1st annual check up fee? $450??

[TexasEV]

I’d rather they find a problem at an annual service than have something go wrong when I’m on the road. I had parts replaced proactively at two of my annual services on my early Model S.

You’re driving new technology that cost you high 5 figures or 6 figures. It’s worth the piece of mind. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

 

[brkaus]

I did the first service at 12 months / 17k miles. I haven't decided on the second - AC desiccant bag & brake fluid. I may just do the brakes myself. Definitely will skip the 3rd. Probably do the 4th, but I'm expecting much better DIY info by that time.

 

[HankLloydRight]

I don't mind paying for an annual service, but this car was billed as being so much cheaper to maintain because of it's significantly fewer moving parts. Then they turn around and charge these significantly higher than industry average prices for routine annual service checkups. That goes completely against their initial claim.

I think you're conflating 'annual service/preventative maintenance.' with 'regular repairs/ongoing maintenance.' They are different things entirely.

Over the life of a car, how many of the following will you have paid for/repaired owning a Tesla?

• Oil changes
• Water Pump
• Radiator
• Brake rotors
• Exhaust
• Mufflers
• O2 Sensor
  
• Steering pump/hoses/fluid
• Steering rack
• Transmission tune-up/fluid change
• Spark plugs
• Fuel filter
• Fuel injectors
• Fuel pump
• Turbocharger
• Valve adjustment
• Timing chain/timing belt
• Alternator
• Batteries
• Starter
• Air filter
• Head gasket
• Clutch
• Rear main seal
• Mass Airflow sensor

For both my P85+ and P85D, I paid for the annual service plan and the ESA. I paid less than this, but let's take the current pricing for Model S. The 4-year service plan is $2400 for 4 years, or on average, $800 per year. The ESA is currently $4,750, or about $600 per year (spread over 8 years, including the factory warranty). That means that my total maximum exposure to all repairs and maintenance needs is $1400 per year (plus a $200 per visit deductible in years 5-8). I challenge anyone to pay less than that, on average per year (about $110/month), for 8 full years of ownership of any ICE vehicle.

 

[RAW84]

I think you're conflating 'annual service/preventative maintenance.' with 'regular repairs/ongoing maintenance.' They are different things entirely.

Over the life of a car, how many of the following will you have paid for/repaired owning a Tesla?

• Oil changes
• Water Pump
• Radiator
• Brake rotors
• Exhaust
• Mufflers
• O2 Sensor
  
• Steering pump/hoses/fluid
• Steering rack
• Transmission tune-up/fluid change
• Spark plugs
• Fuel filter
• Fuel injectors
• Fuel pump
• Turbocharger
• Valve adjustment
• Timing chain/timing belt
• Alternator
• Batteries
• Starter
• Air filter
• Head gasket
• Clutch
• Rear main seal
• Mass Airflow sensor

For both my P85+ and P85D, I paid for the annual service plan and the ESA. I paid less than this, but let's take the current pricing for Model S. The 4-year service plan is $2400 for 4 years, or on average, $800 per year. The ESA is currently $4,750, or about $600 per year (spread over 8 years, including the factory warranty). That means that my TOTAL exposure to all repairs and maintenance needs is $1400 per year (plus a $200 per visit deductible in years 5-8). I challenge anyone to pay less than that, on average per year (about $110/month), for 8 full years of ownership of any ICE vehicle.

Yea, I get it, it doesn't have some of the parts ICE's have so it's not going to have to repair those parts...that was the sell. But I've unquestionably spent more on this car than I did in the first 4 years owning my Benz. In both cases, the car was under warranty, so all I paid for was annual services (not including tire costs as that's unfair to Tesla's larger tires and higher performance causing wear). I, too, prepaid for annual services at $2,000. With my Benz in the first four years I got two A services ($200 something each) and two B services ($400 something each, I believe).

And despite all of those ICE parts you've listed that the model S doesn't have to worry about, my Tesla has been in for more warranty repairs in these first 4 years than my Benz was in my first 4 years of ownership which leaves me a little worried for when the warranty expires at the end of this year.

 

[HankLloydRight]

With my Benz in the first four years I got two A services ($200 something each) and two B services ($400 something each, I believe).

You don't think you paid for those in the price of the car?

