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maintenance cost

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Drive Unit fluid change (ATF) was recently added to the Schedule. A simple dump and fill. Again, still seems high given what little they do.
Well that's good to know, I'm up for my 50k (and last paid for) service soon, I see the next thing to do is the drive unit fluid change (looping back to the 1st service).

I can do that myself EASY. Is there a preferred synthetic fluid replacement, or would that void my next 5 years of extended warranty?
 
I can do that myself EASY. Is there a preferred synthetic fluid replacement, or would that void my next 5 years of extended warranty?

Dexron VI. Available anywhere.

I'd be careful to read the fine print. Since Tesla is very nebulous with making specs and service procedures available to owners, I'd be cautious to not to violate the extended warranty terms, since extended warranties are not subject to Magnuson Moss.
 
The Model S is very cheap to maintain compared to comparable luxury cars... For example, I paid 1900? a couple years ago for the first 50k service. I had a 2013 Lexus GS Fsport before and prepaid service to 45k cost about the same. BMW now only covers the first 3 years or 36k miles on its complimentary service and it doesn't cover brakes. For example on a BMW X5, which requires a full brake service every 40-50k miles (sooner if you drive harder), the brake service alone is around $3k at the dealer for pads and discs. So just add other services on top of that, you get my point. On Porsche Cayenne, 40k service alone is close to $2k.

Tesla brakes last much longer and its services are relatively cheaper compared to comparable level ICE cars.

Any Tesla is a high performance sports sedan; you can't compared a Tesla to a regular everyday brand. Expect to spend a lot more on tires as well... BMW tires wear out in 20-30k miles if you drive gently... while Subaru tires last 60k. They also cost more.

You are buying a premium sports sedan, whether the S or the 3, so be expected to pay for some maintenance.
 
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I just hope that it's like the maintenance cost of my Leaf. Which, in the 20,000 mi I've driven it so far, is...uh....nothing. :D (heck the only thing I've done so far is wiper fluid, which I just made at home...)

For current Tesla's, the annual maintenance is not mandatory to keep the 4-year warrant intact so you will save as much as on your Leaf. We just don't know what will break down (and how much it will cost) after those four years. :)
 
I suspect that Tesla's issue with service costs right now is volume. I'm guessing that overall their costs are high because they don't have that many cars to service compared to the number of service centers they need to pay for.
Good point.

Tesla has always said service centers would never be profit centers. Well Tesla is building hundreds of service centers which is expensive. Someone's gotta pay for those, and that someone is the Model S owner. Service prices may drop across the board when Model 3 gains traction.
 
Believe it or not, I feel Tesla most probably doesn't make any money from its Service plans. As an example, the following is my service center experience from just this past week.

Had Tesla Valet pick up my car on Wednesday. They gave me an SUV (as I requested due to an upcoming family trip)

By Monday, the car hadn't been touched. I finally was told the car went into cue Monday evening

Service was done Tuesday, and by noon it was magically complete. The car was on its way back when the parking break sensor went off. Tesla took the car back in

The following Wednesday service was finally completed after changing the sensor, fixing 3-4 things covered under warranty and completing the second-year service. When I took the car back, it had a half-%^& wash which left half the car dirty, the reps broke a cubby and never fixed another issue of the car they had noticed previously, and left markers on the wheels used for indication that I can’t seem to remove. After all this I had to rewash the vehicle, itself and schedule a follow-up to take care of the things they missed and the things they made worse.

Not to forget, Tesla compensated me $200 just in Gas for the rental I had for the duration of a week

Overall, Tesla could drastically reduce the price if they did more servicing and less screwing around. The solution here to me is 3rd party service which would evade Tesla's horrible communication and execution.
 
The Model S is very cheap to maintain compared to comparable luxury cars...
You are buying a premium sports sedan, whether the S or the 3, so be expected to pay for some maintenance.

Can't understand or relate to those prices you mentioned at all. My father drives a high-end Merc and never had to pay anywhere near as much for his service(s), neither had my father-in-law who drives a high-end Audi.

I myself, as you can see from my avatar, drive a BMW 3-series coupe. I have had it for 13 years now, and in all those years combined have paid less (at an official dealership mind you, not some freelance service centre) than what a current Tesla 4-year prepaid service plan costs - for a car that is supposed to need so very little maintenance to begin with.

If my Model 3 is going to cost a similarly insane amount for service, I am sure I will be looking at a non-Tesla alternative again after the Model 3 lease is up.

Honestly, no matter how one tries to spin it, imho current Tesla service costs are ridiculous and certainly an argument against buying one, not for buying one.
I always believed Elon when he said that BEVs require far less maintenance than a comparable premium ICE and would therefor be much cheaper to maintain. Currently I see the exact opposite.
Then again, I hear posters all over this forum mentioning those exorbitant service costs for ICE cars in the US. Probably we here in Germany are just lucky in that respect, but I really have a hard time fathoming why the costs in the US should be so much higher. It's crazy to think that what Tesla charges for service could in any way be regarded as "cheap" or even "a bargain", as some have said.
 
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Believe it or not, I feel Tesla most probably doesn't make any money from its Service plans. As an example, the following is my service center experience from just this past week.

You're confusing service costs with warranty costs. Warranty costs, aka fixing stuff that broke, is obviously a huge money loser. Service is the maintenance costs of doing the key fob change, wiper change and "inspections". (as well as the various fluid changes in some years) They are making huge gobs of money on the service work. Fixing everything else is warranty work.
 
