Hawaii Tesla Owners

[Dublin]

I am very interested in purchasing a Model S, but I live in Hawaii and I am concerned about maintenence. How does Tesla plan to meet the needs of their car owners living so far away from Tesla stores? What do other Tesla owners do who live in Hawaii? I understand there are owners here.

[doug]

That's an interesting question. There are Roadster owners out there. I remember talking with Bob Sexton a couple years ago and he mentioned technicians flying out. I wonder if Tesla has a more local solution now.

[Jkam]

I know a Roadster owner in Hawaii. He told me the Ranger flies out once a year and services all the Roadsters in Hawaii at once. I think they all split the cost of travel. When you split it 4 or 5 ways, it isn't that bad. The problem is if you need something more than a simple service (e.g. you get into an accident or a part needs to be replaced). I don't know what happens then.

It has been over a year, but Tesla has mentioned that Hawaii is a prime market for them because the round trip around Oahu is less than 160 miles. They indicated that they would open a store in Hawaii eventually, but as of yet I see no indication that they are indeed opening a store.

[TEG]

This old thread mentioned Hawaiian Roadsters:
Hawaii Clean Energy Day

[TEG]

[Dublin]

I am not in a position to pay for someone to come out to Hawaii to fix or service my car. The Model S would be my only mode of transportation. I also don't think we should have to. If Tesla wants to sell the Model S in Hawaii they will need to have someone on island available to fix a vehicle at any time. If they don't then it would be a deal breaker for me. I do think Hawaii is a prime market since many people are getting PV systems (I just invested in one for my home) and the 160 miles is more than enough to get around any of the islands.

[Dublin]

I have decided that until there is a Tesla store or Ranger on Oahu I can't purchase a Model S. It is too risky if I need service beyond the yearly maintenance check. When one does come to Hawaii I plan to purchase the Model S. I am hopeful that day will come because Tesla has a high quality, beautifully crafted car. I just need to be patient.

[ultrarunner]

Hey Dublin, if you have a reservation number do not give up just yet. One of my emails from Rik Avalos, specifically about the long distance servicing and, the cost to owners was that they have people working on this. He was not more specific then that as no one at Tesla has been to date. I think they realize they have a lot of people out there who are way beyond a few or even a thousand miles who would be potential customers if they can come up with a solution to this problem.

I am in your boat though. I have talked to a few roadster owners. Several have had to have service a few times in a year. I was advised to not purchase a Tesla until they had a very specific solution or program in place for long distance servicing. Apparently they are not at this time entertaining training people to be long distance service personnel. I may not be correct but I sure have not had any encouraging emails returned on that subject. I hope they come up with something soon or I think I will have to wait also until they have a large enough nuimber to justify a service center.

[ultrarunner]

Sorry I meant a few hundred miles or even a thousand miles. Yes even a few hundred miles one way is a lot to plunk down for service or a service call.

[spleen]

Hi spleen, welcome to the forums. I cannot tell you if you are the first one to have reserved a Model X in Honolulu, but way to go! Congratulations. That's awesome.

Thanks! Very excited about this vehicle - we were looking for an EV that could fit 6 people and this fits the bill perfectly. Should be a nice match with our current Leaf. Looking forward to hearing more details as they come out ... in the meantime reading all about the Model S options to get some idea about what might be in store for the Model X.