So when do pick service plan etc.?

[jbherman]

I seem to be with the majority here:
- Buy 4-year maintenance
- Buy 4-year Ranger coverage. Yes, I live only 10 miles from the SC, but $100/year bucks never to step inside a car service center again? That's a "bahgahn" (as we'd say around here). Plus, what if I'm traveling, or up in my summer place in Maine? Bahgahn.
- Plan to buy extended warranty and maintenance (presumably four years from now)
- Not buy the battery replacement. I'm an optimist that battery technology will move along enough that, in 8 years, $12k invested today will be worth more than a replacement battery net of the residual value of my 85kWh pack.

Just to clarify, does the anywhere/ranger plan eliminate the fee per mile for ranger travel that was previously described? That would be huge for me (and a no-brainer), as the nearest service center (opening in St. Louis in March 2013) will be 250 miles from Kansas City. Prior to that, I would have to service out of Chicago (about 500-525 miles).

 

[dsm363]

Just to clarify, does the anywhere/ranger plan eliminate the fee per mile for ranger travel that was previously described? That would be huge for me (and a no-brainer), as the nearest service center (opening in St. Louis in March 2013) will be 250 miles from Kansas City. Prior to that, I would have to service out of Chicago (about 500-525 miles).

It does. It's a $100 flat fee regardless of distance. Should work well for you then.

 

[Plug Me In]

So what are some guesses on what regular service involves? 1) Check tire pressure 2) Top off wiper fluid 3) Replace wiper blades 4) Clean schmoo out of cupholders? 5) Vacuum cheerios from out of back seat?

I'll probably get the full Ranger service plan due to my Central Virginia location but I'm a little disappointed in that it will wipe out any $ savings on gas over the (nearly maintenance free) Prius it will replace. I hope at least they'll be able to do the annual state inspections and remove that hassle from my life.

 

[STxTesla]

Everybody seems to concur with the service and extended warranty. I would think about the battery upgrade if there was a very good chance that a 500-1000 mile range battery was expected in the future. $12K would be worth an upgrade to a much higher range battery.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Discussion about the battery replacement option specifically should go here: Official: Replacement Battery Option

 

[Brian H]

So what are some guesses on what regular service involves? 1) Check tire pressure 2) Top off wiper fluid 3) Replace wiper blades 4) Clean schmoo out of cupholders? 5) Vacuum cheerios from out of back seat?

I'll probably get the full Ranger service plan due to my Central Virginia location but I'm a little disappointed in that it will wipe out any $ savings on gas over the (nearly maintenance free) Prius it will replace. I hope at least they'll be able to do the annual state inspections and remove that hassle from my life.

I suspect you'll be rather ashamed of posting that after you watch your first Ranger inspection and/or service.

As for the comparison: If offered a one-for-one swap for your Prius at the same annual cost, would you have taken it?

 

[bonnie]

So what are some guesses on what regular service involves? 1) Check tire pressure 2) Top off wiper fluid 3) Replace wiper blades 4) Clean schmoo out of cupholders? 5) Vacuum cheerios from out of back seat?

I'll probably get the full Ranger service plan due to my Central Virginia location but I'm a little disappointed in that it will wipe out any $ savings on gas over the (nearly maintenance free) Prius it will replace. I hope at least they'll be able to do the annual state inspections and remove that hassle from my life.

You can find extended discussion about what will likely be included in the service plan here Warranty/Servicing - official Tesla responses (incl GeorgeB)). As you'll see, it's a little more comprehensive than what you list.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

I seem to be with the majority here:
- Buy 4-year maintenance
- Buy 4-year Ranger coverage. Yes, I live only 10 miles from the SC, but $100/year bucks never to step inside a car service center again? That's a "bahgahn" (as we'd say around here). Plus, what if I'm traveling, or up in my summer place in Maine? Bahgahn.
- Plan to buy extended warranty and maintenance (presumably four years from now)
- Not buy the battery replacement. I'm an optimist that battery technology will move along enough that, in 8 years, $12k invested today will be worth more than a replacement battery net of the residual value of my 85kWh pack.

Robert, I'm curious about the timing on purchasing extensions on the warranty and service plan, as well as the battery replacement. I haven't seen mention by TM regarding deadlines for purchasing these. Any idea? Typically, a car warranty or service plan extension can be purchased anytime prior to the expiration of the original plan.

 

[Electric Machete]

Does anyone know if the 4 year and extended warranties are transferable if sell the car sometime in the future?

 

[kvietor]

Robert, I'm curious about the timing on purchasing extensions on the warranty and service plan, as well as the battery replacement. I haven't seen mention by TM regarding deadlines for purchasing these. Any idea? Typically, a car warranty or service plan extension can be purchased anytime prior to the expiration of the original plan.

The word I got from the Service Rep in Florida is that, as Floridians, we have 30 days after the original warranty expires to sign up for the extended. Nothing in writting yet, just word of mouth.

 

[Plug Me In]

I suspect you'll be rather ashamed of posting that after you watch your first Ranger inspection and/or service.

