new model X actual reliability, if you live far from a service center

[cdnewt]

Hi. I'm considering buying a Model X, but have some reservations given some of the posts/videos about problems some owners have with their cars. Issue is, I live a long way from a service center (I live in New Brunswick, Canada). Other cars I've owned, also would have required long trips to take to their authorized service centers (porsche/audi/...)... but for all the simple things, I just got it take care of at my local shop and paid the bill out of my own pocket, even if it would have been warrantied. It's just easier, and I considered it one of the costs I'd have to bear to live where I do. However, serious or expensive issues, went to the proper dealership to get serviced.

Also, I'm well aware that a few owners with big problems does make for a lot of noise/attention, but may not really be representative of the whole community experience.

So I guess my question is... is the model X a safe car to buy right now (given where I live), or should I wait a while longer for them to get the kinks out? Is it likely I'll be having it towed to the nearest service center 820kms away (of which, they claim they cover the first 800 kms) very often or at all? Are the common issues easily taken care of at my local car shop ( trim out of alignment, squeaks, broken this or that) on my own dime? Are the owners with problems one car in 5, or is it more like one car out of 100?

Thanks all.

 

[DrivingRockies]

I wouldn't do it. 1-1.5 hour one-way drive for me for service has been every other month...

From the people here, that seems to be the rule, not the exception. Some have it worse.

 

[muleferg]

I live 1.5 hr from Charlotte SC. My X will be 1.5 yr old in Dec. with 8,000 miles. no issues at all.

 

[systemcrashed]

I would do it all over again. My SC is 2+ hours away. Have 39,000 miles after 1yr9mos.

 

[bonnie]

I live a 1.5 hours from my closest service center - no issues that would have required towing. After approximately 9 months of ownership, I dropped it off yesterday for a piece of chrome that had come loose in one spot and to get the seat latch recall completed.

 

[Emanmdphd]

18000 miles for me. Build November 2016. Only issue was middle seat motor adjustment issue that had to be replaced early on. Their service has been great and providing loaner cars. I think many of the issues were more earlier builds and more recent builds have significantly less issues.

 

[harry]

Like lots of others on the forum, we have had Model S's since there were any, and among the three Signatures we have had, with a total of over 330,000 Km driven, there had only been two episodes which required towing from our home to a SC (a thirteen hour drive) One of those transports was covered in full by Tesla (in the "good ole days") and Tesla split the cost on the second one. Overall, you shouldn't worry about requiring transport. It happens, but rarely, and you would be covered for almost all of the cost anyway, if you have a 800Km provision in your warranty.

 

[XHokie]

So, I think there are two different answers to your question if you want to understand what to expect as a Model X owner who lives far from a SC.

First, there's the overall build quality issues that have been well documented. Everything from the cosmetic, to poor parts and electronic issues with doors, seats, brakes, A/C...I could probably create a pretty long list of those things. I know this won't apply for literally everyone, but I think the majority of these cases, the vehicle is still very much drivable. However, the question is are you willing to accept that a startup car company that charges you north of $100k to buy one of the most advanced vehicles is going to have these types of issues for probably the foreseeable future? If so, then know that you will probably have to make a couple of SC visits at your own leisure, but hopefully for nothing significantly urgent. Again, these are well documented and annoying/frustrating types of issues, but probably doesn't prevent you car from being driven day-to-day.

Second, there's the question of how often do you really need to visit a SC for actual maintenance or significant issues. Maintenance on the Model X is every 12,500 miles, per Tesla, so that's likely to be once a year. I took mine in just to have it looked over after around 6 months and half those miles, just as a sanity check. My father, who lives 3 hours from his nearest Tesla SC has had to bring in his AP2.0 Model X to the SC about 2-3 times over the last 5 months he has owned it since this summer when he took delivery. I would only consider one of those visits to be for something significant from a time perspective, where his driver's side door would not self-present as part of the PUP. However, this issue existed since delivery and it took Tesla over a week to get the parts, fix the vehicle, and return it to him. Since then, he has not had anything really significant or even minor come up. His car drives well and the software updates have added several improvements.

