Model S Service Contracts - the poll edition(tm)!

[Jhall118]

I don't think it's unreasonable at all. Yeah, if you compare it to an ICE, maybe it's not quite as good. However, let's be reasonable. The ICE dealership probably would do the same thing if its ONLY flow of revenue for 4 years is working on cars for free under warranty. They can only afford to do that because they get a steady flow of older cars. Such is the price you pay for adopting early. First world problems; seriously.

You don't have to get it serviced! It can't void the warranty! Unless Tesla has some magical way to make the laws not apply to them, they can't force you to get maintenance if you don't need it. If the battery fails because you didn't get the coolant flushed (seems like it could go several years) then maybe not.

However, 600 a year for upgrades (especially like creep etc.) seems pretty worthwhile to me. Not a big deal imo.

 

[sreehyd]

Its very important to see details on Service plans and its relation to Battery Warranty which is 8yr/Unlimited miles. If we fail to do service in any of the 8 yrs whats the impact ?? etc,

 

[Jhall118]

Being in Utah, I am actually very happy about the service plan news. Had they gone the $1 per mile ranger route, I would be out an additional $1000 a year in ranger fees. I was thrilled to see ranger fees drop to $100 per visit, and was especially happy about the 4 year anywhere plan.
(Tesla).

My parents live in Utah, and I'll be driving from Seattle to see them. Cool to know there are owners down there! The drive is going to be pretty rough though- Idaho has like 4 charging stations in the whole state

 

[Beaker]

But if the S is 'simpler' than an ICE, why should a tech need to spend that much time with it? Those items listed above do not take several hours to to inspect.

My point is that it appears Tesla takes the time to inspect much more than your run of the mill car company (see article about Tesla finding a cracked weld and replacing the entire rear of a Roadster). As an example of your "normal" car company, Jeep only bothered to inspect the rear differential if they were changing the fluid, had they checked ours yearly it would not have been a 10k bill on a 2k blue book vehicle. Oh and they waited to "inspect" that until we were out of warranty by 10k miles.

Edit: pre-paid maintenance on our highlander 50,000 miles was $2,500, and I spend my time waiting in their show room while my Highlander sits waiting for someone to take it in to a service bay for 30 minutes of work. If Tesla will be much more meticulous in the several hours they sped inspecting my Model S than any other manufacturer can be in under 20 minutes.

 

[shokunin]

You don't have to get it serviced! It can't void the warranty! Unless Tesla has some magical way to make the laws not apply to them, they can't force you to get maintenance if you don't need it. If the battery fails because you didn't get the coolant flushed (seems like it could go several years) then maybe not.

Tesla has to published the service schedule intervals and recommended replacement/inspection on all items. As you said, they cannot legally make warranty dependent on Tesla's $600 service. We can have any other shop go through the inspection/replacement per the service schedule.

 

[4sevens.com]

Tesla sold us on how their EV requires LESS maintenance - no messy oil changes, etc etc now they're making it up with this service fee. I do hope it's optional and that we take it in for service WHEN it NEEDS service and that they make the additional goodies like software updates as a cheaper package or free. I'm mean shoot we'll be guinea pigs with their new software - there are already reports of buggy software - so we have to pay to get them to do it right?

 

[Jason S]

Tesla is going to have a ton of service centers for an initially small set of owners. They're going to be money losers, there just isn't the necessary mass of owners to support them even at $600. Now, 5 years from now that might be a different story.

It's very reasonable to point out it's not cheap relative to some other cars, but they're not padding any pockets with the pricing at this point.

That's the other half of it though; what is the cost of just providing this? About 2% of their yearly burn rate? 2% of the margin of a Sig when paying all 4 years ahead of time?

Have they already figured they'll lose less than 2% of buyers based on this? That's the gamble, I think.

It is a pretty cool car, and the service fee is actually reasonable for me because I'm one of the 10% outside the 100 mile range (just a bit outside). So it is worth it for me to pay the $2400 for 4 years just so I don't need to haul my butt into the service center yearly. But it does seem unreasonable compared to a more normal car where I can drop it off in the morning, get it serviced for free for up to 36000 miles or 50000 miles (w/e the initial offer is) and get transport to/from work.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Very disappointing is all I can say. I was prepared for an annual maintenance fee a la the Roadster's but, the same $600 is simply price-gouging given the much larger consumer base who really don't have any other choice for service.

$250-$300 would have been more palatable, maybe. I'll take an hour's worth of inspection in a not-so-swank a service center, thank you very much!

Unlike pricey options that I could choose to skip when configuring my car, I really can't risk not servicing the car and feel forced to have to cough this up.

