Model S as only car

[RamgeRover]

I wonder if having a new (2016) Model S as one's only car is viable? I know Tesla provides loaners for when your car is in the shop, but what if you are awaiting parts and the car is undriveable until they arrive? Do you get a loaner then? Probably not.

I have heard that there are sometimes substantial waits for parts, which suggests that Model S owners probably need a backup car available.

Any thoughts? Anyone with a Tesla as their only vehicle?

Thanks.

 

[Saghost]

I'm pretty sure you'll get a loaner if the car is undriveable while waiting for parts due to a warranty issue - just not for cosmetic issues (or accidents?)

I sure hope so, anyway - if things go according to plan, after tomorrow a Model X will be my only car.

 

[msnow]

If it's undriveable you get a loaner.

 

[Barry]

Not if it's caused by a fender bender.

I had planned on selling my 10 year old SUV. However, just before selling it, I was involved in a minor fender bender. The car was still drive-able, To the body shop 2 months later. It sat there for almost 3 months, waiting for backordered rivets from Tesla.

Not only that, but a few months ago, on a Sunday morning, I had an irreparable flat tire. As the Service Centers are closed on Sundays, I couldn't get a loaner tire, and the local tire shops didn't have the MXM4 in stock. So nothing could be done until the next day.

Sure, I could get a rental, but it's hassle.

I am keeping my 10 year old SUV because continued ownership costs essentially nothing, and it gives me the peace of mind of having a backup. My insurance's second-car discount pretty much pays for the liability and comprehensive on it.

 

[RamgeRover]

Not if it's caused by a fender bender.

I had planned on selling my 10 year old SUV. However, just before selling it, I was involved in a minor fender bender. The car was still drive-able, To the body shop 2 months later. It sat there for almost 3 months, waiting for backordered rivets from Tesla.

Not only that, but a few months ago, on a Sunday morning, I had an irreparable flat tire. As the Service Centers are closed on Sundays, I couldn't get a loaner tire, and the local tire shops didn't have the MXM4 in stock. So nothing could be done until the next day.

Sure, I could get a rental, but it's hassle.

I am keeping my 10 year old SUV because continued ownership costs essentially nothing, and it gives me the peace of mind of having a backup. My insurance's second-car discount pretty much pays for the liability and comprehensive on it.

Sounds like I'll be keeping my BMW 550i GT for a while, just to see how often I need it. If it turns out I do need a second car, I'll probably sell it and buy a used Leaf, since I really want to get away from ICE vehicles.

Thanks for everyone's feedback. Saghost, enjoy your Model X. Awesome car!

 

[bob_p]

I've had my P85 since early 2013 - and it has been the only car I've driven, except when it is in the shop.

When Tesla has had the car in the service center, they usually provide a loaner Model S - and in a few cases, when they were short of loaners, they arranged for an ICE through Enterprise (and that hasn't happened for quite a while). I had one repair at Tesla that lasted about a week - and I believe they provided me a loaner Model S during that period.

I have had my Model S in the body shop once (bad luck - was rear ended at a red stop light - twice within a 2 week period several years ago). And it took the body shop weeks to get the parts - and during that time I had a rental covered by insurance.

Fortunately, our Tesla has required much less service overall than our ICE - usually only needing to go in every 6 months/6,000 miles to get the tires rotated (if needed) and once a year (12,000 miles) for actual service. And, if I can schedule those appointments far enough in advance, I've had pretty good luck in getting a loaner Model S to drive while mine is at the Service Center.

 

[msnow]

Not if it's caused by a fender bender.

I had planned on selling my 10 year old SUV. However, just before selling it, I was involved in a minor fender bender. The car was still drive-able, To the body shop 2 months later. It sat there for almost 3 months, waiting for backordered rivets from Tesla.

Not only that, but a few months ago, on a Sunday morning, I had an irreparable flat tire. As the Service Centers are closed on Sundays, I couldn't get a loaner tire, and the local tire shops didn't have the MXM4 in stock. So nothing could be done until the next day.

Sure, I could get a rental, but it's hassle.

I am keeping my 10 year old SUV because continued ownership costs essentially nothing, and it gives me the peace of mind of having a backup. My insurance's second-car discount pretty much pays for the liability and comprehensive on it.

I don't think this is true. If your Tesla approved body shop is waiting on Tesla for parts you get a loner or rental.

 

[Barry]

I don't think this is true. If your Tesla approved body shop is waiting on Tesla for parts you get a loner or rental.

I asked for a loaner and they initially denied it. They said they don't give loaners for body shop work. About 8 weeks later, after several phone calls to the SvC, complaining about he delay being Tesla's fault, and a snail mail letter to Elon (no response), they gave me a loaner. I had it for about 2 1/2 weeks out of the 3 months that the car was out of service, waiting for parts.

 

[msnow]

I asked for a loaner and they initially denied it. They said they don't give loaners for body shop work. About 8 weeks later, after several phone calls to the SvC, complaining about he delay being Tesla's fault, and a snail mail letter to Elon (no response), they gave me a loaner. I had it for about 2 1/2 weeks out of the 3 months that the car was out of service, waiting for parts.

Interesting. Similar situation here where the body shop was waiting for paint from Tesla for 6-7 weeks had a free rental car for the entire time. Maybe different Service Centers treat it differently but I thought it was in our agreements.

