Simple question and hopefully someone can help me decide. I really want to order a MYP. I am in Ontario Canada and the nearest Tesla Service Center is 200 miles away. With the seemingly random quality issues some people are having I wonder if I am over worried. Not so much worried about minor cosmetic issues but concerned about major things. What happens if the electric motors or inverter fails like some have had. If the car is not drivable will Tesla pay for a tow with that distance ? What about a loaner if they need to keep the car waiting for parts. This would be my only car. I heard about Tesla Rangers but don’t know their distance limitation and repair abilities. If we had a local Tesla Service Center I would be less concerned obviously. Should these issues be deal breakers for me wanting a Tesla ? I know some of you have had absolutely no problems but I cannot be guaranteed of that. Any comments would be appreciated.
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Opinions about purchase
- Thread starter phonetele226
- Start date
I live even further from my nearest service center and haven't had any major issues in the 3 years I've owned my Tesla. I've had the mobile service come out twice (once to install Homelink, another time to replace a bad ultrasonic sensor). The mobile guys can do a lot but for major service, yeah, you have to bring it in. I've had to do this once. I always request a loaner because like you, I need a car to get home and that's a 3.5 hour drive away. The service manager told me they are strict on loaner for this very reason - to make sure they are available for people like us.
As for towing, I don't know since I've never had to do it.
As for towing, I don't know since I've never had to do it.
I think you may be over weighing the potential for issues. People come to online forums to find solutions to issues and if people have no issues, they aren't posting. I would argue MANY people have no issues and SOME do have issues. As to if that risk is worth it, only you can make that call. It is a bit more of a pain not having a service center near by and certainly that would be something I'd consider myself.
Exactly! Like most car owner forums people don’t post here when everything is great.
Take me, for example. I took delivery of our 2022 MYP in early June and it has been awesome. Good build quality and the paint is beautiful with 2 minor exceptions on the passenger side A pillar. No squeaks or rattles anywhere. Within a week we took it on a 2,600 mile road trip to Washington State and back. It performed flawlessly and charged so much faster than our old Model S. It is a such joy to drive!
Don’t worry - odds are you will have an experience similar to mine.
people worry about so many things that never happen in their lives-specially in this social media age.
I’m in the same position as OP. It’s all great until it’s not…Tesla needs more SCs. Having to drive 200 miles to replace a windshield is very inconvenient.
dagug
Member
My opinion might be contrary to others here. 200 miles is a long way to go for service. You might get lucky and not need any immediate fixes upon delivery. But that's not to say you won't need a single warranty service in the next 3-5 years after that. In fact, I'd be surprised if you manage not to need to visit at least once in that time. Tough decision but it's something only you can answer if you'd be willing to make that drive (assuming your issue isn't going to render your car undriveable in the first place). I would say chances are slim to none that you would require zero visits to a service center in the next 5 years. I highly doubt a mobile ranger will travel 200 miles but I can't say for certain.
That said, there are likely going to be shops closer to you to take care of smaller items that are not tesla-official required fixes (such as windshield repair/replace) though my guess is that won't work for big ticket warranty claims.
I've been driving my vehicle for about 6-9 months now. In that time I've had mobile come out to install my homelink (supposedly it is required to be installed by tesla because there's some software they have to enable.). I've also had my rear seats get stuck (to be completely replaced by the SC under warranty) and just the other day my steering wheel got stuck (will shift up and down but won't shift in and out). The former requires a SC visit but not sure about the latter since I just tacked both issues onto the same ticket. From what I can tell, major drivetrain issues like motors are relatively rare, but it seems quite common for various quality of life (such as seats getting stained by seatbelts or misaligned panels etc) or other mid-range mechanical issues (broken seat controls or faulty a/c system etc) to crop up which do require SC visits to come up. You probably won't get a ton of issues unless you got a lemon but the likely-hood of absolutely nothing coming up in the first five years is probably zero.
Another thing to consider is the quality of that SC. It seems like for most, the experience at a particular SC is hit or miss. Some are great and willing to waive fees fix things for free, while others seem to flat out refuse to even look at the exact same issue by citing "it is within spec". There's many instances where people will shop around various tesla SCs since prices for the exact issue seems to range from "refuse-to-even-look-at-it" to "complementary-fix-free-of-charge" to "inflated-service-prices-because...tesla". Price/customer service/mechanics' competency are all things that seem to vary from SC to SC and in your situation, you're likely going to be stuck in a take-it or leave-it type situation.
That said, there are likely going to be shops closer to you to take care of smaller items that are not tesla-official required fixes (such as windshield repair/replace) though my guess is that won't work for big ticket warranty claims.