 

[P85Dave]

By comparison, the cost of servicing an Audi A8 for FIVE years is $1,179. And this is to service a grossly over complicated ICE. That works out to $235 a year. I have to say that premium ICE manufacturers have really cleaned up their act with service charges. The only game they play is by offering "custom" service schedules but if you go with what is mentioned on the service manual, the service costs are quite reasonable.

The Tesla service schedule is absolutely overpriced but I pay because where else can you take it and I definitely need to keep the ESA valid for myself or the subsequent owner of the car. There's no reason an Audi A8 should cost less to service over 5 years than a Tesla.

2017 Audi Care & Audi Care Select | Audi library

 

[RAW84]

You don't think you paid for those in the price of the car?

Talk about moving the goalposts...adding the price of the car into the equation will definitely not work out in Tesla's favor lol

 

[HankLloydRight]

Talk about moving the goalposts...adding the price of the car into the equation will definitely not work out in Tesla's favor lol

That's not what I mean. I meant, weren't the four annual services (A/B) included in the original purchase price of the car?

 

[HankLloydRight]

By comparison, the cost of servicing an Audi A8 for FIVE years is $1,179.

They make it up in VOLUME!

 

[RAW84]

That's not what I mean. I meant, weren't the four annual services (A/B) included in the original purchase price of the car?

No, not not to my knowledge. That dealer charged those prices whether you purchased the car from them or not.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Ok. I know for the last several years, dealers like BMW and MB have been including 4 years of annual maintenance in the price of the cars.

 

[Electricious]

Ok. I know for the last several years, dealers like BMW and MB have been including 4 years of annual maintenance in the price of the cars.

Still doesn't help you...

 

[cbdream99]

BMW includes 3 years of free service now instead of 4, MB doesn't have any free service included unless you purchase the service contract.

Tesla annual service is mostly useless but they try to entice you by adding one item that gives you the illusion it is good (e.g. drive unit fluid change, battery coolant, ac desiccant bag which is the first time I heard even needs to be replaced on any vehicle ), your key fob battery is likely die in between the services, tire rotation/alignments usually you can purchase in local shop for couple of hundreds for the life of the tires.

 

[jaguar36]

I challenge anyone to pay less than that, on average per year (about $110/month), for 8 full years of ownership of any ICE vehicle.

Easy Peasy. I paid $1,482 (excluding tires) total for 8 years, 109k miles on the BMW I just replaced with my P100D. Of course BMW had free maintence for the first 4 years, and I did the rest myself, but you can't really do that on a Tesla, since Tesla won't give access to the Toolbox.

Incidentally of that, the only things I replaced that the Tesla doesn't have was the engine air filter, oil and filter and spark plugs.

 

[HankLloydRight]

s, and I did the rest myself,

Time is money, and how much did you spend on parts doing it yourself?

Also, that's far from the norm. Not many people will do 100% of the maintenance required on a BMW. (and I know BMWs well, as I've owned several and my other car is a E39 M5).

 

[jaguar36]

Time is money, and how much did you spend on parts doing it yourself?

$1,482 is what I paid for parts. Considering the nearest service center is an hour away, I spent less time doing it myself than driving it back and for to the service center.

 

[smilepak]

I don't mind the service plan. It gives the peace of mind, and when they do find things while still under warranty, they'll fix

What I am worry is the cost of other repairs like MCU or Brakes or Door Handle where I've seen ppl posting crazy prices on them.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Considering the nearest service center is an hour away,

Really? An hour away? By the sound of it, it looks like you live in South Jersey -- possibly even Cherry Hill (or very close to it)... and if you choose to go to BMW dealer, BMW of Mt. Laurel on 73 is an "hour away"? There are no BMW dealers in NJ an hour away from anywhere else in NJ. And that's only BMW dealerships.

And if you don't go to a dealer, there are independent foreign car repair shops everywhere down there. I should know, I grew up in Cherry Hill (just one mile from the new Tesla location on Rt 70).

 

[Asymmetry]

Hope there is a happy ending for that price.

KTAS offer lifetime of tyre; rotation and balence for free....

 

[jaguar36]

Really? An hour away?

I was talking about the nearest Tesla service center not the BMW dealer. And yes I will be thrilled when the Cherry Hill Service center opens, I have a laundry list of issues on my cars that need to be looked at.

Even the BMW dealer which is right down the street takes an hour by the time you go there drop off the car, get the loaner and get back. At the end of the day though the reason I do it is because I actually enjoy working on the car.

I really wish Tesla would make the Toolbox available to owners so we could work on our own cars.