Annual service

[whitecotton]

I learned last night that my model S that I got last month has never had an annual service before and that the previous owner pretty much neglected to maintain anything other than the 12v battery. I am going to have to buy new tires because the previous owner neglected to rotate, balance or have an alignment completed. Since I will be buying $1000 of tires because of the 21" wheels I would prefer not to immediately put another $600+ into the service right away. So to my question, would it be beneficial to complete the service immediately after installing the new tires. Thanks!

 

[efusco]

I learned last night that my model S that I got last month has never had an annual service before and that the previous owner pretty much neglected to maintain anything other than the 12v battery. I am going to have to buy new tires because the previous owner neglected to rotate, balance or have an alignment completed. Since I will be buying $1000 of tires because of the 21" wheels I would prefer not to immediately put another $600+ into the service right away. So to my question, would it be beneficial to complete the service immediately after installing the new tires. Thanks!

I appreciate your reluctance, but I think there's value in taking it in since you have no idea what may or may not have been neglected on the car (presumably not purchased CPO). I know it's a bitter pill, but they do check many things, will look for faults in the error codes, update your firmware, give you a new battery, wipers, check the brakes, check your seat belts, etc. It's your new car, might as well make sure it's going to be safe and reliable for you. If you want to skip or delay going forward, that's up to you, but at least you'll know what you have to start with.

 

[Max*]

I appreciate your reluctance, but I think there's value in taking it in since you have no idea what may or may not have been neglected on the car (presumably not purchased CPO). I know it's a bitter pill, but they do check many things, will look for faults in the error codes, update your firmware, give you a new battery, wipers, check the brakes, check your seat belts, etc. It's your new car, might as well make sure it's going to be safe and reliable for you. If you want to skip or delay going forward, that's up to you, but at least you'll know what you have to start with.

Not to mention if it's 2 years old, brake fluid change/flush. And if it's 4 years old (I guess if it's a 2012?) then a battery coolant change/flush.

 

[mrjedistud]

I learned last night that my model S that I got last month has never had an annual service before and that the previous owner pretty much neglected to maintain anything other than the 12v battery. I am going to have to buy new tires because the previous owner neglected to rotate, balance or have an alignment completed. Since I will be buying $1000 of tires because of the 21" wheels I would prefer not to immediately put another $600+ into the service right away. So to my question, would it be beneficial to complete the service immediately after installing the new tires. Thanks!

First, I assume you bought used not CPO. If it was CPO, the tires should have been replaced by Tesla.
Second, assuming you bought used, I would do it all together. I am not 100% sure, but wheel alignment should be part of the annual service. Near me alignment costs about $150 so think of the $600 as $150 for alignment and $450 for the rest. Plus if you bought it used, you should have Telsa do a service to see what else needs fixing.

 

[Max*]

First, I assume you bought used not CPO. If it was CPO, the tires should have been replaced by Tesla.
Second, assuming you bought used, I would do it all together. I am not 100% sure, but wheel alignment should be part of the annual service. Near me alignment costs about $150 so think of the $600 as $150 for alignment and $450 for the rest. Plus if you bought it used, you should have Telsa do a service to see what else needs fixing.

Alignment USED to be part of the annual service. They removed it a while ago, unless you have the prepaid plan.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

If you are putting on new tires, you need to have your car's alignment re-done. It would make sense to have the alignment done at the same time as your annual service, after you put on the new tires.

 

[AMPUP]

Alignment absolutely a must with the 21's, it will pay for itself with efficiency and tires.

As for the service, if its a 2013 I would be very surprised if it hasn't had a new drive unit and had a complimentary service performed.

I have had services performed in combination with fixing issues when I have taken the S in for in the past two years. I assumed this was pretty much standard practice. (Check over all the car, top up stuff, check tires, upgrade software, clean) etc. Maybe I am just lucky, most of my stuff was documented. BTW id it was a CPO I dotn believe they would have provided you with any documentation to say one way or the other. Just because the tires are worn out doesn't mean it hasn't been serviced, they wear out pretty fast if you are doing doughnuts every day :biggrin:

 

[Roadrunner13]

Another advantage of doing the tune-up is finding out if anything else needs fixing and potentially fixing while under-warranty!
While you're paying for service, a lot of the stuff they find out is usually covered, so that in itself makes it worthwhile!

