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Phoenix AZ Experience

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I am considering purchasing a S/100D prior to the end of the $7500 tax credit. Can any owners in the Phoenix AZ metropolitan area tell me how well the car has held up and performed in the heat of the Arizona summers? Also, any comments on the service quality at the Tempe Tesla Service Center would be appreciated.
 
I am considering purchasing a S/100D prior to the end of the $7500 tax credit. Can any owners in the Phoenix AZ metropolitan area tell me how well the car has held up and performed in the heat of the Arizona summers? Also, any comments on the service quality at the Tempe Tesla Service Center would be appreciated.
I have only had my 75S for four months but have used the Tempe service center a few times for minor items -- and am impressed with them so far. Very polite and very responsive. Of course you probably won't find the 50 year old mechanic with 30 years of experience. I will say I am concerned that they will be inundated as the Model 3 is sold. But for my last minor item, they called and asked if they could send out a "ranger" to my house. This suggests they are already starting to implement Tesla's plan to increase ranger service immediately as it would be impractical to suddenly add new service centers.


As for the hot climate, there are quite a few older Teslas that I see daily and based on this and other message boards I don't think you should worry about the heat's affect on the mechanical systems of the cars. I also have a glass roof and the sun has been no issue on my comfort.
 
2013 P85
Recommend having windows/windshield tinted.
On the hottest mornings..pre-cooling the car using the phone app is very helpful.
We set a/c to auto 72 and this is easily maintained with little apparent strain on system.
I keep the car plugged in at home. at all times. On hottest days, when inside garage is 100+, the software maintains the battery at proper temp. from "shore power".
 
I have a 75D also 4 months, so have not yet experienced the summer heat (although getting to 100 this weekend). Other AZ owners I've heard from don't have any complaints about summer heat affecting the car. I used Tesla ranger service once for a minor repair, came out to my workplace in Chandler from Tempe SC, very easy and quick.

I also had my side and rear windows tinted. Use a sunscreen for the windshield.
 
I'm not in AZ, but on hot days in California, the A/C struggles to cool the vehicle (pano roof car). I haven't had this kind of cooling issue with my other vehicles in the same climate.

The A/C system also makes an annoying vibration in the vehicle when it's running at higher loads. The SC says the A/C vibration is a "characteristic of the vehicle" that engineering is aware of but there is no fix yet.
 
2013 S85 with 74K miles. Pano roof. Aftermarket window tinting on side windows and rear window. Tesla shade screen installed in back window.

I live in north Phoenix, and keep the car in a west facing, uninsulated garage with a metal garage door (ouch). So, easily above 120F on summer afternoons, and rarely cooling below 90F at night. My 100% charge now indicates 250 miles (265 miles when new).

Feeling guilty perhaps about the above environment, I charge to 65% most days, pushing it to 100% only when about to go on a road trip. My research (citations missing - sorry) indicates avoiding hot temperatures at high States Of Charge (SOC) helps preserve the battery's energy storage ability.

I believe I've suffered average (normal) degradation. In other words, if there were a sister car to mine with similar miles living in a perfect, 70F year-round climate, it would also charge to 250 miles.

My experience is that Tesla's Air Conditioning system is very strong. Perhaps this is because it was designed for the worst-case scenario of simultaneously cooling the cabin and the battery pack. Five or at most ten minutes of pre-cooling is all it seems to take, even after hot soaking in the sun. I've only seen it fail to keep up once: Using the Yuma Supercharger at 2PM on a sunny August day. This supercharger is a back-in with west facing stalls. In that case, it appeared to give battery cooling priority over cabin cooling.

I have no value added feedback regarding the Tempe Service Center. If it matters, all my service work has been performed at the Scottsdale Service Center, and they have been phenomenally great.

A 100D S will be the cat's meow. We travel to Moab Utah several times a year. A 100D would easily make the Flagstaff to Blanding Utah run without needing to stop somewhere in Monument Valley for a charge. You should definitely get it. :)