Distance to dealer and service an issue?

[harpoh]

I am looking at the feasibility of buying a model S, and one thing that concerns me is that my nearest dealer and service center are a couple hours away from my home. How much of an issue do you think this would be? Obviously I can plan on a yearly trip for the scheduled maintenance and stuff but I'm a bit nervous about the distance in case of unforeseen situations. Is this something worth considering or am I worrying about nothing?

 

[Lloyd]

Nothing...... Tesla has been wonderful about picking up and delivering my car even when the closest service center was twice that distance.

 

[Shawn Snider]

Welcome to the forum! :smile:

I myself don't own my Tesla yet, but I've seen MANY stories of TM going out of their way, waaaaaay out of their way to assist Owner's.

 

[caddieo]

You would probably receive more direct or detailed advice from owners in your region if your address was a little bit more specific instead of just "United States". Nevertheless, I echo Llyod in assuaging your fears. I got my MS in 2013 when the nearest service center was 185 miles away and the nearest supercharger almost as far. No regrets. When one of my charging modules died after 700 miles, a ranger came to my house and fixed it it my garage. Ranger policies may have changed some now that more centers are available, but another solution is available as in Lloyd's experience.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Others have recently reported that you might not have to pay for the Ranger service fee if you can wait until the Ranger is already in your area. If it's an issue that you need to have taken care of right away then that probably wouldn't be an option but if it's something less urgent, wait for them to come to you!

 

[DrGuest]

Tesla delivered my Model S85 to my home in Montana exactly 2 years ago today. I was first serviced by Denver which was 716 miles away. They made an appointment with me and were on time at my home and fixed issues right in my driveway. Then Seattle was my next service at 677 miles away.
They arrived at my home with a trailer and took my car to Seattle for a repair and service. Now Salt Lake City is open and is 417 miles away and have sent Rangers to service me also. I have never been charged for any service, yet. I think that if I was Charged $100 flat fee per Ranger visit, I would feel very satisfied and would be glad to pay it. Now, If a Ranger visit was charged $ per mile, then I would have a problem, but that has not been the case these past 2 years. I would talk to your Delivery Specialist and get the policy clear before pushing the confirmation button just to make sure nothing has changed.

 

[msnow]

I agree with @caddieo. Find Tesla owners in your area. See if you can find people that purchased in the last 6 months and are not grandfathered with free Ranger service. Ask how they deal with routine maintenance and how often. Tesla roadside service has you covered if your car is not drivable for the next few years but regular service could be an issue.

 

[MichFin]

I live in Detroit and nearest service station is 4 hours away. I've only needed service once; car was shipped with a faulty passenger mirror motor. They came to my house and swapped it out in my garage.

 

[TexasEV]

To the OP, Tesla doesn't have dealers. It sells direct in its own stores, or displays the cars in its own galleries in the other states. This isn't just quibbling over semantics, as the direct sales rather than going through dealers is one of the best things about buying a Tesla.

 

[InternetDude]

A couple hours is nothing. My Ranger fee is $1,500.

 

[mikevbf]

I agree with @caddieo. Find Tesla owners in your area. See if you can find people that purchased in the last 6 months and are not grandfathered with free Ranger service. Ask how they deal with routine maintenance and how often. Tesla roadside service has you covered if your car is not drivable for the next few years but regular service could be an issue.

+1 to msnow for their advise. The ranger policy is in flux and you need to talk not only to someone in your area, but someone who purchased recently as in the last 6 months. TMs has historically gone over the top at supporting customers far away and they aspire to treat the customers great going forward. But as the customer base outpaces the capacity of service growth, it will become more and more difficult unless something changes. I live about 100 miles away from my service center and just confirmed a Model X reservation. I feel like I am throwing the dice, but have faith based on the stories around here that I will not regret my decision. Good Luck with yours.

 

[CHG-ON]

Definitely search the forums so you can reach out to somebody in your area. They changed both their pick up/delivery and Ranger policies just recently. Pick up is now only in their "core" markets (not defined, AFAIK) and Ranger is now 100USD per visit. I am lucky. I am only about 40mi from the factory and HQ, so I get pickup and delivery for free and boy is it convenient. I did pay the 100 for a Ranger service just a week or two ago because I was impatient about something.

I have seen posts about some who have only one or two problems. I have had 6-7 or so. Seems like every month or so, recently. All fairly small that have not affected drivability. But it has now become a bit annoying. It's the most issues I have ever had with a car. Ever. And I have had German, Japanese and American (the worst car I ever owned, unfortunately). If I had to deliver the car to them, or pay for p-up/dly or Ranger, I would be really pissed at this point. I'm taking her over tomorrow, as a matter of fact, so that they can tell me if my latest issues are a safety issue or can be repaired after my big holiday road trip. It'll take 3 hours out of my day. Luckily, it's slow now at work, so I can do it. A steering issue that I think is a big nothing and a front passenger window that made such a loud bang down within the door when closing it (after testing repeatedly) that it scared the crap out me-like it was going to shatter or something.

But please do not take me wrong. Every service experience I have had has been the best I have ever had, bar none, from any vendor, even Apple, who is outstanding. And I love the car to death, would never go back, and the niggling problems I have had have not diminished my complete love for the car or the company. It can just be a bit annoying. But I bought the car knowing that this might be the case, being a new company, new car and completely new tech. So my eyes were wide open.

Personally, I think they are pushing too hard to make the numbers and rushing the cars out ever since August 2014, when they really started to get a lot of attention in the press and the equity markets. I think they need to keep their focus on building the best car in the world and let go of the market opinions. If run properly and building the best product that they can build, their stock will be just fine.

FYI, I am a shareholder for the long haul.

 

[patrick40363]

I live 2 hours away and no issues.

I am looking at the feasibility of buying a model S, and one thing that concerns me is that my nearest dealer and service center are a couple hours away from my home. How much of an issue do you think this would be? Obviously I can plan on a yearly trip for the scheduled maintenance and stuff but I'm a bit nervous about the distance in case of unforeseen situations. Is this something worth considering or am I worrying about nothing?