 

[shelbri]

I'll take the contrarian view. The car has an 8yr unlimited mile warranty on the battery and motor. The annual service is NOT required for this coverage and frankly is excessively priced given all the commentary from Tesla about the simplicity and reduced maintenance cost of an electric vehicle. Software updates and other checks are performed when you bring the car in for warranty service (i.e., noise pano roof.) My suggestion would be to do the annual service only when you are approaching the end of the 4yr 50k mile warranty to see if there is anything covered that should be dealt with. Otherwise, keep the $600/yr in your pocket. Just my two cents.

 

[hashraf]

Not to mention if it's 2 years old, brake fluid change/flush. And if it's 4 years old (I guess if it's a 2012?) then a battery coolant change/flush.

Is brake fluid and battery coolant change required to maintain warranty? I suppose not? Especially if somebody is planning on selling the car in 3-3.5 years, i am sure the 1800 saved would be more than the value loss at selling time especially since the car is under warranty. 600/yr is too much for a car that is not supposed to have much maintenance needs.

 

[jaguar36]

I'll take the contrarian view. The car has an 8yr unlimited mile warranty on the battery and motor. The annual service is NOT required for this coverage and frankly is excessively priced given all the commentary from Tesla about the simplicity and reduced maintenance cost of an electric vehicle. Software updates and other checks are performed when you bring the car in for warranty service (i.e., noise pano roof.) My suggestion would be to do the annual service only when you are approaching the end of the 4yr 50k mile warranty to see if there is anything covered that should be dealt with. Otherwise, keep the $600/yr in your pocket. Just my two cents.

I agree.

The annual service is a major rip-off and is essentially Tesla getting us to pay for testing that they should have done to begin with.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I'll take the contrarian view. The car has an 8yr unlimited mile warranty on the battery and motor. The annual service is NOT required for this coverage and frankly is excessively priced given all the commentary from Tesla about the simplicity and reduced maintenance cost of an electric vehicle. Software updates and other checks are performed when you bring the car in for warranty service (i.e., noise pano roof.) My suggestion would be to do the annual service only when you are approaching the end of the 4yr 50k mile warranty to see if there is anything covered that should be dealt with. Otherwise, keep the $600/yr in your pocket. Just my two cents.

And in the absence of annual service, which extensively inspects your suspension components, HV battery, bumper attachments and a number of other areas that owners don't normally look, how is the owner of a used vehicle supposed to know if there is a problem in any of these areas? Tesla does not inspect these things, or perform any extensive or exhaustive inspections, when you bring the car in for warranty work.

- - - Updated - - -

I agree.

The annual service is a major rip-off and is essentially Tesla getting us to pay for testing that they should have done to begin with.

If that's true, then it would behoove you to participate if you feel that Tesla did not perform adequate testing of its platform. Aren't you driving around an untested vehicle that may have issues that you are not aware of, by your own admission? By association you are saying that you would rather not know what's wrong with your untested vehicle until something breaks. That doesn't exactly sound prudent.

 

[jaguar36]

And in the absence of annual service, which extensively inspects your suspension components, HV battery, bumper attachments and a number of other areas that owners don't normally look, how is the owner of a used vehicle supposed to know if there is a problem in any of these areas? Tesla does not inspect these things, or perform any extensive or exhaustive inspections, when you bring the car in for warranty work.

None of that stuff should need to be inspected on an annual basis. No other car on the market needs to have those things inspected annually (with the exception of the battery which should be monitored in real time by the car).

If that's true, then it would behoove you to participate if you feel that Tesla did not perform adequate testing of its platform. Aren't you driving around an untested vehicle that may have issues that you are not aware of, by your own admission? By association you are saying that you would rather not know what's wrong with your untested vehicle until something breaks. That doesn't exactly sound prudent.

Thats why I have a warranty, and why I will bring it in from time to time for the $600 inspection.

 

[shelbri]

And in the absence of annual service, which extensively inspects your suspension components, HV battery, bumper attachments and a number of other areas that owners don't normally look, how is the owner of a used vehicle supposed to know if there is a problem in any of these areas? Tesla does not inspect these things, or perform any extensive or exhaustive inspections, when you bring the car in for warranty

If I were buying a used car that was still under warranty, I'd pay the $600 once and consider it similar to an inspection I'd do if I were buying a boat. I plan to pay the $600 as I approach the end of my warranty period. Otherwise I'll just pay for repairs as needed like if do with any other cAr. Battery has an 8 year warranty and I doubt I'll own this car that long.

