Hidden costs behind the Model S ?

[Swissmoneychf]

Hey all,

first of all, please excuse my english. My first language is french and my english isn't that good. Hope you'll understand me

So, I live in Swizerland, have a small company and i'm thinking about leasing a Model S 90D under my company (more than thinking actually, if everything's ok I'll have it in maximum 6 months).

The fact is, my company can affort the lease etc. but I'm far from "rich". So is there anything I should know before ordering it ?

I'm on this forum for 3 months already, reading almost every thread and just found yesterday that we have to change the 12V battery minimum 1 time a year. Pretty strange but that's fine. What else should I know ?? I'm especially afraid of any thing that can happen and that's not taken by the original warranty. I can't even think about repairing something that cost me 5-10k, can't afford it.

And what about the 21inch tires, do we really have to change them every 10k km ? That's already a "huge" investment if we buy them @tesla.

So yeah, any advice is welcome, thank you by advance.

Regards

 

[gimmi80]

change 12v battery every 12 months? who said that...
change tires every 10k Km (?) (6k miles ?) who said that...

In my experience (14 months of ownership and 40k miles (65k km) this is a relatively maintenance free car.
If any you might have reduced cost of ownership compared to a gas/diesel car.

The only areas where I see your cost might go up are related to the social status of owning a luxury sedan (of which I don't care, but I see how somebody could be affected by it). Such as:
-) tipping more at valet parking and similar
-) prefer a valet parking vs a free parking down the street
-) being more likely to take your car when you go out with friends and having to pay for related expenses (parking, valet, car wash)
-) becoming car neat freak and paying for related expenses (more car wash, wax, clear protectant and similar)
-) concerns about safety of your car and/or driver (investment in dashboard camera, more coverage with insurance etc).

I'm still on the original set of tires and they are not even halfway through, but I'm on the 19'' I'm sure it's different for 21''. Personally I don't like 21''.

 

[Todd Burch]

I get 40k miles on my tires (P85) and 2 years into this car I'm still on the original 12v battery.

And your English is just fine.

By the way, I recommend 20" or 19" tires. The sidewall is so small on the 21s that not only will you have a harsher ride, your chances of an expensive blowout are larger. (Plus, 21" tires are more expensive).

 

[Xenius]

Depending on your level of narcissism you may need to plan for a face lift to remove the wrinkles from the big grin that will be permanently stuck on your face

 

[MickC]

Bonjour CHF,

In my opinion there are only the extra costs of a charging infrastructure (wall connector, charging cables,...).
It's not true that you have to change the battery and tires so quickly.

Maybe 19" tires are a better option for you? Tires for the 19" are cheaper than for the 21" and rim damage risk is also smaller.
Normally there are a lot of swiss people who can give you details as there are many Tesla's in Switzerland.

 

[msnow]

My question is where would you get your car serviced. Would you be relatively close to a Tesla Service Center?

 

[WannabeOwner]

The fact is, my company can afford the lease etc. but I'm far from "rich". So is there anything I should know before ordering it ?

I suggest you look at Total Cost of Ownership, in particular if you are a high-mileage driver. For anyone doing 20,000 miles / 30,000 km per year the savings comparing Electricity to Petrol are significant (typically 1/4 to 1/5th, less if you can charge at work / Supercharger), and might offset some of your other worries.

As a company car you could charge more at work than at home. My commute is 40 miles each way, so Monday - Friday I charge the car at work and don't bother to charge at home - unless going on long business journey following morning. We have off-peak electricity at night here, so charging is cheaper than normal day-time tariff.

Do you have tax incentives if buying an electric car? in UK we have 100% first-year-write-off against tax - that's a significant incentive

You may want to buy: Chademo charging adaptor; better audio; a set of rims and snow tyres for Winter?; maybe a "wrap" for the car paint to protect your expensive purchase. Plus whatever features you want of course but, personally, I would stick with 19" wheels unless your roads in CH are nice and smooth with no potholes

 

[Swissmoneychf]

"change 12v battery every 12 months? who said that..."

Near annual replacement of 12V battery is typical according to Tesla Service Tech

"change tires every 10k Km (?) (6k miles ?) who said that..."

I don't remember but that's what I noticed while reading the "problems" section of this forum. But according to the answers I'm getting, It's not true, excellent news then !

"By the way, I recommend 20" or 19" tires. The sidewall is so small on the 21s that not only will you have a harsher ride, your chances of an expensive blowout are larger. (Plus, 21" tires are more expensive)."

"Maybe 19" tires are a better option for you? Tires for the 19" are cheaper than for the 21" and rim damage risk is also smaller."

True about the harsher ride and more expensive, I saw 2 Model S sitting next to each other in my service center, one with 19" rims and one with 21", the 19 looks very small... Didn't see any 20 yet, I'll maybe change my mind if I see it ^^

"And your English is just fine."

Thank's

"My question is where would you get your car serviced. Would you be relatively close to a Tesla Service Center?"

I live close to one, 20km ! You ask about the "Tesla Rangers" right ? No problem about that.

Looks like the 12v battery problem is not equal to everyone, but I must admit that I already feel better ^^ thank's for the answers, let's see what the other people think.

 

[DjiM]

So yeah, any advice is welcome, thank you by advance.

