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taurusking
Member
"Thank you for spreading reputation". That is an option lol
I know I feel upset about this annual service option...is there anything we can do...This goes against what I was told when I bought my car or even made the deposit...No oil changes or reduced maintenance costs..
Forty Creek
Member
If Tesla isn't making a profit from service and if their routine maintenance charges are indeed too high, then there must be something else at play? Perhaps something about their overhead is too high relative to the volume of cars being serviced? I mean I understand that parts for our cars are still very expensive for a number of reasons, but brake and coolant fluid, fob batteries and wiper blades are commodity items. These seem to make up the bulk of the routine service work. I do wonder where the cost for replacing all of those DU's is going. If it's here, then perhaps I've answered my own questions.
Tesla is still a startup in the automotive world. EV's are intuitively less expensive to maintain than ICE however Tesla is coping with providing service to a very tiny fleet of cars that is spread over a large geographic area. Service costs should go down as the fleet grows and the amount of warranty work diminishes.
Tesla is still a startup in the automotive world. EV's are intuitively less expensive to maintain than ICE however Tesla is coping with providing service to a very tiny fleet of cars that is spread over a large geographic area. Service costs should go down as the fleet grows and the amount of warranty work diminishes.
They do have some wording implying less maintenance on their service plan website:
"Unlike gasoline cars, Tesla vehicles requires no oil changes, fuel filter, spark plug replacements, or emission checks. As an electric car, even brake pad replacements are rare because most braking energy is regeneratively captured by the motor and returned to the battery. Our inspections instead focuses on checking wheel alignment and tire condition, replacement parts like key batteries, windshield wiper blades, and software updates."
But then they ruin it by listing the very high prices for the services on that same page. Wiping out any "savings" you might have been thinking you would get.
dhanson865
Well-Known Member
Elon Musk brings up how reliable and cheap to operate EVs should be on a regular basis. Obviously Tesla hasn't brought things into line with what Elon is saying, but he still mentions it several times a year every year.
I'm with Sorka. We need to needle Tesla until they can make a car that is as reliable as a Prius and as cheap to drive (cost per mile). Since EVs have a per mile advantage when comparing electricity to gas costs the key thing for Tesla to improve is maintenance/repair costs.
Fuel/Power costs will be taken care of unrelated to Tesla.
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hear hear!
My 2005 is still going strong, less miles more years. I did do plugs, the V-ribbed belt, filters, and oil. I didn't have to do coolants because the water pump and such had recalls that got those done on Toyota's dime. I did find that Toyota dealers wanted to charge me $300+ for a transaxle fluid change that I though should have been a $100 item (sub $100 if you have a local mechanic do it).
Here's my video of me changing my Prius transaxle fluid. Takes about 10 minutes total including cleanup and about $30 for 4 qts of WS fluid:
If you don't want to by the mitvac, this for $5 on amazon will do the trick too:
http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Accessories-36670-Pennzoil-Transfer/dp/B001DKQZ9Q
Although that increases the time it takes to about 20 minutes.
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Lex
Member
I do see the value of a deep inspection esp. under the covers for corrosion on this multi-metal car, but if the annual inspections were mandatory I would have probably walked away.
It sounds to me they are trying to recoup costs from folks like me who are considering an inspection every other year instead of every year.
I hate to say it but my MS has been apart a couple of times at the Service Ctr. already so the first annual is pretty much a waste of everyone's time, unless of course I need new wipers, a CR2032 or a cabin air filter Then it's certainly worth US $400 :lol
It sounds to me they are trying to recoup costs from folks like me who are considering an inspection every other year instead of every year.
I hate to say it but my MS has been apart a couple of times at the Service Ctr. already so the first annual is pretty much a waste of everyone's time, unless of course I need new wipers, a CR2032 or a cabin air filter
Then it's certainly worth US $400 :lol
NewCow
Member
I was reading the annual report last night and they still mention favorable cost of ownership including maintenance
Not that they even need to mention anything. An EV should cost less to maintain than an ICE. Period. It should not cost the same. It should not cost more.