AustinPowers, I wonder what maintenance costs are in Germany. Maybe it's lower than the US? I posted those by personal experience. I had a Lexus GS so know exactly what I paid for service plan to 45k. Note that it was a prepaid plan which was already 30% discounted compared to pay as you go, and Lexus is well known to be the cheapest to own luxury car due to great reliability.

I have been shopping for a sporty/luxury SUV and almost bought a CPO X5 earlier this month. BMW dealership gave me a sheet of maintenance costs... they sell a prepaid maintenance plan for the 2 years after free service ends and it costs $2800. They further told me to expect between $250-$1000 on maintenance every 10k miles afterwards in addition to a brake job that will cost $3k between 80-100k miles. Note they were just being transparent... I decided not to get the car after hearing those numbers... They could have just lied to me and sold me the car. This is just maintenance, not even repairs.

I also was looking into a 14 or 15 Cayenne S and basically asked for maintenance costs on Porsche forum. Everyone said that services are quite expensive... especially at 40 60 and 80k miles and every 20k thereafter. The 40k service people said on forum is around $1800. On Youtube, a guy who bought a 2010 Cayenne made a video in 2016 and mentioned the 80k service cost being $3400. Another guy who kept clear records of services/repairs on a Cayenne over 7 years mentioned expect $2k service + repairs avg each year maybe after the first couple years, and the thing is he's very handy and does a lot of things himself and goes through independent shops instead of dealer...
 
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Another guy who kept clear records of services/repairs on a Cayenne over 7 years mentioned expect $2k service + repairs avg each year maybe after the first couple years, and the thing is he's very handy and does a lot of things himself and goes through independent shops instead of dealer...

Perspective. I've spent exactly $0 at the Audi dealer on an S5 over 5 years. $0. How? Availability of service manuals (online subscription), VAGCOM tool (Ross-Tech $300), and a reasonable amount of tools, including a lift that I use across multiple vehicles. Keep a maintenance log and receipts and you will never have a warranty issue in the US, unless you perform a service incorrectly. Out of warranty, I'd use a trusted 3rd party service provider if it was beyond my capabilities.

If you need fresh baked cookies and a Keurig machine, or a loaner for service, expect to get bent over.

Your BMW dealer was lying to you, and exaggerating the per service costs to entice you to buy prepaid maintenance plans, which by comparison seems like a "bargain". Indeed.

Tesla needs to fix this.
 
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I cannot do any service on my cars. I don't ever wash my cars manually either. I have 0 manual work ability and generally make things worse when I try to put anything together or try to fix anything. For someone who knows how to fix things, power to you. Most people can't fix anything. I am kind of at the far end of that.

Anyways, compared to other similar level cars, Tesla maintenance is a bargain.
 
Yeah, I don't know how to do anything either, which is why I've always driven Hondas and Acuras. There are nicer cars out there, but Hondas and Acuras have always performed just fine for my needs and I've never had to worry about what's going on under the hood. And, I've always found the price dealers charge for service to seem reasonable. Well, except for $20 wiper blades - though I've never understood how to change those anyway and lost part of a finger nail trying to complete this task on an Accord 10 years ago, lol.
 
If you need fresh baked cookies and a Keurig machine, or a loaner for service, expect to get bent over.

So THAT is why maintenance costs in the US are so much higher than in Germany - it's the fresh baked cookies! ;)
We don't get stuff like that over here. If we are lucky we might be offered a cup of instant coffee or a glass of water. And that is only if we decide to wait while the service is being done - which no one I know does because let's face it, there are much better ways to use your time than sitting at a car dealership while your car is being serviced for a few hours.
I couldn't care less about cookies and coffee. I want my car to be serviced properly for a reasonable price. And judging by my experience over the last 22 years as a car owner, I seem to have had the luck of getting just that, no matter what make of car I had.
 
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People keep arguing that because a BEV is lacking an engine and a multi-speed transmission, that they are going to be much more reliable than ICE but we have Honda's and Toyota's right now and we have not had a lot of issues with the engine or transmission or any other component.

Hopefully the Model 3 will be much more reliable than the S (moonroof, handles, drive train unit, touch screen) with fewer bells, whistles, and cool gadgetry/parts.
 
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Is this true?
A standard Tesla hit piece from Car & Driver is nothing new to see. Carry on and disregard as usual. I mean they also said the Mach E was EV of the year...LOL.

The glass roof and windshield they complained about were either under warranty or insurance paid to fix it and needing new tires isn't a Tesla specific thing...no different than any other ICE car. Just look at their "Summary" at the bottom of the article:

Service: $432 Normal Wear: $1159 Repair:$0
Damage and Destruction: $2400

The entire $432 of service is cleaning the brake calipers 3 times. You only have to do it once a year per Tesla and ONLY if you live in a cold climate with salty roads. $1,159 normal wear is tires which every car needs. And also who spends $1,159 on tires? Seems really high. $2,400 in damage and destruction is bad luck and nothing else and didn't cost them a dime.

Additionally, comparing a 30k mile EV to a 30k mile ICE is a stupid comparison. There's a reason Toyota and others give you "free 2 year maintenance"... bc no car really needs maintenance when it is brand new. At 60k miles with an ICE vehicle chances are you are going to need all sorts of fluids changed, new spark plugs, air filter, etc.

Summary: Car & Driver is a joke and they constantly hate on Tesla with either BS data or they just don't know what they're doing.
 
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