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Outrageous $5000 repair bill after warranty expire!

MXWing

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2016
7,281
17,783
USA
Before my warranty expire couple of month ago. I did consider to purchase extended warranty. I read peoples opinion on the forum, agreed not to pay the $4000 ahead of the time, can't believe this.

I am really sorry I did not see your post on this topic. It would have been an easy decision in my opinion given how old your X is and the complexity of the car versus the S/3.

As an example, the FWD open/close buttons kept breaking so Tesla changed them in 2017.

Another example is it seems like O-Ring issues that caused AC coolant to leak out was pretty ccommon for cars in 2016. I'm very confident, that cars in 2017 and onward would have addressed that.

There's probably been a thousand tiny changes here which many of us have no clue that was fixed between now and when your 2016 AP1 Model X was produced.

I'd buy an ESA for a Model X produced tomorrow but I would pay even more to insure one made in 2016.

The rep and his manager communicated me through text messages which they type in their computer, I receive as text. He said our text communications are also viewed by his manager. The manager disapproved any goodwell, discount, and not letting me to purchase extented warranty because I am over 50k miles. The rep also sent my question to higher management which is "regional office", they declined the same.

I really feel for you here - but asking for an exception does put Tesla in a difficult spot. There's no point to insurance, if you don't pay the premium until a claim occurs.

It also doesn't help your vehicle becomes a liability to Tesla for 4 more years. Tesla would be incurring a lost immediately and take losses going forward.

If I were the CFO, I would have to fire anybody who was selling warranties to cover claims that already happened. As a human being, I feel bad for you and for the rep but the company is #1.

however, my 3 years old tesla go to service center every 4-6 month in the past year and half.

That is a red flag that you should have gotten the extended warranty. Also, you did drive 4+ years in mileage over 3 years, so you can't age the car as 3.

I was seriously considering a preowned new Tesla Coupe, in several years when it drops to around maybe 50% to 70% of the $200k release price. Now I am absolutely NOT considering getting one. I was also waiting for the model Y, the truck. No, I will get a Fort Raptor or Honda Ridgeline that will hold a lot better value after 3 years, if I ever get a truck.

Yesterday, I preordered a 2020 new mid engine corvette, expect to take delivery next summer. I plan to get the base model with little bit options, cost me less than 70k, I am sure after 3 years, it still worth $50k due to my 3 past corvette experience.

I understand emotions running high but you do have to take ownership of your decisions here. Your heartache is from not having warranty and Tesla not making an exception which you cannot expect. There's no reason a Ridgeline as superior to the Tesla truck until you know what the Tesla truck actually is.

No one knows the production run and value of a Roadster. Tesla may just stall forever until batteries are extremely cheap because they have so much liability for the ones they are giving out. Multiple Roadsters to some people - and they are going to need to be warrantied as well. (stupid Tesla)

Did you lock in the price for the 2020 Corvette? If its really hot, your dealer will mark it up past MSRP as "market adjustment". Only to sell it for 15K under sticker when demand falls.

$50K after 3 years when the warranty expiress on THAT car is unlikely when you can get a Model 3 /Y Performance for not much more than that. The 3/Y P will wreck the base Corvette and have utility with more than 2 seats.

Thankfully you have time to get everything together but jumping off the bridge for remorse caused partly by you is not a smart thing to do. Don't compound bad decisions with more bad decisions.
 
Last edited:

alloverx

Member
Mar 20, 2016
864
597
Seattle
I am no GM fan but the new Corvette looks fantastic.
You will be able to get (3rd party) parts for it for decades.
If they produce the rumored Hybrid version in the next few years, it might be extremely fast.
 

bewilderman

Member
Aug 16, 2019
40
41
Silicon Valley, CA
I'm sorry the OP had to go through this, but I think its not all that bad, considering its only $5K and the ESA that he chose to not buy would have cost him $4K+ anyway. Its not like its a $20K repair. Who knows, may be his car won't break at all in the next 5 years. So he's almost even. Sometimes you lose your bets, and you cough up and move on. Back dating transactions for financial gain has landed former CEOs in jail. Its simply not fair to those who paid up. I hope the OP will put this in perspective and stick to the tech of the future.

