Extended Warranty for my Model X - Is it worth it?

[jordanthompson]

Hi all,
I have 30K miles on my 2018 X. I am debating getting the extended warranty from Tesla. I have had quite a few issues with the car (minor and major) and had originally planned on keeping it for 8-10 years.

I understand that there is a deductible for every repair and the up-front cost is not cheap, but given the car's history and my original plans to keep the car, is it worth it?

Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences?

 

[djillusion]

i haven't jump on an extended warranty yet, but i plan on getting it before my initial warranty is up in 2023.

knowing my luck, there is bound for something to go bust (i.e. related to the FWD probably) and im gonna cry later.

 

[P85_DA]

I didn’t do extended warranty and my AC compressor failed at 70k miles for $2500 cost ...there is a deductible I believe $200? ...I drive a lot so the esa wouldn’t do me good as I would have used up the miles in a few years ...other than the AC my car has been ok I’m going on 95k miles now

 

[Tam]

.......experiences?

My 2012 Model S worked fine during new car warranty but after that, it experienced 3 repairs that could have cost me $9,000.

But the repairs are getting cheaper now: Just my MCU replacement alone cost $4,000 but nowadays, Tesla can swap the daughter board out for just about $500.

My experience has been positive.

It is like an insurance for the peace of mind, but otherwise, monetary, you won't know until you encounter a high-cost repair.

 

[mswlogo]

You can combine repairs under one deductible and if you need a follow up appt for something you won’t be charged a 2nd time. So if it’s minor you can collect a bunch of issues and wait for something major. I got it under the 180 days for cheaper price.

I figured it will help resale. if you decided to trade before it’s used up you get a prorated refund. I think you might get most all of it if you trade /sold before the extended warranty starts.

 

[Tam]

...debating...

One more thing: After your new warranty runs out, your free towing is also gone too... unless you bought ESA.

Thus, if you don't have ESA, you might think about getting some towing coverage like AAA too.

 

[mxnym]

I originally planned on getting the ESA when my warranty was up, and then after the first year, my X seemed to have the bugs worked out, so I had decided I wouldn't. I figured I'd only get 2.5 years out of it anyway and that 5 years isn't very many for a vehicle I want to keep for 8-10. Recently, my air suspension compressor went out at about 3 years and 45,000 miles (COVID has saved me some miles, maybe I'll get 6-7 years of warranty after all), so I asked a Tesla tech for his opinion. He told me that he sees a lot of rear air strut failures and they have to replace both if one fails. He told me that he sees a lot of FWD failures related to sensors and diagnostics are expensive. He mentioned replacing a lot of HV contactors, and that's been a common thing on HVAC systems in my experience, so I assumed it should be easy to fix but he indicated it was pretty involved and therefore expensive. Basically, if two major things fail during the second 50,000 miles (with something like the HV contactor being considered major and other simple things potentially involving a significant number of diagnostic hours), the ESA would probably pay for itself. I'd like to think that won't happen, but I went ahead and bought it to hopefully at least be covered under warranty through the end of my loan.

 

[Big Ike]

This may be anecdotal, but I did purchase the ESA at 50k miles on my MX and my A/C went out at 51k. So, I've roughly covered half the cost of the ESA with one failure and I'm only at 56k and several months into the agreement now.

From the other side of the coin, extended warranties are profit (not an evil word in my opinion) generators for the companies that issue them. The statistics are on the side of the issuer.

 

[mxnym]

From the other side of the coin, extended warranties are profit (not an evil word in my opinion) generators for the companies that issue them. The statistics are on the side of the issuer.

I absolutely agree this is supposed to be the case, and that is one of the reasons I had originally decided maybe I didn't need it. However, to play devil's advocate here, if the ESA was generating profits for them, why would they remove the option to purchase it from the website? It certainly used to be there, but has been gone for a year or two. I had to ask the service center to add it with my service invoice, and it's not like they suggested or offered; it required my initiative.

 

[mswlogo]

I absolutely agree this is supposed to be the case, and that is one of the reasons I had originally decided maybe I didn't need it. However, to play devil's advocate here, if the ESA was generating profits for them, why would they remove the option to purchase it from the website? It certainly used to be there, but has been gone for a year or two. I had to ask the service center to add it with my service invoice, and it's not like they suggested or offered; it required my initiative.

And why don’t they offer it on Model 3/Y if it’s so profitable?

I used to buy lifetime warranty on my Jeep’s. It was a great deal. Around $2500 on a $50K Jeep. But they no longer offer that deal. Guess they were losing money.

I’m definitely on the losing side of extended warranties. My cars never failed dam it. I have no problem if my X never needs it.