I've been driving my vehicle for about 6-9 months now. In that time I've had mobile come out to install my homelink (supposedly it is required to be installed by tesla because there's some software they have to enable.). I've also had my rear seats get stuck (to be completely replaced by the SC under warranty) and just the other day my steering wheel got stuck (will shift up and down but won't shift in and out). The former requires a SC visit but not sure about the latter since I just tacked both issues onto the same ticket. From what I can tell, major drivetrain issues like motors are relatively rare, but it seems quite common for various quality of life (such as seats getting stained by seatbelts or misaligned panels etc) or other mid-range mechanical issues (broken seat controls or faulty a/c system etc) to crop up which do require SC visits to come up. You probably won't get a ton of issues unless you got a lemon but the likely-hood of absolutely nothing coming up in the first five years is probably zero.
Another thing to consider is the quality of that SC. It seems like for most, the experience at a particular SC is hit or miss. Some are great and willing to waive fees fix things for free, while others seem to flat out refuse to even look at the exact same issue by citing "it is within spec". There's many instances where people will shop around various tesla SCs since prices for the exact issue seems to range from "refuse-to-even-look-at-it" to "complementary-fix-free-of-charge" to "inflated-service-prices-because...tesla". Price/customer service/mechanics' competency are all things that seem to vary from SC to SC and in your situation, you're likely going to be stuck in a take-it or leave-it type situation.
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Thank you dagug. You answered my apprehension with some good points. My biggest fear would be a non-drivable car having to be towed at my expense a good 200 miles. Then having the vehicle sit for weeks waiting for some major powertrain part. Those of you in or close to a Service Center are indeed fortunate. I wish Tesla would aggressively expand their Service Center offerings. In my opinion this is the only advantage that the Big 3 companies have since you can count on them having deep penetration in most areas. Range anxiety is one thing but service anxiety takes it to a different level.
gx9901
Active Member
Personally speaking, I would not buy an EV, Tesla or otherwise, unless I can get it serviced within a reasonable driving distance, which for me would be around 30 miles. I guess I'm lucky that both EVs in our household (Tesla & Volvo) has service available within about 20 miles. I just feel like unlike ICE cars, EVs more or less don't have any 3rd party repair shops available, so I would feel better if I have relatively easy access to the service centers in case of any issues.
So far I've only gone to the Tesla SC once to get a replacement spoiler in the one year I've owned my car, but it gives me a peace of mind that if anything major happens, I'm probably not going to be too far from the service center.
So far I've only gone to the Tesla SC once to get a replacement spoiler in the one year I've owned my car, but it gives me a peace of mind that if anything major happens, I'm probably not going to be too far from the service center.
Why worry ? Tesla road service will pick up the car on a flat bed vs someone tinkering or pulling a straw out a hat for diagnosing your ice vehicle
dagug
Member
From my experience, fixing a major issue with Tesla almost always involves multiple visits. Even if the SC is willing to pick up the car with a flatbed, you usually still need to go in and chat with them (not always, but at some point you will need to go). Typically, the first visit they will diagnose what's going on and attempt to fix. But with big issues, they often can't fix in the first go. This means going there, waiting a few hours, then heading back home, likely without your car. If this is a total 400 mile round trip, you're looking at the better part of a full day. Ok, now you can head home... if you're lucky, you'll get a loaner, if not, you end up with Uber credits. But if you're 200 miles from a SC, it's likely you're in a more rural area - this means significant wait times for an Uber. That's just to get home. If this is your only car, you still need to run errands, get to work, etc. This means waiting 30min-1hr for an Uber anytime you need to get anywhere.
From there, they'll need to order the parts (almost always takes 2 weeks+). Once the parts arrive, they'll attempt to fix. They'll get it installed and ask you to come in... 400 mile round trip scenario is now in play. Once you get there, depending on the issue, there's a not-insignificant chance that the issue won't actually be fixed or a new one will crop up. There are many reports on this forum where people get notice that their vehicle is fixed and ready to go, arrive at the service center, just to immediately find out that it in fact, was not fixed. It seems like most departments often define "fixed" to be "task/install/swap complete", and not necessarily "original symptoms and issues gone". It's not uncommon for this to happen and the SC will then take the vehicle back again, rediagnose, and order a new part. Again, 2 week wait to roll the dice if the new part actually fixes the issue.
Rinse and repeat until issue is finally fixed. Yes, they can tow using a flatbed, great... but that's nowhere near the full picture.
Don't get me wrong... the above "worst case" scenario is probably not going to be the experience every single time - it's really more of a worst case scenario. But at the same time, it is not wildly improbable either as I've heard many similar stories. Chances are you'll have one or two big issues come up in the first 5 years of ownership and you'll have a degree of the above experience each of those times. To me, this seems like a major hassle, but I love my tesla and would be willing to go through this a couple of times if that's the price of admission. But not everyone is willing to do so and you'll have to make your own judgement call on that.
