To buy or not to buy the extended warranty

[Merrill]

I know this has been discussed before and has many variables, but my 2016 is coming up next June on the end of its 4 year warranty and wondering if I should purchase another 4 years. I tend to keep my cars at least 10 years and so far have had very few problems. $5200 is a lot of money. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[jmaddr]

Good question. Does it cover the battery? To what level? The devil is in the details on these things, what it covers, what it doesn’t, and how much of a deductible you have. From what I see from high mileage Tesla’s, there are but a few high dollar things (sans battery) that can go wrong, and even fewer that cost more than 5200 plus a deductible.

Generally, I’m not a fan of extended warranties for anything. They are provided by insurance companies after all. Overall, the business works in their favor. So I believe if you take that same stance, you will come out ahead too. You will be burned once or twice, but less in the large scheme of things and come out ahead.

Only you can make this decision. There is not a black or white answer. There is also a psychological component that is worth real value here. If it makes you feel safe, there is value in that. If you normally buy great insurance and extended warranties on things like TVs and electronics to feel “safe”, then getting your car covered is real value IMHO.

 

[Merrill]

Good question. Does it cover the battery? To what level? The devil is in the details on these things, what it covers, what it doesn’t, and how much of a deductible you have. From what I see from high mileage Tesla’s, there are but a few high dollar things (sans battery) that can go wrong, and even fewer that cost more than 5200 plus a deductible.

Generally, I’m not a fan of extended warranties for anything. They are provided by insurance companies after all. Overall, the business works in their favor. So I believe if you take that same stance, you will come out ahead too. You will be burned once or twice, but less in the large scheme of things and come out ahead.

Only you can make this decision. There is not a black or white answer. There is also a psychological component that is worth real value here. If it makes you feel safe, there is value in that. If you normally buy great insurance and extended warranties on things like TVs and electronics to feel “safe”, then getting your car covered is real value IMHO.

Thanks for your input, the battery is covered for 8 year 100,000 miles and the deductible is $200 per repair. I do not normally buy extended warranties but with this technology being new and expensive I tend to wonder what could go wrong and how much it would cost to fix.

 

[Need]

Thanks for your input, the battery is covered for 8 year 100,000 miles and the deductible is $200 per repair. I do not normally buy extended warranties but with this technology being new and expensive I tend to wonder what could go wrong and how much it would cost to fix.

If your MX is 2016, I think your battery is actually covered for 8 years and unlimited miles. But just a month or 2 ago, they changed it 125,000 miles. I don't know what happened if you try to tell them the original warranty is for unlimited miles. And since you are in California you will get at least 125,000 miles... I think it was a CA law to cover at least 125,000 miles for hybrid battery and EV battery.

It's good that your MX had very little problem. Our 2017 MX had a few door problems already in the 2 years we had it. Unlike the S or 3, the X got auto doors everywhere. It is very common for some of the sensors and actuators to fail. And MCU1 will probably fail in under 6 years. That alone is like $3000 to replace I think. Our FWDs works perfectly so far, but it seems like it is something that could fail easily with so many moving parts and sensors. So I bought the extended warranty.

 

[Merrill]

If your MX is 2016, I think your battery is actually covered for 8 years and unlimited miles. But just a month or 2 ago, they changed it 125,000 miles. I don't know what happened if you try to tell them the original warranty is for unlimited miles. And since you are in California you will get at least 125,000 miles... I think it was a CA law to cover at least 125,000 miles for hybrid battery and EV battery.

It's good that your MX had very little problem. Our 2017 MX had a few door problems already in the 2 years we had it. Unlike the S or 3, the X got auto doors everywhere. It is very common for some of the sensors and actuators to fail. And MCU1 will probably fail in under 6 years. That alone is like $3000 to replace I think. Our FWDs works perfectly so far, but it seems like it is something that could fail easily with so many moving parts and sensors. So I bought the extended warranty.

Yes, I forgot that on the battery warranty. We will never get even 100,000 on it, also I agree lots of expensive parts never had a problem with the FWD’s yet. I did purchase the extended warranty on my 2013 Model S and used it a couple of times but nothing expensive.

 

[bob_p]

Extended warranties are insurance - some people will see cost savings by reduced maintenance costs - and others won't see enough repairs to justify getting the warranty.

