Quality ? For tesla MS owners (past Toyota/Lexus owners)

[No ICE]

My wife and I are Toyota owners. We have become very loyal to the brand because of their high quality products and reliably. I have researched extensively here on this forum and also online. We are ready to take the plunge and order a 75D. My question for you past Toyota owners is how has your Tesla been holding up. WhAt is your opinion of ownership referring specifically to quality, non routine maintainance issues. We really want to buy the car and are past the thinking about it stage. I will probably be placing our order next week. Some of the research I have done has generated concerns about drive unit, driveline issues etc..but I question if these are just a few issues some folks are having and that many may not be having any issues at all?

I am a car enthusiast and understand the traditional market very well, when owners say things like Range Rover/ old jaguar quality. That scares me a bit. Could be just a few rare circumstances with some upset owners or it could be a bigger deal than that.

Any advice would put my mind at ease.
Thanks all

 

[msnow]

My wife and I are Toyota owners. We have become very loyal to the brand because of their high quality products and reliably. I have researched extensively here on this forum and also online. We are ready to take the plunge and order a 75D. My question for you past Toyota owners is how has your Tesla been holding up. WhAt is your opinion of ownership referring specifically to quality, non routine maintainance issues. We really want to buy the car and are past the thinking about it stage. I will probably be placing our order next week. Some of the research I have done has generated concerns about drive unit, driveline issues etc..but I question if these are just a few issues some folks are having and that many may not be having any issues at all?

I am a car enthusiast and understand the traditional market very well, when owners say things like Range Rover/ old jaguar quality. That scares me a bit. Could be just a few rare circumstances with some upset owners or it could be a bigger deal than that.

Any advice would put my mind at ease.
Thanks all

The issues like you mentioned are generally in the past. The cars are pretty solid.

 

[ncmountains]

I've been a die hard Toyota owner for 30 years. Never high end cars...but always Toyota. Swore I'd never buy anything else. Tocomas, Prius, tundra...love the quality and the brand. I've only got 9000 miles on my 90d but so far it has exceed my expectations in every way. Not a squeak, not a noise. Solid as when I picked it up.
I believe there are a very few lemons that roll out of the factory and we hear more about those than the thousands and thousands of perfect units that come out.
The forums are a place for the few to express their frustrations where the owners of the flawless ones are too busy driving to post.
If Toyota had something remotely competitive is be driving it....they lost me by not keeping up.

 

[ElectricTundra]

I've owned one Toyota; a Sequoia when they first came out. Drove it for 11 years and 280k miles and overall quite happy with it and fairly happy with dealer service. We've owned 5 Lexus' and I still have a LX570 (Sequoia replacement) for pulling boats and stuff. Very happy with all of our Lexus and Lexus service is exceptional (at least compared to Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, VW, Audi, Subaru, and others).

Nearing 2 years w/ my P85D and quite happy with it and with Tesla (Minneapolis SC). We're planning to get my wife an X when her ML350 (much better car (quieter, smoother, better handling) than Lexus RX3xx but worse service) hits the four year old mark.

 

[Xenius]

I know this is Toyota, but I view them and Honda somewhat similarly (truth be told I'm a honda fan). But anyway, as a previous die hard Honda guy, and now a new Tesla owner since August 11th, the quality comparison is top notch. I previously drove a Civic LX (base model) and then a Civic Si (premium, sport trim).

The bells and whistles on the Tesla are worlds beyond my previous ones and the fit and finish is great. I have zero problems so far.

 

[Jbailey]

My wife and I are Toyota owners. We have become very loyal to the brand because of their high quality products and reliably. I have researched extensively here on this forum and also online. We are ready to take the plunge and order a 75D. My question for you past Toyota owners is how has your Tesla been holding up. WhAt is your opinion of ownership referring specifically to quality, non routine maintainance issues. We really want to buy the car and are past the thinking about it stage. I will probably be placing our order next week. Some of the research I have done has generated concerns about drive unit, driveline issues etc..but I question if these are just a few issues some folks are having and that many may not be having any issues at all?

I am a car enthusiast and understand the traditional market very well, when owners say things like Range Rover/ old jaguar quality. That scares me a bit. Could be just a few rare circumstances with some upset owners or it could be a bigger deal than that.

Any advice would put my mind at ease.
Thanks all

Zero issues. I have had to add washer fluid and I rotated the tires once.
My 85 D has been perfect. 42K no problems. Status post 2 landcruisers, 3 Camrys, 1 Corolla....great cars but the Tesla changed my expectations. My wife has a 2014 Acura MDX, every option. It is nice but it drives like its powered by Quaaludes

I think there were quality issues in earlier production but my impression is that they have been addressed and corrected.

