First and foremost, I love my model S! Definately the best car ever made. This said, there is at least 1 thing I wish I had know prior to buying, which may have disuaded me (may), which I thought I would share with other new prospective buyers.
I was rear ended about 2 2/2 months ago. Not much damage, mostly cosmetic. As a result I had to take in for repairs. The process is nowhere near as positive as it is buying a car nor is it even close to the semi crappy experience of getting a traditional internal combustion engine repair; unfortunately much worse.
1- Tesla doesnt perform body repairs so you are reliant on third part repair facilities
2- There are only 2 certified repair facilities in a 60 mile radius (Denver/Boulder)
3- The repair facilities have no inventory of parts and must order from Tesla whenever they do a repair
4- Tesla does not have parts readily available and it can take weeks (in my case at least 5/6 weeks) for a simple quarter panel.
5- Tesla does not provide the certified repair facility with any ETAs so you are left in the dark
Because of only having 2 repair facilities available, it took me 3 weeks just to get an appointment for repairs. The repair facility has had the car for 1 month and no eta on when they will be done. So be warned, even a simple dent on a Tesla could you filling your rental for months...all while you are stuck making monthly payments, watching the car depreciate in value.
There are definitely opportunities for improvement in this area if Tesla wants to compete on a bigger stage (ie Model 3). Lets hope they make some investments.
I was rear ended about 2 2/2 months ago. Not much damage, mostly cosmetic. As a result I had to take in for repairs. The process is nowhere near as positive as it is buying a car nor is it even close to the semi crappy experience of getting a traditional internal combustion engine repair; unfortunately much worse.
1- Tesla doesnt perform body repairs so you are reliant on third part repair facilities
2- There are only 2 certified repair facilities in a 60 mile radius (Denver/Boulder)
3- The repair facilities have no inventory of parts and must order from Tesla whenever they do a repair
4- Tesla does not have parts readily available and it can take weeks (in my case at least 5/6 weeks) for a simple quarter panel.
5- Tesla does not provide the certified repair facility with any ETAs so you are left in the dark
Because of only having 2 repair facilities available, it took me 3 weeks just to get an appointment for repairs. The repair facility has had the car for 1 month and no eta on when they will be done. So be warned, even a simple dent on a Tesla could you filling your rental for months...all while you are stuck making monthly payments, watching the car depreciate in value.
There are definitely opportunities for improvement in this area if Tesla wants to compete on a bigger stage (ie Model 3). Lets hope they make some investments.