As for the comparison: If offered a one-for-one swap for your Prius at the same annual cost, would you have taken it?

Well there is no shame on the internet. My previous post is somewhat tongue in cheek. The Model S really should have much less regular maintenance than an ICE vehicle. I'm sure things such as check/lube bearings/ball joints, etc happens. I'll check out the link Bonnie posted for further info. Many higher end new cars include regular service as part of the purchase. My 2006 Prius didn't, but the Plug in Prius I bought a few months ago does. I know that includes oil changes, transmission fluid check, tire rotation. I'm curious how the routine electric car service compares.

I'm not sure what you're driving at with the swap. The Prius is running like a top, though cosmetically kind of ragged. I've already decided to swap it for a Model S and a hole in my bank account. Economically, at this point the Model S doesn't make sense, but big picture, I think it's the right thing to do and it's an excellent car. Heck, even the Plug in Prius Advanced I got at $40K doesn't make economic sense compared to a standard 50 mpg hybrid; gas is only $3.15 here in Virginia and I drive 10-12K miles/year.

 

[kendallpb]

Does anyone know if the 4 year and extended warranties are transferable if sell the car sometime in the future?

I don't have a link handy, but I seem to recall that yes the warranties are transferrable. I forget if it's from something on the Tesla "Bulletin Board" or a Tesla blog post by GeorgeB, or somewhere else, sorry, but I don't think I'm hallucinating this--I think it is transferrable. (checking warranty PDF):

Ownership transfer
This New Vehicle Limited Warranty is transferable at no cost to any person(s) who subsequently and lawfully assume(s) ownership of the vehicle after the first retail purchaser within the described limitations of this New Vehicle Limited Warranty (“subsequent purchaser”).

While this is just about the regular warranty, it seems pretty reasonable to think that any extended would also be transferrable. Sorry I can't recall where I read more about this.

 

[Electric Machete]

I don't have a link handy, but I seem to recall that yes the warranties are transferrable. I forget if it's from something on the Tesla "Bulletin Board" or a Tesla blog post by GeorgeB, or somewhere else, sorry, but I don't think I'm hallucinating this--I think it is transferrable. (checking warranty PDF):



While this is just about the regular warranty, it seems pretty reasonable to think that any extended would also be transferrable. Sorry I can't recall where I read more about this.

Thank you for that info.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Robert, I'm curious about the timing on purchasing extensions on the warranty and service plan, as well as the battery replacement. I haven't seen mention by TM regarding deadlines for purchasing these. Any idea? Typically, a car warranty or service plan extension can be purchased anytime prior to the expiration of the original plan.

I agree that Tesla hasn't been perfectly clear on timing. My reading of the entrails is that the battery replacement has to be signed soon; that would be consistent with the Roadster warranty. The year 5-8 maintenance warranty offered by competitors doesn't need to be signed until the first four years are up, so I'm assuming that Tesla follows suit.

 

[rpavlicek]

Anyone hear an update about the service plan? I still don't see an option to buy one...yet.

 

[jhs_7645]

The thing I'm bummed about is that is that I would gladly pay for the service plan which includes ranger visits RIGHT NOW since, as a new car I'm experiencing most of my issues in the first few months. By the time the service plan rolls around, I'm thinking that the bulk of issues will have been resolved, and the ranger visit cost won't be as much of a bonus.

 

[Al Sherman]

The thing I'm bummed about is that is that I would gladly pay for the service plan which includes ranger visits RIGHT NOW since, as a new car I'm experiencing most of my issues in the first few months. By the time the service plan rolls around, I'm thinking that the bulk of issues will have been resolved, and the ranger visit cost won't be as much of a bonus.

I seem to remember a thread a ways back where it was concluded that Tesla would refund the earlier Ranger visits for folks that bought the unlimited plan? Am I making this up. In any case I don't want to start the argument again about how TM is doing the bookkeeping.Just want to help jhs out. I'll look for the thread.

 

[Doug_G]

The thing I'm bummed about is that is that I would gladly pay for the service plan which includes ranger visits RIGHT NOW since, as a new car I'm experiencing most of my issues in the first few months. By the time the service plan rolls around, I'm thinking that the bulk of issues will have been resolved, and the ranger visit cost won't be as much of a bonus.

I was told they will deduct any Ranger visits you have paid for when you buy the service plan.

 

[SuperCoug]

Will definitely prepay for service since I would pay for it anyway and there's a clear discount. I hope that we don't have to buy the extended warranty until the original warranty is close to ending, but will probably do it if needed. For me these two items are almost necessities given that we don't have a track record for mass produced Tesla's yet. Wouldn't buy an extended warranty on a car from a more establish manufacturer, but being an early adopter has risks and I see this as a reasonable way to mitigate those risks.

I'll pass on the battery replacement. I just won't have that much to spend after everything else. I am interested to see how that offer is written though regarding upgrades.

I absolutely agree on all points!

 

[dadaleus]

Tesla told me they'd credit me back for the annual service I just had when I get the service plan.