Back in July 2018, I wrote this post:
teslamotorsclub.com
It concluded with, "Looking forward to the next 50,000 miles." My car (2015 S85D) passed that milestone (100,000 miles) a little over a week ago! Updated stats (and comparison to prior post):
Miles on odometer: 100,026 (was 50,069 in prior post)
Lifetime average wH/mi: I gave up trying to track this, but the prior guesstimate of 312-317 wH/mi is probably still accurate
Door handle replacements: 5 (was 3)
Half-shaft replacements: 1 (no change)
Unique Superchargers visited: 186 (was 36)
HV Battery degradation: 270 Rated Miles -> 240 RM (was 264 RM)
12V Battery replacements: 2 (was 0)
Software updates: 83 (from 6.2(2.4.160) to 2021.24.28) (was 43)
Notable service issues so far (all covered under original warranty or extended warranty):
* MCU replacement (probably caused by eMMC failure)
* Battery coolant heater replacement [in an earlier version of this post I mistakenly called this a coolant pump]
* Liftgate cinching actuator replacement (2)
* Door handle replacements (5)
An important point is that I've never gotten stranded by any of these problems.
I indulged myself with a few general thoughts on my experience so far in my 50K post. I still think all of those are true, so I won't repeat them. Instead, here are a few things I've learned over the years.
* You need to take it on yourself to be informed about your car. For various reasons, Tesla doesn't do as much in this area as they used to. Nowadays, it's up to you find a trusted source of information (a friend, owners club, TMC). Conversely, try to help others when you can.
* You might know more about your car than the Tesla employee you're speaking to. They can still help you and are still worthy of respect.
* There are no absolute "must haves" when it comes to accessories.
* Make sure you have a plan for charging your car before taking delivery. If possible, try to have home charging or workplace charging. You might need to get creative if you live in an apartment or condo complex, or only have street parking.
* Road-tripping a Tesla can be fun! It's a little different from doing a road-trip with an ICE, so be prepared and develop the right intuition. Don't "fill up" at your charging stops unless you really need to. Work rest breaks or meal stops into charging stops. Have backup plans for charging because charging stations aren't as ubiquitous as gas stations.
* Try to do your own trip-planning if you can. The in-car software, as well as various third-party tools, get the job done, but they probably don't know about the Supercharger with your favorite restaurant, or the one with the cleanest restrooms.
* Remember that all of the Autopilot-type systems from Tesla (including AP, EAP, FSD, and FSD Beta) are driver assist systems. You still need to pay attention but you're supervising the car driving, rather than doing the driving yourself.
* OTA upgrades let Tesla install new functionality or bug fixes. They also allow Tesla to make a change you don't like or add bugs.
* People come to the Tesla brand for many different reasons ("green"-ness, cost savings, performance, tech, etc.). Other owners you meet (on-line or in real-life) might've had different paths to Tesla-hood, and have different needs and wants from you.
* Owning a Tesla can still make you do unexpected things, like competing with other owners to see how many Superchargers you can visit.
Oh yeah, still love the car, things are great.
Bruce.
My S85D and Tesla life at 50K miles
Three years and a few months ago, I took delivery of a brand new Tesla Model S 85D. Today its odometer passed 50,000 miles! A few stats (as of the end of the day today): Miles on odometer: 50,069 Lifetime average wH/mi: Somewhere between 312 and 317 (uncertainty due to Tesla technician...
teslamotorsclub.com
It concluded with, "Looking forward to the next 50,000 miles." My car (2015 S85D) passed that milestone (100,000 miles) a little over a week ago! Updated stats (and comparison to prior post):
Miles on odometer: 100,026 (was 50,069 in prior post)
Lifetime average wH/mi: I gave up trying to track this, but the prior guesstimate of 312-317 wH/mi is probably still accurate
Door handle replacements: 5 (was 3)
Half-shaft replacements: 1 (no change)
Unique Superchargers visited: 186 (was 36)
HV Battery degradation: 270 Rated Miles -> 240 RM (was 264 RM)
12V Battery replacements: 2 (was 0)
Software updates: 83 (from 6.2(2.4.160) to 2021.24.28) (was 43)
Notable service issues so far (all covered under original warranty or extended warranty):
* MCU replacement (probably caused by eMMC failure)
* Battery coolant heater replacement [in an earlier version of this post I mistakenly called this a coolant pump]
* Liftgate cinching actuator replacement (2)
* Door handle replacements (5)
An important point is that I've never gotten stranded by any of these problems.
I indulged myself with a few general thoughts on my experience so far in my 50K post. I still think all of those are true, so I won't repeat them. Instead, here are a few things I've learned over the years.
* You need to take it on yourself to be informed about your car. For various reasons, Tesla doesn't do as much in this area as they used to. Nowadays, it's up to you find a trusted source of information (a friend, owners club, TMC). Conversely, try to help others when you can.
* You might know more about your car than the Tesla employee you're speaking to. They can still help you and are still worthy of respect.
* There are no absolute "must haves" when it comes to accessories.
* Make sure you have a plan for charging your car before taking delivery. If possible, try to have home charging or workplace charging. You might need to get creative if you live in an apartment or condo complex, or only have street parking.
* Road-tripping a Tesla can be fun! It's a little different from doing a road-trip with an ICE, so be prepared and develop the right intuition. Don't "fill up" at your charging stops unless you really need to. Work rest breaks or meal stops into charging stops. Have backup plans for charging because charging stations aren't as ubiquitous as gas stations.
* Try to do your own trip-planning if you can. The in-car software, as well as various third-party tools, get the job done, but they probably don't know about the Supercharger with your favorite restaurant, or the one with the cleanest restrooms.
* Remember that all of the Autopilot-type systems from Tesla (including AP, EAP, FSD, and FSD Beta) are driver assist systems. You still need to pay attention but you're supervising the car driving, rather than doing the driving yourself.
* OTA upgrades let Tesla install new functionality or bug fixes. They also allow Tesla to make a change you don't like or add bugs.
* People come to the Tesla brand for many different reasons ("green"-ness, cost savings, performance, tech, etc.). Other owners you meet (on-line or in real-life) might've had different paths to Tesla-hood, and have different needs and wants from you.
* Owning a Tesla can still make you do unexpected things, like competing with other owners to see how many Superchargers you can visit.
Oh yeah, still love the car, things are great.
Bruce.
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