Yearly Maintenance + Lease Option + Selling Used

[jerry33]

What I got from reading all the posts is that the maximum amount it could possibly be is $600 per year--but there has been no official word yet, only speculation. I've also heard $200 and free during the warranty period. However, Tesla has said that they are going to frequently have software upgrades similar to an iPhone, so someone has to pay the programmers. But $600 is a bit much. The 2004 Prius has cost about $1000 per year for tires and maintenance. However, that includes a bunch of preventive maintenance that I think most people don't bother with such as replacing the transaxle fluid and replacing the water pumps (there are four).

 

[W8MM]

Apparently, few potential buyers posting on this thread have ever owned a German car that costs $85,000 - $102,000 as does the Model S in anticipated trim. I wish I could escape from Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes service plans for "only" $600 per year. We're not talking about a Honda Civic Hybrid.

 

[Jeeps17]

Apparently, few potential buyers posting on this thread have ever owned a German car that costs $85,000 - $102,000 as does the Model S in anticipated trim. I wish I could escape from Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes service plans for "only" $600 per year. We're not talking about a Honda Civic Hybrid.

You can add Infiniti to that list, at least in Canada, their dealership rates are beyond ridiculous.

 

[jerry33]

Apparently, few potential buyers posting on this thread have ever owned a German car that costs $85,000 - $102,000 as does the Model S in anticipated trim. I wish I could escape from Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes service plans for "only" $600 per year. We're not talking about a Honda Civic Hybrid.

If it wasn't for the fact that the Model S is the only electric car that can actually be used as a car (as opposed to a to-work-and-back-with-no-extra-stops-on-the way-vehicle), there is no way I would be looking at a car in that price range. It's three times as much as my most expensive car purchase. $600/year is a lot of money to me.

 

[smoothoperator]

Apparently, few potential buyers posting on this thread have ever owned a German car that costs $85,000 - $102,000 as does the Model S in anticipated trim. I wish I could escape from Porsche, BMW, or Mercedes service plans for "only" $600 per year. We're not talking about a Honda Civic Hybrid.

BMW is free I thought during the warranty period? The rest can be serviced at independent shops that charge a fraction of the cost at a dealership. Which 85k-102k car costs 600+ dollars for a yearly service? Also is Tesla doing more service labor than these ICE dealerships? If an EV has less parts to wear. then conventional wisdom would say no. Add in ranger service for individuals who do not live a reasonable distance from a Tesla service center and lack of a loaner vehicle and there is no way to justify Tesla's position. Which car between 85-100k does not include a complimentary loaner during service? Also the Karma includes free maintenance.

 

[ckessel]

With timing belts, radiator flushes, transmission oil changes, etc I probably get to $600 a year pretty easily. A simple look at edmunds TCO for something like a Camry shows about $3000 maintenance expected over 5 years, or about $600 a year. That's separate from their estimate for "repairs". The Audi A5 shows nearly $6000 in expected maintenance.

True Cost to Own (TCO) Calculator on Edmunds.com

Which 85k-102k car costs 600+ dollars for a yearly service?

Edmunds estimates $2.3k a year:2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 5.5L V8 Twin-turbo 7-speed Automatic True Cost to Own

 

[spatterso911]

Which 85k-102k car costs 600+ dollars for a yearly service?

Outside of the warranty/free maintenance period, those 85K - 102K annual service charges run you about $1500 to $2200 bucks. Just paid around $1600 for my car. It included a fluid flush, oil change, state inspection, emissions filter replacement (which alone was $400), and scheduled 60,000 mile maintenance.

$600 would have been a real bargain.

 

[smoothoperator]

With timing belts, radiator flushes, transmission oil changes, etc I probably get to $600 a year pretty easily. A simple look at edmunds TCO for something like a Camry shows about $3000 maintenance expected over 5 years, or about $600 a year. That's separate from their estimate for "repairs". The Audi A5 shows nearly $6000 in expected maintenance.

