Is Owning a Tesla Y Manageable in a State Without a Service Center?

[farmerinnorth]

Hello

I've been seriously considering getting a Tesla lately, but there's one aspect that's been on my mind – service and maintenance. I live in a state that doesn't have a Tesla service center, and I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this situation.

Questions on my mind:

1. Maintenance and Repairs: For those of you in states without a Tesla service center, how do you handle regular maintenance and minor repairs? Are there authorized third-party mechanics that can work on Teslas?

2. Roadside Assistance: In case of emergencies or breakdowns, has Tesla's roadside assistance been effective in providing support, even if you're far from a service center?

3. Personal Experiences: If you've faced any challenges or advantages specific to owning a Tesla in a state without a service center, I'd love to hear about your personal experiences.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

 

[dafish]

I’ve been towed in once, drove in once, and have another appt at the SC now. Meanwhile I‘ve had 3 on-site service calls. All in 6 months.

What would your plan be?

 

[farmerinnorth]

I’ve been towed in once, drove in once, and have another appt at the SC now. Meanwhile I‘ve had 3 on-site service calls. All in 6 months.

What would your plan be?

Do you mean to say that it's not a well-considered choice to purchase a vehicle without the convenience of a nearby service station? The closest one to where I am located is roughly 200 miles away.

 

[trm2]

I live roughly 20 miles (30 minutes) from a service center. That is about as far away as I would want to be while owning a Tesla.

 

[ATPMSD]

How much of a gambler are you?

I have owned my car for 3-years and it has never been to an SC. My philosophy is to never take my car to a Tesla SC unless I have no other options. In my case I have purchased tires, multiple tire rotations and alignments all done at local shops. I have replaced the cabin air filter as DIY and will do the same for the HEPA filter. I have also been lucky in that my 12V lead-acid battery has not failed.

Of course, not everyone will tell the same story on their experience with their car, although a lot of people take their cars to a Tesla SC when a local shop can do the work.

The question I suggest you need to consider is how often is too often for you to take your car to an SC if you have too. Also, assume you will have to get the car towed once every few years. And I am pretty sure Road Assistance will not be available to you, but I do not know for sure. So then, will this be acceptable to you?

 

[chan_man]

My closest SC is 2.5 hours away. I had to get the computer replace within the first 2 months, no screen etc. Called tesla roadside and they towed the car away, they gave me a rental and once done drove the rental to the SC and pickup my car. Have had many remote service for snow tires, brake service and some trim replacements. Gage your need based on how many times you existing car goes to a mechanic or dealership, should be close.

 

[Dantley]

My closest Service Center is 200+ miles away and I'm not nervous about the distance at all. I have had my MYLR six months haven't had to visit them yet. I did look at appointments, though, and it would be easy to schedule if needed.

 

[jjrandorin]

Do you mean to say that it's not a well-considered choice to purchase a vehicle without the convenience of a nearby service station? The closest one to where I am located is roughly 200 miles away.

I wouldnt buy ANY vehicle with those stated parameters, tesla or otherwise. I dont have that much risk tolerance. No matter how good something is, there is always the chance of problems.

If you were asking about buying an Audi, and the closest Audi dealership was 200 miles away, my answer would be the exact same one ("I definitely would not do that, what you do is up to you").

 

[father_of_6]

Perhaps they have a mobile ranger in your area?

My closest service center is 75 miles away. I've been there a few times. It's not great driving 3 hours round trip to the service center, but the car is worth it.

You'd essentially be commiting to a full day road trip for service center visits... two full days, actually (one to drop the car off, one to pick it up). Sometimes they don't have loaner vehicles, so that can be difficult.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't think of it as "maybe I won't have to go to the service center, so I'll take the risk and get the car"... I'd think of it as "I will have to go to the service center, am I willing to do that?" Then if you get lucky and never have to visit, so be it.

For maintenance items, there's really not much that you *have* to go to Tesla for... it's mostly tires. You could call around your area to see if any tire shops have the alignment specs... I had a hard time finding a local place that could do those.

You could reframe the situation, that might help. For instance, I drove 7 hours each way to pick my Model 3 up at purchase time. Some people would think of that as a major hassle for a car - but my wife and I treated it like a mini getaway. So perhaps if you do need service, if the service center is located in an area you'd like to visit, you could just make a fun day out of it.

Flexibility at work will be a factor too. If you have to bring the car in and pick it up 2 days later, you'll be taking days off. Something to think about.

Good luck!

 

[father_of_6]

As for the 12v battery, you *can* get those at typical auto stores... but the one Tesla sells is better for less money. Perhaps they ship those? I'm not sure... might be worth calling the parts department of your closest service center.

There are some maintenance items at like the 100k miles mark... coolant/transmission fluid/etc... I'm not actually sure, just guessing from memory. You can find those in the service manual on tesla.com. once again, you could just plan on making that trip a few years down the road.

