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Service centers and the Model 3

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Az_Rael

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jan 26, 2016
5,684
9,005
Palmdale, CA
I am fairly new here, just recently joined since we are now in eyesight of being able to reserve Model 3's (hopefully). I started reading around the forums to see how other folks have been liking their cars, issues that have been popping up, etc.

One thing I have noticed, is it seems like service centers are constrained in some areas. People talk about long wait times to get appointments and sometimes long wait times for warranty parts. It seems this also bleeds over to body shops when collision repair work has to be done.


What do you think Teslas plans are to improve service center timelines by 2018? Build more service centers? Ramp up repair part fabrication/ logistics? Allow independent shops access to parts/repair? Or, maybe since the M3 will be a more "normal" car, it won't have the more complicated items like the MS door handles and may have better reliability out the door?

I live in Southern California right now, but by the time the Model 3 is actually released, I will probably be back in the DFW area. Right now there is only one SC there I believe, and I do worry what that will be like once the Model 3 is fully out.
 
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A second service center in Dallas would be quite beneficial. The current one is rather small and overtaxed. I'm certain that the plans for the Model 3 include the necessary increase in support infrastructure. I fully expect some growing pains as they ramp up, but I'm not worried.
 
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My guess is that the Model 3 will come with the hardware to be fully autonomous. Probably not at launch (unless it is as delayed as the Model X launch) but sooner than you think, the Model 3 will be able to go to the service center all by itself while you are at work. That is my super optimistic wild ass theory for the future because I live 100 miles from my service center and have similar concerns.
 
I will be happy just with the first service center in Spain...

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My guess is that the Model 3 will come with the hardware to be fully autonomous. Probably not at launch (unless it is as delayed as the Model X launch) but sooner than you think, the Model 3 will be able to go to the service center all by itself while you are at work. That is my super optimistic wild ass theory for the future because I live 100 miles from my service center and have similar concerns.

Maybe your visit to the service center is related with autopilot malfunction!!!!
 
A second service center in Dallas would be quite beneficial. The current one is rather small and overtaxed. I'm certain that the plans for the Model 3 include the necessary increase in support infrastructure. I fully expect some growing pains as they ramp up, but I'm not worried.

I sure hope so.

I assume if they were planning a 2nd SC in the DFW area we would start seeing inklings about it soon? I would think it takes a bit longer to set up a service center and hire staff vs putting in a supercharger.
 
My guess is that the Model 3 will come with the hardware to be fully autonomous. Probably not at launch (unless it is as delayed as the Model X launch) but sooner than you think, the Model 3 will be able to go to the service center all by itself while you are at work. That is my super optimistic wild ass theory for the future because I live 100 miles from my service center and have similar concerns.


So I arrive home, expecting to find my new Model 3 parked in the garage, happily charged, but it is GONE. It has decided to "autonomously" drive to the Tesla service center in Rocklin, CA, while I have been away from home. It could have at least phoned me and asked if it could go out with its friends that day...
Overnight updates are enough for me. Driving autonomously to the service center whenever it needs service would be a little disturbing. Yes, I know, it would tell me that it is time and highly recommend the service, not simply take off on its own, but I can imagine all sorts of great beginnings to SciFi stories anyway.

How about my new Model 3 autonomously drives to my home when it is time for delivery. Now that would be exciting.

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There is only one Tesla Service Center in the Sacramento, CA area. With the rapid sales growth of all versions of PEVs in California's capital city, I would hope that a second Service Center is situated in the southern Sacramento region, allowing owners a much shorter drive for service (still LOTS better than the 102 miles for my Coda EV...the next closest is nearly 400 miles away in SoCal, but I guess that is what I get for buying a nice EV with questionable sales strategies and support).

Having overnight wireless updates reduces the worry about driving long distances for electronic service, but knowing that support is within 50 miles is more comforting.
 
Maybe your visit to the service center is related with autopilot malfunction!!!!
I've been thinking about that. As long as the car can safely drive autonomously, then driving itself to the service center for minor maintenance (perhaps the annual checkup, for example) would certainly be an option. Of course, if it can't safely drive itself, then it will still need to be driven (or towed) to the service center, but after service is done presumably it will be able to drive itself home.

So I arrive home, expecting to find my new Model 3 parked in the garage, happily charged, but it is GONE. It has decided to "autonomously" drive to the Tesla service center in Rocklin, CA, while I have been away from home. It could have at least phoned me and asked if it could go out with its friends that day...
I doubt the car will ever drive somewhere entirely of its own accord. What will happen is it will specify that service needs to be done, and you will have the option to tell it to go to the service center, similar to how software updates happen now. It won't ever go without you explicitly telling it to.
 