True Cost to Own (TCO) Calculator on Edmunds.com



Edmunds estimates $2.3k a year:2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 5.5L V8 Twin-turbo 7-speed Automatic True Cost to Own

E63 wagon costs $3,562 dollars to maintain just for 1 year (year 2)? Is there a breakdown? I used to own a E55 wagon and I never paid anything close to that in year 2 let alone in the amount of time I owned that vehicle in maintenance costs. It shows $0 for the first 3 years of 550i so they are expecting the tires on a 550xi to last 40k miles? I think this is BS as there is no breakdown on what these costs are?

 

[ckessel]

E63 wagon costs $3,562 dollars to maintain just for 1 year (year 2)? Is there a breakdown? I used to own a E55 wagon and I never paid anything close to that in year 2 let alone in the amount of time I owned that vehicle in maintenance costs. It shows $0 for the first 3 years of 550i so they are expecting the tires on a 550xi to last 40k miles? I think this is BS as there is no breakdown on what these costs are?

Unless you can reference another source, these are the most objective 3rd party numbers we've got so far.

 

[smoothoperator]

Outside of the warranty/free maintenance period, those 85K - 102K annual service charges run you about $1500 to $2200 bucks. Just paid around $1600 for my car. It included a fluid flush, oil change, state inspection, emissions filter replacement (which alone was $400), and scheduled 60,000 mile maintenance.

$600 would have been a real bargain.

Interesting for the yearly service (exclusive of tires brakes, wear items, etc- Tesla also bills you seperate) you paid 1500-2200 for a normal service? Are there not pre-determined schedule intervals for BMW? Mercedes has a Service A etc which are pre-determined service intervals. Are you talking about items that went bad after the warranty period that needed to be replaced or actual scheduled maintenance? We are talking about scheduled maintenance in this thread not wear items. I am very surprised oil change is not included in the 60k mile maintenance? Seems very weird

 

[jimbakker666]

"The Edmunds Inc. True Cost to Own® (TCO) pricing system calculates the additional costs you may not have included when considering your next vehicle purchase. These extra costs include: depreciation, interest on your loan, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs."

Probably not a good comparison tool for this particular thread considering only yearly maintenance is being discussed.

And I agree that $600 is a lot of money for yearly maintenance. I just flushed the transmission fluid on my Civic after 5 years (maintenance code came up on my dash), plus an oil change, for $200. And my normal yearly maintenance is even less than that, just a couple oil changes whenever my car tells me to.

I would advise to take what Tesla marketing says with a grain of salt. I'm sure the 'cheaper to operate than an ICE' can be dissected and spun a thousand different ways, but for me it still boils down to having to pay $600 each year whether the car needs it or not. I've never owned a car like that, ever.

 

[strider]

Only Tesla Service can "maintain" a Tesla...There are thousands of independent auto shops that can do oil/filter etc changes for ANY car. Tesla can set any price they want and consumers are forced to pay it, to preserve their warranty. Tesla maintenance is a monopoly. Tesla really needs to include maintenance in the price of the Model S....It is kinda lame to buy a car then have to pay 600 or whatever a year to have it maintained by Tesla....Where is the maintenance advantage that Tesla has touted for the past 4 years? I can understand with the Roadster (air cooled pem) but not with the Model S.

This is not true. Until the Roadster I have NEVER gone to a dealer for service. It is illegal in the US for a manufacturer to require service be done by the manufacturer unless that service is free to the consumer. So they cannot void your warranty if you have your car serviced by a 3rd party. However, BMW can since they include service in the price of the car. That being said, no one that I'm aware of has tried to service a Roadster besides Tesla.
It could end up going to court but I could see Tesla being compelled to sell diagnostic equipment and publish shop manuals to allow owners to maintain their own cars. Bottom line is that Roadster owners have been willing to help Tesla succeed by paying paying for routine maintenance. But $600/year is more than any ICE I've every owned and non-fanatics won't pay it. If the car is "so much simpler" than an ICE, the maintenance fees need to reflect that.

 

[smoothoperator]

This is not true. I have NEVER gone to a dealer for service on any car I've owned.

