Tesla Service vs Traditional Manufacturers Service

[Glan gluaisne]

But that is true for every new vehicle on the road though bloke and so it has been way before Tesla or EV'sas we know it came along.

Taxis need to have an mot every 6 months regardless of age and every MOT (legal requirement) has the same disclaimer (roadworthiness). A service at any place has no such disclaimer since its not a legal requirement to have one done yet, they offer no more assurance/guarntee until the next service.

I get what you are trying to say but unfortunately there is nothing me or you can do for stupid, law of averages, people without self preservation or care for others.

Im sure you and me, amongst many others here will do just fine though

The difference here is that every other car on the road most probably has a minimum service interval of 12 months, though, so it will get some sort of check and inspection a couple of times before the first MOT.

One consequence of cars needing less servicing, is that there's now far less reason for owners to do regular checks. I'm sure many do, but there are definitely some who never check anything, and rely on the car letting them know if something needs attention. The snag with that is that there are safety issues, like damage to tyres, that may well go unnoticed, as the car has no way of being able to check things like this.

Years ago, people were pretty much forced to check their cars regularly, as they had tyres, oil, radiators and batteries that needed regular topping up, etc. With pretty much all of those checking requirements having been removed by technology, there's now no compelling reason for a lot of people to check anything on their cars, from one month to the next.

 

[Sean.]

Traditional combustion engined machines have continued to develop and get more appliance-like. Tesla have cut to the chase. It is an appliance.

 

[Js1977]

The difference here is that every other car on the road most probably has a minimum service interval of 12 months, though, so it will get some sort of check and inspection a couple of times before the first MOT.

One consequence of cars needing less servicing, is that there's now far less reason for owners to do regular checks. I'm sure many do, but there are definitely some who never check anything, and rely on the car letting them know if something needs attention. The snag with that is that there are safety issues, like damage to tyres, that may well go unnoticed, as the car has no way of being able to check things like this.

Years ago, people were pretty much forced to check their cars regularly, as they had tyres, oil, radiators and batteries that needed regular topping up, etc. With pretty much all of those checking requirements having been removed by technology, there's now no compelling reason for a lot of people to check anything on their cars, from one month to the next.

I know what you are saying bloke but beyond tyres you have no more safety validation in your argument. You can go back and forth in time but cars still have tyres today and its you responsibility to check for damage and wear since as of yet we have nothing within the cars technology to monitor this other that if it has loss of air or not.

My take from your post is that you say something in your second paragraph but contradict yourself on the third. Im confused.

An Mot exists for mitigation. Having your car "serviced" is the same to a lesser extent in the way that you can still take it on the road with major defects/advisories. It might not be good enough the day after it was done if you kerbed a wheel or hit a pot hole and damaged it the next day or had an accident, windscreen got hit by something etc.

Do tell me what Im missing here as I am open minded

 

[Glan gluaisne]

The point I'm trying to make (and not as someone's "bloke") is that ICE vehicles have a service schedule that usually means they get serviced once a year, and that is also a safety check for things like tyres, brakes, lights etc. If an EV has no service schedule, then some may take the view that they never need to check anything. If you talk with any car service organisation, they will have tales of customer cars that are never checked from one service to another by the owner. If EVs have no service schedule, some people will only ever get their cars checked over when it becomes due for an MOT.

I agree that it is unlikely that anyone here would behave like that, but then members of this forum are self-selecting as a demographic that is more interested in cars then many. My wife, for example, has no interest in cars at, other than that her car needs to be the right colour and not too big. There are many people like her, who just don't have any interest in cars, or checking them over from time to time, and for them, the need to have an annual service is a useful backstop that may well pick up otherwise unnoticed defects.

 

[Irata]

When I took my car in for a MOT a few weeks ago to a place I know well, the mechanic (who is well respected locally) smiled and told me that mine was the best he'd seen recently. His reason for staying that, because of the first lockdown there was more cars than ever having MOTs and he'd never seen such a high percentage of issues. People just hadn't checked their own cars for the basics, not even wiper blades.

