaced OOW due to external crack, cause unknown.
Frunk secondary latch replaced under warranty just before 50k (whew!) in 2021 via mobile service.
12v battery replaced OOW - VERY reasonable price @ Tesla SC
Tires rotated at 60k. Brakes were noted as in "essentially new" condition by 3rd party shop. Regen FTW!
Cabin filters replaced via mobile service - again, VERY reasonable price.

Overall, I am highly pleased with the car and VERY happy with Tesla service, who has gone above and beyond on multiple occasionas and at different SCs, even out of state while we were on vacation, one of two road trips from FL to Yellowstone National Park and back.

 

[Kevy Baby]

New tires at 40k miles (ok, so I had a heavy foot when I got it...)

You got 40K? I only got 27K. Took me a little longer for my foot to go on a diet

Tires rotated at 60k. Brakes were noted as in "essentially new" condition by 3rd party shop. Regen FTW!

I often wonder just how long these brakes will last!

 

[PianoAl]

How much does the efficiency suffer with the box and bike mounts?

I've read that the rack alone decreases efficiency by 2%.

My testing has shown that with a surfboard on the rack, the efficiency is 12.5% lower than with the rack alone.