Perhaps I did not explain it well. My point is that I expect a premium product when I spend premium money. That the manufacturer doesn't and cuts corners is on him. European legislation works like that too. If your air conditioner of a premium car breaks after two years for instance than the manufacturer is on the hook as a consumer can expect better from a premium product. The manufacture cannot hide behind their suppliers. In Europe there is no need to buy extended warranty as the law protects consumers. It would be a good thing if these kind of protections were also available on this side of the Atlanticm

Europeans are fascinating, but I would rather my government not try to fix the stupid, or try to socialize personal responsibility. You are expected to understand what you are paying for, and read the fine print. Same amount of money may be 'premium' to some, and 'cheap' to some other. So I don't think you can 'expect' anything other than whats included and whats expressed, just because you are paying a certain amount. In this case, the warranty terms were explicit and advertised. Yes, Tesla could fix it out of goodwill, but I don't think that the government should arm twist a company to deliver more than what they promised. The cost of the warranty/support contract is usually included in the price of the product. Thats why there's extended warranties available for additional cost. If the government forces companies to fix things that they didn't originally offer to fix, the companies will need to price the products higher to include that extended warranty as standard. And you are back to square one when that warranty expires. Its like chasing your own tail.
 

Krazaak

Member
Jul 30, 2017
891
994
Charlotte, NC
If the government forces companies to fix things that they didn't originally offer to fix, the companies will need to price the products higher to include that extended warranty as standard. And you are back to square one when that warranty expires. Its like chasing your own tail.

Without a doubt. Any costs being imposed on manufacturers will be baked back into the product acquisition cost. The real problem here is that Tesla is still too new to have a robust independent service offering and OEM/refurbished part supply.

Few people concerned with price bring their out of warranty car to the dealership for repairs.
 

InsanePath

Member
Aug 11, 2019
22
9
Clermont, FL
Sorry I'm new but is this the warranty company you are referring to or a different one?
 

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SaniDel

Member
Aug 30, 2019
75
20
Greenville, Delaware
just bought the extended warranty ... 4800 :(
Thanks for posting this!! Jeez.

mohanman ... tell us again when you brought the extended warranty ... when you bought the vehicle, during its original warranty or after the original warranty had expired? Did you qualify for the $500 discount for early purchase a.k.a. the $500 penalty for late purchase? In any event ... congratulations on your decision!
 

Mayo

Member
Aug 31, 2016
260
129
Corona CA
I bought it from the Tesla website on my car page. I paid 4800.00 via credit card, but it doesn't show up on my vehicle page now.. weird.
I also recently bought the extended warranty prior to the end of my manufacturer original warranty period. The purchase was on my tesla online account for a bout a month. Just as of very recently Tesla removed all mention of my purshased extended warranty. I believe it now only shows your warranty on the service centers computers.
 

DrComputer

Active Member
Jan 29, 2009
1,122
353
Sherman Oaks, CA
My 2016 Model X is just a little over a month out of warranty and poof, my A/C compressor failed (in a spectacular meltdown way the service center noted). Luckily I have the Extended Service Agreement and the Van Nuys service center quickly fixed it and returned my car in 1 day.
 

wolfwill23

Vendor
Apr 1, 2019
117
109
Las Vegas
My 2016 Model X is just a little over a month out of warranty and poof, my A/C compressor failed (in a spectacular meltdown way the service center noted). Luckily I have the Extended Service Agreement and the Van Nuys service center quickly fixed it and returned my car in 1 day.
How do you get the extended service warranty? I have a model 3. Thanks
 
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SilverString

Member
Mar 29, 2020
256
142
Bee Cave, Texas
The entire extended warranty program seems pretty nebulous and constantly changing. I purchased a new vehicle and paid $2k for a two year 75K warranty extension 89 days after I bought the car to avoid the $500 increase after 90 days of ownership.

When I bought it I just gave them a credit card - there was no additional paperwork regarding terms and conditions, no mention of a deductible, and I signed nothing except the credit card receipt. The SA just told me this was a really good move and it simply extended the car's original warranty as stated when I purchased it. He also told me that it was unlikely that the upgrade will appear in my account any time soon, and this was early 9/2019. All I got was a receipt that says essentially the same thing the SA told me.
 

Tam

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2012
8,295
7,137
Visalia, CA
Wow I did not know that but it explains the conflicting information I have noted. So who does the warranty work?

You might want to check the new extended program for EV:

Vendor - X-Care EV Extended Warranty - The "Why" to our "What".

Your one-time premium is based on your odometer.

Coverage: If it's still under 50,000 miles / 4 years, then Tesla does the standard new warranty coverage. Once your standard Tesla new warranty expires, X-care warranty kicks in.

Repairs: It says you only need to pay the deductibles to Tesla and Tesla will call it to get the rest of the repair cost.
 

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