For some people with the MOT extension, that was 18 months gap without a service and MOT. Most people clearly rely on the car or the garage to pick things up for them.

 

[Irata]

I found this for VW electric car servicing.

What's different about an electric car service? | VW UK

Seems they do the usual functional checks, a visual to ensure you have not disconnected anything important, they make sure you haven't lost your charge cable and check it has some charge in it.


Good to know that's all included for free for three years!

 

[Cnixon]

Very interesting discussion but the dealers can say whatever they want to most unsuspecting public but look at commercial vehicle servicing. Those fleets have intellegent service outfits who know as much if not more than the the dealers. 75-100,000 mile service intervals & Oils are quality tested rather than blindly changed...follow the money!

 

[pgkevet]

Most owners aren't mechanics. Most contemporary owners wouldn't look for or recognise abnormal tyre wear fro algnment issues or be aware that UK weather can leave unused brakes corroded or dig out the frunk liner to look for damp issues and corrosion or check roof/door seals or check ball joints and the underside etc. a good garage or a garage that claims to do x-point inspections will/shuld. Tesla don't either unless you specify and then it's an argument and an inflated bill and likely anything found will be claimed to be due to wear.

I was more confident about a localToyota service. Next year I think my S will go to local garage where friendly mechanic will let me ask annoying customer queries while he goes through everything on the S. I'll pay him a fair rate for his extra time and a bottle of booze and it'll still be cheaper and more confident...

 

[Irata]

Absolutely, most private owners don't have any interest.

So when it comes to service, the dealership expects the customer to know nothing.

But when it comes to some warranty claims (like wear and tear), they expect the customer to have known better.

The situation with fleets is very interesting, especially as EV usage grows in this sector.

 

[phil4]

The dealerships aren't a charity, they're a company out to make as much money from you as they possibly can.

Great that you've found a local you trust, but there's no way I'd trust most of the dealership service departments to do anything other than try and make as much money off me as they possibly can.

 

[Irata]

The dealerships aren't a charity, they're a company out to make as much money from you as they possibly can.

Absolutely... And neither is the customer a charity. Hence a fair balance on both sides is best for everyone.

 

[rotor2k]

The dealerships aren't a charity, they're a company out to make as much money from you as they possibly can.

Great that you've found a local you trust, but there's no way I'd trust most of the dealership service departments to do anything other than try and make as much money off me as they possibly can.

100% agree with this. I went through 3 VW dealerships with my Golf trying to find a good one, never succeeded. They are all *terrible* in so many different ways, but what annoys me the most is the attitude of the employees who just don't care about anything, and treat you as if you desperately need them, a combination that I find intolerable. Bored, careless, thoughtless are words I would consistently use to describe my interactions with them, in each and every case leading to completely unnecessary problems (your appointment isn't in the system, sorry you drove all the way here for nothing; the evidence video we took of your faulty exhaust system before we ripped it out and replaced it with a brand new one --of which there is also no evidence-- seems to have gone missing). Why would I voluntarily submit to that? With Tesla we currently don't have a lot of choice, so things could get a lot worse. But so far all my interactions with Tesla have been spot on (a couple of ranger visits, a couple of service bookings at my nearest Service Centre, the sales experience itself, delivery), so long may that continue!

 

[pgkevet]

The dealerships aren't a charity, they're a company out to make as much money from you as they possibly can.

Great that you've found a local you trust, but there's no way I'd trust most of the dealership service departments to do anything other than try and make as much money off me as they possibly can.

Integrity and honesty are things of the past. You're statement applies equaly to doctors, estate agents et al but at least if the dealership goes through an x-point inspection plan and report you can decide what you want fixed - it's been inspected and they hold some liability. Tesla don't even give you failed parts back - they go to 'be refurbished'. Not that I'm so naive as to believe all car parts i had returned from some garages necessarily came from my car....

