Pricing on Repairs: Advice

[MdlSP100D'16]

Hello Everyone! So I have attached my estimate sheet for my upcoming visit and need to know if I am being screwed and what, if anything, I should have done elsewhere.

For some context: i) The entire door handle is not broken, just the LED light went out. ii) My console has no retractable cup holders so I feel like that estimate is not correct even though I was super clear I was requesting them add them to mine. iii) I wasn't asking for a new 12v, I was asking for them to check it and tell me if I needed one--even if I do, is that a fair cost? iv) No idea what the AC work means or costs or whether what they quoted makes sense--EXCEPT for SURE I am not paying hundreds of dollars on "Diagnostics."

Any advice on if I should do certain things with Tesla and other stuff else where? And if so, what things? And I have no car or mechanical background so some pricing idea ranges would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Hello Everyone! So I have attached my estimate sheet for my upcoming visit and need to know if I am being screwed and what, if anything, I should have done elsewhere.

For some context: i) The entire door handle is not broken, just the LED light went out. ii) My console has no retractable cup holders so I feel like that estimate is not correct even though I was super clear I was requesting them add them to mine. iii) I wasn't asking for a new 12v, I was asking for them to check it and tell me if I needed one--even if I do, is that a fair cost? iv) No idea what the AC work means or costs or whether what they quoted makes sense--EXCEPT for SURE I am not paying hundreds of dollars on "Diagnostics."

Any advice on if I should do certain things with Tesla and other stuff else where? And if so, what things? And I have no car or mechanical background so some pricing idea ranges would be greatly appreciated.

Sometimes Tesla adds items to repair estimates without clarity on the root cause or service that you want. I assume you are dropping off the car and can speak with Service? You should clarify at that time and remove the items you don't want or need. My feedback on a few items:

- The car will tell you when it needs 12V battery replacement, with a few weeks notice to get it done. So remove that from service.
- To my knowledge, rear cup holder cannot be added by Tesla in a 2016, so remove that. There are some after market vendors that sell rear console with armrest and cupholders that.
- Good idea on getting the MCU upgrade; will definitely improve performance and capabilities on the screen. (The FM tuner at $500 is optional, so you can drop that if you don't need FM).
- The door handle LED replacement looks like normal cost.
- The HVAC is the only one of real concern from a $$ perspective. You mention an "Alert" so what type of error are you getting? The $1,157 just for diagnostic and refrigerant / desiccant replacement seems excessive, and my not even solve the problem. So I would ask for HVAC assessment and cost before committing to any of that.

 

[PCMc]

You have many different items here, just just trying to sort through them ...

Page 1 is all the MCU1 to MCU2 upgrade. Prices listed are correct. It's $1750 for an AP1 vintage car plus you're elected to have the additional $500 to replace the FM/XM radio tuner, so that portion totals $2250. They way Tesla has priced this is it's a fixed cost for parts and labor, so that's where you don't really see any separate break-out of parts vs. labor.

Regarding the 12V battery, what is listed is correct amount for replacement of the 12V battery. It's showing $165 for the battery itself and then the $58.50 for labor. At the stated $195/hr labor rate, the battery replacement equates to about 18 minutes of work. Not an inappropriate amount of time for the swap. Won't get into the debate of whether $195 is reasonable labor rate, but that's consistent with current Tesla rates in the general area.

Now regarding your comment of you just asked them to check, the way Tesla does estimates is they will present you what they think the worst case will be. So they's included the full cost for the battery replacement presuming the determine it should be swapped. If they do not, then they will not charge you for this.

As for the door handle, again look at the split of parts versus labor. They are only charging you $31 for the LED part with the rest being labor. This does require fully removing the interior door panel and takes a bit of time to pull out the old handle, then reinstall everything correctly. They've included 1.2 hrs labor. I've had a mobile tech do it in less, but then he didn't secure things correctly, within a couple hours found I had a horrible grinding sound when I tried to raise/lower my window, and ended up at the Indy service center a little bit later where they spent about another 45 minutes to correct what the mobile tech messed up by not properly securing everything in his haste the first time.

I'm not sure all the errors you've had that's prompted the AC service. I seem to recall seeing some possibly pointing to the front shutters, but their estimate presumes they need to open up the AC circuit, which means removal of refrigerant, and recharging. However, any time the system is opened there is a dessicant/dryer cannister that is supposed to be replaced, which is included in the parts cost. Diagnostic fee they've included is based upon general potential that if the system is low on refrigerant, there is a leak somewhere, and potential they will need to check the entire system. Again, my experience is they've given you the worst case estimate. I recently had to have one of the multi-way coolant valves replace due to a coolant leak occurring under the front of my car. My initial estimate had them replacing multiple valves, but ended up the identified which valve was the source of the leak, and my initial estimate was close to $1000 with the actual cost ended up only being $450.

So other than debating whether the $195 per hour labor rate is fair, I don't see anything out of line with typical for an initial estimate, which reflects what they feel might me involved.

For reference, my coolant valve repair was last November at Indianapolis service center. The labor rate there was $180 an hour, so not much different than what you're seeing 9 months later.

 

[blodg1]

A 2016 shouldn't be R1234YF unless someone converted it. My 2017 is R134a.

 

[MdlSP100D'16]

You have many different items here, just just trying to sort through them ...

