About to leave warranty - any recommendations? Should I get a service?

[roadcred]

The answer is in your first post. If you can get rid of the car and only suffer £20k depreciation over 4 and a half years, get rid! Wherever you got that price from, it is a great price!

Any other solution involves risk. The 2019 car is pretty bad compared with a more modern one. The benefit, another up to 4 years free motoring with a load of new spec improvements. Of course you can keep it till it drops, that might take another 10 years if you are lucky and nobody makes it a right off in the meantime.

If you cannot stretch to a new one there are hundreds of good 1-3 year old second hand ones around which have also suffered up to £20k depreciation. I know autocar and other dealers advertise these vehicles at higher prices but the average Joe is selling for much less to Tesla as a trade-in or to WBAC and Motorway.
The benefit another up to 4 years free motoring with a load of new spec improvements.

 

[pdk42]

The benefit another up to 4 years free motoring with a load of new spec improvements.

Hmm - I really don’t see any massive spec improvements between a 2019 Model 3 and current (non Highland) versions. Sure, you get the heat pump, but it’s not a panacea (in fact, on short winter trips, the PTC is more efficient). Other changes are pretty minimal - slightly different interior trim, slightly faster CPU etc. But of course, the newer cars lack USS so there are backward steps too.

Build quality is perhaps a step up, but if you got a good 2019 copy then it’s really not a big difference either.

 

[GlynG]

@roadcred I think you may be listening what other people are saying regarding a 2019 car being pretty bad in comparison to the 2023 cars, clearly you haven't had a 2019 otherwise i doubt you'd be saying that. Some people believe the hype of Elon Musk (AKA Electric Jesus or Space Karen) but many changes were made just to save money by removal of nice to have bits.

The 2019 car and the early 2020s did have issues - but issues you could see at a glance like inconsistent panel gaps and paint flaking off especially the sills. So upon buying you made your choice.

The late 2019 cars had leds in the door pockets - which were removed in early 2020 but the biggest changes came late 2020 and early 21 when things like The passenger seat lumber support went, the oh so much better centre console, the fabulous chrome, the soft feel door cards replaced by the lower section in hard plastic, The roof SOS button, the bag hooks and carpet in the frunk, USB all used to carry data, The Turbines replaced by ugly Uberturbines, Michelin PS4s replaced with Pirellis - and stretched the tyre to fit the ubers half inch wider rims - so they look odd.

Everyone pretty much asserts the heat pump is better - but pdk42 is right in that the heat pump isn't a panacea over the resistive heater as it consumes more KWhrs in cold short trips - its a fact. (and you get a smaller frunk too because of the size of the Octovalve/super manifold/heat pump) - Heat pump models also got the heated steering wheel - so any savings heat pump makes on a longer run is negated by using that. Heat pump has had 5 revisions trying to get it right too.

There are some desirable features in the newer cars but some - like the power boot was badly implemented with only one powered strut - which has been a source of problems breaking and taking out the rear screen when it breaks.

Given the price difference between a 2019 and a 2023 do you really think a 23 model at twice the price represents better value?

 

[MrBadger]

Also many owners get their cars faults fixed even if it might have taken a few visits. So a car delivered with defects (as Tesla don’t PDI them before customer takes delivery so they get to see warts and all) does not mean it’s still got them.

 

[craigpugsley]

Hey, look, I’m thrilled and honoured that you’ve all taken so much time to read and reply to my post. I really do appreciate the wisdom on show here - you people are my people.

I love the tip of contacting Cleevely - I’ll give them a ring and see what they suggest (compared to LCM). No dramas with driving up to Gloucester - happy to do that.

I’m 90% certain I’ll keep the car now, after your advice - I do feel like I want to go into this decision eyes open though, so I’ll get it serviced/inspected. The suggestions that there are fewer things to go wrong (aside from battery) seems very reasonable. I don’t think I’d keep it as long as the battery warranty, but we can cross that bridge in a few years.

And for completeness (apologies I didn’t include this originally): I’ve got 28.8k miles on the clock, and this is a cash purchase (financed with a personal loan).

Thanks again!

 

[yessuz]

@roadcred I think you may be listening what other people are saying regarding a 2019 car being pretty bad in comparison to the 2023 cars, clearly you haven't had a 2019 otherwise i doubt you'd be saying that. Some people believe the hype of Elon Musk (AKA Electric Jesus or Space Karen) but many changes were made just to save money by removal of nice to have bits.

The 2019 car and the early 2020s did have issues - but issues you could see at a glance like inconsistent panel gaps and paint flaking off especially the sills. So upon buying you made your choice.

