Long term(ish) Model 3 owners, how reliable has the car been to you?

[astrowunder]

Oct 2018, 37k miles, stealth P3d. Top glass cracked on the heating element replaced for free. Tires went after 25k miles, but I've done a few track drag races and every stop light is an adventure. Front windshield seems prone to pitting. Paint is meh. Possibly best money I ever spent. Just an amazing piece of engineering. The driving experience is like no other.

 

[TheWhiteEGG]

Year: 2019
Mileage: 25,571

Everything is smooth so far (knock on wood). Just a horrible stench everything the A/C comes on for about 5 minutes. Have to lower the windows. I brought it into the service center 3 times for it to be corrected because it just stinks. Still waiting for it to be corrected.

 

[Daniellane]

April 2018 mid 15k vin Model 3 LR RWD.
~17,000 miles Only issue was loss of LTE. Happened twice. First time Comm board replaced.
Second time they replaced the whole computer (Which has since been upgraded to version 3 FSD computer.)
Amazing service at SC.
Otherwise perfect.
great car !!!!!!!

 

[Jeff Davlt]

I get that as a sort of "beeping" sound between 82 and 83 mph. It has always been there, from the start. I treat it as an audio speed warning.

View attachment 544749
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If I recall correctly this is purposeful. Sustained driving (or flying) at 88 miles per hour can lead to time travel. This is simply your 5 mph warning.

 

[SammichLover]

If I recall correctly this is purposeful. Sustained driving (or flying) at 88 miles per hour can lead to time travel. This is simply your 5 mph warning.

There is that!

More importantly 82mph in a 65mph zone costs me a 3 point ticket that goes against 9-points-in-3-years limit for my CDL.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

Year: 2019
Mileage: 25,571

Everything is smooth so far (knock on wood). Just a horrible stench everything the A/C comes on for about 5 minutes. Have to lower the windows. I brought it into the service center 3 times for it to be corrected because it just stinks. Still waiting for it to be corrected.

That stinky AC smell is a known issue going back a year or more, surprised the service center haven’t rectified it. There’s a clean out service that I believe costs $150. Some owners have been able to get them to do it free during the warranty period although I was not able to. Paid the Alpharetta, GA service center to perform this service last summer and haven’t had the issue since then. Well worth it IMO.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

July 2018 build. Stealth 3 (so, one of the first few thousand to pass through the tent). 38,000 miles so far.

Zero reliability issues. only thing was the condensation in the left taillight (I've actually had it fixed twice via mobile ranger), but it's been fine for almost a year now.

but as far as driving, brakes, suspension, etc.....most reliable car I've had.

 

[SammichLover]

That stinky AC smell is a known issue going back a year or more, surprised the service center haven’t rectified it. There’s a clean out service that I believe costs $150. Some owners have been able to get them to do it free during the warranty period although I was not able to. Paid the Alpharetta, GA service center to perform this service last summer and haven’t had the issue since then. Well worth it IMO.

I assume it involves pulling apart the dash(?) to access the condensation collection pan where the cooling coils are. Probably cleaning the coils, too. Do you know what fluid they use to clean it out?

 

[israndy]

I am curious to hear how they fix the AC too, as we go out of warranty we will be responsible for maintenance and if there is no fix, just a flush, they should tell us how to do it.

Both my 3 have front motor whine... I haven't read anything here of people with RWD cars complaining of whine...

I have ALWAYS heard the whine when driving a Model S (Service loaner or test drive), but my TM3 is almost silent. Makes me very happy.

 

[Needsdecaf]

35,000 miles on a November 2018 build LRAWD. Issues that I had corrected:

1. Bad sound quality on phone calls...callers could not hear me well. Upper module above rear view mirror containing microphones replaced.
2. Driver's seat exhibited excessive rocking. Took several visits but apparently there was an updated bolt for the seat which was replaced.
3. Front undertray ripped off in heavy rain. Replaced with updated part under warranty. Some subsequent owners have not had luck getting this replaced without paying for it.

I have the feeling there is more but I can't think of any. Oh, had one windshield replaced due to rock strike and the second was repaired twice. Tesla windshields seem pretty vulnerable.

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

I assume it involves pulling apart the dash(?) to access the condensation collection pan where the cooling coils are. Probably cleaning the coils, too. Do you know what fluid they use to clean it out?

