-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Is this the right car for me? Advice needed!
- Thread starter NewageEr3
- Start date
You can start with this video:
Surely it differs from vehicle to vehicle, but all the important things on a Tesla such as battery, motor and the drive train in general is incredible reliable. When you read negative articles about Tesla reliable it is normaly about very minor things like door handles, rubber sealing etc..
Squeaks and rattles seems to be rather rare also.
The car is like a dream come true, you will never regret purchasing a Tesla!
Surely it differs from vehicle to vehicle, but all the important things on a Tesla such as battery, motor and the drive train in general is incredible reliable. When you read negative articles about Tesla reliable it is normaly about very minor things like door handles, rubber sealing etc..
Squeaks and rattles seems to be rather rare also.
The car is like a dream come true, you will never regret purchasing a Tesla!
verystandard
Member
Sounds like you live in Vancouver! I can't say much of myself as i only had the car for 2100km (1.5 months) and so far zero issues and from what i heard reliability is pretty good. Love the car as this feels like a spaceship compare to my previous car. However car repair and Parts availability (after crash) is another separate issues and that appears still one of the things I'm worry too (I keep telling my wife don't crash the car today)
Also if you lives in BC the insurance rate could be one of the factors as well (Thank you ICBC). If you are in BC I suggest you to get a quote first and see how much your rate is as this almost cost me $3800 CAD per year (clean driving record for 20 years but my wife have less than 10 years of driving experience)
9erDog
Member
10 months and over 11,000 miles. Had to have inside door panel insert on rear passenger side replaced (ranger did it in half hour), charge port door replaced (could have been fixed by gluing magnet back on but ranger replaced entire door in 15 minutes), J1772 adapter replaced, and steering wheel replaced at service center (not sure why as only issue was plastic piece that indicates gears on shifter stalk was lifting and could have been glued). Might be forgetting an item or two but none of these were critical - most were cosmetic. All happened in the first six months. Annoying but not really issues that I consider major. Car has been a dream and love not gassing up. Software/firmware updates provide new capabilities but can also introduce glitches for short periods of time. Others have had issues that are more significant but I will bet that the car has been demonstrated average reliability across all owners.
You should base your decision on your driving needs, charging availability, and financial status. Not sure about availability of service in your area either.
You should base your decision on your driving needs, charging availability, and financial status. Not sure about availability of service in your area either.
It is mostly reliable, however there are lots of glitches that could be annoying. They are due to the fact that the car is acomputer on wheel and like any computer. The car is great to drive but don't count on it to save money because of high gas price. It is not a rational purchase...but it is too much fun ! 
ATC@LWSK
Member
If you’re in BC, the SR+ qualifies for both the federal and provincial incentive (C$5000 + C$5000). Don’t wait!
And you’re welcome
And you’re welcome
golfpilot
Member
I'm at 22k on mine and had a piece of felt placed in the dash from a day1 creak and rotated the tires once at 21k miles (nearly even wear but will aim for 4 rotations for life of tire on the next set).
The car has just barely been in the mass market for a year, although in limited production for just about 2. So there isn't much legacy. If you look at the Model S and X, they have been generally good.
My LR RWD Model 3 at 18,733 mi hasn't had an issue.
It had a 800 mile trip last weekend and has had much longer.
EVs inherently have less issues because they have significantly less parts. While there's been the paint and finish issues, I haven't heard a lot of functionality issues. Of course I discount any Self Driving issues since it is in beta and doesn't impact basic driving.
It's an electric car and as such, and since you are in the colder climates, expect to get a 30% degradation in range during the colder months. And when sizing the battery, also assume that you want to leave about 20% reserve (as you would do in any car). So if you have a 150 mile commute, you'll want a 300 mile range. But if you only have a 30 mile commute, as most people do, then you would only need a 60 mile range.
It is best when you can charge at home. Not only is energy generally cheaper, its an experience thing. Not ever having to worry about filling your car is liberating. I personally only plug in at home once or twice a week. I do have to charge on road trips, which with a little thought, often get combined with meals and breaks.
It's an awesome car, but don't forget that most all of the EVs available are pretty awesome. So if a Tesla s a stretch, look at some of the other vehicles out there.
My LR RWD Model 3 at 18,733 mi hasn't had an issue.
It had a 800 mile trip last weekend and has had much longer.
EVs inherently have less issues because they have significantly less parts. While there's been the paint and finish issues, I haven't heard a lot of functionality issues. Of course I discount any Self Driving issues since it is in beta and doesn't impact basic driving.
