Hello. Considering purchasing a Tesla. Have some questions...

[k.alexander]

Hello everyone.
We are considering purchasing our first electric car, a Tesla obviously; the car would be a daily driver for my wife.
I am a car enthusiast, know quiet a bit about car, can and often do more than basic maintenance on cars. I’m also a big techie. As such, am quiet familiar with Teslas. I’ve done a bit more updated research recently, brushing up on features, model comparisons, updates, etc.

What I would like to research and learn now is the stuff you can’t learn from the website or the blogs. I’m looking for realistic long-term feedback from actual owners as to any issues and/or problems they may have faced over the years; trying to get an honest understanding of the kind of maintenance and repairs the car would require, assuming it is kept 5-10 years. What breaks, what wears out, what needs special attention, what’s the real cost of ownership, etc. I like to do my research.

So the question is, are there any stickies or a good sub-forum on here to learn this info? Anywhere else online you’d recommend to do this research.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bmah]

Welcome to TMC! One place to start might be the forum specific to the model of Tesla you're considering (i.e. Model S, Model Y, etc.). You mentioned a 5-10 year ownership...please note that the only Teslas that are in that age range as of today are the Roadster and the Model S. For the newer models, there isn't quite that track record yet.

Bruce.

 

[F@kegman]

I think the battery issues are all behind us. Motors and drive units are sold and warrantied for a long time. Door handle issue is fixed. Don't buy a first year run because as with most new models that come out there are things that aren't perfect yet. Most people complain of paint, body panel fitment and intermittent issues when new software updates roll out. Brakes, tires, shocks, cabin air filters, wipers are normal maintenance items like any car. other then that there are no standard maintenance items.

 

[k.alexander]

Thank you for the responses so far, please keep them going.
To clarify, yes, looking at Model 3 or Y. We tend to buy cars new and keep them for a while, realistically 7-9 years. I understand that Model S is about the only Tesla with that much history; but also understand that battery longevity issues don't really exist. Please keep the comments coming.

What is the story with tires? Does Tesla require specific model tires, or is anything appropriately sized ok? My wife has an amazing ability to blow up tires and bend rims, if this was an olympic event, she'd be a champ.

Are maintenance and repairs required to be done at Tesla dealers? Can they be done at regular auto repair facilities? I know this sounds like a completely ridiculous question, but I guess I honestly don't know. I assume tires, brakes, shocks, etc., is all "old-school" stuff that anyone can do--hell, I've done all of those myself, time-permitting; but still, figured I'll ask.

I assume body repair can be done anywhere, if necessary, but anything requiring body panels being replaced probably requires going to a Tesla shop? Is it still true that a simple fender bender can take months and months to repair due to shortage of parts?

Thanks again.

 

[Tam]

...long-term feedback from actual owners as to any issues and/or problems they may have faced over the years...

Tesloop gives you what the maintenance/repairs were for the duration of 400K miles.

---

My 2012 Model S was quite reliable during the new warranty period but it had 3 repairs after the warranty ran out and it was still in excellent shape by the time I sold it near 100,000 miles, 6 years later:

1) Universal Mobile Unit Connector (to charge my car)
2) The famous MCU (central screen and its computer)
3) Heater

The above cost me about above $9,000 but it should be a little bit cheaper now.

It only needed one 12V battery pre-emptive replacement during the warranty for free but I've heard that you might need to change it much more often like every year or two. The cost would be about $280 out of warranty or much cheaper if you can do it yourself.

It also had a free and pre-emptive Drive Unit replacement near 100,000 miles but it's still running fine and I wouldn't replace it if it wasn't for the Service Center who did my 100,000 mile pre-paid annual maintenance.

Other consumable parts: 4 tires for $1,200 (Only changed once for almost 100,000 miles).

----

My 2017 Model X has not given me any problems but I did pay for some maintenance:

4 tires for $1,600.
MCU2 upgrade for $2,500

----

My 2018 Model 3 has not given me any problems and I have not paid for any maintenance so far.

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...Does Tesla require specific model tires...

If you want Tesla to service your tire service, then yes, it wants the same specific item that came with the car originally.

If you want others to do your tire service, then there's no need for the original specific requirement.

...Are maintenance and repairs required to be done at Tesla dealers?...

To be covered for new Tesla warranty, you DO NOT have to do maintenance on your Tesla cars.

...Can they be done at regular auto repair facilities?...

Your generic mechanic should be able to do routine maintenance for your Tesla cars such as changing HVAC filter, Tire Service, 12V battery replacement...

Your mechanic might need to do more research to do other things like HVAC, onboard chargers, MCU memory replacement...

...I assume tires, brakes, shocks, etc., is all "old-school" stuff that anyone can do--hell, I've done all of those myself, time-permitting; but still, figured I'll ask...

Yes.

...I assume body repair can be done anywhere...

Tesla prefers Tesla Certified Body Shops.

...Is it still true that a simple fender bender can take months and months to repair due to shortage of parts?...

Not for well-established productions such as Model S and X, and maybe 3.

But since Model Y is still new, I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a long time for body shop parts.

 

[Hblick48]

I've been wrenching on cars for 55 years. I have a 1976 TR7 that I purchased new. I'm the only one who has worked on that car since the 1 year warranty expired.

Purchased my MS in May...LOVE IT! Commented to wife "first car I've ever owned that I can't really wrench on." Wipers, tires, brakes, minor adjustments should still be within my abilities, that's it!

When warranty expires I plan trading in for another one with warranty. Retiring my wrenches.

Body work needs to be done by Tesla Authorized shops. They have better access to repair parts.

 

[k.alexander]

@Tam - looks like because I'm a new member, I can't "LIKE" replies yet, but thank you. Thanks to the other commenters as well. Please keep them coming.

 

[Saturday]

Other consumable parts: 4 tires for $1,200 (Only changed once for almost 100,000 miles)

One tire change over 100k miles? With that torque? What the heck kind of hero tires were those?

 

[Tam]

One tire change over 100k miles? With that torque? What the heck kind of hero tires were those?

I know! They are just standard old Goodyear tires. That's crazy but I only needed to replace my tires after 60,000 miles and by the time I sold them near 100,000 miles, they looked worn out but still not all the way down to the tread wear indicators/bars (I didn't have a tread gauge at that time). No such luck with Model X. I went ahead and replaced the set when it's near to 35,000 miles as I got the tread gauge by then and they were down to 4/32" or 3mm!

I use the automation system as much as possible (either simple cruise in the old days of 2012 or current Autopilot/FSD) and the "chill" mode for gentler acceleration.