Page 1 is all the MCU1 to MCU2 upgrade. Prices listed are correct. It's $1750 for an AP1 vintage car plus you're elected to have the additional $500 to replace the FM/XM radio tuner, so that portion totals $2250. They way Tesla has priced this is it's a fixed cost for parts and labor, so that's where you don't really see any separate break-out of parts vs. labor.

Regarding the 12V battery, what is listed is correct amount for replacement of the 12V battery. It's showing $165 for the battery itself and then the $58.50 for labor. At the stated $195/hr labor rate, the battery replacement equates to about 18 minutes of work. Not an inappropriate amount of time for the swap. Won't get into the debate of whether $195 is reasonable labor rate, but that's consistent with current Tesla rates in the general area.

Now regarding your comment of you just asked them to check, the way Tesla does estimates is they will present you what they think the worst case will be. So they's included the full cost for the battery replacement presuming the determine it should be swapped. If they do not, then they will not charge you for this.

As for the door handle, again look at the split of parts versus labor. They are only charging you $31 for the LED part with the rest being labor. This does require fully removing the interior door panel and takes a bit of time to pull out the old handle, then reinstall everything correctly. They've included 1.2 hrs labor. I've had a mobile tech do it in less, but then he didn't secure things correctly, within a couple hours found I had a horrible grinding sound when I tried to raise/lower my window, and ended up at the Indy service center a little bit later where they spent about another 45 minutes to correct what the mobile tech messed up by not properly securing everything in his haste the first time.

I'm not sure all the errors you've had that's prompted the AC service. I seem to recall seeing some possibly pointing to the front shutters, but their estimate presumes they need to open up the AC circuit, which means removal of refrigerant, and recharging. However, any time the system is opened there is a dessicant/dryer cannister that is supposed to be replaced, which is included in the parts cost. Diagnostic fee they've included is based upon general potential that if the system is low on refrigerant, there is a leak somewhere, and potential they will need to check the entire system. Again, my experience is they've given you the worst case estimate. I recently had to have one of the multi-way coolant valves replace due to a coolant leak occurring under the front of my car. My initial estimate had them replacing multiple valves, but ended up the identified which valve was the source of the leak, and my initial estimate was close to $1000 with the actual cost ended up only being $450.

So other than debating whether the $195 per hour labor rate is fair, I don't see anything out of line with typical for an initial estimate, which reflects what they feel might me involved.

For reference, my coolant valve repair was last November at Indianapolis service center. The labor rate there was $180 an hour, so not much different than what you're seeing 9 months later.

Ahhhh! Thanks as always! The hourly rate isn't crazy to me at all. Most attorneys around here charge $200-$300 per hour and I think the mechanical work is way more difficult haha. I don't begrudge the hourly rate. It is the "worst case" that makes me feel better. I was thinking that they were saying based on their diagnostics this is what needs to be done but what your saying makes way more sense. As usual you've answered my question so I appreciate it! I'm glad you aren't charging me tesla prices haha

 

[MdlSP100D'16]

A 2016 shouldn't be R1234YF unless someone converted it. My 2017 is R134a.

What do you mean? Like they are quoting me the wrong refrigerant?

 

[MdlSP100D'16]

Sometimes Tesla adds items to repair estimates without clarity on the root cause or service that you want. I assume you are dropping off the car and can speak with Service? You should clarify at that time and remove the items you don't want or need. My feedback on a few items:

- The car will tell you when it needs 12V battery replacement, with a few weeks notice to get it done. So remove that from service.
- To my knowledge, rear cup holder cannot be added by Tesla in a 2016, so remove that. There are some after market vendors that sell rear console with armrest and cupholders that.
- Good idea on getting the MCU upgrade; will definitely improve performance and capabilities on the screen. (The FM tuner at $500 is optional, so you can drop that if you don't need FM).
- The door handle LED replacement looks like normal cost.
- The HVAC is the only one of real concern from a $$ perspective. You mention an "Alert" so what type of error are you getting? The $1,157 just for diagnostic and refrigerant / desiccant replacement seems excessive, and my not even solve the problem. So I would ask for HVAC assessment and cost before committing to any of that

Ahhh so good news. So I had been messaging them afterward and I basically said "I am not trying to be a Karen but how is running a diagnostic $390 bucks. And that other ~$200 charge too!" and that I just needed a tech to call me and walk through this stuff with me on these charges to make sure we were all on the same page" So they messaged back and said "We have it updated it for you. Automation is a pain to work with." So I'm thinking maybe it auto generates quotes based on key words? Reduced it from 4.5k to 4k. And I took the advice of @SoCalBuzz and deleted the battery request. I didn't know it would let me know it's time to replace it! Dropped to basically 3.8k even. Hopefully that gets shaved lower haha but wayyyy better than 4.5.

 

[ucmndd]

Don’t do the battery replacement.

Don’t fight over the cup holder thing. They aren’t gonna retrofit the console for you and TBH you don’t want those rattly pieces of crap anyway. Mine drive me insane.

There is no “replace door handle LED”. They replace the whole unit. I would not have this done but that’s on you to decide how important the light is.

Sounds like you’re getting somewhere with the AC, hard to comment on that without knowing what errors you’re seeing.

Just found your other thread: those aero/shutter/louver errors are present on like every single car. I’d ignore them if you can verify they’re working correctly (open during supercharging and closed most other times).

Not sure about that RCCM one. But most of what they’re proposing to do makes no sense and I’d not blindly approve it.

 

[blodg1]

What do you mean? Like they are quoting me the wrong refrigerant?

Yes. The SA probably picked the wrong correction code.