It should simply cost less because there is far less to maintain/service in an EV.
taurusking
Member
These are the same words used by Tesla sales person to me when I took my first test drive...No oil changes yay...and now I realize that I have to pay $900 for service?
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And we as customers have every right to voice our opinion
These are the same words used by Tesla sales person to me when I took my first test drive...No oil changes yay...and now I realize that I have to pay $900 for service?
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And we as customers have every right to voice our opinion
When you take car in for service can you ask Tesla to charge you for just the fluid flush and the inspection? This would likely be just about an hour of labor plus parts. Would they do that? You can then on your own replace the cabin filter, wipers, and key fob battery.
Car dealers for all their faults will do what I have suggested. This is how we service our cars. We go through what is required on the owner's manual. Do what we can and essentially pay the dealer to do the fluid flushes.
How much would Tesla charge for doing just the brake fluid flush or just the brake and battery fluid flush?
taurusking
Member
Good suggestion have to check with my service center next time.
Has anyone bravely attempted to flush brake and battery fluid by themselves...is this even possible?
tliving
Member
Hmm, I had my last service at 25K miles, I'm at 60K miles now but not at the 2 year mark yet. Another 6 weeks. Im going to call soon to schedule the service as there's usually a 6 week wait. I have no idea what they'll charge me (or say) when I bring it in. Runs like a dream though so its hard to imagine forking over $900 for some wiper blades.
So try what I suggested and let us know. Tell them you will do the key fob battery, wiper blades, and cabin air filter on your own, assuming you are able to do these simple things in your own.
Ask them how much they will charge you for the brake and battery fluid flush along with the "inspection." Let us know what you find out.
It would be astounding if they want to charge more than $300-$400 for the fluid flushes. After all not too long ago they would have done all that plus the wiper, key fob battery and the cabin air filter for $600.
whttiger25
Member
Just to update this thread, I called my local service center (Dublin/Pleasonton) to schedule my first annual service. I've only had the car 6 months but am going to hit 12,500 miles next week. For what Tesla was providing, I felt $400 was quite steep but not SO much so that I would bother with the hassle of finding someone else to do a comparable job for less.
Well, I was surprised to be quoted $549 for the work over the phone, and also told that years 2/4 are now $849/$1049. So they increased the price $149 a year across the board for service that was already overpriced to begin with. The website still lists the old prices and I was told, "Sorry about that, it still needs to be updated.".
Anyway, I decided to skip year 1. Wheelworks will rotate my tires for $20. They are also replacing the cabin filter and wiper blades for about $50 parts/labor, and top off the windshield fluid for free. The only thing I'm missing is the mysterious "multi-point" inspection, but I don't mind really as long as I don't lose my warranty.
I also sent Tesla customer support an angry message about the bait and switch. If I knew these would be the actual prices I would have purchased the pre-paid service.
Well, I was surprised to be quoted $549 for the work over the phone, and also told that years 2/4 are now $849/$1049. So they increased the price $149 a year across the board for service that was already overpriced to begin with. The website still lists the old prices and I was told, "Sorry about that, it still needs to be updated.".
Anyway, I decided to skip year 1. Wheelworks will rotate my tires for $20. They are also replacing the cabin filter and wiper blades for about $50 parts/labor, and top off the windshield fluid for free. The only thing I'm missing is the mysterious "multi-point" inspection, but I don't mind really as long as I don't lose my warranty.
I also sent Tesla customer support an angry message about the bait and switch. If I knew these would be the actual prices I would have purchased the pre-paid service.
Which of these services are required for warranty purposes? I can understand paying Tesla for the battery coolant replacement, and maybe A/C service and brake fluid replacement. However, cabin air filter, windshield wiper, and key fob batteries seem like things that should be simple and cheap enough to replace on my own (no premium package so no HEPA filter), and I would assume any tire shop could do tire rotation/ alignments.
polymathic
Member
I was told by Tesla that service is not required for warranty, just recommended.
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