Sorry, I don’t know what they used, only that it worked and I’m glad I got it done. There are several threads on this issue along with some good DIY videos if you want to attempt yourself. Here’s a link to one such video:

 

[Sandiegodoug]

That is the stuff Tesla Miramar uses. I bought on amazon, bought 2 filters from Tesla. They told me to buy on amazon. Cost for that plus filters like 50 or so.

 

[Azlope]

Live in AZ took delivery July 2018. Have a little of 40K miles. Have made 3 cross country Road Trips with ZERO issues. I have Enhanced Autopilot. is it perfect, no. is it repeatable yes. For example once you know that a car turning or crossing in front of you it will brake, you just have apply a little accelerator and override. I have seen gradual improvement with braking. On the Highway, driving for 15 hours is not tiring at all and makes a 15 hour driving day a breeze. it also makes looking at the scenery relaxing. My favorite Road Trip Car.

 

[israndy]

OK, seems there are some common warranty issues lots of people are having (mine chronologically are the first group)

• Shock tower swap for squeak on bumps
• Blinker arm for delaminating
• UMC swap for charging errors
• Seat surround came off seat, wouldn't clip back in
• Rear door handles swapped for not snapping shut when released
• Rear window not closing, calibration error but had to be fixed by a mobile tech
• B pillar camera swapped for condensation error in Autopilot

• Early glovebox swapped for popping open
• Tail and headlights swapped for condensation issues
• Rear door seals swapped for bowing out
• Frunk actuators swapped for latching issues
• Triangle seals swapped to cut down wind noise
• Bottom pan damaged or knocked off from road debris
• Musty AC smell
• Roof glass cracks

Not a comprehensive list, just issues I saw more than once, like paint and damaged suspension I left off.

 

[Twiglett]

May 18 Model 3 LR-RWD 34k miles
list of warranty things
one taillight - moisture in the lens
both headlights - signature lights failed 3 months apart, this was an issue with early headlights
replaced charger central pins - part of service notice
HW3 FSD computer upgraded
HV battery checked and contactor replaced. While the HV battery was disconnected over night it discharged the 12v, so they replaced it. All this was done when car was in to get HW3 computer. This was the first time I'd been to the service center in over a year.

About the replace tires. I got mobile service to rotate the tires twice just from laziness on my part. When I replace them I'll just use Discount Tire, the local shop knows how to lift Teslas now so Isn't a concern.

 

[Twiglett]

Triangle seals swapped to cut down wind noise

Which triangle seals do you mean?
If its the ones at the front I'll have to try to get them replaced. My car has an intermittent noise coming from there.

 

[mike123abc]

At 54k miles now. On my 3rd set of tires.

12v battery replaced early on (first few thousand miles), factory defective. No charge.

Had a wheel alignment done after bad uneven wear discovered on the second set of tires. If I had spotted it much earlier probably would still be on second set of tires.

Had a tire fragment hit the front of the car resulting in broken fog lamp, 2 ultrasonic sensors knocked lose, and tow hook cover lost. All repaired by Tesla mobile, had $474 cost. Picture of offending tire fragment below!

Just recently had the top part of a charging pin break off. It still charges, Tesla service set to come out next week. I do not know if there will be a charge since I think there is a TSB on it.

 

[VT_EE]

Which triangle seals do you mean?
If its the ones at the front I'll have to try to get them replaced. My car has an intermittent noise coming from there.

The seals behind the tweeters. I had one replaced and it fixed my wind problem.

 

[RayK]

More importantly 82mph in a 65mph zone costs me a 3 point ticket that goes against 9-points-in-3-years limit for my CDL.

Not eligible for traffic school to keep it off your record?

 

[SammichLover]

Not eligible for traffic school to keep it off your record?

Nope, not as a CDL holder. It's a perk! Same as LEO don't require a judge to issue a warrant to test a CDL holder for DUI. In fact if I say ran up 9 points in a single year and "won" the lottery to get randomly audited** I could potentially get my CDL suspended even without hitting the 10 points.

Only way to avoid it is fight and win in court....or just ditch court and risk a warrant getting issued against you. No "guilty" judgement, no points! YMMV

** Hitting 10 points, a DUI, speeding ticket in excess of 35MPH (I think?) over posted, and a few other things auto-trigger a review and very likely suspension of some sort. However TX DOT randomly pulls and reviews a sampling of the records of CDL holders each year. They're looking for things like unreported out-of-state tickets, very fast accumulation of points, etc.