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

[The_Observer]

Hey all,

Are there any older Model 3 owners here, maybe from 2017 model year? How reliable has the car been to you? Any big or small issues that people may have had?

As the 4 year bumper to bumper warranty have starting to run out for older owners(or might have already run out from high mileage), do you think the car will be reliable enough to be kept for a long time? Just wanted to hear people's opinions on this topic, that's all.

 

[trojaneen]

March 2018 delivery, with 21,000 miles and at least 7 road trips of 1,000+ miles. We’ve had zero issues. The car has been incredible. (Knocking on wood now.)

 

[user212_nr]

As the 4 year bumper to bumper warranty have starting to run out for older owners(or might have already run out from high mileage), do you think the car will be reliable enough to be kept for a long time? Just wanted to hear people's opinions on this topic, that's all.

Tesla Model S is known for its high mileage. 300,000 to 500,000 miles is a reasonable life expectancy for them, and I don't see any reason to think that the Model 3 will be any different. I think the 300,000 miles milestone has already been reached for some 3s.

Obviously there are a certain percent of owners who get many defects and think naturally that all the cars are defective.

Tesla owner breaks record, drives car 900,000 kilometers

There are more such links, but can't find them.

 

[Birdman325]

October 2018 with about 28,000 km. Had the rear suspension "creak" which was fixed under warranty, and the torn composite under carriage cover (which I had to pay for).
Other than that, pretty much nothing.

 

[SammichLover]

Hey all,

Are there any older Model 3 owners here, maybe from 2017 model year? How reliable has the car been to you? Any big or small issues that people may have had?

As the 4 year bumper to bumper warranty have starting to run out for older owners(or might have already run out from high mileage), do you think the car will be reliable enough to be kept for a long time? Just wanted to hear people's opinions on this topic, that's all.

I'm the other side of bumper-to-bumper, >60,000 miles (Aug 2018 built AWD). Won't lie, I've driven it hard. Like "take it to the race track" hard. That'll shake out problems that most people will never see.

Right as warranty was running out one of my front suspension upper arms went "creaky", got it replaced as a freebie. Odometer was actually over 50K at the time, but I'd phoned in the complaint and they'd started investigation prior to 50K. At the time I also had them re-align the front driver seat. The side of the back was touching the center console lid, so it'd squeak when cold.

A number of little squeaks and rattles over time. That absolutely MUST be fixed because of how quiet the car is. Made a point to watch the techs fixing them for me so I'm actually getting pretty good at handling it myself, now. I believe at one point, maybe 20K, Tesla replaced the rear shock because when I had it in they noticed it was making a bit of a noise (I hadn't noticed it!).

Umm, at about 35K the frunk had an issue, it'd pop up from the first latch. The second latch would hold it, so not really a safety concern but it happened on a cross-continent road trip ahead of a long weekend a good ways from a SC so was a bit inconvenient. Only took 5 minutes for the tech to fix the latch alignment. Same trip it complained about the sensor in the front passenger seat, had to get them to replace that.

Ah, other things. Had the front right boot go very, very early. Not sure if was manufacturing issue or road damage. Tesla replaced the whole half-shaft. Also front alignment was out so early that it might have come from the factory that way.

Oh, and one of those race track days I melted the higher performance aftermarket pads. But given how well the rotors held up, getting turned and they were like new, I'd say that was a W for quality.

That's pretty much it.

 

[user212_nr]

Made a point to watch the techs fixing them for me so I'm actually getting pretty good at handling it myself, now.

What are the fixes? I have had a few door creaks, but while debating whether take it or not, they have gone away.

 

[ALSETJC]

Other than fit and finish issues such as door alignment and emblem on delivery it has been incredibly reliable . Very surprising as I expected more issues. Dec2018 and 2 winters

 

[Wennfred]

 

[jjrandorin]

22k miles on my dec 2018 Model 3, and my "issues" have been things like:

1. Getting the rear spoiler that was supposed to come with my car installed, then installed again, then installed again, because they kept lifting off (finally got one that is doing ok now)

2. Buying (2) rims and tires due to hitting potholes on the 20 inch factory standard rims and tires my model 3P came with

3.getting my hardware 3 installed

4. getting my referral wheels installed

Translation... no real problems for me. My car shows rated range of 270-271 miles at 90%, is set to charge to 90%, and has been reliable and fun to drive. A few squeaks / rattles, which are somewhat annoying in a car that is this quiet if you dont listen to music or something... but those come and go (rattles). I am still very happy with my car. In fact, normally around this time (having a car for a year and half), I start thinking about my next lease, and lamenting that "the new ones come with XXX and YYY feature that isnt on mine).

