Owning a Tesla in a remote place

[AirKuhl]

I'm moving to a place where the nearest Tesla SC or dealer is over 700 miles round trip.

I was going to sell/trade-in my Tesla but I thought I'd first see if anyone here is also far from the nearest SC and how that's working out. So far in my 1+ year of ownership I'd been to the SC about 5 times, so I'm a bit concerned about keeping the car.

 

[ztaylor]

I would check with Tesla to see if the mobile service would come out to you.

 

[skitown]

When we bought our first S, there was no mobile technician close and we were about 450 miles (one way) to the nearest service center. Since then a mobile tech has been added about 100 miles away. Knock wood, it's worked out for us so far. We for sure plan on adding an AWD Model 3 asap and ditching our other ICE car.

 

[Electric_Zen]

I live in NS Canada and the closest SC is approx 600 miles away. Its certainly manageable, but not as convenient as being able to drop off the car and pick up a loaner. There is a mobile tech that Tesla will send out at a cost; Tesla may also arrange to transport your vehicle at a cost. My recommendation would be to verify if Tesla will service your new location and what are the costs to you if any. Another thing would be to reach out to other owners in that area as you will be able to split the cost of the technicians mileage when needed.

 

[zjfk2]

I’m not as far as some other people from a service center . My one way trip is 200 miles. It’s still a pain. Mobile service has come once for my model x. This was nice as it saved me from taking a day off of work. Ranger is coming back next week to replace a 12v battery. I will have a third visit to replace b pillar AP cameras.

My X also has a cracked windshield now. Rangers don’t do that and can’t get it replaced by safelite. This means a trip to the service center. I can’t plan this trip because the part is back ordered .This means a day off work or hopefully a Saturday appointment . It’s a PIA if your work schedule is like mine. Not flexible and planned months ahead with call.

My s had to go to a body shop once. It was also a 200 mile one way trip. It took a while to get fixed and I couldn’t personally check on the car. Thankfully, I haven’t had any problems with this car other then those caused by a suicidal deer.

My point is the ranger won’t fix everything. Even a 200 mile distance is a pain . It’s a choice based on how much you like the car against how much it MIGHT be a pain to get it fixed. My experience with the model s convinced me to buy an x for my wife. If I had purchased the x first , I probably wouldn’t have got another Tesla till they opened a closer service center

 

[skitown]

............ My point is the ranger won’t fix everything. Even a 200 mile distance is a pain . It’s a choice based on how much you like the car against how much it MIGHT be a pain to get it fixed. My experience with the model s convinced me to buy an x for my wife. If I had purchased the x first , I probably wouldn’t have got another Tesla till they opened a closer service center

+1 on this. I've hedged my bets with Model Ss vs. an X to this point because 1), they are more mature, 2), I'd heard that a single mobile tech can't work on a big falcon wing door issue - as it requires two people; and this was a bit outside my comfort/risk zone; at least at the time as I wanted to minimize odds of needing to go to an SC.

 

[ThisIsTrue]

I bought my S knowing that I'm 350 miles from my nearest SC (and about 400 for the next one). Haven't had a problem with that yet.

 

[madtorque]

I asked my ranger about this when he was servicing my car. He told me there is a guy with a Tesla in the Yukon. The nearest service centre is in Vancouver... That's roughly 2,500 km or 1,553 miles from the nearest service centre.

 

[Evoforce]

Well, this is related... I broke down 2500 miles from home and Tesla did a reasonable job handling my situation. I think whether you are 50 or 3000 miles from an SC, what really matters is the service, and they have a great service record with me.

 

[Graffi]

I believe a TESLA is a great vehicle to have, no matter where you live. For the more remote areas the largest battery would be recommended, but all will work. Even without Supercharging or a Service Center close by it is a great car to have. Electricity from home is still much cheaper than gas for an ICE, and EV's have very little maintenance.

What maintenance that is needed can be planned around a trip, or just plan a trip around the maintenance. Gives a great excuse for a vacation.

We use our Model S for long-distance trips (as well as lots of local driving - all charged at home), and are always able to go where we want with the Supercharger Network.

My recommendation - KEEP THE TESLA.