From there, they'll need to order the parts (almost always takes 2 weeks+). Once the parts arrive, they'll attempt to fix. They'll get it installed and ask you to come in... 400 mile round trip scenario is now in play. Once you get there, depending on the issue, there's a not-insignificant chance that the issue won't actually be fixed or a new one will crop up. There are many reports on this forum where people get notice that their vehicle is fixed and ready to go, arrive at the service center, just to immediately find out that it in fact, was not fixed. It seems like most departments often define "fixed" to be "task/install/swap complete", and not necessarily "original symptoms and issues gone". It's not uncommon for this to happen and the SC will then take the vehicle back again, rediagnose, and order a new part. Again, 2 week wait to roll the dice if the new part actually fixes the issue.
Rinse and repeat until issue is finally fixed. Yes, they can tow using a flatbed, great... but that's nowhere near the full picture.
Don't get me wrong... the above "worst case" scenario is probably not going to be the experience every single time - it's really more of a worst case scenario. But at the same time, it is not wildly improbable either as I've heard many similar stories. Chances are you'll have one or two big issues come up in the first 5 years of ownership and you'll have a degree of the above experience each of those times. To me, this seems like a major hassle, but I love my tesla and would be willing to go through this a couple of times if that's the price of admission. But not everyone is willing to do so and you'll have to make your own judgement call on that.
Not true. There are distance limitations. Besides that doesn’t help me if I get the car to the Service Center and have no transportation to get it back. We are talking 200 miles away. I doubt they will bring it back to me.
dagug
Member
Again, the towing distance itself is not the only problem - it's the entire process which will often take multiple days and each time you have to go back, that adds a significant amount of time wasted in transit. Not to mention all the time wasted without a car and ordering an Uber to a rural area where there's likely no cars within 30 minutes.
Mateo83
Active Member
mstatkus
Member
I just went thru a exercise driving one of my last internal combustion vehicles to a individual in California. The power steering pulley shattered and I was basically left stranded on the side of the road. No water pump, alternator, power steering etc ... dead.
Took the tow truck 5 hours to get to me. And now its 6PM and the only thing I get is O'Rielly Auto Parts a full 30 miles behind me. The tool to even get the old pulley off and press the new one on was not something I carried with me. The skill to even be able to do it wavering as its getting darker and darker.
I ended up at a hotel while weighing the options for the next morning (Sunday) .. no ones open.
Bonus round - when the plastic pulley shattered it hit the radiator. So my eyes were pealed on the temp gauge the next 400 miles.
On the Tesla end of things:
I'm more in the 65 miles away from a service center. But at that point a hour, 2 hours, or 15 minutes - it didn't matter as all the other fun with getting someone to do it. Even show up and have the parts .. it's a lot. Parts can be days away, and those problems can lead to other problems.
I would say I sleep better at night knowing I have less parts, rubber hoses, hot engines/gaskets, fluids, oils, etc - if that helps
Took the tow truck 5 hours to get to me. And now its 6PM and the only thing I get is O'Rielly Auto Parts a full 30 miles behind me. The tool to even get the old pulley off and press the new one on was not something I carried with me. The skill to even be able to do it wavering as its getting darker and darker.
I ended up at a hotel while weighing the options for the next morning (Sunday) .. no ones open.
Bonus round - when the plastic pulley shattered it hit the radiator. So my eyes were pealed on the temp gauge the next 400 miles.
On the Tesla end of things:
I'm more in the 65 miles away from a service center. But at that point a hour, 2 hours, or 15 minutes - it didn't matter as all the other fun with getting someone to do it. Even show up and have the parts .. it's a lot. Parts can be days away, and those problems can lead to other problems.
I would say I sleep better at night knowing I have less parts, rubber hoses, hot engines/gaskets, fluids, oils, etc - if that helps
This concern is not uncommon. See the same issue with buying an Exotic. Buying a Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Lambo etc. They are often a ways away, yet somehow things get worked out. With todays supply chain issues, getting repair/service parts can be super annoying.
On the other hand, overall Tesla requires less visits to the shop than most other brands. You can call your nearest Tesla Service Center and see how they are handling issues like these. Sometimes you need to have it towed in, use Ranger service, take it to a local independant shop etc.
FIA (Forum Induced Anxiety) is a real thing. Potential owners read all the issues that can come up and only want a perfect ownership experience.
Sometime you just need to take a deep breath and give it a shot.
As volume increases, Tesla is rolling out more and more Service Centers. Might have one open closer to you in time as well.
On the other hand, overall Tesla requires less visits to the shop than most other brands. You can call your nearest Tesla Service Center and see how they are handling issues like these. Sometimes you need to have it towed in, use Ranger service, take it to a local independant shop etc.
FIA (Forum Induced Anxiety) is a real thing. Potential owners read all the issues that can come up and only want a perfect ownership experience.
Sometime you just need to take a deep breath and give it a shot.
As volume increases, Tesla is rolling out more and more Service Centers. Might have one open closer to you in time as well.
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