I've had a similar door issue recently with my 1st-gen (AP1.0) Model X, as well as some initial build quality issues that they took care of shortly after delivery last year, but definitely nothing that made me have to take my car into the SC for weeks on end or that made the car unsafe to drive. I think those types of issues are fewer and far between now...but not 100% out of the question either. From what I've heard on these forums, build quality has improved dramatically in the last year and continues to.

The overall level of technology in Teslas are just mind blowing...literally not comparable to anything on the road today. However, with that comes a lot of room for new technology/parts that could have issues and quality problems. I personally don't define these as reliability issues, as I can still drive the car and enjoy 99.9% of all of what it offers. You just have to learn to accept that the risk of things being more prone to issues is higher...

Sorry for the long winded answer, but hope it helps provide one owners perspective and helps in your decision making.

 

[rjdoc74]

I wouldn’t recommend it. If you hit Tesla lottery and only have a few issues, great. If you don’t- nightmare. I live less than a mile from SC and it is still a pain dropping off/picking up/getting loaners/ etc. Just my .02c

 

[SaskBoy]

I didn't give it enough thought to be honest. I have a Model X 75D and I am 7 hours away from the nearest SC (Saskatoon to Calgary) with no supercharging in between. The catch is that if the car is drivable with a warranty issue, it is the owner's responsibility to get it to the Service Center. Big difference there when you are far away.

 

[JimVandegriff]

One thing you might check on is the policy of your service center regarding transporting your vehicle for you to and from the service center. We live about 300 miles from our service center, and over the last year and a half the center has either transported the car by flatbed to the center for repairs, or sent out a ranger to our house to service the vehicle at no additional charge to us. I have just scheduled our 25000 mile service for next week. The center will be picking up the car here, and then transport it back. We love our X and while I would be happy to be closer to a service center, the Tesla policies regarding transport seem to work well for us even at this distance.
You mentioned an 800 km towing limit. Is this the distance the service center is willing to transport the vehicle or is this a private contractor towing limit?

 

[Darmie]

I'm in Lake Charles LA, our nearest service center is in Houston where we picked up the car. The other day the wife called to schedule an appointment to get our first tire rotation and they were going to send out a ranger. I was surprised to learn more of what all the rangers can do. We're going to wait a few more miles since the first rotation they claim is complementary.

 

[Saghost]

It's worth it.

While there are often minor niggling issues to be addressed, having a problem that stops the car on the side of the road is very, very rare - and is a much better car and driving experience than any alternative, so I'd say go for it.

 

[DrivingRockies]

they were going to send out a ranger. I was surprised to learn more of what all the rangers can do..

Check with your SC first. I haven't seen or heard of one in my state yet.

 

[muleferg]

"I live 1.5 hr from Charlotte SC. My X will be 1.5 yr old in Dec. with 8,000 miles. no issues at all."

Should read 1 year old in Dec. Sorry.for fake new's

 

[DrivingRockies]

no issues at all

I seem to remember you having some issues with your FWD not opening.

 

[outie]

It’s really a hit or miss...

If it’s not for my FWD issues I probably wouldn’t need to visit the SC more than once in my 1year+ ownership. I do have an unique FWD issue that’s not very common (detecting phantom objects under heat on driver side only). One thing to keep in mind is that your local shops can easily fix some ICE issues, not so much with a Tesla like the FWD stuff. Good luck.

 

[Yinn]

I sat down to think about this the other day. I'm an hour away from the nearest SC. Nothing about the car has been catastrophic to me, but little things keep needing adjustments or replacements. The SC has been great in providing loaners etc, but every trip is time. I absolutely love the car, but not sure I could comfortably recommend buying one if you're more than an hour away from an SC at this point in time.

 

[cdnewt]

Thanks all for your responses. Very much appreciated. I've got some thinking to do

 

[Insureit1]

It’s really a hit or miss...

If it’s not for my FWD issues I probably wouldn’t need to visit the SC more than once in my 1year+ ownership. I do have an unique FWD issue that’s not very common (detecting phantom objects under heat on driver side only). One thing to keep in mind is that your local shops can easily fix some ICE issues, not so much with a Tesla like the FWD stuff. Good luck.

That is actually one of the more common issues. Happened to me on both doors. Problem is getting better but still an issue especially in hot climates.