Do you live far from a Service Center? What's your experience?

[SoTX_WestTX]

After a test drive in Houston a few weeks ago, I'm REALLY interested in buying a Model S. There are several things that are keeping me from pulling the trigger, but I wanted to ask everyone about one of them specifically.

I've always had a rule about not buying a car that didn't have a dealer in the city I lived in. Being that I now live in Lubbock, TX - 330 miles from Austin SC, 350 miles from Dallas SC - I'm concerned by what I might be getting myself into.

For others that live far from an SC, what has your experience been? Huge PITA?

It would be my only car so would the standard warranty cover a loaner car? Ranger service would be the easy solution (save for that rumor in another thread about Ranger service being ended in Texas now that all the SC's are open), but this would already be a financial stretch for me so that additional cost would likely be enough to put it out of reach.

Thanks for any experiences anyone can share. I think I've spent about 4 hours a day on here every day since I got back from my test drive! I'm going to be in San Antonio in a few weeks and am going to make the drive up to Austin to get some more time inside the Model S. That Houston test drive was just too short!

 

[meduri]

I live about 220 miles from Atlanta SC. And so far in the last 7 months and close to 15k miles, my experience with the service is very nice. Thus includes the ranger service, loaner car and phone response.

 

[efusco]

I'm about 225 miles and have had my car for a bit over 7 months. It is, as we speak, in the St.Louis service center for the first time getting some warranty work and it's first "annual" maintenance. I've had one other ranger visit previously, they did the work in the parking lot at my office. I think this car is very reliable and should rarely need service, so with the Ranger service available and the fact that they provide a rental while they have the car at the SC, that it is not a problem, for me, at all.

That said, if you do get a car that has a few more issues, then you're going to need a plan B, a second vehicle, and some patience. But, IMO, the positives outweigh the slight inconvenience of not having a local SC.

 

[SoTX_WestTX]

efusco, so did you get a loaner while yours is in the shop? Is that part of the standard warranty or something you get as part of the additional service plan?

If I was within a single charge from the SC, I think I'd feel better given what seems to be the rarity of the car being totally undriveable. However, the prospect of having to make a (what would be a 6hr drive in an ICE, but would be an overnight) trip to Austin for some of the smaller annoying things (malfunctioning door handles, screen blanking, etc.) isn't too appealing.

 

[Doug_G]

There's no service center in our city. I've been using Ranger service since 2010 for my Roadster and now for the Model S. IMHO it's more convenient, not less.

 

[bollar]

Texas has some specific service rules due to the dealer situation. You will definitely want to speak directly to Tesla to understand how they intend to service the vehicle. Experiences from other states aren't directly translatable.

 

[efusco]

efusco, so did you get a loaner while yours is in the shop? Is that part of the standard warranty or something you get as part of the additional service plan?

If I was within a single charge from the SC, I think I'd feel better given what seems to be the rarity of the car being totally undriveable. However, the prospect of having to make a (what would be a 6hr drive in an ICE, but would be an overnight) trip to Austin for some of the smaller annoying things (malfunctioning door handles, screen blanking, etc.) isn't too appealing.

I did get a loaner, but it was a one time only deal since I used the ranger service to pick up my car. They'd promised me the P85 loaner before the policy changed and they, from now on, will provide a rental from Enterprise only unless I physically drop off and pick up my car at the SC. I am at the outside edge of a full charge drive at posted speed limit in good weather from my house to STL...but I'm not keen on pushing my luck.

 

[SoTX_WestTX]

I'm about 225 miles and have had my car for a bit over 7 months. It is, as we speak, in the St.Louis service center for the first time getting some warranty work and it's first "annual" maintenance. I've had one other ranger visit previously, they did the work in the parking lot at my office. I think this car is very reliable and should rarely need service, so with the Ranger service available and the fact that they provide a rental while they have the car at the SC, that it is not a problem, for me, at all.

That said, if you do get a car that has a few more issues, then you're going to need a plan B, a second vehicle, and some patience. But, IMO, the positives outweigh the slight inconvenience of not having a local SC.

I finally found a copy of the actual warranty and got the answer to my question. Plain old warranty = you're on your own getting to the SC. All the cool stuff comes with the service plans...guess I have to decide if I want the save up even longer for the $1900 "insurance".

 

[efusco]

I finally found a copy of the actual warranty and got the answer to my question. Plain old warranty = you're on your own getting to the SC. All the cool stuff comes with the service plans...guess I have to decide if I want the save up even longer for the $1900 "insurance".

For the distance I have and the complexity of work, the maintenance package with unlimited ranger service was an absolute no-brainer. Not sure if the maintenance is really necessary, but given the package deal, I chose to bite.

