Wanted my first post to be about my experience with my Tesla MS but need urgent advice on wheel alignment on MS. In the past 50 days I owned MS P85 I had one minor scrap to the curb while PParking. Currently the car is in service station for other warranty related issues and while checking on alignment (which I had reported to check) the SC guy mentioned that the alignment on the wheel which scraped the curb is way off. Estimate to balance all four wheels is around $260. I have not taken the annual inspection plan, yet to decide on that. But is the normal rate for wheel realignment? Can I get the wheel alignment done by some other established shop (Pepboys, Firestone etc) as I have active air suspension in my car?
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Alignment no longer part of Annual Service?
- Thread starter AmpedRealtor
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Model S
The now do an alignment check if you have the prepaid service and charge $140 for the alignment if it's needed (this is new as of a few weeks ago).
$250 is normal for a manual alignment (where they use real measuring tools rather than the guess machines) or where the alignment is custom (e.g. race cars).
$250 is normal for a manual alignment (where they use real measuring tools rather than the guess machines) or where the alignment is custom (e.g. race cars).
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
But if you have the prepaid service and you purchased it when alignments were still part of the annual service then they're not charging that $140, right?
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
To add to the confusion, there remain SvCs that do not charge extra money for an alignment even with an a la carte annual service (versus the prepaid variant). Their phraseology resembles "While we don't charge extra now, we may in the future."
Note the additional recent verbiage shift for annual service that now specifies either 12,500 miles or 12 months, *whichever comes first*. That's a huge change, in conjunction with the now variable charges based upon the year of service (now ranging from $400-$900 rather than a flat $600, before $0-$140-$210 for an alignment).
The net is that there is still no consistency across Service either way, and a lot of unnecessary ambiguity.
That used to be called an opportunity for improvement.
I have a 2013 P85 with the prepaid service plan. I had the annual service done 2 weeks ago at the Rockville service center. An alignment was performed as part of the service for no extra charge. They also provided me with a printout of the before and after alignment readings.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
My prepaid service plan (purchased in 2014) says that wheel alignment and tire rotation are included. Of course, it also includes these weasel words: "subject to change by Tesla at any time and without notice, in its sole discretion."
That said, I had the same experience as swegman on my last scheduled annual service, where they both rotated and aligned the tires:
"Performed tire rotation."
"Completed a four wheel alignment with ride height calibration. Upon completion, road tested to confirm alignment is corrrect."
Pay Type: Service Plan Amount: 0.00
That said, I had the same experience as swegman on my last scheduled annual service, where they both rotated and aligned the tires:
"Performed tire rotation."
"Completed a four wheel alignment with ride height calibration. Upon completion, road tested to confirm alignment is corrrect."
Pay Type: Service Plan Amount: 0.00
melindav
☰ 2018
I had just read thru the service plan info on Tesla's site and understood the wording as an alignment check would be included, actual alignment at an additional charge.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
Yes, the plan changed. People purchasing the plan now, and since some date some time ago would not have the wheel alignment included, unless the Service Center just felt like throwing it in for some reason.
The question that I posed up thread, and the question that has now been answered by a couple of people since then applies to those of us who purchased the prepaid service plan --BEFORE-- Tesla changed the annual service, and the plan from a time when wheel alignments --WERE-- included.
The last time they didn't charge but said they would next time. However, next time they won't be doing the alignment as $140 is far to much to pay for an alignment that has been just okay 2 out of 5 times. If I'm going to pay, I want one that is correct.
As most responded re: Tesla Motors' Service Center costs and policies, I give you my Dutch experience with alignment done outside of TM. Starting years ago, BTW.
After TM's repeated (and failing) attempts to correctly align my P85+, I went to an established tyre shop in my region. They performed an excellent job, even giving me some discount for being the first Tesla MS they ever worked on. Incl. 21% VAT, I owed them € 50,00 for a 45 minute job. From my referrals, they have since serviced many more Model S's, to the fullest satisfaction of those owners. Those got charged € 75,00 incl. tax. One of those owners almost gave up on his 21" wheels, as the TM SeC tried to get the car aligned and failed three times in a row. One visit to 'my' shop fixed it. Of course nothing related to the implied 'issue' of the wheels being 21".
So in my experience going outside of TM worked out very well for lots of Dutch TM customers. We saved some money and serious amounts of time that way.
Some notes, though:
- Make sure the shop uses the newest Hunter equipment, like TM do. All TM models' specs are in there.
- One thing TM can do, that outside shops cannot do easily: adjust ride height. The SeC does this through the car's software. Outside shops may have to use hardware (adjustable lowering links). As both my summer and winter sets have the same wheel height, there is no (additional) need for regular adjustment of ride height. TM did this adjustment anyhow, included in my last SeC visit, december 2015. At that date, at 40K km and 2 years of ownership, the first and only service inspection was performed on my car. Cost: a whopping € 700,00 incl. 21% VAT. Standard price, but that's another story.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
That's bizarre!
