Maintenance costs

[WADan]

Is this true?

Car And Driver Not Happy With Cost Of Tesla Model 3 Maintenance

The publication has been running a Model 3 for nearly 40,000 miles, but it hasn’t found the vehicle as cheap to maintain as expected.

insideevs.com

 

[chris2222]

Link to the actual article: Our Tesla Model 3 Hasn't Delivered Big Savings in Maintenance Costs

And here's the actual TLDR (i.e. a difference of $132 over 40k miles):

Sure, the Model 3 needs no oil changes, which in theory should save us significant cost. However, the Model 3's requirement that we lubricate the brake calipers every year or 12,500 miles—something specified for areas that use road salt in the winter months—has cost nearly as much, totaling $432 for three such services thus far, which often also include a tire rotation. Although that's less than the $539 we spent on maintenance for our BMW M340i or the $728 for our Kia Telluride

 

[a2t2]

Wow Ive never heard about brake calipers needing $432 worth of lubrication in a year. I get that they might get sticky from lack of use but they should be riding on pins that a inherently lubricated from the material (bronze or such) ? Even still, wouldnt a quick spray of graphite lube solve that, if it was actually an issue ? Im sure Telsa service center is happy to do whatever stupid mtc you tell them you think it needs tho, they would be all too happy to take the $ for that job lol.

Glass roof/windscreen - well these are not normal mtc items. No idea whats happened there (hail storm, tree fell on it) ?? I wouldnt include that in annual mtc. Seems like a 1 off bad luck.

Tire wear - you mean they actually GOT 30K out of tires ? That would be a 1st for ANY vehicle Ive bought new. I swear they put softer tires on new cars, I rarely even get 20K out of tires on ANY new car Ive bought.

Would be far more interested in long term 5-10yr ownership cost, once the ICE falls off the 3/36 warranty and the obligatory "plastic intake manifold gaskets, misfire on cylinder 3, CEL because insert resaon here issue ect.... Those issues are multiple thousands of dollars issues most ICE cars will experience at some point as the continue to make the ENTIRE engine out of plastic that warps and cracks in the heat.

 

[GtiMart]

Yeah, that's a questionable article. I think it's written to light up the passions. Glass is certainly not maintenance, it's a road hazard and thus is random. Tires happen on every car, although the Model 3 is heavy and has a lot of torque so it chews threw tires faster than an econobox. I'm sure an equally heavy and torquey car would do the same. Brake cleaning and lubrication is a maintenance item on any car but people tend to skip it. You can be gouged whatever the make and model you drive

They forgot to add the AC filter replacement and cleaning as well as wiper blade replacement to be thorough, unless it was in that 432 dollars.

 

[Spidey616]

Roof and windshield were bad luck and are outliers. If they want a fair comparison they either drop those costs or add roof glass and windshield replacement costs to their other vehicles.

Glass breakage is not normal maintenance is the takeaway here.

 

[sgalla04]

Wow Ive never heard about brake calipers needing $432 worth of lubrication in a year. I get that they might get sticky from lack of use but they should be riding on pins that a inherently lubricated from the material (bronze or such) ? Even still, wouldnt a quick spray of graphite lube solve that, if it was actually an issue ? Im sure Telsa service center is happy to do whatever stupid mtc you tell them you think it needs tho, they would be all too happy to take the $ for that job lol.

Glass roof/windscreen - well these are not normal mtc items. No idea whats happened there (hail storm, tree fell on it) ?? I wouldnt include that in annual mtc. Seems like a 1 off bad luck.

Tire wear - you mean they actually GOT 30K out of tires ? That would be a 1st for ANY vehicle Ive bought new. I swear they put softer tires on new cars, I rarely even get 20K out of tires on ANY new car Ive bought.

Would be far more interested in long term 5-10yr ownership cost, once the ICE falls off the 3/36 warranty and the obligatory "plastic intake manifold gaskets, misfire on cylinder 3, CEL because insert resaon here issue ect.... Those issues are multiple thousands of dollars issues most ICE cars will experience at some point as the continue to make the ENTIRE engine out of plastic that warps and cracks in the heat.

Looks like the $432 for lube was over 3 years, so $144/yr. Still a lot though. And they did NOT include the windshield/roof in their maintenance calculations. They just mentioned it as an FYI and labeled it as "Damage and Destruction". Interesting the stock tires have less tread than buying the same tires off the shelf.
In addition, hasn't it been determined that instant torque attributes to the faster tire wear? Selecting Chill Mode should help, but it's probably a combination of less tread (according to this article), softer tires, heavy than average car, higher PSI (to obtain EPA range estimates), and instant torque / people wanting to rip it often because of the fun of it.