 

[bollar]

You will want to look at this thread that suggests Ranger service is not available in Texas: Dallas Service Center

 

[SoTX_WestTX]

You will want to look at this thread that suggests Ranger service is not available in Texas: Dallas Service Center

Yeah, that thread was actually what made me ask the question. But that thread is months old and I haven't been able to find anything more on it anywhere else. I figure I'll ask at the Austin store in a few weeks when I'm there.

 

[dsm363]

I finally found a copy of the actual warranty and got the answer to my question. Plain old warranty = you're on your own getting to the SC. All the cool stuff comes with the service plans...guess I have to decide if I want the save up even longer for the $1900 "insurance".

You will definitely want the unlimited Ranger package living that far away. There still is Ranger service in Texas but they can't work on the car at your house, they are supposed to pick it up and take it back to the service center. Hopefully they drop off a loaner but in these early days you might not be able to count on it. Do you have another vehicle if something like this happened? They were providing Ranger service from Chicago for me for over a year and did a great job but didn't provide loaners during that time period. I had my Jetta so it wasn't a problem. Things are much better now. They are still improving on service and have someone new in charge (Jerome) so expect it to get better as time goes on.

 

[bollar]

You'l definitely want the unlimited Ranger package living that far away. There still is Ranger service in Texas but they can't work on the car at your house, they are supposed to pick it up and take it back to the service center. Hopefully they drop off a loaner but in these early days you might not be able to count on it. Do you have another vehicle if something like this happened? They were providing Ranger service from Chicago for me for over a year and did a great job but didn't provide loaners during that time period. I had my Jetta so it wasn't a problem. Things are much better now. They are still improving on service and have someone new in charge (Jerome) so expect it to get better as time goes one.

Thanks for providing the facts!

 

[Al Sherman]

I'm about half as far as you (180 miles) from my Service Center. I could certainly drive there if I needed to on a single charge. I generally don't want to. Who does? I really believe the unlimited Ranger visit plan is necessary. Not absolutely. But, necessary for me. I've had one tow, and one Ranger visit. Both times the car could not be driven. Both times the first question the Service Center folks asked was "do you need a loaner?" I didn't but it's nice to know it was available.

Nobody tries harder than me to sell these cars. I believe in the company. It has improved dramatically and is getting better all the time. The car is a stunning achievement. It continues to amaze me. I'd love to see you get one but living that far from a SC calls for the unlimited Ranger plan.

I also have a list of things I would like fixed on the car. Minor things that aren't too annoying at least to me. I find myself not wanting to be a brat so I save them up for when the Ranger will be in the area, or I take it in for something else.

 

[SoTX_WestTX]

Thanks, dsm363! That's really helpful. Personally, I'd rather spend the extra money on unlimited Ranger service than on the tech package, panoramic roof, special paint jobs, etc. (The salesperson I spoke to on the phone was surprised when I said I didn't want the tech package. He started out by saying "I wouldn't let you buy one without the tech package" b/c it's so needed. My phone has navigation, I couldn't care less about the other options.)

Unfortunately, for it to be even close to financially feasible for me I would need to sell my current car (single guy, one vehicle).

Then again, if that $2,500 additional tax credit in Texas works out, then that would make unlimited Ranger service a wash.

 

[jerry33]

I got the unlimited Ranger service and it came in real handy when the master charger stopped working on a vacation trip. Tesla flew a Ranger to my location and the car was fixed before I ran out of range.

 

[Acmykguy]

After a test drive in Houston a few weeks ago, I'm REALLY interested in buying a Model S. There are several things that are keeping me from pulling the trigger, but I wanted to ask everyone about one of them specifically.

I've always had a rule about not buying a car that didn't have a dealer in the city I lived in. Being that I now live in Lubbock, TX - 330 miles from Austin SC, 350 miles from Dallas SC - I'm concerned by I might be getting myself into.

For others that live far from an SC, what has your experience been? Huge PITA?

It would be my only car so would the standard warranty cover a loaner car? Ranger service would be easy option (save for that rumor in another thread about Ranger service being ended in Texas now that all the SC's are open), but this would already be a financial stretch for me so that additional cost would likely be enough to put it out of reach.

Thanks for any experiences anyone can share. I think I've spent about 4 hours a day on here every day since I got back from my test drive! I'm going to be in San Antonio in a few weeks and am going to make the drive up to Austin to get some more time inside the Model S. That Houston test drive was just too short!

We live 60+ miles from a service center. The ranger comes to our home and works right in the garage winter spri g summer or fall. They have had to only make one trip for a minor issue but did nonetheless. Great great service!