Real World Experiences with Tesla

[DriverOne]

This thread is making me feel a little happier about the Model S servicing fees.

 

[daniel]

... don't store them vertically to make them last the longest.

Oops. Mine are upright, leaning against the wall of the garage. At least my garage never gets hot, and it will be cold now until they go on the car in the spring. And nothing in my garage is making ozone.

After you wear out your first set, keep one of the take off tires for an emergency spare.

But the front and rear tires are different. So wouldn't you need one of each?

 

[NigelM]

Roadster tires are available at TireRack.com and are cheaper even with the shipping.

Some of this may be regional specific. Tesla charged me $300 each for Yokohama AD07s, but the local Tirerack (and Tirerack.com) wanted $354 each. Tesla was cheaper for me, plus the Ranger was in town dealing with a different car and as he was waiting for overnight parts for that car, he took care of my tires with no fees. (BTW, because of the scratch that Ford was responsible for Tesla not only provided a new rim they also refunded the $30 fee Ford had charged).

P.S. Guess that links the slight "Tire" OT back to actual service experiences again. :wink:

 

[markwj]

The Tesla team out here in Hong Kong is very impressive. Best. Service. Ever.

I had a few problems with the car in the first six months. Each time they responded within minutes, dealt with either coming to fix the car where I was, or picking it up and dropping it off detailed. Zero cost for any warranty work. Zero cost for the upgrades (firmware, improved parts, etc). Biggest thing is that they think and use common sense. At the last annual service, rather than replacing my custom Bosche windscreen wiper with the new part (upgrade) they had, they put the new wiper in the boot 'in case I wanted to try it to see how it compares'.

They really do go above and beyond. How scalable that is to the Model S volumes and profit margins remains to be seen. But, the attitude, team and ethos are in place.

 

[jerry33]

But the front and rear tires are different. So wouldn't you need one of each?

You sure would for the Roadster.

- - - Updated - - -

Biggest thing is that they think and use common sense.

That's probably worth $200/$300 of the maintenance fee right there.

 

[dhrivnak]

Here is my latest experience with Tesla's great service. After 18 months and 11,000 miles of trouble free driving, as I was heading out on a 1200 mile trip in the car I received numerious power train faults and the car would stop. Normally I am serviced out of Chicago but being this was early in the morning I contacted the DC store and they cheerfully agreed to help. After uploading the logs they determined they suggested a possible fix I could try with a photo of the bolt that may need tightened. I also posted on this forum to see if other owners had a similar issue as I was about head out on a significant trip to an electric vehicle convention and did not want to leave the car behind.

Later that day the Chicago store contacted me as they saw the post. I shared the fix and then tenatively headed out on my trip.

Tesla called and texted to ensure I arrived safely. The fault reoccured while at the event, and I applied the fix again. I offered to apply a more permant fix, but to be on the safe side Tesla wants to send a ranger to troubleshoot. This is no small task as I am 400 miles from the nearest store. This will set me back $100 but for such a visit I am very willing to pay that nominal fee.

 

[STxTesla]

Tesla's service plan will result in many positives:

1. The Model S will be much safer to drive, year in and year out. It will be just as safe to drive in year seven as in year one due to the ongoing inspections/maintenance.
2. The smooth comfortable ride will always be there. This could serve to sell more Model S units.
3. The constant maintenance will support and maintain resale value.
4. Upgrades will keep the Model S current and the software will be as good in older models as in the newer ones.

I'm sure that I haven't thought of all of the positives...but I listed a few. The one part of keeping the car up to date, in terms of maintenance that has not been mentioned is whether paint jobs in the future will be available. If I want to repaint my car in 8 years, will I be able to get a paint job to match my original color? (Sig Red)

I think that the service plan will be much more economical than payments to BMW, Porsche, etc. for post-warranty work orders. One job after warranty on one of those cars could cost more than the four year Model S service plan cost to the owner.

 

[RDoc]

AFAIK, to date, Tesla has not said anything about an extended warranty after year 4.

They've also not said anything about how much it will cost to maintain the battery warranty after 4 years either.

 

[Tempus]

AFAIK, to date, Tesla has not said anything about an extended warranty after year 4.

They've also not said anything about how much it will cost to maintain the battery warranty after 4 years either.

I think the only thing they've said is they are still working out the details of the extended warranty... it was in one of George B's posts here around the whole maintenance discussion i believe.

 

[NigelM]

New Service Manager and Technician from Tampa came by the house this afternoon. I didn't have any problems, but they wanted to introduce themselves and make sure I was happy after 72 hours of Model S ownership; plus they delivered my charge cable bag. They had already checked out my Roadster history and asked about my last Ranger visit from 3 months ago to make sure everything was still OK.

 

[bonnie]

On Monday, I got the '12V battery needs servicing' message. For non-Roadster owners, the 12V battery runs the things like door locks ... and if it isn't working, then the car draws power off the main. So clearly not a big deal.

I sent Johnny (Service Mgr @ Menlo Park) an email, also saying I hated to drive into Menlo for something so small (approx 140 miles each way). So they offered to come here instead. I went to work Thursday morning & when I returned home, the Tesla elves (it's getting close to Christmas!) had been in my garage and left me with a replaced battery.

Thanks Johnny! The Tesla commitment to customer service is MUCH appreciated.

 

[stevezzzz]

On Monday, I got the '12V battery needs servicing' message. For non-Roadster owners, the 12V battery runs the things like door locks ... and if it isn't working, then the car draws power off the main. So clearly not a big deal.

I sent Johnny (Service Mgr @ Menlo Park) an email, also saying I hated to drive into Menlo for something so small (approx 140 miles each way). So they offered to come here instead. I went to work Thursday morning & when I returned home, the Tesla elves (it's getting close to Christmas!) had been in my garage and left me with a replaced battery.