Another data point: Palo Alto service center is very busy. Used to be a 2-2 1/2 month wait to get an appointment. Called to schedule my 3 year service recently and they were able to get me an appointment in only 3 weeks. I was shocked how much the wait was reduced, and the person on the phone said they hired a bunch of new people to help get the backlog down to more reasonable times. I'd assume other service centers are understaffed as well, and ramping for additional cars will require more hiring. Of course new service centers will continue to open. (Plus I think newer cars have fewer issues requiring service, so that should help as well). Tesla has a hard time finding qualified service techs according to Tesla employees I've spoken with.
 
Another data point: Palo Alto service center is very busy. Used to be a 2-2 1/2 month wait to get an appointment. Called to schedule my 3 year service recently and they were able to get me an appointment in only 3 weeks. I was shocked how much the wait was reduced, and the person on the phone said they hired a bunch of new people to help get the backlog down to more reasonable times. I'd assume other service centers are understaffed as well, and ramping for additional cars will require more hiring. Of course new service centers will continue to open. (Plus I think newer cars have fewer issues requiring service, so that should help as well). Tesla has a hard time finding qualified service techs according to Tesla employees I've spoken with.

And I think a 3 week wait to get an appointment is still too long. Over 2 months wait is totally crazy. I fully expect the first few years of Model 3 release will overtax the existing (already overtaxed) SC system.

I do wonder how that will play out with non-enthusiasts who buy the car? I mean, until I came here, I assumed servicing a Tesla would be the same experience as servicing our Audi. Call on a Monday to get a Friday appointment, etc.
 
They have 2+ years to build out the necessary infrastructure for the 3. And there will likely be a slow ramp, so that's more like 3-4 years to build the infrastructure. They aren't building 500,000 cars/year on day one.
 
So, lemme get this straight... You are all worried that you won't have enough things to worry about...? And you worry that Tesla Motors hasn't bothered to worry about the things you hope to expect to some day worry about eventually...?

I am worried that I will have trouble getting timely service for the Model 3 I will buy (and may pre-order in a month). Based on current track records, it will be a problem. Especially in a 6.5 million people metro area with ONE service center where I will be living. Something I should be aware of before I plunk $$ down for a reservation.

(Actually the more I read these forums the less and less likely I am to pre-order one. Seems like it might be more prudent to wait a few years until this stuff gets ironed out for real)
 
Tesla will be investing heavily in support structures as they have shown recently. I am in no way concerned that in ~2yrs they wont have the necessary super chargers or service centers to handle the START of deliveries of the M3.
^^^^This^^^^
And 2018 is the start of the production ramp for model 3, so they really have an additional year, which makes it THREE years to prepare both the charging and support infrastructure.
I'll leave my worrying until the 2017/18 based on what has happened during the intervening two years.
 
Az_Rael: Exactly what do you hope to expect to eventually be concernedly worried about 'getting timely service' on for your Model ≡...? You do have the option of waiting until Tesla Motors 'has their act together' to your satisfaction, prior to placing a deposit.

By the way, the County of Los Angeles has over 6,000,000 vehicles registered here... But there are only 1,900 gas stations. That's more than 3,000 cars per gas station -- not including those vehicles that are just passing through. Surely a prudent person would somehow recognize that the infrastructure is not adequate to support ICE here.

Meh. I was trying to come up with a joke that included 'Prudence', 'Earnest', and 'Don't Call Me Shirley', but I'm way too tired and need to go to bed...
meme_-_Don't Call Me Shirley 0001.jpg
 
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I get that I have the option of waiting until Tesla sorts it out. (Turns out I'm not going to with only $1000 needed to reserve)

I thought it would be an interesting topic of conversation for an enthusiasts forum. Maybe bring the issue to the front for other Model 3 buyers who are new to Tesla like me. Folks could have an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of how Tesla is handling service and logistics and we could speculate on what they will do to solve the problem.

Oh well. I guess I haven't gotten the feel for this place yet. I'll just slink off to the reservation tracking threads when they start up.
 
Tesla has to multiply its service centers (needs 5-10 times more until 2020, minimum) or it has to give it to other 3rd party companies like others do. Otherwise it's gonna end in full chaos. There's about 100000 Teslas on the roads nowadays, and the SCs are already overloaded. By the forum posts, the average wait time is 2-3 months in many SC, but I've even read about 5-6 months in Norway. Now imagine what would happen, if Tesla made hundreds of thousand cars yearly with the same service capacity. Hiring a few more people per SC is not a solution if the cars don't fit in the building.