When do I maintain my Model 3?

[Knightshade]

Ah, but you do to maintain the extended warranty if they start offering one for the 3.

No such warranty is even offered- and there's nothing "required" per the new info from Tesla anyway other than changing cabin filter and checking brake fluid every 2 years and the AC maintenance every 6 (on the 3)

A
Besides, I believe you DO have to do the maintenance for the regular warranty, it just doesnt have to be at Tesla by law.

Nope, you don't have to do it ever for the new car warranty (plus, again, there's nothing to do anyway in the 4 years of that warranty besides change your cabin filter once and check brake fluid- but ignoring both won't impact the warranty at all)

 

[Az_Rael]

No such warranty is even offered- and there's nothing "required" per the new info from Tesla anyway other than changing cabin filter and checking brake fluid every 2 years and the AC maintenance every 6 (on the 3)



Nope, you don't have to do it ever for the new car warranty (plus, again, there's nothing to do anyway in the 4 years of that warranty besides change your cabin filter once and check brake fluid- but ignoring both won't impact the warranty at all)

Well, improper maintenance voids your warranty per the warranty documentation. Not doing the maintenance at all is most likely considered “improper”.

Color me skeptical until Tesla updates the user manuals to remove that brake fluid and coolant flush. I have seen too much B.S. from Tesla so I am a “believe it when I see it”. Until then I will follow the maintenance schedule per the manual as required. I already did my 25k brake fluid flush, so I am good for another year. We just did the 50k coolant flush on our S.

Honestly, I think this is mostly a temporary gambit to get folks out of the service centers, and Tesla will keep the user manual maintenance requirements as is. There is a reason they left that verbiage on the website.

 

[tambam]

Has anyone done the brake caliper check and lube? I don't live in a super cold climate, but I drive to Tahoe and the roads there are wet/snowy/sandy. I'm at 12k miles and now would be the time to get it done.

 

[Knightshade]

Well, improper maintenance voids your warranty per the warranty documentation. Not doing the maintenance at all is most likely considered “improper”.

Color me skeptical until Tesla updates the user manuals to remove that brake fluid and coolant flush. I have seen too much B.S. from Tesla so I am a “believe it when I see it”. Until then I will follow the maintenance schedule per the manual as required. I already did my 25k brake fluid flush, so I am good for another year. We just did the 50k coolant flush on our S.

Honestly, I think this is mostly a temporary gambit to get folks out of the service centers, and Tesla will keep the user manual maintenance requirements as is. There is a reason they left that verbiage on the website.

Improper maintenance means if you go to change your own brake fluid, and put battery acid in there instead, your warranty won't cover any repairs needed as a result.

Simply not DOING any maintenance has no impact on the warranty.

You can tell because Tesla explictly says that

Car Maintenance

If I choose not to service my Tesla car, will this void my warranty?

Your New Vehicle Limited Warranty or Used Vehicle Limited Warranty will not be affected if recommended service is not performed.

That's pretty damn clear.

 

[afadeev]

That's why Tesla recommends testing the brake fluid every two years.

You can't really "test" brake fluid, your just have to periodically replace it.
Every 2 years is reasonable, or before the new track season kicks off.

As others have mentioned, brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs H2O out of the air, over time.
That matters when too much absorbed moisture is pooled near the brake calipers, as water will boil faster than brake fluid, and turn into vapor as calipers heat up. Vapor compresses freely, allowing the brake pedal to hit the floor without moving the calipers, instead of clamping onto the rotors, and slowing the car down. Brown spots in underwear will soon follow.

To "test" the brake fluid next to the caliper you need to bleed it out, by which point you've just replaced your brake fluid.

The recommendation to "test" brake fluid is asinine, and is the result of having software engineers right maintenance recommendation for mechanical systems they don't understand.

Coolant change intervals in ICE vehicles is 100k miles these days. I don't see any reason an EV would be worse.

Coolant is not a mileage driven maintenance item, but fluid decay / time driven process.
I've followed "old school" maintenance schedule for about 30 years. Mike Miller, of Roundel fame, keeps a pretty exhaustive list of items you would want to maintain to keep your car running forever. Skip the ICE-related bits, and consider the filter/fluid maintenance schedule as per the following:
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1461518&d=1469006598

Tire rotation probably isn't necessary on AWD cars but Tesla does recommend that you inspect the tires for uneven wear.

AWD has no effect on the difference in front/rear axle tire wear characteristics.
The two are aligned differently, have different camber, and develop different wear patterns.
Rotating tires front<-> back will prolong the life of the tires, if that's important to you. Easy to DIY in under 30 mins.

YMMV,
a

 

[afadeev]

The Model 3 doesn't have a cabin filter.

Yes, it does have it.
Pretty much the same spot as in every other car I've ever owned:

 

[Az_Rael]

That's pretty damn clear.

Fair enough. I am still going to follow the recommend maintenance intervals from the user manual because I plan to buy an extended warranty once it is offered. And if Tesla doesn’t have enough confidence in the reliability of the 3 to offer money-making extended warranties, that won’t be good.

 

[Daniel in SD]

You can't really "test" brake fluid, your just have to periodically replace it.
Every 2 years is reasonable, or before the new track season kicks off.

As others have mentioned, brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs H2O out of the air, over time.
That matters when too much absorbed moisture is pooled near the brake calipers, as water will boil faster than brake fluid, and turn into vapor as calipers heat up. Vapor compresses freely, allowing the brake pedal to hit the floor without moving the calipers, instead of clamping onto the rotors, and slowing the car down. Brown spots in underwear will soon follow.

To "test" the brake fluid next to the caliper you need to bleed it out, by which point you've just replaced your brake fluid.

