Longer Term Repairs and Maintenance

[caffeinated]

A question for Y owners with previous Tesla experience. After the 4 year warranty is up, what do you expect in terms of regular maintenance and not so regular repairs? Would you take it to a local reputable mechanic, or would you only take it to Tesla service centers? Or are you planning to sell/turn it in before the warranty period is over?

We've tended to purchase extremely reliable Toyotas and Hondas in the past, but our Nissan Leaf was better as it hasn't needed any annoying oil changes. It has had a minor recall or two, but we've never taken it into Nissan for service outside of that. Replaced the 12V battery preemptively ourselves at 5 years. And, that's it! I am hoping the MY would be similar, but all these reports of fit and finish issues..... I'd like to think that although the initial purchase price is high (compared to other cars we've owned anyway), it will be very low cost after that. Of course no one knows for sure with the Y since it is new, but does that seem likely?

 

[AxlxA]

From the model 3 owners, the only non-ordinary thing is 12v battery every few years. I've been seeing a lot of noises from the front control arm. Like squeeking noises. Dunno how much this would cost out of warranty. Interior holds up well. Motors are suppose to be good too.
Wiper fluid, air filter every year or every 2. If you use AC a lot, higher chance for that moldy smell (liquid condensing where it doesn't get vented so it's a petri dish for growth), tires often.

 

[Mightybhwk]

Thanks Caffeinated for posting this question. I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger on getting a Y and was wondering the same thing, I heard/read about people having 4-5 trips to the SC in the first year but really not much after the initial problems. But I went on a test drive this past weekend and saw a bunch of "older" Teslas in the back lot and we were delayed by a truck unloading what looked like crates with battery packs. We understand that they are still cars and things need servicing but were wondering what types of problems they were. I know it's hard to judge since the 3 and the Y are still relatively young but it's not a cheap car (at least for my family) and it's going to be an investment. My last two cars I've kept for 10+ years each but they were both ICE cars and I was able to fix things myself. I'm getting tired of that and that's why I want a EV. Color/wheel choice are weighing more on my decision that long term reliability.

 

[BLW2]

CV shafts?
that's a concern I have about Teslas.... the last front wheel drive car I had was an acura. It was fine till they went out....high miles so not premature. I had lots of issues replacements. I had even gone OEM and spent more for them at the dealer. Later after a few replacements I learned that even the dealers supply re manufactured arms, not new. New was impossible to get. I don't think the car was ever right again....
otherwise
tires, alignments...then very long term you'll have the usual bulbs, window regulators, many of the little actuators throughout the car...which is one thing I don't like about such a high level of automation....

 

[PNWLeccy]

I’ve had many small warranty issues that bother me that I’d likely just live with if I was out of warranty like rattles, squeaks, creaky hinges, etc. My M3 is an earlier model so fit and finish seem to be much more dialed in these days but nothing major that would keep me from driving the car has gone wrong for me.

Because I’m still under warranty I pay much more attention to these little things to try to get them repaired/replaced while I can but other than the few common issues @AxlxA has mentioned (Premature 12v battery, control arms, torn aero shields due to getting wet), I haven’t seen many other wear items reported in high mileage cars.

 

[RoBoRaT]

2018 LR AWD Model 3 owner since Dec 2018, now at 64K miles - driven 75-80 mph mostly Freeways, 160 mile daily commute in SoCal.

So far, only ONE time (1 week in Tesla shop, includes waiting for parts) of warranty work due chain of events. This was two weeks after delivery.

The HV Battery Contactor died, which killed the 12V Battery, and somehow affected the charge port.

The rest are not due to defective parts.

Tesla replaced the computer, upgraded to HW3 for FSD.

My insurance paid for cracked windshield ($1200) after a rock hit following a truck in the freeway.

I rotate my tires regularly every 6K miles, and refill wiper fluids.

Have not flushed break fluid, but I am planning on it.

Battery is 291 miles at 100% SoC from 310 ~ 7% degradation.

Our Model Y was delivered in March - so far so good.

 

[Mike_TV]

No one mentioned brake fluid. The MY owner's manual recommends checking the brake fluid every two years and replacing it, if necessary.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic and will attract moisture over time. Most car manufacturers recommend replacing the brake fluid every two years.

I plan on getting some brake fluid test strips and will check it at two years to see how things look.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

Interesting discussion so far, thanks. Planning to order MY soon, and among the many attractive things about the vehicle (and Teslas in general) is the greatly reduced scheduled ongoing maintenance vs a traditional ICE vehicle. Over the past month or so, I've watched dozens (honestly, probably closer to 100 or more now) YouTube videos about MY and M3 and the minimal maintenance is very frequently mentioned, though without a lot of detail about what is actually required over time. (Note to self: I should probably watch some recent videos on older MS and MX that talk about issues over time.) I'm interested to see where this thread goes. Cheers.

 

[jp5280]

I have a 2017 Model S and after the first 60 days (charge port issue, blown fuse), I have had zero issues. If the buyout of my lease was halfway reasonable, I'd just keep it, but due to price changes over the 3 years, it makes no sense to do so. My brother has a 2014 (I think) Model S 85. He's had a couple of door handles fixed and that's it.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

I have a 2017 Model S and after the first 60 days (charge port issue, blown fuse), I have had zero issues. If the buyout of my lease was halfway reasonable, I'd just keep it, but due to price changes over the 3 years, it makes no sense to do so. My brother has a 2014 (I think) Model S 85. He's had a couple of door handles fixed and that's it.

@jp5280 I think the motorized door handles were quite a common issue with the early-year Model S units so I'm not surprised by that one. While it's a cool feature to see it pop out to greet you as you walk up, I'm happy the M3/MY has a manual handle.