Does a Tesla require servicing to maintain warranty?

[Max_G]

Other EV manufacturers require servicing of the EVs at yearly interval or every 10,000 or 15,000km, with some at a significant cost.
I intend buying a MY in AU once available. Does Tesla have a similar money-extraction scheme?

 

[Chenkers]

This link will give you the information you're after: Car Maintenance

The key FAQ line is:
If I choose not to service my Tesla car, will this void my warranty or Resale Value Guarantee?
Your New Vehicle Limited Warranty or Used Vehicle Limited Warranty will not be affected if recommended service is not performed. Servicing your Tesla is required for the duration of your Resale Value Guarantee contract.

 

[Max_G]

Thank you; should have googled first; was just going to post the link.

The short answer is: in principle "no", but for some support schemes a (I reckon a minimal) service is required.

 

[paulp]

Servicing? Whats that?

 

[Max_G]

Servicing? Whats that?

No idea... my assumption was there is none other than tire rotation, brake fluid and pads. I am glad this is the case with Tesla.
It makes me sick reading things like this article "managing dealer bills for oil". another reason to stay far away form these legacy car makers.

 

[paulp]

No idea... my assumption was there is none other than tire rotation, brake fluid and pads. I am glad this is the case with Tesla.
It makes me sick reading things like this article "managing dealer bills for oil". another reason to stay far away form these legacy car makers.

The tyres on the S are different size front to back and directional so no rotation for me, and I doubt I’ll ever be needing brake pads. The most expensive service item for me is fluid for the wipers followed by air for the tyres.
As for car dealers, if you have a fossil car its far better to use a good quality small hands on mechanic. Way better job and substantially cheaper.

 

[jamesgo]

Brake Fluid does need to be checked/serviced every 2 years from a safety point of view (its hygroscopic)

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

In my 118,000km and 18 months of experience on a Model 3 SR+:

Wiper Fluid: Buy some concentrate from supercheap for about $10, and as required just dilute some & add it.

Tyre Rotation: Any tyre shop will do this for $20 to $50. Or free if you're buying even one new tyre at the same time. Every 5000km for mostly urban driving on crappy roads, every 10,000km for mostly highway driving, to maximise tyre life. Probably 10,000km to 15,000km in reality.

Tyres Replacement: Tempe Tyres will sell Kuhmo 235/45R18 for $129ea - not sure if I'd recommend those, but they exist. I usually end up getting Toyo Proxes C100 for $200ea, as they have fantastic traction & durability. Been through two sets of them already. Stay TF away from Goodyear Eagle F1's! I went through one set of those. Tyrepower charged me $260ea. They were equally durable as the Toyos but they had incredibly poor traction for a rather heavy car & with my torque-heavy RWD driving style.

Wiper Blades: Get Tesla service to replace them as required. I believe it's $69.10 parts & $12 labour, but I got it done at the same time as an unrelated non-warranty repair, so labour might have been discounted. But before you schedule this, get some alcohol swabs & clean the blades. They're rather durable but get gunked up easily, especially if you use wax or polish.

Cabin Air Filter: Every year for heavy usage, every 2 years for typical usage (so same time as the brake fluid). Either buy after-market and DIY, or book a call through the Tesla App for mobile service. I believe it's $36 for parts and $50.90 for labour, but I got it done at the same time as an unrelated non-warranty repair, so labour might have been discounted slightly.

Brake Fluid Flush: Every two years. About $190ish I believe, though I've never had them do it. Keeps water infiltration from rotting out the brake systems from the inside out.

I've had the MCU warn me about a rear seatbelt sensor wire fault after a passenger got violent with it on. That set me back $150 parts & $48 labour for a new centre & right seatbelt clip. Schedule it in-app if you can't lift and shift the rear seat forward & undo & redo the big white wiring clip, or if doing that doesn't help.

I've damaged the felt undertray (the aero shield) twice, once from violent hydroplaning ($200 rear part, $48 labour), and once from a wombat that ducked under the grille but took out the undertray ($390 front & centre parts, $84 labour). Just rip off the offending bit when it drags along the pavement and schedule it in-app.

The Model Y and Model 3 are very similar cars, so the info above would be basically the same.