The recommendation to "test" brake fluid is asinine, and is the result of having software engineers right maintenance recommendation for mechanical systems they don't understand.




Coolant is not a mileage driven maintenance item, but fluid decay / time driven process.
I've followed "old school" maintenance schedule for about 30 years. Mike Miller, of Roundel fame, keeps a pretty exhaustive list of items you would want to maintain to keep your car running forever. Skip the ICE-related bits, and consider the filter/fluid maintenance schedule as per the following:
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1461518&d=1469006598



AWD has no effect on the difference in front/rear axle tire wear characteristics.
The two are aligned differently, have different camber, and develop different wear patterns.
Rotating tires front<-> back will prolong the life of the tires, if that's important to you. Easy to DIY in under 30 mins.

YMMV,
a

There are test strips to test the corrosion in the brake system and moisture meters. I can’t personally speak to the effectiveness of testing. I always thought that the water got absorbed into the brake fluid, I’ve never heard of it pooling at the low point.
You’re correct that coolant is more of an age thing. Many manufacturers have a 10 year/120k mike change interval.
RWD Teslas definitely wear the rear tires faster than AWD Teslas. If the tires are wearing evenly how can rotation extend their life?

 

[daniel]

The Model 3 is my third electric car. The Zap Xebra had a zerk in the aftermarket front suspension that required greasing a couple of times a year. (The original front suspension was terrible.) That was the only maintenance other than making sure it didn't run low on brake fluid and windshield washer fluid. My Roadster required an annual maintenance that included removing and blowing the dust out of the PEM. They also checked everything. The cost was $600. The first couple of years, before there was a Ranger in town, I had to pay an additional $600 for Ranger mileage. (I knew all that when I bought the car. The big surprise was when they stationed a Ranger here and no longer charged me for mileage.) Now the Model 3 that has virtually no required maintenance. (I say "virtually" because even without required maintenance I'm going to do all the suggested or recommended maintenance.)

 

[Thp3]

...
AWD has no effect on the difference in front/rear axle tire wear characteristics.
The two are aligned differently, have different camber, and develop different wear patterns.

Rotating tires front<-> back will prolong the life of the tires, if that's important to you. Easy to DIY in under 30 mins.

YMMV,
a

Ok, so driver’s front tire swaps with driver’s rear tire? Then the same on the passenger side? Just move the front tires on AWD directly to the rear?

Yeah, nearly at 6k miles so this will happen this week.

 

[afadeev]

Ok, so driver’s front tire swaps with driver’s rear tire? Then the same on the passenger side? Just move the front tires on AWD directly to the rear?

Yeah, nearly at 6k miles so this will happen this week.

Yep - if you have a solid enough jack (e.g.: 3 ton professional grade, any brand), you only need to lift each side of the car once.
Swap the wheels front<->back, repeat on the other side, torque all 4 wheels, done.
Have a beer.

a

 

[Az_Rael]

Looks like the manual finally got updated to reflect the new maintenance requirements. Good to know I won’t have to do the battery coolant at 50k anymore.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Looks like the manual finally got updated to reflect the new maintenance requirements. Good to know I won’t have to do the battery coolant at 50k anymore.

View attachment 416629

Can you post the URL? I just did my standard Google search for the Tesla manual and it is still December 2018 and does not match the above.

Presumably the one in the car is updated, but wondering whether you have a link to an actual PDF that is online...or whether you just extracted this page from the car or elsewhere.

 

[tambam]

Can you post the URL? I just did my standard Google search for the Tesla manual and it is still December 2018 and does not match the above.

Presumably the one in the car is updated, but wondering whether you have a link to an actual PDF that is online...or whether you just extracted this page from the car or elsewhere.

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

Ha...it's the second Google link. I didn't even bother clicking on it, since I figured all the ones on the Tesla website would be the same...I thought wrong...should have figured differently with my "Tesla thinking cap" on.

Thanks.

 

[Bill Foster]

You can't really "test" brake fluid, your just have to periodically replace it.
Every 2 years is reasonable, or before the new track season kicks off.

As others have mentioned, brake fluid is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs H2O out of the air, over time.
That matters when too much absorbed moisture is pooled near the brake calipers, as water will boil faster than brake fluid, and turn into vapor as calipers heat up. Vapor compresses freely, allowing the brake pedal to hit the floor without moving the calipers, instead of clamping onto the rotors, and slowing the car down. Brown spots in underwear will soon follow.

To "test" the brake fluid next to the caliper you need to bleed it out, by which point you've just replaced your brake fluid.

The recommendation to "test" brake fluid is asinine, and is the result of having software engineers right maintenance recommendation for mechanical systems they don't understand.


a

Except you can test it and there are multiple companies that offer test strips or electronic testers. but you do you

 

[afadeev]

Except you can test it and there are multiple companies that offer test strips or electronic testers. but you do you

Testing brake fluid is like testing used condoms - if the time and place calls for a replacement, its far cheaper, quicker, and more fun-inducing to quickly swap them out.

I suppose you could pay to test both, but then that just delays living your life and having fun with it.
Like you said - you do you!

a

 

[Bill Foster]

Testing brake fluid is like testing used condoms - if the time and place calls for a replacement, its far cheaper, quicker, and more fun-inducing to quickly swap them out.

I suppose you could pay to test both, but then that just delays living your life and having fun with it.
Like you said - you do you!

a

You said you couldn't test it. Thats not true.

 

[Daniel in SD]

That matters when too much absorbed moisture is pooled near the brake calipers

This isn't true if you're using DOT fluid (you must be thinking of mineral oil). It absorbs water and even if it didn't, it's denser than water.