The late 2019 cars had leds in the door pockets - which were removed in early 2020 but the biggest changes came late 2020 and early 21 when things like The passenger seat lumber support went, the oh so much better centre console, the fabulous chrome, the soft feel door cards replaced by the lower section in hard plastic, The roof SOS button, the bag hooks and carpet in the frunk, USB all used to carry data, The Turbines replaced by ugly Uberturbines, Michelin PS4s replaced with Pirellis - and stretched the tyre to fit the ubers half inch wider rims - so they look odd.

Everyone pretty much asserts the heat pump is better - but pdk42 is right in that the heat pump isn't a panacea over the resistive heater as it consumes more KWhrs in cold short trips - its a fact. (and you get a smaller frunk too because of the size of the Octovalve/super manifold/heat pump) - Heat pump models also got the heated steering wheel - so any savings heat pump makes on a longer run is negated by using that. Heat pump has had 5 revisions trying to get it right too.

There are some desirable features in the newer cars but some - like the power boot was badly implemented with only one powered strut - which has been a source of problems breaking and taking out the rear screen when it breaks.

Given the price difference between a 2019 and a 2023 do you really think a 23 model at twice the price represents better value?

2019 car probably even had proper leather, not the "vegan pvc" bullshit which means - no rubbing rattles.

I will be in similar situation as you, only difference is that my warranty will run out when I will still have finance on the car. battery and motor warranty should still be there... I hope. I am planning to keep the car - unless I will hate it by then.

 

[Rob R]

Hi everyone!

Firstly, thank you to all the regular contributors who have made this community such a great resource of the years. I’ve learned many useful things that have made my M3 2019 ownership more enjoyable.

I’m coming to the end of my 5yr basic warranty soon, and I was wondering if this community could help me make a decision, please?

Ultimately: should I keep the M3 and risk expensive repair bill or bite the bullet and trade up to an in-warranty newer model?

Some facts
- My car’s worth £20k less now than when I bought it. I appreciate depreciation, but that’s a killer. Far more than I was budgeting for when I bought it. This makes me want to keep the car for as long as possible, to now get the most use out of that sunk cost.
- I’ve had several issues repaired under warranty (foggy headlight clusters, faulty Autopilot / overheating computer / SuperBottle replacement). But most of those I would have lived with (except the SuperBottle, which I expect would have got worse and eventually caused the car to break down).
- Other than that, my M3 has been super reliable.
- I’ve not seen the community mention many widespread significant known issues with a M3 my age. Am I missing something?
- Battery still seems healthy (70% charge - 200 miles predicted on GOM). I know that‘s covered under different 8yr warranty, but it’s all still a consideration for a few years down the line if I decide to keep.
- I love the M3. Every time I get into it I realise how much car it really is. I‘m very happy with the product as is - nothing in the newer M3s would tempt me to upgrade.
- I don’t really want to spend any more money on the car, considering how much I’ve ‘lost’ in (what I consider to be) excessive depreciation.
- That said, I would quite like a MY, but not enough to upgrade.

So, the bottom line is do you think I should:

A) take the risk, and keep my M3 for a few more years, because 5yr old Model 3s are actually really reliable and ride out the depreciation to get my money’s worth?

or

B) stay on the safe side, because M3s from 2019 have some nasty known issues that rear their head around now and the cost of getting them repaired would be more than I’d lose trading up to a newer model?

To help me decide (apart from the sage words of advice from this community) I was going to get a service done at LCM Automotive here in Bristol, to see if they can find any signs of potentially expensive problems occurring. I’ve heard they’re probably the most knowledgable non-Tesla mechanics around this area.

So, that’s it. What should I do?

I had a suspension squeak in the string. Tesla sent a technician to review the whole suspension set up. Result, I was given an appointment at a service centre, where a large number of corroded parts on 3 or 4 sides were replaced under warranty, just before 4 year basic warranty expired. I was pretty happy, but the downside is that a 4 year old, 40k mile Tesla Model 3 LR had a load of suspension parts corroded and needing replaced. I saved (I reckon) a couple of thousand quid. Story I hear is that (2019 California) Model 3s are not really built to resist corrosion in wet, salty environments.

I don't know if China built cars are any better.

 

[MrBadger]

Story I hear is that (2019 California) Model 3s are not really built to resist corrosion in wet, salty environments.

One word - 'Lancia'.

 

[WannabeOwner]

One word - 'Lancia'.

and the other word would be Alfasud!

Loved driving that ...

 

[spooksman]

This is interesting stuff...

