Which San Mateo / Santa Clara service center?

[mblakele]

I'm going to schedule my model S 90D for its 25k service, and maybe replace the tires at the same time. It's about equally convenient for me to take the car to Burlingame, Sunnyvale, or Santa Clara. Which SC would you pick, and why?

If there's no difference in service quality, which one is most likely to loan me a model S with HW2? I've been using AP HW1 for over a year now, and it would be interesting to compare.

 

[DOCAL]

Recently got my service done in Santa Clara, picked it mostly for proximity but very happy with their work. Not sure what their AP2 availability is, I got an AP1 loaner for the day. Maybe call and ask?

 

[McManX]

I used Santa Clara recently for a few small things. They were fast and offered me a loaner but I didn't need it. Not sure if it was ap 1 or 2.

 

[mblakele]

Maybe call and ask?

Too easy

Anyway I wanted to hear what folks think. So far I've only used Burlingame.

 

[FlatSix911]

Avoid Sunnyvale ... long wait for a reservation.

 

[hmmm]

I am afraid to ask...why is PA not on the list? While it was chaotic for a (long) while, it's been fine since then for me (over the last year or so). I had a small thing done in Burlingame and they were great too.

 

[mblakele]

I am afraid to ask...why is PA not on the list? While it was chaotic for a (long) while, it's been fine since then for me (over the last year or so). I had a small thing done in Burlingame and they were great too.

Convenience. I think it'd be too far out of my way, especially during commute hours.

Also I'd expect Palo Alto to be busier than the other options, because of Palo Alto's demographics. But maybe I'm wrong about that?

 

[dmode]

For what is worth, I have used Burlingame and it was very efficient. Got a next day appointment, quick check in and out and got a brand new 90D loaner with only 4 miles on pro. That said, they told me this was the last Tesla loaner. And that was a Tuesday

 

[hmmm]

Convenience. I think it'd be too far out of my way, especially during commute hours.

Also I'd expect Palo Alto to be busier than the other options, because of Palo Alto's demographics. But maybe I'm wrong about that?

I think you're correct, ie all else being equal and if in addition it's less convenient for you, then stay away from it. Re. your point on demographics, I would think BUR would be a good choice. Keep us posted re. your experience if you don't mind.

 

[thecloud]

I've always had my Model S serviced at Sunnyvale, because it's closest to where I live, and they've always done a great job in my experience (2 annual services, plus 2 other visits early in 2015), despite being one of the busiest service centers. You do need to make an appointment at least a few weeks in advance.

At my first annual service, I did get a P85D loaner since they needed to keep the car for several days.

At my last service appointment (2016), a loaner wasn't offered since the car was in at 8AM and they expected to finish that day. They wanted to call me an Uber instead. (Obligatory dad joke: "you're an Uber.") I settled for a ride home, and arranged my own transportation back to pick up the car. Makes sense to save the scarce loaner resources for those who won't be getting same-day service.

 

[kev1n]

i personally had bad experience with burlingame

 

[gregincal]

I used to always use Sunnyvale, but I've switched to Santa Clara because I can make appointments a few days out instead of a few weeks out (once I made an appointment in Sunnyvale for the following month, when it came up they asked if I could reschedule it for a month later, when that one came up they called again with the same request).

 

[mblakele]

Service report

I ended up in Santa Clara for the 25k service. It was a good experience overall, somewhat better than my previous experiences in Burlingame. However part of that was due to how I set up the visit, rather than anything the staff did or didn't do.

Let's start with that. When I've used Burlingame I've set it up as a work from home day, and asked for a loaner vehicle. Once that was a pre-AP Model S, and twice it was BMW 3ers. But I'm so spoiled now that I dislike driving an ICE at all, and insist on AP for my commute. I recognize that my expectations may not be reasonable, but those loaner experiences left me irked — maybe even disgruntled.

This time I noticed that Santa Clara is reasonably close to my work, so I opted for an uber ride. I hardly ever need to drive during the day, so that worked out fine. Getting an uber was a little slower than driving away in a loaner would have been, but on the other hand I was able to get a few things done while I was waiting, and more while I was en route.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't ask what they had for loaners. After I decided I'd take an uber I put that out of my mind, and didn't consider it again until I was writing this post.

The service itself was fine. There was some sort of paperwork problem and they ended up comping me on the service, which was nice of them. I don't have any horror stories to report: no damage to my car, no greasy alcantra. They didn't even mess up my driver profile. They washed the car and cleaned the inside. Possibly they did a better job than I would do. They didn't charge it fully, just enough to test the system. But then I didn't ask them to. It looked like they're a bit constrained for charging: I think they only have two HPWC units. Unlike Burlingame they're inside, so they aren't available after hours.

Speaking of charging, the service report says they couldn't find my UMC to test it. I guess I should have shown it to them before I left, but I thought they'd open the hatch and see it in plain sight. No matter.

Some might be interested to know that there's a lot of construction around the Santa Clara SC right now, and getting in and out can be a little confusing. But in that respect I don't think it's any worse than Burlingame.

In conclusion I'll probably use Santa Clara again, at least for same-day service visits. It's more or less on my way to work, which makes me less dependent on a loaner. And they seem to know what they're doing.

 

[hmmm]

Service report

I ended up in Santa Clara for the 25k service. It was a good experience overall, somewhat better than my previous experiences in Burlingame. However part of that was due to how I set up the visit, rather than anything the staff did or didn't do.

Let's start with that. When I've used Burlingame I've set it up as a work from home day, and asked for a loaner vehicle. Once that was a pre-AP Model S, and twice it was BMW 3ers. But I'm so spoiled now that I dislike driving an ICE at all, and insist on AP for my commute. I recognize that my expectations may not be reasonable, but those loaner experiences left me irked — maybe even disgruntled.

This time I noticed that Santa Clara is reasonably close to my work, so I opted for an uber ride. I hardly ever need to drive during the day, so that worked out fine. Getting an uber was a little slower than driving away in a loaner would have been, but on the other hand I was able to get a few things done while I was waiting, and more while I was en route.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't ask what they had for loaners. After I decided I'd take an uber I put that out of my mind, and didn't consider it again until I was writing this post.

The service itself was fine. There was some sort of paperwork problem and they ended up comping me on the service, which was nice of them. I don't have any horror stories to report: no damage to my car, no greasy alcantra. They didn't even mess up my driver profile. They washed the car and cleaned the inside. Possibly they did a better job than I would do. They didn't charge it fully, just enough to test the system. But then I didn't ask them to. It looked like they're a bit constrained for charging: I think they only have two HPWC units. Unlike Burlingame they're inside, so they aren't available after hours.

Speaking of charging, the service report says they couldn't find my UMC to test it. I guess I should have shown it to them before I left, but I thought they'd open the hatch and see it in plain sight. No matter.

Some might be interested to know that there's a lot of construction around the Santa Clara SC right now, and getting in and out can be a little confusing. But in that respect I don't think it's any worse than Burlingame.

In conclusion I'll probably use Santa Clara again, at least for same-day service visits. It's more or less on my way to work, which makes me less dependent on a loaner. And they seem to know what they're doing.

Thanks for the thorough field report, much appreciated. As for loaners, I got s Chrysler 300 once...