Cost Comparison (Model S vs. ICE)

[neroden]

That's right. Somewhere I read that the Model S motor will comfortably exceed 1 million miles before needing replacement.

I wonder what part of the Model S will generally fail first? I mean apart from really easy, expected replacements like the windshield wipers and the tires.

Electronics last close to forever. The body is made of corrosion-resistant materials. Liquid cooling systems and compressors last a long time before even needing maintenance. The battery will decay gracefully.

Brake hoses? Air suspension hoses? Based on the Roadster, perhaps the fans.

 

[JRP3]

Since the S motor and inverter are liquid cooled you don't have those fans to worry about, and as I understand it the Roadster radiator fans have been fine.

 

[ckessel]

This is partly why I'm willing to spend more than I normally would on a car to get the Model S. It feels like there's a very good chance it's a car I can drive damn near forever.

 

[WhiteKnight]

That's right. Somewhere I read that the Model S motor will comfortably exceed 1 million miles before needing replacement.

If the Tesla marketing people are on top of their game they would offer a 1 million mile motor warranty!! That would highlight a key benefit of EVs over ICEs.

 

[ckessel]

If the Tesla marketing people are on top of their game they would offer a 1 million mile motor warranty!! That would highlight a key benefit of EVs over ICEs.

And make it non-transferable so it doesn't completely bite them in the ass. That's basically what Hyundai does with their uber warranty. It's great, but non-transferable so Hyundai only gets bit by folks that keep the car a very long time.

 

[JohnQ]

I wonder what part of the Model S will generally fail first?

Don't have a full subsystems list but . . .
Minor/nuisance though could be expensive for labor:
HVAC
internal motors (seats, panoramic roof, liquid cooling)
suspension
poor electrical runs/connectors

Chassis issues (typically a result of poor design or assembly):
metal fatigue/crack formation
corrosion caused by mating disparate metals inappropriately (aluminum to steel) or poor choice of fastener material

Run a car for a couple hundred thousand miles and you'll see much more than powerplant issues occur. The lack of ICE, exhaust and transmission does make life easier though. Of course there's the battery pack but that's not exactly a "failure" when it needs to be replace.

 

[ElSupreme]

I wonder what part of the Model S will generally fail first?

I would bet in order:
Automatic Door Handles. (Cause they are going to get abused)
CV Boots. (AFAIK these have to exist)
17" touchscreen! (How old is your laptop/phone?)
Small DC motors (wiper, windows, AC, pretty cheap OEM parts)

The only real maintenance I see is wipers, tires, brakes, coolant change every 5ish years.

EDIT: Well I learned that CV Joints don't have to exist on RWD vehicles. I would imagine that they will be there and fail on the Model S though.

 

[Todd Burch]

I bet the coolant pump would be a weakness.

EDIT: RELATIVE weakness.

 

[VolkerP]

windshield replacement. Winters in South Germany bring a lot of abrasive road dust.

 

[Eberhard]

Plug-in Socket. May break easily.

 

[JRP3]

windshield replacement. Winters in South Germany bring a lot of abrasive road dust.

Would the S windshield be any more vulnerable than another windshield? What sort of stuff do they put on the roads in Germany that are so abrasive? They dump salt by the tons here and I've never had windshield issues.

 

[ElSupreme]

Would the S windshield be any more vulnerable than another windshield? What sort of stuff do they put on the roads in Germany that are so abrasive? They dump salt by the tons here and I've never had windshield issues.

I think windshields wear with high speed, and better vision. My winshield only lasted 3.5 years on my GTI before it was so pitted I had to get a new one. My Jetta before my GTI (EXACT SAME WINDSHIELD) didn't look near as bad, but average speed was 70-75 vs 85ish on the interstate. But no large chips at all, I consider it a wear part now.

I live in Atlanta. We get some grit but no real salt to speak of.

 

[JRP3]

Yeah must be the speed thing, I've never had to replace a windshield for anything other than cracks, but my speeds are low most of the time.

 

[William13]

I believe the door handles and the air suspension are the most likely to break.

 

[neroden]

Run a car for a couple hundred thousand miles and you'll see much more than powerplant issues occur.

Yeah. I realize there are actually two questions packed up in my question, and you've answered the "other one"
(1) What will fail first based on mileage, for people who drive a lot
(2) What will fail first based on years, for people who don't

I am in category #2. A bunch of the stuff you described is category #1 failures.

If they do bad matches of aluminum to steel, that will definitely fail even without much driving.
Anything rubber seems like likely possibilities for category #2 (rubber just dies after a number of temperature cycles), but I'm not sure where all the rubber bits are. Mass gasket replacements on the HVAC and cooling systems?

The nylon parts of the air suspension would be an expensive replacement which will probably go eventually.

The automatic door handles are a good possibility as well. And the plug-in socket. Those will both get a lot of play and a lot of abuse.

My LCD screens are decades old now, thank you so I think that the touchscreen will be OK.

Actually, the key may well be the first thing to break -- that's what happened on my family's Audis. I'm going to get multiple extras (pricey but they're often hard to replace identically after the fact).

 

[MitchL]

Things I feel are most likely to fail at some point:

- Door handles.
- Electric sunroof mechanism
- Charging port door hinge
- Key fob (maybe). It will certainly get abused.

Maybe I'm conditioned to worry about the door handles, since every time I go near one of the betas they tell me that they're not activated because they're prototypes .

/Mitch.

 

[Robert.Boston]

- Key fob (maybe). It will certainly get abused.

With the Tech Package, I imagine the key fob will rarely be touched, at least by purse-carrying women. I'm debating about how I'll carry mine; during the week, it can just live in my briefcase.

 

[MitchL]

With the Tech Package, I imagine the key fob will rarely be touched, at least by purse-carrying women. I'm debating about how I'll carry mine; during the week, it can just live in my briefcase.

I'm getting a Sig, so I'll have the tech package and theoretically won't need to "hold" the fob or press buttons on it.

Still, things in my pockets seem to to have a low survival rate... keys (still need them to open my house and office), ID badge, iPhone, and other random stuff all seem to age prematurely

/Mitch.

 

[brianman]

Still, things in my pockets seem to to have a low survival rate...

I definitely won't miss the jingling of pocket keys.

 

[Doug_G]

If they do bad matches of aluminum to steel, that will definitely fail even without much driving.

I presume they'll design the car with appropriate coatings, etc., to avoid putting dissimilar metals in contact.

This raises a question though. Is an aluminum car body actually better or worse for corrosion?

In theory, aluminum doesn't corrode as much because its oxide seals the metal, whereas iron oxide is a catalyst for corrosion.

On the other hand, there are other materials spread around on the road, namely salt and in some case salt alternatives. They could have an impact.

Some people I have talked to have claimed that aluminum cars corrode quickly, others say they don't corrode at all. I know only one person with an all-aluminum car, and he doesn't winter drive it. Is there anyone here who can put that question to rest?