I have to hope that is just a misunderstanding of something by someone at your service center. Tesla can't possibly think it is OK to sell people prepaid service plans that include wheel alignments, and then after people have paid for these plans say, "Hey... We're making a change... Now this plan you paid for no longer includes something it had stated explicitly you had paid for. You have to pay for that separately."
I just don't see Tesla attempting to do that, and I certainly don't see them succeeding.
I have no way to verify that yet, although you are correct in that the policy shouldn't change for existing plans. So far I haven't had to pay.
I'm somewhat okay with a substandard alignment when there are no current out-of-pocket costs. If I have to pay, I want it done right and the SC people are not alignment specialists, they really only have the ability to read the computer screen, which may or may not show the correct values depending on a number of factors. They aren't qualified to do an in-depth analysis of the tire wear and alignment angles. This isn't really a negative because no one can be master of everything and I'd rather have them be proficient at the more "Tesla" parts of the car. Almost all the places that do alignments aren't any more qualified than the Tesla SC personnel, which is why good alignment shops are highly prized.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
The plot thickens.
It does not appear your service center person was "confused" or misunderstood anything. I now believe there has been communication from the mothership that the policy should be to charge even those of us with prepaid agreements that predate the change.
My car is currently in for its second annual service and Ludicrous upgrade. I spoke with my service advisor today, and when he was going over my bill, about to take my credit card info, he was going to charge $68 or so for putting swapping my all-season tires/wheels for the snow tires/wheels. (I have 8 wheels, so there was no mounting or unmounting of tires involved.) When I explained that I had the prepaid agreement that covered tire rotation and wheel alignment, he said that he would waive the fee this time, but in the future I'd have to pay for those things. We had a short discussion about it, but I realized that this decision was not made at the service center level, so correcting it will have to come from corporate.
I checked MyTesla, to see what the agreement said. Here's something I find really less than forthright: the agreement now in my account, showing a date of when I signed it back in November of 2014, has been changed. Clicking the link to that agreement, the CURRENT agreement, dated in 2016, with changed language is displayed. Again, this is from within my MyTesla account, while logged in. A screenshot, including the text in question circled and underlined, is below.
Luckily I am also able to include a screenshot, also with the relevant language circled in red, from the agreement as it was written at the time I purchased it. To get that agreement, though, I had to dig through my old email.
Tesla should be showing us the agreements we entered into, not modified agreements when we try to see our own documents in MyTesla.
More importantly, Tesla should not be trying to change materially an agreement like this after the fact.
Below are the two screen captures, with the original first.
Original:
Current:
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Well, that pretty crappy of them. But I think the contract linked to your MyTesla page is more of a website bug than actual corporate policy. I get the same 2/2016 contract, when I bought mine in 2014 with the same language as yours.
I don't believe Tesla will go back on this part of the contract. All it would take is a threat of third party dispute resolution (as per the contract) and they'll likely cave on this issue.
I don't believe Tesla will go back on this part of the contract. All it would take is a threat of third party dispute resolution (as per the contract) and they'll likely cave on this issue.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
It may well be a website bug, but it's one that winds up being awfully convenient for Tesla.
After my conversation with my service advisor today, the first place I went looking to see what I had "in writing" was that contract linked to through MyTesla page. How many people do you think will do that? I found the part I was looking for, and my first reaction was, "Damn...he was right...it --DOES-- say wheel alignment CHECK, not wheel alignment."
But then I thought some more, and I was reasonably certain that I remembered discussion here, on TMC, about this, and that people had said that wheel alignments were definitely included. At that point I looked at the date of the agreement, and realized that it was not the agreement in place at the time I purchased it. It was only then that I went looking for the agreement I purchased, found it, and found the more favorable language.
The issue is, though, how many people would simply stop looking once they found the language in the agreement they THOUGHT they had entered into? The fact that the last thing one sees before the agreement opens is the date one entered into the agreement is a strong indication that the language one is about to read is the language in THAT agreement, not some other one that came later.
So while this may just be a website bug, it's one that could result in customers just going along with what they are being told by well-meaning, but misinformed service personnel.
jdo
Member
I have my 1st annual service visit tomorrow at Rockville. I purchased A 4-year plan in May 2015 when alignment was covered.
I was hoping to be able to print out and bring a copy of my service agreement, just in case, however I now see that the online service plan under My Tesla has been changed to one dated February 8, 2016.
Does anyone have a pdf of the 4-year plan that was active in May 2015? I'm hoping it won't be necessary.
EDIT/UPDATE: Just called Rockville and they said they would honor the alignment being covered. Apparently brake cleaning/adjusting/lubrication still isn't covered. Would still be nice to have a copy of the old agreement.
Similar threads
- Question