 

[suprax]

I was considering the yearly brake caliper check and lubrication as we get covered in salt here in Western New York for 6 months out of the year. Plus the tire rotation is included in the cost which I was also considering since they come right to me to do it. You can't make it any easier than that.

 

[a2t2]

i mean could you not just do a few hard stops a few times a year to prevent them from binding lol ?

Ive been working on cars a LONG time and never lubed the caliper pins unless changing out the pads/rotors. But I guess if you only did regen braking then maybe it would become an issue. I seriously think Tesla adds in a bunch of bs to their specs/service plans to appease lawyers and make service $. I cant see that being important to 99% of drivers...

 

[Spidey616]

i mean could you not just do a few hard stops a few times a year to prevent them from binding lol ?

Ive been working on cars a LONG time and never lubed the caliper pins unless changing out the pads/rotors. But I guess if you only did regen braking then maybe it would become an issue. I seriously think Tesla adds in a bunch of bs to their specs/service plans to appease lawyers and make service $. I cant see that being important to 99% of drivers...

I think with an ICE vehicle the constant use of brakes would help keep things clear. But with a Tesla even if you purposely use the brakes a few times each day its probably not considered enough wear. Interestingly enough I started doing some googling on Teslas and brake lubrication and for folks in salty winters it seems like there are some pretty decent horror stories of rotors getting screwed up that its probably worth doing. That being said you can probably use a local shop and not Tesla to save some bucks.

 

[sgalla04]

i mean could you not just do a few hard stops a few times a year to prevent them from binding lol ?

Ive been working on cars a LONG time and never lubed the caliper pins unless changing out the pads/rotors. But I guess if you only did regen braking then maybe it would become an issue. I seriously think Tesla adds in a bunch of bs to their specs/service plans to appease lawyers and make service $. I cant see that being important to 99% of drivers...

True. And the fact that the brakes are barely used means if owning past 3-5 years the brakes and rotors shouldn't need replacing. Helps with resale value.

A used 2018 M3 with almost 82,000 miles + transport sans FSD (subtract the $10,000 from below) is going for $43,800! Brand new M3 same specs is $52,190 (including destination & doc fee). I can't imagine buying used just to "save" $8,390. But I guess there is evidence of needing less maintenance and issues long-term. Still not sure about battery life post 100,000 miles and 5 years. Oldest M3s are only 4 years old by now, circa July 2017.

 

[mrwug]

Hmmm. Depending on how you look at things, it's way more than a lot of ICE vehicles given the number that bundle. For example, my 2017 BMW had complimentary service for 3 / 36K mi. Of course, in that time frame, other than oil changes and cabin air filter replacement, there's not a ton of scheduled maintenance anyway.

It's in the 50-80K range that things get interesting. When things like serpentine belts and brake pads need replacing, that's when the maintenance costs start getting pricey. I don't expect my Tesla to save me ton on maintenance up front but I do expect to save a chunk of change over the life of the car.

 

[PackMan730]

Car and Driver hates Teslas because Tesla never sends cars for reviews. Plus Car and Driver takes money from other car companies to write negative reviews about all of Tesla.

 

[a2t2]

its also comparing apples to oranges .. the MYP is just a better overall vehicle than an BMW M3 if you dont need more than about 150 miles a day. The YP will just do everything better around town and when you blip the throttle the entire zip code doesnt know about it. Total stealth. I do soo much urban driving, in and out of parking spaces 3 pt turns ect .. I love the fact I can flip into reverse while going fwd and vice versa, things that would kill an ICE car transmission ... its crazy how fast you can 3 pt turn in this car ! how bout a real world urban/hard drive comparison. Im betting the ICE car takes a beating constantly shifting gears, braking, running the engine in and out of its ideal RPM range ... YP also seats 5 not 4, has far more room, can (arguably) be set up to look almost as nice as the BMW, and it freakin drives ITSELF (sorta). Im sure BMW build quality is vastly better since the body isnt put together with a million plastic push pins, but for the low-mid mile daily commuter there isnt much to compare to.

so even if it were the same mx cost, for the sub 150 mi/day crowd there is no comparison. Its just for the longer trips when the ICE becomes necessary

 

[Y_tho]

Just a quick note regarding the annual brake maintenance cost: I had a mobile service visit yesterday on my 6k-mile just-turned-1-year-old Y LR. The estimate had $50 for rotation, $50 for brake cleaning/lube. Definitely not the cost mentioned in the article (even if that cost is over 3 years, it's much more expensive than my Tesla service quote).