I've been an apologist of sorts too for Tesla in the past but, not this time... Tesla has seriously missed a trick here and risks putting off many fence-sitters. I cannot in good conscience make the "extremely low maintenance when compared to an ICE" argument anymore.

Netflix anyone?!

 

[contaygious]

How many miles were on the infiniti? The repair bills on my e350 have also been outrageous, but only after the 50,000 miles.

Well my services have been about 750 average and stuff started breaking at about 50k miles: engine mounts, brake pads, water coolers, door locks, etc.

Hopefully the tms fares a lot better! At least annual maintenance is lower.

 

[splitsec002]

I normally just lurk on the forums and listen to what other people have to say. Then I make my own informed decision. This time I really feel that I have to speak up. This $600 "maintenance" is really ticking me off. With the people that have their cars now, lots of people are complaining about software bugs and even missing functionality that Tesla said would have with the car. To list, from what I can remember off the top of my head.

1. WIFI
2. 3G connectivity
3. Built in Navigation (buggy from Barb and Rob's reports) $3500+
4. Iphone App
5. Set time charging

I'm sure there are more that others can chime in on. Yes we are early adopters so I didn't mind some of these little bugs that have not been worked out yet. But I paid 90k for this car and now they want to charge me an additional fee that should have been covered in the original warranty and should have been working at the time of purchase of the car! That's unreasonable and a rip off! I am not talking about windshield wipers and brakes. I'm talking about simply have a solidly built car that I paid for. Why should I have to pay an additional fee for Tesla to get things right? What happened to low cost maintenance? This to me isn't considered maintenance. It's something Tesla should but providing when they sold me the car in the first place!

 

[kendallpb]

I was happy after reading the blog post at Tesla. My happiness is slightly dampened by the negative comments here, but I still think it's worth it!

- "OMG $600": Realistically, who would pay year-by-year? Wouldn't everyone save 20% and get the 4-year option, if they want Tesla's service at all? So it's $475 for most folks*, IMHO. *Yes, some will pay for Ranger service, but...that is an extra cost.

- The list of items in the blog post are hardly comprehensive--just examples. They don't even mention the battery, and you know Tesla will check that very carefully, especially the first few years of a brand new model. There are other things not listed there. So it's not $475 for wipers. Whether, with remote monitoring, it really takes a few hours...we'll see.

- With all the new tech, I don't want Joe at Gas Station X "maintaining" a car he knows nothing about. I'd rather have the experts--the company that built the freaking thing--inspecting/maintaining a brand new model like this. If indy EV experts--no, no indy Tesla experts--crop up over the years, I'll check them out. But for now...no way.

- I expected $500 and it's $25 lower than that. (Yeah, yeah...$100 higher, but 20% discount for 4 years/50K miles = $475.)

- I'm a bit bummed that driving more = prepaid maintenance runs out sooner (so I need to schedule my fourth year maintenance early if I'm getting close to 50,000?!). I expect that more from a warranty than prepaid maintenance. (shrug) But this doesn't bother me much.

- I'm too far behind the times. My 1990 Integra and 2000 Miata didn't include free maintenance IIRC.

- I don't mind paying a bit more to skip the B.S. pushed at car-idiots like me. ("Hmm, which of these 5 items dealer maintenance pushes at me are real, and which are bogus?") I went indy with my Integra after a dealer shafted me, but stuck with dealers (original, then one near me) with my Miata. The indy was okay (not perfect) but the dealers, especially my current one...oy. They've given up on me since my car's falling apart and I'm fixing less and less. ;-) But I trust most dealer maintenance shops not at all. Too many cruddy experiences of long waits, bogus recommendations, etc. I expect zero B.S. from Telsa. (stern glance at Tesla) ;-)

So overall--yeah, I'm fine with this.

 

[nikwest]

You can argue about the price of a maintenance inspection, but I think the interval and milage are more disturbing. They don't seem to be competitive with other ICE cars in that category:

Audi, Porsche, BMW usually have 24 month and max 30000km (18600 miles). This is way beyond the 12 month/12000 miles.

If they could do the same intervals then $600 are totally ok.

 

[onlinespending]

Another thing to point out is that you're all assuming that you'll be able to continue paying "just" $600/year for service coverage after 50k miles/4 years. I'd be more inclined to pay that fee if it effectively extends my warranty past that, but I'm assuming that's not the case. You may be able to pay the $600/year beyond 50k/4 years, but that may only cover inspection. Any actual repairs will be made out of pocket beyond that period.

I too don't see much value in the fee for the first 4 years, given that as others have pointed out, even something like the brake pads should not need replacing so soon. Basic inspection for the first 4 years should be covered by the warranty! And software updates should be provided for free under warranty as well. Are you telling me that those accepting delivery now, when there are so many advertised features that have not found their way into the car yet, will have to pay this service fee to get them?