I have a 2020 M3P on a lease the ends next May - its a company lease via salary sacrifice. I was planning on retiring about the same time and buying some other electric runabout to get around town. However, things change and it looks like I need to work longer ...

The lease company has now said I can keep the car for another year (with a very slight reduction in rental), which is interesting, as I'd still be saving via the salary sacrifice scheme. I wouldn't want to take on another longer term lease, and short term leases are really expensive...

However, the lease doesn't cover maintenance, and as the car will be over 4 years old and out of warranty, I was reading this thread with interest about my options. My initial thought now is that a four year old Tesla that I've looked after is probably a better bet than something older and unknown...

 

[yessuz]

This is interesting stuff...

I have a 2020 M3P on a lease the ends next May - its a company lease via salary sacrifice. I was planning on retiring about the same time and buying some other electric runabout to get around town. However, things change and it looks like I need to work longer ...

The lease company has now said I can keep the car for another year (with a very slight reduction in rental), which is interesting, as I'd still be saving via the salary sacrifice scheme. I wouldn't want to take on another longer term lease, and short term leases are really expensive...

However, the lease doesn't cover maintenance, and as the car will be over 4 years old and out of warranty, I was reading this thread with interest about my options. My initial thought now is that a four year old Tesla that I've looked after is probably a better bet than something older and unknown...

would it be just simple extension of the contract or new contract? because I wonder how is that a lease :/

 

[GlynG]

This is interesting stuff...

I have a 2020 M3P on a lease the ends next May -

The lease company has now said I can keep the car for another year

However, the lease doesn't cover maintenance, and as the car will be over 4 years old and out of warranty, I was reading this thread with interest about my options. My initial thought now is that a four year old Tesla that I've looked after is probably a better bet than something older and unknown...

I really don't see what there is to worry about regarding warranty cover, The car has 5 years for the restraints systems - so modules, airbags, sensors, seat belts and the car has battery and drivetrain until 8 years old or 100.000 miles - which covers the motors and inverters, the gearbox/final drives, the electronics managing them, CV joints and drive shafts, hubs and bearings - all part of the drivetrain.

Anything else on the car that fails within that further 12 months will be covered by your statutory rights under the UKs Consumer Act, It seems to me If you like the car, can keep it another 12 months at a lower cost, its most likely to continue to perform as it always has and not forgetting at its 4th birthday it will get a new MOT. The upside to keeping will also mean at the end of the term you will have the chance to purchase the car at an even lower price, The Model 3 has plummeted recently and the highland will only serve to devalue the car a lot more.

Anything serious failing under 10 years and 100.000 miles in my book would be a non compliance with being "Of satisfactory quality and lasting a reasonable amount of time" and therefore a claim under the consumer Act, of course a court would determine that but its so cheap to find out by issuing a case, but as I've said before, few companies have any heart to fight, negative publicity if they loose is particularly damaging for them, and you would be surprised the amount of companies that fail to attend the hearing - and loose by default.
The court system is a lot more scary to a business than it is to a private citizen.

 

[spooksman]

would it be just simple extension of the contract or new contract? because I wonder how is that a lease :/

Is technically an extension with Arval, but the ‘broker’ is Select Car Leasing.

 

[Roger20]

I know many people fear a total failure of the HV battery, the model 3 uses the 2170s - just a tad bigger than the 18650s - and coincidently used by Dyson in some of their cordless vacuum's.
I have power tool batteries with 18650s that are older than 8 years and continue to provide what appears to me to be as good as new performance - not noticed any reduction in operating time - and i have 12 of them.

My car will be 4 in March 2024 and there is no way I will take an extended warranty - if you read the small print so much is excluded anyway - The warranty companies know from empirical data the average repair costs so of course the premium is greater than the average repair costs as they want a nice big profit.

The two things I would say is
1 - don't buy the extended warranty
2 - print yourself a copy of the Consumer Act - and read it the whole way through.

You will find that everything in life produced by man is subject to being of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and to last a reasonable amount of time, of course reasonable amount of time isn't specific - so for a pencil you may expect a short period, but for a car in excess of £45K 10 years and 100.000 miles seems reasonable - and if something fails that makes the car unsafe, or would fail an MOT test (Consumables excluded from this like bulbs, tyres, brakes - or damage due to accident or modification) then the consumer Act will put the responsibility to fix right back on the manufacturer of the product.

Of course companies will resist and deny taking responsibility because they don't want to pay out for repairs - they want your cash so they will reject every approach by a customer in the first instance - and to be fair it usually pans out well for them as the public accept what they say as being right.