 

[Vrrooom]

Aside from the potential issue that may be caused by an accident, I don't see a reason to have an additional car. And even in the case of an accident, your insurance will generally cover at least 30 days. If it happens to be longer and you have to rent a car for a couple of weeks (if escalating any parts delays to Tesla doesn't get you a loaner), than I would imagine still cheaper than having a 2nd car. Think about the added car payment (and depreciation), insurance cost, maintenance, taxes, registration, etc.

Other things can easily be safeguarded by a little thought. Get an 19" extra wheel/tire for a few hundred bucks if you want that level of added protection against flats. MOST road hazards won't leave you stranded on the spot if you're proactive about checking the health of your vehicle (check tires weekly for example). You can also carry a fix-a-flat kit as well. I have a quick nail removal and repair kit, TPMS approved slime, and a mini compressor in the car for those instances.

Sure, anything can happen, but it can happen to any car. I don't see a reason why a Tesla is not a good only car compared to anything else on the road.

 

[Max*]

Why would Tesla give you a loaner for bodyshop work from an accident? That's ridiculous. That's what insurance is for.

If someone else is at fault, their insurance pays for your rental for whatever length of time it takes.
If you are at fault, you pay for your own rental one way or another. (i.e. you pay out of pocket, or you paid upfront for "rentals" as part of your insurance policy, I forgot how much it costs. Something like $10/6months)

 

[Vrrooom]

Some insurance policies only cover a car for 30 days- I think the concern is Tesla parts are back ordered so much compared to any other manufacturer and there are no 3rd party parts. This could mean your insurance won't pay for a loaner due to Tesla's parts delays.

 

[ChadS]

An accident could possibly put you out of commission. But I have never been in an accident, so while possible I won't plan my vehicle ownership on it.

While we have two Teslas rather than one, we have had at least one for seven years and for four years we have had nothing else. The few times either have been in the shop we got a loaner. So if we only had one it would have been just fine.

 

[brkaus]

It's still cheap to rent a car through a body shop. And it's really not a hassle of its for a month. Pickup once, drop off once. It would be less expensive than insurance and maintenance on a second car for a year.

If accident damage is the only concern, I'd say no second car needed.

 

[msnow]

Why would Tesla give you a loaner for bodyshop work from an accident? That's ridiculous. That's what insurance is for.

If someone else is at fault, their insurance pays for your rental for whatever length of time it takes.
If you are at fault, you pay for your own rental one way or another. (i.e. you pay out of pocket, or you paid upfront for "rentals" as part of your insurance policy, I forgot how much it costs. Something like $10/6months)

No, it's not "whatever length of time it takes" that's absurd. If Tesla is back ordered on parts for months no insurance company will cover all of that no matter whose fault it is. In my case Tesla offered to pick up the cost of a rental because the delay was their fault and I appreciated that.

 

[Max*]

No, it's not "whatever length of time it takes" that's absurd.

Having been in accident -- actually it is whatever length of time it takes [in the first case, that I listed]. I didn't see anywhere listed that they will only cover a rental for X days. They told me they'll cover a rental until my car is fixed. And that's what they did (given it was only a few weeks, not a few months), but if they caused the accident, they pay to make it right.

The body shop sends the estimate to the car rental company, which sends the bill to the insurance company.


As for the second scenario, you need to check your insurance information. Most of them cover $X for Y days.
But from a quick search, AllState says "After an accident, a policy might cover a rental car up to a daily limit of $25 for up to 30 days, or until your damaged car is usable again." So even for the 2nd scenario, it might be for as long as it takes, but YMMV. Rental Reimbursement Coverage: The Basics—Allstate

 

[msnow]

Having been in accident -- actually it is whatever length of time it takes [in the first case, that I listed]

The body shop sends the estimate to the car rental company, which sends the bill to the insurance company.

Actually it depends on the circumstances and insurance company. The body shop could not estimate the time for repair because it was our of their control so Tesla picked it up and I was happy they did.

 

[Barry]

Why would Tesla give you a loaner for bodyshop work from an accident? That's ridiculous.

What's ridiculous is Tesla's part department is so inept that it takes months and months to get a part as ubiquitous and readily available as a rivet. My car was in the shop during winter of this year. There are similar stories posted on tesla's forum of the exact same problem just recently - 6 months later! Of course Tesla should be responsible if repairs are delayed long beyond reasonable because of their incompetence in supply chain management.

 

[STbreaker]

I would just say that having a Tesla as your only car isn't any different than only having 1 of any other vehicle. For day to day use, range probably isn't an issue for most and if you're driving long distance, it takes a little more planning than stopping at random gas stations. It's true that Tesla seems to take a while to complete certain services, but there are very few things actually that render the car undrivable while you're waiting. In my case, my driver's side door handle started malfunctioning almost immediately. After I called, it took about a week for a ranger to come fix it. Sure it was annoying to open the door from the back seat or passenger side, but it's not like the car didn't work while I was waiting.

 

[Bimbels]

If you're in an accident then your insurance policy dictates the rental - unless, as mentioned above, it's a Tesla issue with parts - but in that would be the same regardless of who makes the car and Tesla did right by giving a loaner after the insurance ran out.

If you need a loaner because of service or warranty issues, then they will give you a loaner, if available. If not, they give you a rental car.

You do not need to hold on to your ICE - unless you're paranoid and want to have a second car for any eventuality. Which would be the same for any car maker - no different just because we're talking about Tesla.