Got a purchase brewing on a model S p90dl. My brother is telling me to absolutely not buy it as any issue with the car will take forever. I have read some horror stories... what say you?
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Given lackluster service would you still buy a Tesla?
- Thread starter gigawhattt
- Start date
geoffmanley
Member
You are more likely to hear horror stories than success stories, given that success stories are just normal service visits. I've had nothing but positive experiences with service. Granted they don't do as much of the goodwill type repairs anymore, but I suppose that's probably why their stock has been steadily rising.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Is your brother an owner with first hand knowledge?
In 3 years and 100k miles my service experience has been quite good and quite infrequent. I have no complaints.
In 3 years and 100k miles my service experience has been quite good and quite infrequent. I have no complaints.
ahkahn
Active Member
So the service horror stories are just that. They exist, sure, but there are tens of thousands of positive service stories daily that don't get told. I've had my share of positive and negative stories personally. Would I buy another Tesla? I just did... for my wife. I've had just as many crappy ICE dealership service dept stories as what I hear on here. Go to any type of car forum and you'll see service horror stories. I think people are drawing comparisons between the former days of Tesla service (when there were only 50,000 Teslas on the road) to today's service (with what, 700,000 cars on the road?). Big difference. It's like hearing people complain that airlines aren't the same as they were 30 years ago... they're not, but they still get the job done.
Buy it. You'll never go back.
Buy it. You'll never go back.
I've had mine for 6.5 months. I had one issue covered by warranty and the service experience was excellent.
Just based on the unrivaled electric drivetrain smoothness and the instateneous throttle response, peace and quiet, I would only get a Tesla.
Just based on the unrivaled electric drivetrain smoothness and the instateneous throttle response, peace and quiet, I would only get a Tesla.
Hands down, without any question or even a second thought - a Model S is what I'd take.
Have you driven an S yet? If you haven't, you'll wonder why you've never driven one yet and what your life has been missing out on. I don't really care about all the cool tech stuff (AP, etc) - the drive will blow your mind. Plain and simple.
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
Having bought 6 since 2009, my next car is extremely likely to be a Tesla. I may look at the Mustang, but it's not because I think I will be unhappy with another Tesla.
You are going to hear both good and bad stories when you ask for anecdotes. With ANY brand. Tesla has sold hundreds of thousands of cars, so there will be plenty of examples of both. What you really want to know is, what is the ratio of satisfied customers to unsatisfied? You never are guaranteed to be in either camp, but more likely with a brand with a high satisfaction rating.
Tesla has the highest satisfaction ratings of any automaker. That doesn't mean you are guaranteed to be happy, or that the horror stories aren't real. But it does mean you are less likely to be happy if you go with whatever brand your brother considers safer.
BTW, one of my earlier cars was a lease on an S P90DL. I loved that car. I got it with 14k miles (it had been a demo car for a year) and returned it two years later with 49k miles. I had no issues with it.
You are going to hear both good and bad stories when you ask for anecdotes. With ANY brand. Tesla has sold hundreds of thousands of cars, so there will be plenty of examples of both. What you really want to know is, what is the ratio of satisfied customers to unsatisfied? You never are guaranteed to be in either camp, but more likely with a brand with a high satisfaction rating.
Tesla has the highest satisfaction ratings of any automaker. That doesn't mean you are guaranteed to be happy, or that the horror stories aren't real. But it does mean you are less likely to be happy if you go with whatever brand your brother considers safer.
BTW, one of my earlier cars was a lease on an S P90DL. I loved that car. I got it with 14k miles (it had been a demo car for a year) and returned it two years later with 49k miles. I had no issues with it.
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Ya' ..... what he said! I'm nearly three years in. Best driving experience in my life. The service experience is what it is. Some stellar some not so stellar. But trust me once you're driving the car you won't care.
Kiwiadventure
Member
For every 1 Tesla horror story their's many thousands of Tesla's that have had no problems. These types of forums you only hear from the people who cry loudest about the smallest of problems.
Cheburashka
Active Member
I think it depends on what area of the country you are in also.
I'm in California where there are a ton of Teslas and I've had mostly bad experiences with service since the Model 3 launch.
I'm in California where there are a ton of Teslas and I've had mostly bad experiences with service since the Model 3 launch.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
I think it’s even more granular than that. While I believe the stories and disappointment of Bay Area and Los Angeles owners, I’ve had nothing but great service from both Monterey and Fresno.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
My biggest fear is not having to navigate the service organization, but rather needing body work. By all accounts that’s still an unmitigated shitshow.
Needing body work is a real concern. My son put a deposit on a M3 day 1 ordering opened and took delivery of his AWD LR November 6, 2018. On December 6, 2018, a lady ran a stop sign; he got his car back just shy of 4 months later. Denver had 5 repair shops at the time and it was the same story for every one. Most wouldn't even look at his car for 2-4 weeks.
webbbcam
not-so-junior member
I’ve had great service on both little things (door handle not presenting or loose trim) and on the Takata airbag and steering bolt recalls. Service appointments easy to make on the app, pleasant and competent mechanics at the Spokane Service Center. (Hector, Jeremiah,and Adam).