But none of this is relevant to keeping your warranty. It's just the stuff I've been through or been made aware of. Simple fact is that Tesla Service isn't set up as a profit centre. These costs are trifling, in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Vostok]

No idea... my assumption was there is none other than tire rotation, brake fluid and pads. I am glad this is the case with Tesla.

My Model 3 will be 2 years old in December and I have never taken it in for service. Absolutely nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell (and Teslas do monitor the critical safety systems and the car will tell you if something needs to be looked at). When I picked it up, the delivery specialist simply told me “you only need to bring it in if something is wrong with it”.

I will however book it in for a checkup later this year, as other have posted, the hydraulic fluid should be changed periodically.

I‘ve never rotated the tyres either, but only done 11,111 km since purchase due to lockdowns.

Brake pads are unlikely to ever need changing in the life of the car. I almost never use the brake pedal.

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

I accidentally reversed the parts and labour costs above for the cabin air filters. Should be $50.90 for parts (2x$25.45) and $36 labour.

 

[paulp]

I accidentally reversed the parts and labour costs above for the cabin air filters. Should be $50.90 for parts (2x$25.45) and $36 labour.

I asked tesla to change my cabin filters during a warranty visit around 3 years. The tech said I dont need to bother, still look almost new. Hence the filter life probably depends significantly on how much dust or dirty air you drive through. It also demosntrated to me how accurate your comment is that tesla dont use servicing as a profit centre.

 

[Max_G]

My Model 3 will be 2 years old in December and I have never taken it in for service. Absolutely nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell (and Teslas do monitor the critical safety systems and the car will tell you if something needs to be looked at). When I picked it up, the delivery specialist simply told me “you only need to bring it in if something is wrong with it”.

I will however book it in for a checkup later this year, as other have posted, the hydraulic fluid should be changed periodically.

I‘ve never rotated the tyres either, but only done 11,111 km since purchase due to lockdowns.

Brake pads are unlikely to ever need changing in the life of the car. I almost never use the brake pedal.

Well, if it wasn't for COVID and working-from-home, I'd be driving 40,000 km per year. I rotate tires every 10,000 km and it pays, in particular when you can see how changing these effects tire wear, that is if you diligently record wear.
The following graphs show two tires, both where on the rear. The latest 'green' curve shows that there is something wrong with the rear left (tire 1 was on). Since I asked the workshop to do a wheel alignment in February, it seems the alignment is not correct.
In short: I observed that a tire on the front will wear the sides (top three curves on both tires), wheel the rear wears the middle. An I usually end up with an evenly worn tire on all four. [1, 2, 3, 4, at the x-axis indicate the grooves from the outside in of the tire.]
Once I discover too much wear on the outside, I lower the pressure by 2 PSI, which usually solves the problem. This also demonstrates how important tire pressure is.

 

[paulp]

Well, if it wasn't for COVID and working-from-home, I'd be driving 40,000 km per year. I rotate tires every 10,000 km and it pays, in particular when you can see how changing these effects tire wear, that is if you diligently record wear.
The following graphs show two tires, both where on the rear. The latest 'green' curve shows that there is something wrong with the rear left (tire 1 was on). Since I asked the workshop to do a wheel alignment in February, it seems the alignment is not correct.
In short: I observed that a tire on the front will wear the sides (top three curves on both tires), wheel the rear wears the middle. An I usually end up with an evenly worn tire on all four. [1, 2, 3, 4, at the x-axis indicate the grooves from the outside in of the tire.]
Once I discover too much wear on the outside, I lower the pressure by 2 PSI, which usually solves the problem. This also demonstrates how important tire pressure is.
View attachment 717283

Recording tyre wear…thats next level data collection!
Agree with your approach to changing pressure to adjust wear, although I do it based on approximated visuals.

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

I asked tesla to change my cabin filters during a warranty visit around 3 years. The tech said I dont need to bother, still look almost new. Hence the filter life probably depends significantly on how much dust or dirty air you drive through. It also demosntrated to me how accurate your comment is that tesla dont use servicing as a profit centre.

Mine definitely needed a change after 18 months & 117,000km!