Exporting my Model 3 from NZ to South Africa

[ShaunMarnewick]

Hi everyone! my name is Shaun and I'm the proud owner of a model 3.

I'm relocating to South Africa from NZ and am considering shipping my model 3 over, however there is no Tesla presence in South Africa so I'm apprehensive, should the vehicle require some sort of advanced software or collision/other repair.

Has anybody here done something similar (shipping a Tesla vehicle to a country where there is not Tesla service centre)? And if so, what has the experience been like?

Or is it just a bad idea? - the idea of going back to ICE does not spark joy.

Any and all comments welcome!

 

[karkrazy]

Don’t do it. Search the forum for threads related to shipping from the US to Europe (and vice versa). It’s bad enough that Tesla won’t touch cars from a different country, but with zero Tesla presence? It could be a very expensive paperweight very quickly.

Charging stations? Jack pucks? Even “regular” Tesla parts? I don’t think you can even get software updates. Modem won’t work, unless you jury-rig it. Wow the list goes on and on…

 

[ucmndd]

You will need to bring it back to the region of origin for any and all service or warranty work from Tesla. I doubt there's much if any third party ecosystem in South Africa to support these cars, but I could be wrong about that.

Connectivity and pretty much everything else will be a problem.

There's no world in which I'd take on this expense and headache.

Jack pucks?

 

[karkrazy]

Was making a point of the mundane… to the not so mundane

 

[ShaunMarnewick]

Wow, thanks for the responses so far. Seems like a bad idea then - So sad, I'm very attached

 

[Audietron]

Hi everyone! my name is Shaun and I'm the proud owner of a model 3.

I'm relocating to South Africa from NZ and am considering shipping my model 3 over, however there is no Tesla presence in South Africa so I'm apprehensive, should the vehicle require some sort of advanced software or collision/other repair.

Has anybody here done something similar (shipping a Tesla vehicle to a country where there is not Tesla service centre)? And if so, what has the experience been like?

Or is it just a bad idea? - the idea of going back to ICE does not spark joy.

Any and all comments welcome!

don't be discouraged.... aren't Tesla designed to be service free? if you plan carefully you can take it anywhere and should be able to drive.

If I was at your place, I would do following:

1. Fully charge the car and shutdown before shipping... if batteries fully drained, 12V battery need replacement / jumpstart - to be able to charge main battery.
2. buy and take 12v spare battery... as these are more frequently changed - someone mentioned in forum they had it changed after 3/4 years (M3)
3. fully service the car and ask Tesla to check any parts change necessary in next 3-5 years.
4. Most of the parts possible to buy, good to make friends with one of the non-tesla tesla specialist here before leaving so you can coordinate something you can't source online via that person.
5. you should be able to update the car over wireless.... even use FSD except navigate on autopilot.... using wireless Access Point at all times should work.... check with Tesla beforehand...
6. Your warranty would be void... not end of the world.... who cares... live a little.
7. You need to make sure to carry mobile and wall chargers.... EV adaptor which could work for destination if any charging network...

It's your car... you bought it... you are going to make sure everything is right and ship at your expanse.... you are taking risk to void any warranty and register at your next home country.... this has been done million times before with vintage cars, so how hard it could be with most technologically advance car in age of internet where every part can be purchased online?

Anyone saying you can't... just ignore.

if worst comes to worst.... come back to the same post in next 1-2-4-5-7 years and I will help you ship parts for your tesla with no commission whatsoever... one Tesla user to another.

 

[Charl]

Shaun you should research your move very carefully, on personal grounds.
As to the Tesla: Eskom cannot supply electricity to the nation's lightbulbs, why would you want to take an EV there???

 

[cbdream99]

It's not worth it! Collision repair alone will be a huge problem, you cannot order the parts unless you are a certified body shop. Do some research in forums on the story of months of waiting for parts, then the wrong parts shipped to the body shop. It pretty much applies not only to body parts but every part. If you treat it as a collectible, it is one thing, but if you want to use it as a daily driver, it is a different story, also think about who is to insure it. You will need tons of patience, love, and $$$$$.

 

[Aaron Hawes]

Have a look at the plugshare map chargers are very thin on the ground in SA.

 

[zoomer0056]

Wow, thanks for the responses so far. Seems like a bad idea then - So sad, I'm very attached

If you've run your car for some miles maybe there's not much concern for warranty work. Also, if your car works now you won't need connectivity for updates. You can navigate using Google maps. You can bring your wall connector for charging.

With zero Teslas, you'll be an instant celebrity. That could be good or bad.

However ... if something breaks or wears out, I think you'll be SOL.

Elon Musk is originally from South Africa. Maybe you can connect with the Musk family for help. Post to Elon on X.

 

[tr1ple]

Tesla is in south africa however they only sell powerwalls at this stage. and with no supercharges and a dogy power grid its not the best place for a EV let alone a privatly inported one