 

[GasKilla]

I found this annual service report form from somewhere on the forums, if it's been 2 years and no service they also replace the brake fluid, cabin filter, and A/C receiver/drier plus recharge A/C. Not to mention replace key fob battery and wiper blades. May seem like small stuff, but it all adds up and lets you worry less about minor things that could cause big problems (key fob battery dying).

Hope this picture helps.

 

[whitecotton]

Wow so much awesome advice! To add a little more detail, I bought the car used from a group of people who knew nothing about Tesla much less the particulars that most of us on this site are. I had a "lot" of warranty work done since I gof the car including, drive unit replacement (so the coolant was flushed and the wheels were aligned), lots of small software changes, the rear channel speaker wire was disconnected form the amp.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

None of that stuff should need to be inspected on an annual basis. No other car on the market needs to have those things inspected annually (with the exception of the battery which should be monitored in real time by the car). Thats why I have a warranty, and why I will bring it in from time to time for the $600 inspection.

Well, no other car on the market has a HV battery, so of course there will be some things that will be inspected on a Model S that would not be inspected on an ICE. In terms of the items being inspected, it seems pretty thorough. I certainly don't inspect those things and wouldn't know how, so I'm happy to let Tesla do it. I prefer to be proactive about things rather than reactive. I would rather replace a wearing component or avert a potential problem before something actually breaks.

I say let experience be your guide. Annual may be overkill for some. At the end of the day it all boils down to the owner's comfort level and tolerance for risk. In my case the annual costs $475 and includes an alignment, because I pre-paid, so it's a much better deal than paying $600 plus another $180 or whatever for an alignment.

 

[Frankydude]

I purchased a 2013 P85 CPO. My car had it's front brake pads (inner side) completely jammed in the calipers.
This was not checked or inspected on the delivery inspection.
The pictures and remedy are posted on this article I wrote:
Lentretien préventif des freins avant de Tesla S | Roulez Electrique

Francois
P85

 

[ArtInCT]

Wow so much awesome advice! To add a little more detail, I bought the car used from a group of people who knew nothing about Tesla much less the particulars that most of us on this site are. I had a "lot" of warranty work done since I gof the car including, drive unit replacement (so the coolant was flushed and the wheels were aligned), lots of small software changes, the rear channel speaker wire was disconnected form the amp.

Ok, so in this case I feel your priorities should be to get the 24 Month Annual Service done first. Seeing as how you are going to be getting new tires, during the service you should have the wheel alignment re-checked and adjusted BEFORE you have new tires mounted. You can have the tires purchased and mounted and spin balanced by any good tire dealer who can handle the large wheels. The alignment and such is what I would have TESLA do at the service center.

Also, I would sit down with the Tesla Service Manager, PRIOR to the service and discuss the state of your particular Model S and have him or her suggest any hardware upgrades that could and should be done to the car such as door handles, seat belt recall, perhaps the 3g to LTE wireless upgrade, etc. along with the fluids and bolt torque tests. If you do this discussion prior, he/she can insure the parts needed are in stock prior to the service. Depending on the mileage you may want them to inspect closely the suspension bushings.

 

[markn455]

I purchased my MS 85 previously owned (15 months old) with about 14,000 miles. The original owner had not had any scheduled maintenance at the one year / 12000 mile interval. I put about 3,000 miles on it and took it in to get the pump on the air suspension checked. The SC suggested I go ahead and get the 24K mile service completed since we didn't have any real history on the car and because Tesla had not seen the car since it was delivered. I scheduled the service, tire rotation and alignment. I was not thrilled about them increasing the cost of the service and the fact that alignment was no longer included. Although expensive, I am glad I had ti checked. They found a number of items and replaced the air suspension pump, wiper arm, wiper blades, adjustment to the roof, etc. I am totally thrilled with the car. Although expensive, I highly recommend the service.

One thing I don't know is if the Service or tire rotation includes balancing the wheels. I have getting a slight vibration at higher speeds. I am sure hoping that I don't have a bent 21" wheel.

Mark
S85