I'm happy and have no regrets. Zero emissions, safety and made in America are icing on the cake. I love the OTA updates/improvements.

I don't buy into the "fanboy" BS. The car so exceeded my expectations that I like to tell people about it. It excites me. I have never posted on another forum in my life and this is number #51 and I have no spare time and I can't even type.

 

[Ciaopec]

The issues like you mentioned are generally in the past. The cars are pretty solid.

I fully agree. outside of new series problems with the MX, I don't ever encounter people who express dissatisfaction with the MS.

I've been a die hard Toyota owner for 30 years. Never high end cars...but always Toyota. Swore I'd never buy anything else. Tocomas, Prius, tundra...love the quality and the brand. I've only got 9000 miles on my 90d but so far it has exceed my expectations in every way. Not a squeak, not a noise. Solid as when I picked it up.
I believe there are a very few lemons that roll out of the factory and we hear more about those than the thousands and thousands of perfect units that come out.
The forums are a place for the few to express their frustrations where the owners of the flawless ones are too busy driving to post.
If Toyota had something remotely competitive is be driving it....they lost me by not keeping up.

Only about 20 years owning Lexus vehicles, renting Toyotas when necessary. Loved almost everything about them. I ultimately owned what I thought would be the epitome of Lexus driving: a luxury hybrid which would be a step up from the performance hybrid. We never drove it; it was no fun. Too much "Rolls Royce" not enough "Ferrari".

The Tesla will not be a problem. It is TOO MUCH fun to drive (10000 miles in 2 months). Haven't had a problem and havent had a regret jumping the Toyota/Lexus ship. If they had come up with a pure ev I may have stayed. Hydrogen fuel cell is a mistake IMHO.

 

[Science fan]

We owned a Lexus ES 300 and an ES 350 since 2002. Very reliable; drove perfectly well. Very satisfied UNTIL I test drove a Tesla. The electric drive and tech are what motivated me to thinking about buying a Tesla, the performance, comfort, and, especially, the safety are what made this purchase a no-brainer. Putting on about 2,000 miles per month since June and no issues, not even a squeak.

 

[jbcarioca]

I have owned a handful of Toyota products, and was quite happy with them, although not thrilled about dealer service.


My Model S has 27,000 miles without incident other than a 12v battery replacement done by Tesla with impeccable response (they sent a truck to pick up the car in just two hours and gave me a loaner. The details are not relevant except the problem was caused by my charging vendor (they admitted their fault to Tesla directly, caused during installation of charger-long story) and Tesla ignored that and apologised for my inconvenience. In a way I am pleased to have and the problem because it did illustrate how outstanding Tesla customer service is.

Another big benefit, for me anyway, is being able to order my car online without being hammered by the F&I people.

 

[DCGOO]

My wife and I are Toyota owners. We have become very loyal to the brand because of their high quality products and reliably. I have researched extensively here on this forum and also online. We are ready to take the plunge and order a 75D. My question for you past Toyota owners is how has your Tesla been holding up. WhAt is your opinion of ownership referring specifically to quality, non routine maintainance issues. We really want to buy the car and are past the thinking about it stage. I will probably be placing our order next week. Some of the research I have done has generated concerns about drive unit, driveline issues etc..but I question if these are just a few issues some folks are having and that many may not be having any issues at all?
Thanks all

You do know that there is NO "routine" maintenance required on a Tesla at all. Yes, they want you to bring it in annually for a paid inspection. But you don't absolutely HAVE to. Non-routine maintenance generally means something broke under warranty. So far that has not happened to me. Beyond that is a crash. Drive units, battery, drive train stuff is all covered for unlimited miles.

I have had the service center folks visit my home twice: Once to install the second charger (my choice), and once for a defective software upgrade (upgrade disabled my just installed second charger). Both times, all I had to do was answer the door when they arrived.

I am getting increasingly annoyed with my wife telling me the Maintenance Required light is on again in her Prius. Every 5 flipping thousand miles. "Again? <sheesh>"

 

[jelloslug]

I do not expect my Model S to be a reliable as the '08 Prius that my wife has but I'm sure it will be better than the i3 it replaced.