 

[Js1977]

The point I'm trying to make (and not as someone's "bloke") is that ICE vehicles have a service schedule that usually means they get serviced once a year, and that is also a safety check for things like tyres, brakes, lights etc. If an EV has no service schedule, then some may take the view that they never need to check anything. If you talk with any car service organisation, they will have tales of customer cars that are never checked from one service to another by the owner. If EVs have no service schedule, some people will only ever get their cars checked over when it becomes due for an MOT.

I agree that it is unlikely that anyone here would behave like that, but then members of this forum are self-selecting as a demographic that is more interested in cars then many. My wife, for example, has no interest in cars at, other than that her car needs to be the right colour and not too big. There are many people like her, who just don't have any interest in cars, or checking them over from time to time, and for them, the need to have an annual service is a useful backstop that may well pick up otherwise unnoticed defects.

Yes I know some might take the view that the car doesnt need anything to be checked but dont you worry. They are all queuing up for the self charging cars with the service schedules

 

[Sean.]

With Tesla we currently don't have a lot of choice, so things could get a lot worse. But so far all my interactions with Tesla have been spot on (a couple of ranger visits, a couple of service bookings at my nearest Service Centre, the sales experience itself, delivery), so long may that continue!

Tesla service appear to me to be less completely outright dishonest - hello Audi I’m looking at you! But they too have their fair share of schmucks and they aren’t afraid of over charging (pardon the obvious pun).

Since you're a Londoner, I’d advise you *not* to take your car to Park Royal for instance.

Caveat emptor. Always.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Perhaps the best solution would be for Tesla to allow independent garages to service cars, give them access to information, spares, etc. My experience with specialist independent service places has been pretty positive, especially when I owned BMWs, as the independent chap I used was infinitely better than the BMW dealer.

Mind you, not all main dealers are rogues. I've had really excellent service from our local Toyota dealer for over a decade. No over-pricing, no extra jobs found to pad out the bill, and the work always seemed to be spot on. Not expensive either.

 

[m3gt2]

But that is true for every new vehicle on the road though bloke and so it has been way before Tesla or EV'sas we know it came along.

Taxis need to have an mot every 6 months regardless of age and every MOT (legal requirement) has the same disclaimer (roadworthiness). A service at any place has no such disclaimer since its not a legal requirement to have one done yet, they offer no more assurance/guarntee until the next service.

I get what you are trying to say but unfortunately there is nothing me or you can do for stupid, law of averages, people without self preservation or care for others.

Im sure you and me, amongst many others here will do just fine though

Not sure where you are from but taxis do not need an MOT every 6 months, they need it at 1 year old and each licensing authority will have their own rules on the frequency of vehicle inspections, vehicles used for private hire do not need an MOT until 3 years like a normal vehicle. My local authority only inspects annually on vehicles under 6 years old and 6 monthly if over 6 years.

 

[Js1977]

Not sure where you are from but taxis do not need an MOT every 6 months, they need it at 1 year old and each licensing authority will have their own rules on the frequency of vehicle inspections, vehicles used for private hire do not need an MOT until 3 years like a normal vehicle. My local authority only inspects annually on vehicles under 6 years old and 6 monthly if over 6 years.

Likewise. Here in Dorset, albeit Bournemouth council to be precise, its a requirement every 6 months. I know the rules are not the same for hackney and private hire but could not tell you to what degree. My brother has his own (hackney) and he has to take it to the the mot place (council run) every six months and this is regardless of the age of the car.

 

[Js1977]

Perhaps the best solution would be for Tesla to allow independent garages to service cars, give them access to information, spares, etc. My experience with specialist independent service places has been pretty positive, especially when I owned BMWs, as the independent chap I used was infinitely better than the BMW dealer.

Mind you, not all main dealers are rogues. I've had really excellent service from our local Toyota dealer for over a decade. No over-pricing, no extra jobs found to pad out the bill, and the work always seemed to be spot on. Not expensive either.

You can buy parts from tesla and there are specialists that will service teslas.

HEVRA- Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Repair Alliance

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Buying parts and accessories from Tesla