Just look at the number of companies selling used cars that advertise a 3 month included warranty - its utter tosh - every single car sold by a bona fide dealer to a member of the public has to accept the law - and consumer law under the act provides full coverage of everything for a period of 6 months unless the fault is declared by the dealer in advance of the sale or the fault has been caused by damage or modification by the consumer during use.

In 50 years of driving, majority of my cars had no warranty and I've never suffered any catastrophic failures - these were all ICE and obviously with a lot more moving parts and sensors that could go wrong, EVs have few moving parts so reliability has to be a great deal better, the chances of a catastrophic failure with an EV has to be super low. However, occasionally it may happen, so the individual has to consider just how risk averse they are. You can get insurance policies for ill health and having to pack up work - but how many people actually buy them? the risks are so low so few bother - and the same applies to EV extended warranties in my book.

If a part fails without providing reasonable durability then you have a claim, get familiar with the small claims courts - cheap and easy to do and you can do it all from home online - by googling money claims.

Once the company accepts your not being fobbed off and there is a good chance you will take them to court they usually cave in with a so called goodwill gesture (In the small claims court the burden of proof is on the balance of probabilities - not beyond all reasonable doubt, The defence cant use a solicitor to beat you in the court to prevent the David V Goliath scenario, and if they fail to attend - they loose automatically.

I'm not a solicitor but i have studied criminal and civil law. My history is such that I've instigated or prepared for litigation against the Ford Motor company twice, ICI, Hotpoint, there are many others and every single one of them have taken responsibility or settled before a court date was fixed - every single one of them has caved in, not because they were being nice or reasonable but because they knew i could prove my case, and to be honest I was so looking forward to presenting my case in court with most of them - I feel cheated.

Therefore, to conclude, The consideration of an extended warranty is misplaced when you have a great deal more protection just knowing the law.

Puzzled as to how you have litigated against a manufacturer when most products (unlike Tesla) are sold by a retailer.

 

[GlynG]

Puzzled as to how you have litigated against a manufacturer when most products (unlike Tesla) are sold by a retailer.

The Ford case was where the Ford dealer had refused my claim under warranty and I asked them to refer my claim to Ford Motor company because the fault was a known fault and Ford had rectified many cars under warranty, My Wife's car was outside of warranty but developed the same fault and the dealer simply rejected it on that basis. Once Ford Motor company also rejected the claim on the same - out of warranty basis I took action directly against Ford.

The ICI case was also another Ford cock up, Whilst my car was with the dealer they had an accident in the workshop which damaged my car, of course they gave me a courtesy car and repaired my car - looked a great job and brilliant colour match, however 2 years later scratches were appearing in the paint and they weren't on the surface, I concluded they had filled the car and the filler was shrinking and took it back to the Ford dealer, they blamed the paint and refused to correct my car, The paint was manufactured by ICI, so on the basis of the written reply indicating it was ICIs paint I issued a case against ICI - who rejected that claim - but dealt with the Ford dealer and forced them to accept liability - so the Ford dealer rectified eventually.

Hotpoint was a freezer bought direct from Hotpoint online, faulted after 4 years, they tried to fix but short lived - hence claim against Hotpoint - who decided to simply provide a new replacement but only after I sent them the final letter before claim so i could demonstrate to the court I had tried everything I reasonably could including Independent dispute resolution - which Hotpoint refused.

However, whilst the retailer is usually the one to go for, sometimes the retailer doesn't exist anymore - and then you can go for the manufacturer, in fact you can choose who to go for in most cases.

 

[Roger20]

The Ford case was where the Ford dealer had refused my claim under warranty and I asked them to refer my claim to Ford Motor company because the fault was a known fault and Ford had rectified many cars under warranty, My Wife's car was outside of warranty but developed the same fault and the dealer simply rejected it on that basis. Once Ford Motor company also rejected the claim on the same - out of warranty basis I took action directly against Ford.

The ICI case was also another Ford cock up, Whilst my car was with the dealer they had an accident in the workshop which damaged my car, of course they gave me a courtesy car and repaired my car - looked a great job and brilliant colour match, however 2 years later scratches were appearing in the paint and they weren't on the surface, I concluded they had filled the car and the filler was shrinking and took it back to the Ford dealer, they blamed the paint and refused to correct my car, The paint was manufactured by ICI, so on the basis of the written reply indicating it was ICIs paint I issued a case against ICI - who rejected that claim - but dealt with the Ford dealer and forced them to accept liability - so the Ford dealer rectified eventually.

Hotpoint was a freezer bought direct from Hotpoint online, faulted after 4 years, they tried to fix but short lived - hence claim against Hotpoint - who decided to simply provide a new replacement but only after I sent them the final letter before claim so i could demonstrate to the court I had tried everything I reasonably could including Independent dispute resolution - which Hotpoint refused.