 

[No ICE]

Thank you all for the real world honest feedback. This is what I needed to hear from current and ex Toyota owners. We currently own 2 corollas, a 4Runner and a sequoia. All have been incredible vehicles to own. The sequoia is on the chopping block, and will be traded in for the 75D. It's my wife's car, 14-16mpg! We are looking forward to having a EV.

Again thank you all for the real world ownership comparison to Toyota. It puts my mind at ease.
Love this forum!!

 

[DCGOO]

Thank you all for the real world honest feedback. This is what I needed to hear from current and ex Toyota owners. We currently own 2 corollas, a 4Runner and a sequoia. All have been incredible vehicles to own. The sequoia is on the chopping block, and will be traded in for the 75D. It's my wife's car, 14-16mpg! We are looking forward to having a EV.

You will only wonder why you waited!...

 

[DIL]

I'm also a serial Toyota owner, now waiting for my Lexus GS350 F Sport lease to end on December 23rd, 2017. I have had the same concerns about going from "bulletproof" reliability to something less. After learning a lot from these fine people on this forum, I'm nothing but enthusiastic about jumping into a Tesla ASAP. There are many fewer things that can possibly go wrong, and the early teething issues have been ironed out. If anything does happen, service seems to be impeccable. I'm looking forward to no more oil changes!

One more thing: If Toyota/Lexus came out with a similar level of autonomy, I might start to really compare the two. Apples to apples. But that seems a ways off, and Tesla is in the lead, by far.

 

[Rockster]

250,000 miles on an MR2, then 200,000 miles on a Corolla, and my current second car is a Highlander with 158,000. I love the Toyota brand. They've all performed well for me.

I'm also on my second Tesla. Both have performed exceptionally well, too. The minor issues (biggest issue was a drive unit that began making the milling noise) were all fixed under warranty. I would put the reliability of two Model S's on par, or better, than the reliability of my past Toyota's. The biggest difference is the service experience with Tesla is beyond compare.

 

[Chopr147]

Toyota? Is that a car brand? They make an electric?

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

I have 2 Land Cruisers and the Tesla. One Cruiser has the off road set up, and the other is stock. They are both great for what we bought them for. But since buying the Tesla 10 months ago we probably have put less than 2,000 miles total between the two, but 16,000 and counting on the Tesla. That says a lot.

I also don't have to think about changing the timing belts, as many oil changes, and all the other service nags and Toyota service up sells as much as I used to. Thinking about it, I have not been to Toyota service since buying the Tesla! Huge savings. Gas too. Just the other day I calculated that I had saved $3650 in 10 months of not buying gas for the Toyotas. I always hated that Tesla shows the price of the car based on estimated gas savings, but now I see how it makes sense, and have proven it to myself.

I'll buy a 100% electric Land Cruiser if they ever make it, but not until then, maybe Tesla will beat them to it.

So enjoy getting two Teslas. After about 3 months that will be the household conversation. How to justify buying a second one.

 

[DFibRL8R]

Still own a '08 Highlander Hybrid which almost never gets used since we got the S.

In 3.5 years and 84,000 miles, our Model S has never had a problem that was more than a minor inconvenience. Meaning no essential/critical systems that allow the car to operate safely to get me and my family from point A to point B have failed. Many of the problems with early build cars such as mine have been things like the door handles, body panel alignment, pano roof issues and yes drive units. These problems were fixed promptly by a team with amazing service (can't say the same about the Toyota dealer).

Thus far, the Model S has held up just as well as our Toyota in terms of interior surfaces, squeaks and rattles (none).

 

[PaulR]

I too was a loyal Toyota/Lexus buyer. My wife had an RX and I had an LS. Both were great cars. Nothing against them, except they are ICE cars and I see no real reason to go back to that madness anymore. I love driving my S85. The problems I encountered were very minor and have long since been fixed by Tesla with a smile. The drive train problems you read about are past. Should there be a problem, Tesla's roadside service and service centers are top notch. Service with a smile. The Service centers here in Atlanta are fantastic.

Try it, you won't want to go back to an ICE car again.

 

[PatFor]

As I await my new MS 75D I am preparing to say goodbye to my 2011 Lexus 460LS. It has been an amazing car, not only beautiful, a joy to drive and easy (but expensive) to maintain. I inherited it from my father when he passed away. He loved big cars with lots of technology. The sadness comes from losing something that belonged to him. The excitement comes from knowing I am getting an amazingly great technological car that my father might have been fascinated by.
Thanks to everyone who has posted here about the change from Toyota/Lexus to Tesla. This has been very reassuring.