Since the battery pack and motor are covered by the 8 year vehicle warranty, what's left are a few expensive components - MCU, displays, AP/FSD;, ...

If you plan to keep the vehicle for 8 years or close to 100K miles, then the extended warranty provides protection against major repair costs.

But if you plan to sell the vehicle well before 8 years/100K miles, the probability of saving for the extended warranty drops.

Since we plan to keep our Tesla vehicles for 8 years and close to 100K miles - we've purchased the 8 year extended warranty on our 2012 S P85 (traded-in), 2017 S 100D and 2018 X 100D.

 

[Fredneck]

Getting them to acknowledge the warranty covers your defect is always a problem. They have refused to repair intermittent problems with my car several time even when the issues were detected by the car itself.

 

[bob_p]

With our 2012 S P85 (traded in with 95K miles), we had several repairs after the 50K new vehicle warranty expired, and never had any problem in getting the issues covered by the extended warranty.

 

[VikH]

Yes, I forgot that on the battery warranty. We will never get even 100,000 on it, also I agree lots of expensive parts never had a problem with the FWD’s yet. I did purchase the extended warranty on my 2013 Model S and used it a couple of times but nothing expensive.

The biggest unknown seems to be the FWDs. How will these hold up over time? I have not had a single problem with mine, but lately I have noticed more noises from them when opening/closing.

 

[Merrill]

Wondering where I can purchase the extended warranty on line.

 

[Tam]

...just a month or 2 ago, they changed it 125,000 miles....

As of today, the warranty page says:

"Model S and Model X – 8 years (with the exception of the original 60 kWh battery manufactured before 2015, which is covered for a period of 8 years or 125,000 miles, whichever comes first)."

The quoted number "125,000 miles" is applicable to 60 kWh battery and Model X doesn't have that kind of battery but older model S does.

 

[Tam]

Wondering where I can purchase the extended warranty on line.

The web page no longer mentions that you can buy it online like it used to but now it says you get it at Service Center.

Tesla has made the purchase harder for those who live hundreds of miles from a Service Center!

 

[Need]

As of today, the warranty page says:

"Model S and Model X – 8 years (with the exception of the original 60 kWh battery manufactured before 2015, which is covered for a period of 8 years or 125,000 miles, whichever comes first)."

The quoted number "125,000 miles" is applicable to 60 kWh battery and Model X doesn't have that kind of battery but older model S does.

Ah I misread it. Good it is still unlimited miles. They did took out the words unlimited miles though.. just to throw you off.

 

[HostileHarry]

I'm in similar boat as the OP. I'm thinking about buying the ESA this year as well. You basically know that the MCU is going to have to be replaced and that is somewhere between $2-$3k according to folks on the forum. So from there you 'only' need $2300ish in additional repairs for the ESA to be justified, which I think will happen on my X.

 

[Fredneck]

I'm in similar boat as the OP. I'm thinking about buying the ESA this year as well. You basically know that the MCU is going to have to be replaced and that is somewhere between $2-$3k according to folks on the forum. So from there you 'only' need $2300ish in additional repairs for the ESA to be justified, which I think will happen on my X.

You are scaring me!!!

 

[Tam]

...MCU...

Other popular items to go after 4 years / 50,000 miles are:

Air Conditioner: Thousands of dollars

Heater: A separate and similar cost as above.

Onboard Charger: Thousands more for Model S but I don't know if Model X will suffer the same fate after the new warranty.

So, if you are unlucky and got all those 4 problems above, those costs will well be covered by your ESA many times over.

 

[Tam]

You are scaring me!!!

Statistically, the odds are in your favor. Most are fine but a few might get some issues.

However, the problem is there's no guaranty that you will be among the majority and not be among a few.

I've heard a few who are frustrated or regretting skipping ESA but I have never heard from anyone who bought ESA (even when they had no claims):

Outrageous $5000 repair bill after warranty expire!

 

[Darmie]

My gosh people. They want $5,300.00 for an extended warranty. That's a LOT!

 

[VikH]

It's a tough call since the warranty is so expensive. But Tesla seems to be more cost conscious these days and less inclined to provide goodwill on out of warranty items.

 

[Merrill]

My gosh people. They want $5,300.00 for an extended warranty. That's a LOT!

Yes it is that is why I’m debating doing it.