Regarding the 12V battery: mine is almost 2 years old and still going strong (touching wood). For the tires: I have 19" on my car and I expect to do at least 60.000km (~40.000 miles) with them. 21" performance tires are softer and will require switching way more often. To add insult to injury, thay are also more expensive. The 19" good years don't have any noteworthy trouble to put the power of the P85 on the pavement and give a more comfy ride. I would recommend 19".

For me, the "hidden costs" are in the charging infrastructure at home and in the additional expenses at restaurants while supercharging. In Switzerland, the Mövenpick Hotel's restaurant at the Egerkingen supercharger is my personal favourite ;-)

 

[kirkbauer]

My big regret was getting the 21" wheels. Unless you NEVER hit a pothole save yourself the USD $5k and the extra tire costs and get the 19" wheels. If you don't like the look then buy 20" aftermarket.

I spent $5k on the 21" wheels. The very first pothole I hit (going <35mph) I lost two tires and had to be towed about 75 miles to the nearest service center. Two new tires, towing, and alignment cost about $1200. Then < 2 months later I don't even think I hit a pothole (although it is possible the service center did) I noticed one of my wheels was cracked. That would have been about $1500 to replace. Instead I spent $2k on a full set of aftermarket 20" wheels and aftermarket 20" tires (those tires are ~$1k for a set rather than ~$2k for a set and last twice as long).

 

[Vegas]

I have a P90D with 21 inch wheels. They look great and make the handling of the car far more direc t than with the 19'. BUT I don;t recommend them. The ride is rougher and I'm contantly on the look out for pot holes. I agree with Kirkbauer. btw you english is much better than my french! Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Swissmoneychf]

@kirkbauer I feel sorry for you, what a waste of money. You guys are scaring me, is your problem the potholes only ?? Because around here in Swizerland there's no potholes at all... The only thing I used to hit with my actual car is the "sidewalks" (not sure if it's called like that), my rims are a bit scratched but that's all... And I saw there's rims protection that we can buy to avoid that kind of inconvinience. I feel confused now

 

[Don85D]

We configured our 85D with 19 inch wheels and they are correct for the car on every day roads. 21 inch rims for track days would make more sense. Low profile tires will break free without warning when pushed hard into corners. I would avoid them as they are mostly for style.

Our cost of operation has been very low. No warranty repairs and SW updates seem to take care of little bugs. The car gets better with age.

We used our government tax rebate to install a small 20 panel solar array so our car runs on sunshine. The fuel cost savings over a year are impressive for local driving and when touring Surcharging and destination charging have been free.

For a company car the business case makes sense.

 

[kort677]

I think the biggest surprise/hidden costs of owning the tesla is the extreme costs of body repair of your car. if you car needs body work you are held hostage to tesla because they are the only ones who are able to supply replacement parts and only tesla certified shops can gain access to those replacement parts. because of this "monopoly" costs are severely inflated.

 

[Swissmoneychf]

I think the biggest surprise/hidden costs of owning the tesla is the extreme costs of body repair of your car. if you car needs body work you are held hostage to tesla because they are the only ones who are able to supply replacement parts and only tesla certified shops can gain access to those replacement parts. because of this "monopoly" costs are severely inflated.

And what do the insurances think about that ? Will this be a problem if I'm "well" assured ?

 

[kort677]

And what do the insurances think about that ? Will this be a problem if I'm "well" assured ?

I can't say, especially since you are there and I am here in the USA. I do know that some insurance companies here are raising premiums because of the high costs of repair.

 

[gde_eu]

Our total cost of operation were very low so far. (You can contact me in private for more local information, in French as well).

 

[STbreaker]

-) becoming car neat freak and paying for related expenses (more car wash, wax, clear protectant and similar)
-) concerns about safety of your car and/or driver (investment in dashboard camera, more coverage with insurance etc).
'.

Definitely agree with this post.
- I didn't even know what XPEL/opticoat were until I started thinking about buying this car. Now I'm about to spend more than $3K on them
- I also just bought a dashcam, which I had never looked into either. Will install it myself to save that money, but doesn't seem too difficult
- I'm not sure what your insurance situation is like, but it costs like twice as much per month as my previous ($20K sticker price) car.
- Definitely get the 19" wheels. You can always powder coat if you just like the grey.

While assuredly less than gas for a comparable ICE, charging may potentially cost more than you think. After the initial NEMA or HPWC install, you'll realize that the car does randomly draw power for battery conditioning and other "maintenance" while parked. Also, if you're driving fast or using the climate control in extreme conditions (particularly the heating), you're going to be using more energy than the Tesla site estimates.

In spite of that stuff, I think it will cost less in the long run. Most of the cost is up front

 

[iffatall]

I have had my car for 2.5 years, 35k miles, with 19" wheels. So far, I have neither replaced the 12V battery nor the tires. Although I am planning to get new tires in the next couple of months.

To me, the biggest expenses are the insurance and registration fees.

 

[kort677]

To me, the biggest expenses are the insurance and registration fees.

I'm not trying to provoke an argument but these costs are hardly unique to owning a tesla, all states have auto registration fees, some more onerous than others, and almost all states require some sort of proof of liability insurance, again costs vary by location.