Model 3 Reliability/Issues?

[charliepmayer]

hussk: please be aware that owners without problems don't post very often.

Enjoy your car, drive the hell out of it.

It won't be perfect, but it will most likely be better than anything you've ever driven.

If it's not, I'll drive up and buy you a beer.................................or a bourbon.

 

[Ludatik]

Reliability? My Model 3 reliably paints a giant smile on my face. Very reliably. It has ruined ICE cars for me.

 

[Daniel in SD]

I would put the Model S in the same class of reliability and after warranty costs as a BMW or Audi. Too soon to say for the Model 3. Many people buy Audis and BMWs and are fine with it because they love the cars. I feel like it's the same with Teslas. If you're looking for low total cost of ownership buy a plug-in Prius.

 

[charliepmayer]

Daniel in SD: "buy a plug-in Prius"

If I said that around my Mom she would wash my mouth out with soap.

(That sounds clumsy - but you know what I mean.)

 

[vjason]

My concerns with the car long term are more with the minor electrical stuff than the major bits. And most of those are the parts that many cars in this class have.

Folding/tilting side mirrors, power windows, trunk release solenoids, displays, etc.

The good news is that by the time that stuff starts breaking out of warranty there should be sufficient used parts out there to fix many issues for a more reasonable price, especially given the popularity of the 3.

All that said, as someone who likes wrenching I love the simplicity of my 3. Mechanically speaking there are simply far fewer parts that can break compared to an ICE, so it won't take much for them to come out ahead long term.

 

[Ciditad]

The 3 is my third EV, I graduated from a Gen 1 Volt and Spark EV to the 3. Just from an ownership perspective in the 5 years I had the Volt and Spark they were far more reliable than ICE cars. I've owned my 3 for a month now and driven 2600 miles (long commute + sales calls) and so far no issues whatsoever. I plan to drive the car until it's dilapidated, which could be 10+ years. Hopefully it'll be just fine.

 

[ChrisH]

Just crossed 2000 miles on a late Aug delivery 3. So far so good. This forum does scare me sometimes and I have discovered a couple of issues thanks to the forums but the issues I’ve found are not needing immediate fixing. I may do my first tire rotation at Tesla just so I can have the other minor things looked at/fixed.

 

[SJC3]

I’ve had way too many issues with our 50xxx LR but we do enjoy it when everything’s is clicking. We somewhat expected this with Tesla and the 3 in its first model year but it’s still been in service too much. We don’t plan to keep the car beyond the warranty period so we can take a bit more risk.

 

[Sandiegodoug]

January car, vin 41xx
Absolutely perfect, not one issue
Going on 10k. Average w/m 217

 

[devilmountain]

I have a May build and have not had any issues. I just recently took a trip to Southern California and the trip was so much better than taking an ICE. There was a person on the forum a while back that took a similar trip to Southern California and supercharging did not work on his car. I went to a local supercharger to make sure supercharging worked, which it did. Other than that small concern I haven't hesitated taking my car on long drives.

It also has a smelly AC system which was a problem in the old S's that I am not happy to see in my 3 already.

Try Frigi Fresh; when I worked at a car dealership many years ago we used this to remove the musty smell in the ventilation system.

BG Frigi-Fresh® | BG Products, Inc.

 

[DanL3]

No Problems with 3LR AWD. Problems with Android phone fixed with move to iPhone SE.

 

[gilscales]

May build and 0 problems 15k miles so far (many road trips!) my favorite car of ALL TIME! driving anything else feels like a step back in time.

 

[wsucougz]

3 months of ownership, no issues beyond very minor cosmetic. Feels very solid to me.

 

[Atari2600]

5,500 miles, had some minor paint issues, module that controls turn signals was replaced, one wheel well liner was replaced, right door speaker was not assembled correctly and the top inside trunk piece fell down on one side when one of the clips fell out.

 

[hussk]

I’ve had way too many issues with our 50xxx LR but we do enjoy it when everything’s is clicking. We somewhat expected this with Tesla and the 3 in its first model year but it’s still been in service too much. We don’t plan to keep the car beyond the warranty period so we can take a bit more risk.

Is yours a 2017?

 

[N5329K]

So you have to be pretty easy going about that stuff or the car will drive you crazy.

This is exactly why I bailed on my reservation, then on the mid-range, and finally on Model 3 in general (until they manage to get it stabilized). I am not easy-going about "that stuff." Loved the driving experience. Hate all the opportunities Model 3 offers for wondering, "what's it doing now?"
Robin

 

[Hans L]

Just hit 5000 miles today in an earlier build M3. 111XX VIN range, March delivery. ZERO issues whatsoever to date. Most reliable new car I've ever owned. No defects material, workmanship or otherwise. I did take it to the Service Center to get a SW update (my choice). Super good service. Constant contact, updates, Model S loaner car for the day, and promptly completed update.

 

[StellarRat]

I picked my LR RWD on 7/11/2018. It was flawless and still is. No problems. The only thing that was "wrong" was I was missing the screws to attach the rear license plate. That was easily remedied by ACE Hardware. Actually, the ones are got at ACE were better than stock. The ranger service offered to come out and attach my plates for me (because my state requires front plates), but I got antsy one weekend and just did it myself.

 

[RyanT]

I had a 2014 model S with 90k miles and the only thing I had to pay for was tires and a broken roof clip ($40). No services, oil changes, or extended warranty. I would bring it in for cosmetic things or if the DU was making weird noises, but that's because they were always nice and they would cover the costs.

To compare that with my previous Porsche 911, it's not even close. That was expensive to own. Tesla is cheap.

 

[StellarRat]

To compare that with my previous Porsche 911, it's not even close. That was expensive to own. Tesla is cheap.

From what I've read and heard from people owning any high end Euro car is kind of like owing a helicopter.