However, whilst the retailer is usually the one to go for, sometimes the retailer doesn't exist anymore - and then you can go for the manufacturer, in fact you can choose who to go for in most cases.

Thanks for that. Very useful to know. I had always believed that in law your only contractual relationship was with the company or person who sold you a product.

Well done for pursuing cases like this. It's only right that manufacturers are held accountable - too many cases where they hide behind warranty expiry.

 

[Leytonstone]

a large number of corroded parts on 3 or 4 sides were replaced under warranty, just before 4 year basic warranty expired. I was pretty happy, but the downside is that a 4 year old, 40k mile Tesla Model 3 LR had a load of suspension parts corroded and needing replaced. I saved (I reckon) a couple of thousand quid.

Feel your pain. My car is younger and has covered half the mileage, yet this week is about to undergo its third front driveshaft and third air spring module replacement. Having been laid up at the SC for 2-3 months this year alone, the warranty could last a century, come with free tyres and weekly wax, and it still wouldn't change the way I feel: tired. It's been a constant battle to shore up something that I now know wasn't particularly robust in the first place.

Curiously, the final straw in all this was the headlamps. Those cannot ever be changed or fixed for the better and the Model S is plain awful to drive in the dark, which as you know is most of the time right now. The MY and M3 are a world away in terms of brightness and evenness of light, but they are on the small side and the current cars have well publicised absences and peculiarities neither I nor my missus could face long term.

Harumph.

 

[Simavon]

Warranty expired today. Mobile service was coming today to replace boot lid wiring harness which has been on the todo list for a while. On Monday the front suspension noise started so I added a note about this to the request. You can’t start a new one while one is outstanding. The response wasn’t clear but the guy turned up and replaced both front ball joints as well as the wiring harness.

Good timing!

 

[navt]

I scheduled a maintenance service prior to car turning four. Mobile service. Grand sum of £121.08. Tyre rotation, brake fluid check and replaced both air filters. Washer fluid topped up and tyre pressure corrected.

 

[Rooster6655]

Hi everyone!

Firstly, thank you to all the regular contributors who have made this community such a great resource of the years. I’ve learned many useful things that have made my M3 2019 ownership more enjoyable.

I’m coming to the end of my 5yr basic warranty soon, and I was wondering if this community could help me make a decision, please?

Ultimately: should I keep the M3 and risk expensive repair bill or bite the bullet and trade up to an in-warranty newer model?

Some facts
- My car’s worth £20k less now than when I bought it. I appreciate depreciation, but that’s a killer. Far more than I was budgeting for when I bought it. This makes me want to keep the car for as long as possible, to now get the most use out of that sunk cost.
- I’ve had several issues repaired under warranty (foggy headlight clusters, faulty Autopilot / overheating computer / SuperBottle replacement). But most of those I would have lived with (except the SuperBottle, which I expect would have got worse and eventually caused the car to break down).
- Other than that, my M3 has been super reliable.
- I’ve not seen the community mention many widespread significant known issues with a M3 my age. Am I missing something?
- Battery still seems healthy (70% charge - 200 miles predicted on GOM). I know that‘s covered under different 8yr warranty, but it’s all still a consideration for a few years down the line if I decide to keep.
- I love the M3. Every time I get into it I realise how much car it really is. I‘m very happy with the product as is - nothing in the newer M3s would tempt me to upgrade.
- I don’t really want to spend any more money on the car, considering how much I’ve ‘lost’ in (what I consider to be) excessive depreciation.
- That said, I would quite like a MY, but not enough to upgrade.

So, the bottom line is do you think I should:

A) take the risk, and keep my M3 for a few more years, because 5yr old Model 3s are actually really reliable and ride out the depreciation to get my money’s worth?

or

B) stay on the safe side, because M3s from 2019 have some nasty known issues that rear their head around now and the cost of getting them repaired would be more than I’d lose trading up to a newer model?

To help me decide (apart from the sage words of advice from this community) I was going to get a service done at LCM Automotive here in Bristol, to see if they can find any signs of potentially expensive problems occurring. I’ve heard they’re probably the most knowledgable non-Tesla mechanics around this area.

So, that’s it. What should I do?

I don't think that the 2019 has particular nasty things to avoid, there will obviously be wear and tear and items, my PTC heater did need replacing after a few years along with the ball joints needing replacing.

I assume you have a LR so if you have only lost £20k in depreciation then you are doing well tbh as I've seen many 20/21 have more than £20k depreciation