And... the guy came out, measured all tires - even wear front & back, suggested not rotating them (saving me $50), then inspected the brakes, said they didn't need any cleaning or lube, and didn't charge me. So, $0 so far. Not that this outcome is the norm, but... I didn't feel like I was paying a "Tesla tax."

 

[WADan]

Here is another study:

We Predict Repair Study Offers Optimism For EV Owners — Forbes

A new study of actual repair and service record for electric vehicles reveals a trend that could attract more consumers to EVs. It also highlights one new EV off to a convincing start with some of the lowest post-launch repair costs.

apple.news

I guess Mach-E has been around long enough to see the costs of replacing all those hoses yet!

 

[sgalla04]

Here is another study:

We Predict Repair Study Offers Optimism For EV Owners — Forbes

A new study of actual repair and service record for electric vehicles reveals a trend that could attract more consumers to EVs. It also highlights one new EV off to a convincing start with some of the lowest post-launch repair costs.

apple.news

I guess Mach-E has been around long enough to see the costs of replacing all those hoses yet!

Looks like that article is about both the costs to consumers AND manufacturers. Like how early MYs had a lot of fit and finish issues that Tesla had to pay for.

Link to the actual We Predict study: www.wepredict.com/true-cost-awards-2021

• Repairs represent 77 percent of service visits in the first three months, while only 8 percent of service is for maintenance.

"Included in the calculations are maintenance, unplanned repairs, warranty and recalls, service campaigns, diagnostics, and software updates. Items such as gas, local and state inspections, and insurance are not included."

 

[angus[Y]oung]

Car and Driver hates Teslas because Tesla never sends cars for reviews. Plus Car and Driver takes money from other car companies to write negative reviews about all of Tesla.

@PackMan730 I don't know if it's quite that blatant that they are paid to write negatively about Tesla, but more that they are paid nothing by Tesla (as Tesla doesn't advertise or even have a press/publicity department any more) whereas the other automakers spend many millions of dollars in advertising with this publication and others. This contributes to a traditional car media bias against Tesla in a lot of cases. If you were making a good chunk of your revenue from Tesla's competitors and nothing from Tesla, would you really be incentivized to suggest to your readers they should pass over other options for a Tesla? I'm thinking likely not, if you want to keep publishing for long.

 

[XCare EV]

i mean could you not just do a few hard stops a few times a year to prevent them from binding lol ?

Ive been working on cars a LONG time and never lubed the caliper pins unless changing out the pads/rotors. But I guess if you only did regen braking then maybe it would become an issue. I seriously think Tesla adds in a bunch of bs to their specs/service plans to appease lawyers and make service $. I cant see that being important to 99% of drivers...

I've never lubricated the brakes on my 2016 Model X. Likely never will

 

[yepeekai]

I live in Quebec and we use a lot of salt in the winter. It is generally recommended to clean/lube your brakes (every year or 2 depending on who you ask) whatever it is an ICE of EV. We have a model 3 for over a year now and there is no problem yet. Unless you never press the brake pedal on your model 3, I don't see why it would jam more than a normal ICE vehicule. Disks look like they are new.

Also one useful thing thanks to the energy information, you will normally see quite fast if there is a problem since the energy consumption of the vehicule will go up because of it.

 

[roblab]

Tire wear - you mean they actually GOT 30K out of tires ? That would be a 1st for ANY vehicle Ive bought new. I swear they put softer tires on new cars, I rarely even get 20K out of tires on ANY new car Ive bought.

Looks like I'll be getting close to 30,000 miles on my new S. It's at 24K right now, and still lots of wear left. Plan to do a run to Phoenix in a month or so on these same tires, which will up them near 5000 more.

True, most new tires don't do this well, but it looks like these are going strong. But this silliness about the glass roof and needing to lubricate the brakes seems like an effort to drive the cost of maintenance up for this article. None of the Tesla owners I know, nor me in my own experience owning four Teslas, have ever needed to lubricate brakes or replace roofs. This is just silly. Or Stupid. I quit reading C&D years ago. It seems evident they are out to protect the "good name" of the gas engine cars. I've been driving electrics since 2002, and I plan to never go back.