Someone other than Tesla services your Roadster? Please pm me this individuals contact information.I would like to use them for service as well.

 

[strider]

Someone other than Tesla services your Roadster? Please pm me this individuals contact information.I would like to use them for service as well.

Until my Roadster. I will correct my post.

I fall into the category of wanting to help EVs and Tesla succeed so I pay the $700+/year for service. But if I lived far away from a service center I may have a different view. Also, Tesla needs to back up their rhetoric (EVs are simple to maintain) with actual dollars and cents to owners. I'll give them a pass on the Roadster but not Model S.

 

[smoothoperator]

Until my Roadster. I will correct my post.

I fall into the category of wanting to help EVs and Tesla succeed so I pay the $700+/year for service. But if I lived far away from a service center I may have a different view. Also, Tesla needs to back up their rhetoric (EVs are simple to maintain) with actual dollars and cents to owners. I'll give them a pass on the Roadster but not Model S.

100% agree I hope Tesla realizes that their Model S maintenance program (as denoted by the OP in this thread) is a huge negative for the Model S. I can see why the Roadster is relatively expensive to maintain as they have to physically remove the PEM etc. I know for a fact that it is required to follow the maintenance program for the Roadster in order to be eligible for the warranty, I am not sure if this is the case with the Model S. Tesla will never release maintenance documents for any of their vehicles.

 

[AustinPowers]

Outside of the warranty/free maintenance period, those 85K - 102K annual service charges run you about $1500 to $2200 bucks. Just paid around $1600 for my car. It included a fluid flush, oil change, state inspection, emissions filter replacement (which alone was $400), and scheduled 60,000 mile maintenance.

$600 would have been a real bargain.

Interesting that German cars' inspection intervals are shorter / inspection prices so much higher in the US than they are here.
My father drives a high-end E-Class Merc (and he drives a lot) yet his service intervals are like every 2.5 to 3 years. Same with my father-in-law and his Audi A6.
Their service bills (including oil change) amount to about 900$ each. Just for comparison.

What really annoys me is the fact that Tesla says

Quote
■Electric vehicle ownership is extremely advantageous compared to traditional vehicle ownership - gasoline is not needed and routine maintenance is minimal.

If routine maintenance is minimal, how come we are talking about a mandatory annual service (regardless of how many miles you drive) at several hundred dollars each (plus ranger costs for most of us, at least in Germany, as Tesla only has two facilities in the whole country), even if it turns out to be less than the much talked about 600$ (then again, no one said that would the possible maximum, did they)?

 

[spatterso911]

Interesting for the yearly service (exclusive of tires brakes, wear items, etc- Tesla also bills you seperate) you paid 1500-2200 for a normal service? Are there not pre-determined schedule intervals for BMW? Mercedes has a Service A etc which are pre-determined service intervals. Are you talking about items that went bad after the warranty period that needed to be replaced or actual scheduled maintenance? We are talking about scheduled maintenance in this thread not wear items. I am very surprised oil change is not included in the 60k mile maintenance? Seems very weird

60K mile scheduled maintenance usually runs between $1400 and $2000. Know that an M5 oil change is around $250, and they have to use Castrol TWS (10w-60) exclusively. The separate quart bottles alone are about $14 each and you usually need to add a quart every 2-3K miles.

 

[dsm363]

We're basing this whole discussion off an assumption that the annual service is $600 I thought. Has this been confirmed?

 

[NigelM]

We're basing this whole discussion off an assumption that the annual service is $600 I thought. Has this been confirmed?

No, but since when has that been an inhibiting factor? .:wink:

 

[ckessel]

"The Edmunds Inc. True Cost to Own® (TCO) pricing system calculates the additional costs you may not have included when considering your next vehicle purchase. These extra costs include: depreciation, interest on your loan, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs."

Probably not a good comparison tool for this particular thread considering only yearly maintenance is being discussed.

Did you actually look at what Edmunds shows you? It breaks out each cost category individually with numbers specific to each category.