It's an electric car and as such, and since you are in the colder climates, expect to get a 30% degradation in range during the colder months. And when sizing the battery, also assume that you want to leave about 20% reserve (as you would do in any car). So if you have a 150 mile commute, you'll want a 300 mile range. But if you only have a 30 mile commute, as most people do, then you would only need a 60 mile range.
It is best when you can charge at home. Not only is energy generally cheaper, its an experience thing. Not ever having to worry about filling your car is liberating. I personally only plug in at home once or twice a week. I do have to charge on road trips, which with a little thought, often get combined with meals and breaks.
It's an awesome car, but don't forget that most all of the EVs available are pretty awesome. So if a Tesla s a stretch, look at some of the other vehicles out there.
verystandard
Member
Yes, it is THAT MUCH. If my wife also have 10 years + Driving experience i can lower the insurance cost a bit more. Also by going to 3rd party insurance company (such as BCAA) for the comprehensive insurance you can also lower the price a bit further too.
By the way my other car (2012 Prius C), insurance is $2400 in Vancouver with ICBC (Roadstar Gold)
Leafdriver333
Somewhat Active Member
Can I ask thoughts on autopilot? I drive 20 miles, all freeway, to work, it’s michigan so no traffic backups. I think traffic aware cruise sounds great but am worried that I will be drawn to playing with my phone if I get autopilot. Also the $3,000 (for SR) is near that top of what I can pay.
devilmountain
Member
My car is a May 2018 build.
My Issues
The dash annoys me the most because I take great care of the car and I see a few scratches on it. Other than that I love the car and its the best car I have ever owned or driven. My wife didn't get the hype until she started driving my model 3 and ten months later she sold her Explorer and bought a mid range. I have 10k miles on my car now.
My Issues
- The dash seems to scratch really easy even though I have only used microfiber clothes on it
- I have an annoying rattle in the drivers door and I plan on fixing it myself.
- Magnet fell off the charging door and I super glued it back
- I hate parking in parking lots because I love the car
The dash annoys me the most because I take great care of the car and I see a few scratches on it. Other than that I love the car and its the best car I have ever owned or driven. My wife didn't get the hype until she started driving my model 3 and ten months later she sold her Explorer and bought a mid range. I have 10k miles on my car now.
I have 11K miles since Jul 2018. I’ve had no mechanical issues and not much in the way of soft ware glitches. I love the car. If you are intolerant of imperfect software this is not the car for you. If you are okay being a guinea pig and feel like it’s xmas when you see “Update Available” you’ll love this car. I find Autopilot makes me feel more relaxed after drives.
9erDog
Member
I find EAP to be useful. I still am monitoring auto steer closely and TACC has been useful in all kinds of traffic. Overall it reduces fatigue but doesn’t eliminate the need to pay attention so I find myself not using my phone more. You should make a prudent financial decision. You could buy in later (not sure if it will be cheaper or more expensive) if you can’t make it work now. Great thing about the car is that it’s fun to drive and it’s fun to let it drive.
Put some Armor All on the dash. I had the same problem and now it looks great.
dmd2005
Active Member
I live in the Lower Mainland as well and I’m happy to drive by gas stations with signs saying $1.72.9/L and feel sorry for the people lining up at Costco gas stations to save $0.10/L.
I know a bunch of people with 3’s and we have no reliability issues that aren’t covered under warranty. I did have an oil pump failure at 3000km into ownership that was fixed within a week. I also had a software glitch that wouldn’t update and I requested a new over the air update that was pushed to me in one day. The 3 isn’t perfect, but the VW’s, Infiniti, Toyotas, and Acuras I’ve owned in the past aren’t perfect either.
Overall, after 7 months and 8000km I have no regrets trading in my Model S for the 3.
At the moment, there is a 7500km free Supercharging credit if you have a referral code (PM if you need a code and don’t have one) on top of $5K BC incentive and $5K federal rebate for a Model 3 SR- or SR+. Good luck with your decision if you get a 3 or even another EV.
I know a bunch of people with 3’s and we have no reliability issues that aren’t covered under warranty. I did have an oil pump failure at 3000km into ownership that was fixed within a week. I also had a software glitch that wouldn’t update and I requested a new over the air update that was pushed to me in one day. The 3 isn’t perfect, but the VW’s, Infiniti, Toyotas, and Acuras I’ve owned in the past aren’t perfect either.
Overall, after 7 months and 8000km I have no regrets trading in my Model S for the 3.
At the moment, there is a 7500km free Supercharging credit if you have a referral code (PM if you need a code and don’t have one) on top of $5K BC incentive and $5K federal rebate for a Model 3 SR- or SR+. Good luck with your decision if you get a 3 or even another EV.