Thanks Johnny! The Tesla commitment to customer service is MUCH appreciated.

I agree with you completely concerning Tesla's commitment to customer service, Bonnie, but (and here I go off-topic a bit) don't assume too much regarding the 12V battery. Unless they changed things since my experience 18 about months ago, the 12V battery is essential: if it goes toes-up, the Roadster isn't drivable. It happened to me without a warning of any kind, so maybe (since you did get a warning) they have changed the system, and maybe the 12V electronics can now draw power from the main battery. But I wouldn't count on it.

Tesla service in Denver (back on topic) had my Roadster towed, diagnosed, repaired and returned to me in less than 48 hours.

 

[bonnie]

I agree with you completely concerning Tesla's commitment to customer service, Bonnie, but (and here I go off-topic a bit) don't assume too much regarding the 12V battery. Unless they changed things since my experience 18 about months ago, the 12V battery is essential: if it goes toes-up, the Roadster isn't drivable. It happened to me without a warning of any kind, so maybe (since you did get a warning) they have changed the system, and maybe the 12V electronics can now draw power from the main battery. But I wouldn't count on it.

Tesla service in Denver (back on topic) had my Roadster towed, diagnosed, repaired and returned to me in less than 48 hours.

No, it does draw from the main (now). Thanks to this forum, I found that if I opened the charge port door, I could use the key fob to open the door (versus crawling under the car to manually use the key). If I did that first, no error message. If I didn't, the door wouldn't unlock (though I could see the error message on the VDS).

Could just be because I have a 2.5, or maybe it was a software update. Or maybe the wine in Napa has befuddled you.

 

[Doug_G]

The 2.0's work the same way. That's how I was opening my door when my battery failed.

 

[Kauai]

Bonnie suggested I post my experience with Tesla service. Bottom line is I am really impressed: completed all requested work, fixed other important stuff I hadn't noticed (after notifying me), made common sense suggestions to improve my experience. This is a big contrast to standard dealer service where the "original" problem my not get addressed at all! Here is a quick summary for anyone who is wondering what the Model S service experience is like for those of us new to the Tesla clan.

1. Pick up new car with Factory delivery on Saturday. Have lots of fun :biggrin:
2. Charge car over night in Standard model with newly installed 14-50 outlet. (still waiting for the HPWC)
3. Car is fully charged in the AM, but several error codes.
4. Call Tesla and agree to bring car to Tesla Menlo Park and leave it overnight for service on Monday :frown:
5. Bring car to Menlo, and even though service is closed tech clears error codes while I wait. Go have fun barnstorming through Santa Cruz Mountains :smile:
6. Tesla picks up car from the house on Tuesday to fix faulty charger (while I head to Disneyland with the family). No extra trip to Menlo required :biggrin:
7. Wednesday call from Menlo service manager that converts me from EV believer to EVangelist: :love:

• Charger fixed
• Replaced windshield due to small crack (early manufacturing problem, fixed for later cars); Glad this wasn't another trip for me!
• Service manager thinks ahead to likely rain and proposes options to keep detailed car mint for pick up
• Service manager agrees to come in early so I can pick the car up on Monday when I am back from vacation

In general I was impressed that the service organization clearly bent over backwards to accommodate my schedule. They not only addressed all the issues that I had, but also looked the car over and caught an important issue - cracked windshield. They were able to explain the source of both issues and give me confidence that the fixes would take care of the problems. I think the icing on the cake was the discussion to arrange pick up:

Me (in sunny LA): Just drop it off in my driveway so it's ready for the Monday commute
Randy (in overcast Silicon Valley): Happy to drop the car off, but it's forecast to rain the next few days. We could keep the car in the shop over the weekend to keep it looking nice. We could delivery it on Monday?
Me: What time do you open on Monday?
Randy: 9am
Me: Any chance you can come in early?
Rand: What time would work for you...

 

[NigelM]

Nice story Kauai. I've given the Tesla Ranger my garage code (it's on a keypad) before to just go ahead and put the Roadster back when they were done with service.

 

[bonnie]

Kauai - thanks so much for taking the time to write about your service experience with your Model S. I know I get accused of being a fangirl, because ... well yeah. I'm a fangirl. But it's because of stories like yours, not because someone is slipping me koolaid to drink. While I know there are some negative experiences, there are so many more astounding stories like this.

 

[brianman]

Kauai - thanks so much for taking the time to write about your service experience with your Model S. I know I get accused of being a fangirl, because ... well yeah. I'm a fangirl. But it's because of stories like yours, not because someone is slipping me koolaid to drink. While I know there are some negative experiences, there are so many more astounding stories like this.

"Do you have koolaid? I was told there would be koolaid in the lounge."

 

[dhrivnak]

I can post another great story about customer service and the Ranger team. Just as I was to leave on a 1000 mile trip in the Roadster it dies on me 4 times. First time ever the car had stopped on me. It was an accelerator 972 error. While I was serviced out of Chicago I called DC due to the time difference. They looked at the logs and thought it could be a lose ground and sent me picture on how to fix as I am 410 miles from the nearest service center and I really wanted to make my trip. They followed up while on the trip and it faulted again. Tried the ground trick and made it safely home. Even though I was home they wanted to send a Ranger to be sure. He checked the ground and installed a new accelerator assembly. Unfortunately the problem reappeared and the Ranger was dispatched again. This time they removed the PEM and discovered there was a lose connection.

Intermittent problems can be so hard to resolve and I have to give Tesla strong marks for sticking with it and fully resolving the problem.

While I have never had bad service from a dealer I must say Tesla went above and beyond.

 

[bonnie]

"Do you have koolaid? I was told there would be koolaid in the lounge."

The espresso is usually pretty good.