Tesla should offer two things if they wish to increase margins through service. They should allow you to purchase a pre-paid extended warranty up-front. And they should also allow you to pre-pay for unlimited ranger service up-front. But most else should be covered by the limited warranty for the first 4 years.

 

[jimbakker666]

Actually on second thought, the service plan pricing might not be too big a deal. The car is already warrantied, and all warranty work performed within a service center will already be free of charge, right? Unless you expect the car to regularly fail outside of warranty coverage and away from a service center, just don't buy the service plan.

The only shady move imo would be Tesla withholding over-the-air software updates from owners unless they pay for the maintenance plan. I don't see how they could possibly justify charging customers that much for something that is both a) included free on more mature vehicles and b) done remotely. If they are requiring a pricey maintenance plan just for that, then that's not cool at all.

The Ranger fee I can give them a pass on. After all, they are providing a service above and beyond what is normally expected.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

As a comparison, since no one has mentioned it yet, Audi no longer includes free maintenance beyond the first year as they used to. However you can purchase a prepaid maintenance package call Audi Care for $800 that covers 4 years. I think they estimate maintenance, if paid out of pocket, is twice that, so $1600 for 4 years. That's $200 a year prepaid, or $400 a year pay as you go. So, yeah Tesla maintenance cost more than Audi.

But the real deal winner for me is the $100 flat ranger fee. I don't know about you all, but I've never been able to get to the dealer, in for annual maintenance, and out in less than 2 hours total. It's usually 3+. Royal pain in the a$$ and a waste of time. Depending on how much you value your time, the Tesla + Ranger package is actually a good deal.

Audi: $200 maintenance (prepaid) + 3 hours of my time
Tesla: $600 maintenance (prepaid w/Ranger) + 0 hours of my time

 

[efusco]

I too am a bit taken back by the negative comments here. This is well within what I've been expecting and found the discounted prices offered for prepurchasing a nice bonus that they didn't need to offer. would I like it to be cheaper, of course, but everything I've heard about Ranger Roadster service has been outstanding with upgrades installed/offered at the time and service that goes far beyond the average Jiffy Lube treatment.

 

[AustinPowers]

Yikes! I might just pass on the whole service thing. $600 seems a lot for wiper blades (I can do myself for a few bucks) and brake pads (which are supposed to last "forever" with regenerative braking). My 3 1/2 year old Cadillac CTS (70,000 miles) is still on the original brake pads, and there's no regen on that car!

The only non-ICE related maintenance I've had to do on my Caddy is to replace a DRL bulb.

Other than wipers, brakes and tires, what else is there to maintain on an EV? Is an annual inspection required to maintain the warranty? If so, $600 seems steep to me.

I'm curious to see what they will charge in Europe.
Steep is calling it nicely. I wonder how they expect to sell 20.000 a year when they bs their potential customers the way they do.
On the one hand they say how extremely advantageous owning an EV will be because it requires "minimal service". On the other hand they charge (at least in North America) ridiculous annual maintenance costs that are far higher than for any other premium ICE (not talking about something like Ferrari or Rolls of course, but those are obviously in a different league alltogether) on the market, especially as many have said, the first three or four years shouldn't see any costly replacements of parts or other problems.

Very unimpressed at this point. Hopefully they will rethink their policy.

- - - Updated - - -

I too am a bit taken back by the negative comments here. This is well within what I've been expecting and found the discounted prices offered for prepurchasing a nice bonus that they didn't need to offer. would I like it to be cheaper, of course, but everything I've heard about Ranger Roadster service has been outstanding with upgrades installed/offered at the time and service that goes far beyond the average Jiffy Lube treatment.

But that was for a couple of hundreds of cars.
Do you honestly believe they can/will keep up that level of service excellency when there are thousands of cars to service all across the country each year?

 

[efusco]

But that was for a couple of hundreds of cars.
Do you honestly believe they can/will keep up that level of service excellency when there are thousands of cars to service all across the country each year?

If I'm paying $600/yr they damn well better.

 

[VolkerP]

The prepaid 4 year service plan is $1,900, plus $100 for every ranger visit if you won't/can't bring the car into a service point. Maximum cost is §2,300
The prepaid 4 year service plan with unlimited ranger visits is $2,400.

That is $500 for unlimited ranger visits (in fact limited to up to 4 visits) versus between $0 and $400.

To me it looks you pay more for the plan with unlimited ranger visits and get less. Is my math flawed or is this poorly priced by Tesla?

 

[Chregu]

Just comparing Volvo and AUDI here in switzerland with the planed service from TESLA:

volvo gives you 10 years or 150'000km free of service charges!

AUDI 10 years or 100'000km

Sorry TESLA, but in my eyes FAIL