 

[Yinn]

Hi all,
I have 30K miles on my 2018 X. I am debating getting the extended warranty from Tesla. I have had quite a few issues with the car (minor and major) and had originally planned on keeping it for 8-10 years.

I understand that there is a deductible for every repair and the up-front cost is not cheap, but given the car's history and my original plans to keep the car, is it worth it?

Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences?

I didn't get it and I've already spent more in repairs than what the warranty would have cost. That statement is true on all 3 of my out of warranty cars.

 

[jayptel1]

Hi all,
I have 30K miles on my 2018 X. I am debating getting the extended warranty from Tesla. I have had quite a few issues with the car (minor and major) and had originally planned on keeping it for 8-10 years.

I understand that there is a deductible for every repair and the up-front cost is not cheap, but given the car's history and my original plans to keep the car, is it worth it?

Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences?

Ours is two years old and not even 20K miles. If we wanted to buy an extended warranty, where would we do that?

 

[blitzpa]

There have been other threads on this topic, even more if you look in the Model S forum.

MX Extended Service Agreement (ESA)
Extended Warranty for my Model X - Is it worth it?
Purchasing Extended Warranty

My decision was based on a few things. 1) Tesla removing the ESA purchase option from the website indicated to me they may not be profiting off of it like a typical warranty deal 2) Complexity of the Model X in terms of screens, sensors, doors, and software could lead to expensive out of warranty repairs 3) I have had excellent SC experiences including free acceleration shudder repair and lots of other minor things so I expect I may use the ESA often over that 4 yr/50K mi.

For me the key factors to consider are 1) can you afford an out of pocket repair in the future? (same dilemma as any insurance/warranty coverage) 2) how many miles you drive per year which changes your time period of the coverage 3) how effective is your local SC and what has your experience been?

Answers to any of those might impact your decision one way or another. For me, it was worth it. Bonus in T&C's you can request a refund before coverage starts or a prorated refund if you change your mind.

 

[blitzpa]

Ours is two years old and not even 20K miles. If we wanted to buy an extended warranty, where would we do that?

You have to request to purchase it with your SC. You can make a service appointment in the app and add the notes and they will electronically invoice you no need to actually visit the SC.

 

[TeeeeeeDub]

What does the ESA cost for the X? And what are the terms? My X is on order so I'm contemplating this.

 

[mswlogo]

There have been other threads on this topic, even more if you look in the Model S forum.

MX Extended Service Agreement (ESA)
Extended Warranty for my Model X - Is it worth it?
Purchasing Extended Warranty

My decision was based on a few things. 1) Tesla removing the ESA purchase option from the website indicated to me they may not be profiting off of it like a typical warranty deal 2) Complexity of the Model X in terms of screens, sensors, doors, and software could lead to expensive out of warranty repairs 3) I have had excellent SC experiences including free acceleration shudder repair and lots of other minor things so I expect I may use the ESA often over that 4 yr/50K mi.

For me the key factors to consider are 1) can you afford an out of pocket repair in the future? (same dilemma as any insurance/warranty coverage) 2) how many miles you drive per year which changes your time period of the coverage 3) how effective is your local SC and what has your experience been?

Answers to any of those might impact your decision one way or another. For me, it was worth it. Bonus in T&C's you can request a refund before coverage starts or a prorated refund if you change your mind.

Exactly. Both time and mileage tend to break things. If you’ll use up the miles to quickly I think it’s less likely to pay off. I have two EV cars and often can choose either one. Although I always prefer the Tesla I don’t want to burn through the miles to quickly. I also will often take the other EV if weather is gonna trash it.

I use this app called leasecrunch designed to monitor your mileage for leases. I set a target of 12,500 miles per year. With COVID both cars are way under.

I think anyone that can afford a Model X can afford the repairs. So it’s basically a bet that you’ll beat the house by buying the ESA.

 

[rjdoc74]

I am on my second X since 2016. I would NEVER own one off warranty. Tesla is now trying to charge for everything, even things that should be under warranty during warranty period. And I can assure you repairs are not cheaper now as compared to the past.

 

[sacfan]

I am on my second X since 2016. I would NEVER own one off warranty. Tesla is now trying to charge for everything, even things that should be under warranty during warranty period. And I can assure you repairs are not cheaper now as compared to the past.

Don’t they likewise try to charge for everything, even things that should be covered under warranty during the ESA?

 

[rjdoc74]

Don’t they likewise try to charge for everything, even things that should be covered under warranty during the ESA?

Don’t know. Will cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[Tam]

Don’t they likewise try to charge for everything, even things that should be covered under warranty during the ESA?

I've heard a few complaints from those who didn't pay for ESA and got a repair bill but I've never heard any complaints from anyone who paid ESA and complained.