I'm not advocating you buy (or don't buy) the car, just "talking out" what that could look like. It could totally go in the other direction as well and you could find yourself needing to visit that service center often. For the most part, these are very reliable vehicles. Maybe you can find others in SD near you that have first-hand experience.

 

[Zythryn]

When I bought my first Tesla, the closest service center was 500 miles away.
I took the car to local shops for tires and alignment.
Tesla remote service came out to my house for anything Tesla specific.

I’d check with Tesla to see if they provide remote service in your area. If so, I would not be concerned about service.

 

[colepalmer]

I live in Maine. The closest SC is 2 hrs and 15 minutes of interstate driving away. I picked the car up in NJ, 400 miles away. The very next day after delivery, the car was undrivable due to electrical problems. They sent a tow truck and took the car to Peabody, Mass. I could afford to live without the car for a few days. A few days turned into a week. I told them I needed a loaner which they took care of. I hired an Uber ride down which was paid for by Tesla to pick up the loaner. The car has run perfectly since then. There are Tesla Rangers around here, but I have not needed the service. I would buy another Tesla in a heartbeat as I was treated very fairly by them. The local Toyota dealer advertises that they will take care of Tesla cars such as tire rotations, wiper blades, etc...anything short of true service work. I will need my brakes serviced next spring and will likely drive down to Peabody Mass to have them do the work.

 

[father_of_6]

I will need my brakes serviced next spring and will likely drive down to Peabody Mass to have them do the work.

That's an interesting choice... anyone can do the brakes. I'm at 50k miles and the brakes are still like new since I barely use them (Regen braking).

 

[dafish]

Do you mean to say that it's not a well-considered choice to purchase a vehicle without the convenience of a nearby service station? The closest one to where I am located is roughly 200 miles away.

I think such a purchase should well consider the inevitable consequences of service needs. For me being 3 hours away, and likely outside of Tesla‘s free towing range, would be too much. It may not for you. I do think it prudent you are thinking it through first. I can say in todays world you have plenty of options.

 

[WyoDude]

Hello

I've been seriously considering getting a Tesla lately, but there's one aspect that's been on my mind – service and maintenance. I live in a state that doesn't have a Tesla service center, and I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this situation.

Questions on my mind:

1. Maintenance and Repairs: For those of you in states without a Tesla service center, how do you handle regular maintenance and minor repairs? Are there authorized third-party mechanics that can work on Teslas?

2. Roadside Assistance: In case of emergencies or breakdowns, has Tesla's roadside assistance been effective in providing support, even if you're far from a service center?

3. Personal Experiences: If you've faced any challenges or advantages specific to owning a Tesla in a state without a service center, I'd love to hear about your personal experiences.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

Manageable: yes
Worth the hassle: probably not

 

[father_of_6]

Manageable: yes
Worth the hassle: probably not

Manageable: yes
Worth the hassle: definitely maybe

 

[EVFamilyGrins]

TLDR - our Tesla's have been very reliable, and rarely use SC, but some issues can be fixed via Mobile service.

We are 20 Miles from SC, but rarely use. Wife's 2018 M3 has only been into SC 2 times in almost 5yrs, both covered by Tesla warranty. Once for repair to upper control arm and the other a recall to the back up camera wiring. Only has 31K miles with1 tire replacement which was done at local tire store (and they do rotations free as well). My 2018 MS with 97K miles has been in to SC 7 times and 5 Mobile visits. The SC visits: 2 for tire replacement, 2 related to FSD MCU upgrade, 1 for HVAC warning light, 1 to complete work from Mobile visit, 1 replace HVAC filters. Mobile visits: 2 to repair minor cosmetic trim issues identified on delivery (additional trip due to a wrong part on first visit), 1 to repair rear USB ports (ultimately resolved by SC due to part needing to be ordered) and 1 to repair broken side mirror and 1 to fix rear trunk latch.

If you remove the elective visits, that leaves 5 SC visits across both cars, which is way less than an ICE car would have. Other than the control arm and HVAC warning, all our issues were minor and could wait to be scheduled to accomodate a long trip to an SC

There are outliers, but our experience is Tesla's require minimal maintenance and having a SC near may not be an issue.

 

[johnny_cakes]

I wouldn't do it. My car has been to the SC 3 times in the first 6 months of my ownership. Luckily there are a few within a 30 minute drive. I did buy the car used, however.

 

[father_of_6]

I would definitely seek to find out if there exists a mobile service ranger in your area. That would make a pretty big difference.

 

[PACEMD]

I live in Billings Montana, nearest service center is 550 miles. With 70k miles on my M3P I have never needed a service center. I have had the Ranger out to my house three times. Once to install the garage door opener, once to replace the 12v battery at 68k miles, and once to replace the plastic/rubber pan under the front motor. The battery total cost was $95, the pan was covered under warranty, and the garage door opener was only the cost of the unit, no charge for the visit/work. For us in Montana, that distance is not so much an issue, but we're accustomed to that. Some people drive half of that to the grocery store. I just bought another new M3P, so yes, I'm good with that potential inconvenience. Not often or likely that you will need the service center.