I’ve never been happier with a car..
I’ve never been happier with a car..
Yes, depends where you live. More volume/see a lot of Tesla’s around? Service centers prob disorganized/overworked = bad service. Of course this is speaking in generalities and peoples experiences will vary, that’s been mine.
The answer to your question is, nothing even comes close to the experience the product provides. Until then, you learn to overlook the service gaps. They need to figure this out though, I drove the taycan today and it is tempting to have Porsche-quality interior and proper dealership service expectations. They are still so so limited but as more alternatives come online, this level of service can turn out to be a real problem for Tesla if not solved in <12-18 months.
The answer to your question is, nothing even comes close to the experience the product provides. Until then, you learn to overlook the service gaps. They need to figure this out though, I drove the taycan today and it is tempting to have Porsche-quality interior and proper dealership service expectations. They are still so so limited but as more alternatives come online, this level of service can turn out to be a real problem for Tesla if not solved in <12-18 months.
I’ve enjoyed Tesla’s so much over the last 6+ years, it’s hard to imagine driving anything else. While there have been service delays and annoyances (yellow screen border), I’ve actually never had a bad service experience. From proactive upgrades and some goodwill fixes on my ‘13, to excellent Ranger support, Tesla has always tried to provide great service. The real issue these days is the sheer number of cars on the road and difficulty getting parts in the case of an accident.
Go for it!
From someone who had a 3 hour delivery fiasco and almost called off the sale at the 2 hour point, I love my Model X!
I have had 2 service center visits and 2 mobile service appointments in 6 months of ownership. The 2 mobile visits I would rate 9/10. The SC visits I would rate at 9/10 and the other 6/10. The second SC visit was a 60 mile drive to get my car fixed 3 weeks sooner and they didn't even attempt to fix the problem it was in for or even contact me to know that it was ready! They did install the HW3 computer though which required a second mobile visit as they broke my glove box hinge and one of the new fender cameras installed with the computer needed replacing as it was not working at all and throwing constant errors. The first mobile visit was to replace the voice command switches the car went into the service center to begin with; one would think after a 10 day wait they would have the switches. The good news is they fixed it in my driveway 5 days later.
My son has a Model 3 and no service visits in his 14 months of ownership. When he lost his key card in Yellowstone, the Cherry Creek SC gave him a replacement one and the micro-USB cable for his console they didn't have at delivery. They were really nice--the nicest of the 4 service centers we have been to. He had a really good delivery there.
Bottom line: I have had some horrendous experiences over the past 50 years at dealerships and almost always go with my trusted ICE mechanic instead. Even my worst Tesla service experience is FAR better than almost every dealer service experience. I also learned it is worth waiting for your chosen Tesla service center, if possible. Most of my family have worked for Big 3 Auto so I get the family discount; but I would never go back to an ICE machine! And with as bad as my delivery experience was regional management did make changes quickly to avoid further fiascos.
The coolest thing is that my car is better and more fun to drive now than when I bought it due to software updates! Tomorrow my Model X will have 19000 miles on it; it is the most fun vehicle I have ever owned!
From someone who had a 3 hour delivery fiasco and almost called off the sale at the 2 hour point, I love my Model X!
I have had 2 service center visits and 2 mobile service appointments in 6 months of ownership. The 2 mobile visits I would rate 9/10. The SC visits I would rate at 9/10 and the other 6/10. The second SC visit was a 60 mile drive to get my car fixed 3 weeks sooner and they didn't even attempt to fix the problem it was in for or even contact me to know that it was ready! They did install the HW3 computer though which required a second mobile visit as they broke my glove box hinge and one of the new fender cameras installed with the computer needed replacing as it was not working at all and throwing constant errors. The first mobile visit was to replace the voice command switches the car went into the service center to begin with; one would think after a 10 day wait they would have the switches. The good news is they fixed it in my driveway 5 days later.
My son has a Model 3 and no service visits in his 14 months of ownership. When he lost his key card in Yellowstone, the Cherry Creek SC gave him a replacement one and the micro-USB cable for his console they didn't have at delivery. They were really nice--the nicest of the 4 service centers we have been to. He had a really good delivery there.
Bottom line: I have had some horrendous experiences over the past 50 years at dealerships and almost always go with my trusted ICE mechanic instead. Even my worst Tesla service experience is FAR better than almost every dealer service experience. I also learned it is worth waiting for your chosen Tesla service center, if possible. Most of my family have worked for Big 3 Auto so I get the family discount; but I would never go back to an ICE machine! And with as bad as my delivery experience was regional management did make changes quickly to avoid further fiascos.
The coolest thing is that my car is better and more fun to drive now than when I bought it due to software updates! Tomorrow my Model X will have 19000 miles on it; it is the most fun vehicle I have ever owned!
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