-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
alseTrick
Active Member
I honestly don't see the problem with the bolded portion.
If you were contractually prohibited from doing it, that would be a different story, and one that you initially brought up. But others are saying that is no longer the case. So therefore, if you're allowed to work on your own vehicle then who cares if Tesla prefers you don't?
Krugerrand
Meow
I did. And what you posted does NOT say, "Do not change your own oil because if you do, it will void your warranty." (That would be a violation of the FTC.)
It just says, don't change your oil yourself. (We'll do it for you if you pay us.)
And it also says, any damage caused by a non-approved Tech will not be covered by warranty.
Yes, it is typical legal writing.
Unfortunately, it's not very clearly written. Have you ever seen a warranty statement written this strongly? I haven't from any other manufacturer.
"Tesla strongly recommends that you have all maintenance, service and repairs done at a Tesla Service Center or Tesla authorized repair facility in order to avoid voiding, or having coverage excluded under, this New Vehicle Limited Warranty"
Could the fact that you don't have the service manual for the proper procedure be reason to void your warranty?
How about limited fluid specs? No torque values? There are far more ways they can void your warranty, than you have ways to defend.
I don't quite get the level of blind trust when it comes to Tesla?
I don't think this is blind trust. It'd be easy to accuse you of unreasonable skepticism, using that same scale.
My guess is it's in between. Tesla hasn't reached the point where people want to work on their own cars that much. They've been selling high price point premium vehicles, and they offer free, and excellent, service for 4 years. All of this is covered up to today. Once that changes, I think things will start to open up. I'd suggest watching the environment for the next two years (until you get your first Tesla) and see how it progresses.
Or, as @Krugerrand suggests, get with the FTC. Though I think that's a waste of my tax dollars at this stage, so I don't really support it.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
As someone who shares OP's desire to perform the simple maintenance myself, I'll add one oar in defense of Tesla: between the car changes and the OTA updates, yesterday's manuals may already be out of date.
JeffK
Well-Known Member
You know the procedure for checking the battery coolant is in the owner's manual itself right? (pg 123 of the pdf) There's no need for a service manual.
Thx @ohmman for the good feedback. However, unless I'm confused, the service isn't free. You have to prepay for it?
Service plans
Things may change, but I never paid for service (prepay or otherwise). I take my car in for any warranty work, voluntary recalls, etc., and they check the entire vehicle over. If I have any issues at all, I just bring it back in and it's serviced. At the four year mark, that'll change, because I'll be out of warranty. But my plan is to trade my S in for a 3.. so we'll see about that.
Bases on my interpretation, I see NO problem at all. I see nothing that indicates working on your own car will void your warranty. The only way you might void your warranty in this regard, is if you conduct your own service AND screw it up (causing damage/need for repair). Take your car to Tesla for service and you don't have to worry. If they screw up the service, it's on THEM, not you. This is normal.
I do agree that service manuals should be more easily available, but I can understand why they are not. While Tesla has many familiar serviceable components, they also have much new and unfamiliar technology. They want to maintain control over service, likely for this reason. One day when EVs are truly mainstream (and thus familiar to the masses), this issue will go away.
I do agree that service manuals should be more easily available, but I can understand why they are not. While Tesla has many familiar serviceable components, they also have much new and unfamiliar technology. They want to maintain control over service, likely for this reason. One day when EVs are truly mainstream (and thus familiar to the masses), this issue will go away.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
The registration form requires a photo of the driver license.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
You haven't read enough warranties then, since I couldn't find the warranty for the Mini, I instead found it for the i3:
"BMW recommends that you have maintenance and repair work performed by your authorized BMW center."
"It is strongly recommended that any replacement parts used for maintenance, repair or replacement of emission control systems be certified BMW Service Parts or BMW Authorized Remanufactured Parts."
BMW Ultimate Service® - Service & Warranty Books - BMW North America
There's a boatload of other similar legalese, but it's par for the course.
Last edited:
While I don't share any of the OP's concerns, if memory serves me correctly, the very first Model Ses should start timing out of their warranty this July or so. At that point, it would seem Tesla is going to feel more pressure to open up the service manuals though an outfit like AllData or the like. In the scheme of things, certifying/approving more places to get service might be a good strategy to help them scale. to meet the needs of the growing fleet.
If you have to top up your brake fluid, it means you have a problem. Either you have a leak or you pads need to be changed. The only time you should need to top up the brake fluid is after servicing the brake lines or flushing.
deonb
Active Member
I don't think "I wanna buy a Tesla one day" gives one sufficient standing to sue...