I would have had to lease the new one to get those features, but this car I dont currently have that issue. I see owning this one for a long time, unless they come out with a model 3 with a "floating T" front end. The look of the front of the car is the thing I dislike the most, and thats a 1st world car problem if I have ever heard of one.

 

[EinSV]

Two Model 3s -- one early July 2018 and one December 2018.

Zero reliability issues so far, with two-year service on the first one coming up in about a month.

 

[Zaxxon]

May 2018 delivery here, about to hit 30k miles. No issues since a couple of small for and finish fixes after delivery. Love the car so much that my wife got an X...

 

[run-the-joules]

Jan 2018 build:

UMC replaced
Driver headlight replaced (twice)
Front passenger spring and damper replaced
Some seal on the trunk lid replaced
Replace Front Stabilizer Bar Links Due to Ball Joint Stud Cracking
Passenger upper control arm replaced. Sounds like I'm going to have to get driver done, too.

Plus a few random service programs during those services, like charger pin deadfronts, battery breather valves, etc.


Wasn't until I went through records just now that I see how much of a disaster the front suspension and steering system has been :|

 

[Venomized]

Almost 50k miles and everything has been fine. Replaced my first set of wheels at 33k miles.

 

[DavidElg]

My almost 2 year old Model 3, with nearly 50,000 miles, had it's first tow just a few days ago. I received a warning that the 12V battery needed to be replaced and the next day it wouldn't completely power on. Battery replaced at the Service Center at no cost to me. Only thing I've ever paid for was replacement tires.

 

[SlimJim]

My 1 year old SR still drives like dream.

 

[run-the-joules]

Almost 50k miles and everything has been fine. Replaced my first set of wheels at 33k miles.

wheels? Or tires?

 

[SammichLover]

This is really good. I've seen a few other videos from him and 'meh'. This is easily his most informative. I got that console wrap very early on, I could see that the piano finish (wrap, because it is actually a wrap Tesla uses there) was going to be a magnet for unhappiness. I'm not seeing what he has on the driver-side armrest, but I don't rest my arm there like that much, I guess?

What are the fixes? I have had a few door creaks, but while debating whether take it or not, they have gone away.

The biggest tip, your best tool for hunting stuff down, is to have friend drive. Especially for backseats. The second best tool is YouTube, there's all sorts of videos out there, good ones, for how to remove door panels, tweak things, remove steering wheel cowlings, disassemble the dash, and so on. The toughest part of digging into the trim is knowing where to go, how to attack it, and the stress of not knowing if you're prying the wrong way. Physically the parts are very Lego-like, so with a good video you'll have a lot more confidence and be able to do things that you did'n realize was easy.

The seatbelts and seatbelt assemblies are prime spots for rattles. If you rarely have people ride in the back you might even want to clip the belts into place and leave them there. Otherwise it is really easy for the side clips to end up in a spot where they'll tap on something, even the belt itself.

The window switches in the back have gotten loose on me twice.

One thing to watch for when trying to find the source of a noise is that noise from the wheel well liners tapping (and mine are covered in strategic locations now with felt tape) can easily echo into the cabin and sound like it is something inside.

That felt backed tape is actually very useful. The Tesla techs generally have a roll on hand, exactly for this purpose. One used some on the bare steering wheel assembly to keep the cowling from tapping on it, for example.

 

[Stanwood Steve]

No issues with my August 2018 M3P with almost 40,000 miles. It's been great and still a thrill to drive.

 

[LBusDoor90]

Flawless. Exact 2 year owner of an LR RWD one after standing in line in March 2016. 30,000 miles in, I've had mobile service replace cabin air filters while I worked once and after taking some nails in 2 tires that couldn't be repaired, bought new tires last week. The service at my local Tesla in both cases was awesome. I'm a teacher so I drive Lyft with it each summer where I get to answer questions and share how awesome a car it is.
I'm still amazed every time I drive it that 1) such a car exists and 2) that I own one.

 

[LGA737]

SN 0016xx - 45000 miles (DEC 2017 build)

No major issues, a handful of minor issues. I see no reason it won’t keep going strong. Way less maintenance than any other car I’ve ever owned.