Non-Tesla dealership purchase

[MrTomP]

Hello everybody. Need some advice, found a really good deal (local car dealership) for a 2018 MX with very low mileage and everything I am looking for, primarily it being a 6 seater. My question is that I know Tesla offers a 4 year/50k Warranty if you purchase through them for a used vehicle, but considering that this vehicle I am looking it has approximately 2-3 year left on the original mfg warranty (12/18), can I consider it a safe/good purchase in terms of warranty? I think the mfg warranty will should expire 12/2022.

I think its a good deal, but not really sure. Can anybody provide any insights on after market warranty after the original warranty expires? How do I check if it has FSD, Free Supercharging, or anything else that I maybe missing? Thanks in advance

 

[mjptech]

I think its a good deal, but not really sure. Can anybody provide any insights on after market warranty after the original warranty expires? How do I check if it has FSD, Free Supercharging, or anything else that I maybe missing? Thanks in advance

More than likely it won't have Free Supercharging (it stopped being a transferable perk after about January 2017 sold vehicles) - there are some rare exceptions, but, don't count on it.

It will be hard to verify FSD vs EAP on a 2018 (as they are pretty much the same thing), however, to know if it's activated, you can look at the vehicle settings pages (within the vehicle) and look for Summons/Smart Summons/Navigate on AutoPilot. If those appear, at a minimum, it will have EAP.

Otherwise, yes, the original warranty should still be effective. You may want to confirm the build date (door jamb sticker on driver's side) - if after March 2018, then you should have the MCU2 hardware, which can play an important part in some of the usability of the display screen (speed/features).

 

[MrTomP]

More than likely it won't have Free Supercharging (it stopped being a transferable perk after about January 2017 sold vehicles) - there are some rare exceptions, but, don't count on it.

It will be hard to verify FSD vs EAP on a 2018 (as they are pretty much the same thing), however, to know if it's activated, you can look at the vehicle settings pages (within the vehicle) and look for Summons/Smart Summons/Navigate on AutoPilot. If those appear, at a minimum, it will have EAP.

Otherwise, yes, the original warranty should still be effective. You may want to confirm the build date (door jamb sticker on driver's side) - if after March 2018, then you should have the MCU2 hardware, which can play an important part in some of the usability of the display screen (speed/features).

Thanks MJPTECH, its a 12/18 build and i think it has MCU2 as I saw all the arcade games. I also looked at the autopilot section and saw that it has summons, so does that mean AP2.5/EAP? Also, I thought I read somewhere here that if you purchade through a non-tesla dealership, after the original warranty expires, you cant buy the extended warranty from Tesla, which is kinda scary.

 

[Akikiki]

I think its uncertain that you will be able to purchase the extended 4 year warranty. A couple of years ago Tesla announced and continued to enforce a policy that any Tesla's purchased from regular car dealerships (versus private owners or Tesla themselves,) would not be allowed to purchase the extended warranty. And the normal method for finding that out is to register the Tesla under your Tesla account and see if it allows you to make the purchase.

You should ask how long the dealership has had it in their possession. Maybe they have not had it long enough to have registered it with Tesla. Because if they put their name on it as owner, you likely won't be able to buy the extended warranty.

You have nothing to lose. See if the dealership will tell you who they got it from. If you can track down and talk to the previous owner, there is a chance its still registered under their name. They will know by looking in their Tesla account. If you can make the transfer seem as if it came from that owner when you provide Tesla, your driver's license image, your insurance card image and the state registration image, you might be able to eliminate that it was owned by a dealership.

We don't know if that policy is still in effect, but we likely would have heard if they stopped it.

 

[mswlogo]

I think its uncertain that you will be able to purchase the extended 4 year warranty. A couple of years ago Tesla announced and continued to enforce a policy that any Tesla's purchased from regular car dealerships (versus private owners or Tesla themselves,) would not be allowed to purchase the extended warranty. And the normal method for finding that out is to register the Tesla under your Tesla account and see if it allows you to make the purchase.

You should ask how long the dealership has had it in their possession. Maybe they have not had it long enough to have registered it with Tesla. Because if they put their name on it as owner, you likely won't be able to buy the extended warranty.

You have nothing to lose. See if the dealership will tell you who they got it from. If you can track down and talk to the previous owner, there is a chance its still registered under their name. They will know by looking in their Tesla account. If you can make the transfer seem as if it came from that owner when you provide Tesla, your driver's license image, your insurance card image and the state registration image, you might be able to eliminate that it was owned by a dealership.

We don't know if that policy is still in effect, but we likely would have heard if they stopped it.

It’s not just uncertain you won’t be able purchase extended warranty on any used vehicle. I asked that recently when purchasing my extended warranty. Only the original owner can purchase it. But the person I asked could be wrong too.

It would have to be one heck of a deal to consider it.

 

[Akikiki]

"But the person I asked could be wrong too." Soooo, it might not be not uncertain then, since you might have been told wrong? '
We are really helpful tonight are we not, but then again, I am not certain.

 

[MrTomP]

That sucks, so Tesla penalizes buyers (Tesla owners) for not buying a Tesla from Tesla or from the original owner from the sounds of it, seems kinda monopolostic or something aling those lines. I think the MX would be a great deal, but after initial warranty expires, could be pretty expensive to own without an extended warranty.

Also, I saw the carfax and original owner sold to auction then dealership bought it with onky 7k miles back in September. If it the account was transferred to dealership and I do purchase it and Tesla notices it, will I get the step child treatment for any upgrades or any favorable action in the future...

 

[Akikiki]

If you saw the original owner name, see if you can track them down. Ask if its still in their Tesla account. It like is. Its doubtful that the auction had it long enough to '"tell" Tesla by registering it. And if the dealership didn't register it, Tesla does not yet know the original owner no longer has it.

If its a good deal, you could still buy it and drive it until close to warranty expiration, then trade it in or sell it and buy again. You have options.

 

[mjptech]

That sucks, so Tesla penalizes buyers (Tesla owners) for not buying a Tesla from Tesla or from the original owner from the sounds of it, seems kinda monopolostic or something aling those lines. I think the MX would be a great deal, but after initial warranty expires, could be pretty expensive to own without an extended warranty.Also

, I saw the carfax and original owner sold to auction then dealership bought it with onky 7k miles back in September. If it the account was transferred to dealership and I do purchase it and Tesla notices it, will I get the step child treatment for any upgrades or any favorable action in the future...

Could be a few things going on...
1 - a vehicle typically doesn't get sent to auction by the owner, it's usually a dealership. It may not be recorded in the lien history. For example, my Volvo XC90 T8 was bought back in February last year and went to auction a few months later.. in the report, it shows me as the last owner before that. It didn't show the month or more that it remained at the Volvo dealership I dropped it at (where they used it as I still had access to it, and saw then adding a thousand miles).

The DMV in California was notified that Volvo was the new owner (as a buyback is technically a sale of the vehicle), but, again, it doesn't necessarily get recorded in history.

Be aware that an auctioned vehicle may have a different past than you may see on reports.

And yes, the control that Tesla exercises over policies pertaining to their vehicles is a little like Apple.. not consumer friendly.