UK Model X out-of-warranty issues

[magmacollaris]

I'm thinking of buying a late 2016/early 2017 Model X with ~50K miles but I'm slightly nervous about future repair costs.

There seem to be quite a few stories online about the early vehicles which had front and rear door sensor/motors failures but most of them seem to have been repaired under warranty because they occurred early on in the car's life. My hope is that when these repairs are done, the problems don't come back.

Are there any Model X owners in the UK with any out-of-warranty horror stories or good experiences to share?

 

[Tam]

I'm thinking of buying a late 2016/early 2017 Model X with ~50K miles but I'm slightly nervous about future repair costs.

There seem to be quite a few stories online about the early vehicles which had front and rear door sensor/motors failures but most of them seem to have been repaired under warranty because they occurred early on in the car's life. My hope is that when these repairs are done, the problems don't come back.

Are there any Model X owners in the UK with any out-of-warranty horror stories or good experiences to share?

I don't think just because it's a Tesla, it should be different than other cars regarding post-warranty repairs.

Like other cars, Tesla parts can fail with usage and time.

I didn't know Tesla has known about planned obsolescence until there's a recall on its computer screen and it replied to the US transportation that we all should know that its eMMC memory for the screen should only last for 5 to 6 years.

What else don't I know?

Some examples:

HVAC: it's a popular use so it has to break sometimes
D/C to D/C converter: It deals with high voltage of 400V and converts it down to 12V. Lots of energized heat daily.
Onboard charger: It's used every day so it has to age sometimes
As you mentioned: Suspension system too.

Those examples will cost owners thousands, and not hundreds of English Pounds each.

 

[quentinsf]

To make Tesla owners feel better (perhaps!), before I had a Model 3, I had a BMW i3. At one point after the standard warranty expired, the backlight in the screen died. You can't, apparently, replace the backlight, so it required a new screen, which was just under £2000.

That was when I was glad I had bought the extended warranty, which cost me £700+ per year but paid for itself, since this wasn't the only issue. And since I did about 5-6000 miles per year, this, plus the cost of BMW servicing, cost about 20p per mile, completely outweighing any benefits of not buying petrol... financial benefits, at least.

Mine was a fairly early i3, and some of the issues arose from my being an early adopter, but it's hard to say that a 2000 quid backlight was a teething trouble in the EV transition. Almost every major part was replaced at some point ... under warranty.

Still, I was very fond of that car - better than the Tesla in many ways - I just wish it had had VW reliability and service costs instead of BMW reliability and service costs!

Actually, I could design my perfect car...

It would be built by VW, have software by Apple, batteries and charging network by Tesla, and come with a hatchback, roofrack and towbar... I don't mind who makes those!

But sorry, I've diverged a long way from your original post... I guess I just wanted to say that I'd be less worried about having a Tesla without a warranty than a BMW EV without a warranty... but either might prove pricey occasionally!

 

[ACarneiro]

To make Tesla owners feel better (perhaps!), before I had a Model 3, I had a BMW i3. At one point after the standard warranty expired, the backlight in the screen died. You can't, apparently, replace the backlight, so it required a new screen, which was just under £2000.

That was when I was glad I had bought the extended warranty, which cost me £700+ per year but paid for itself, since this wasn't the only issue. And since I did about 5-6000 miles per year, this, plus the cost of BMW servicing, cost about 20p per mile, completely outweighing any benefits of not buying petrol... financial benefits, at least.

Mine was a fairly early i3, and some of the issues arose from my being an early adopter, but it's hard to say that a 2000 quid backlight was a teething trouble in the EV transition. Almost every major part was replaced at some point ... under warranty.

Still, I was very fond of that car - better than the Tesla in many ways - I just wish it had had VW reliability and service costs instead of BMW reliability and service costs!

Actually, I could design my perfect car...

It would be built by VW, have software by Apple, batteries and charging network by Tesla, and come with a hatchback, roofrack and towbar... I don't mind who makes those!

But sorry, I've diverged a long way from your original post... I guess I just wanted to say that I'd be less worried about having a Tesla without a warranty than a BMW EV without a warranty... but either might prove pricey occasionally!

Homer Simpson also designed the perfect car...

 

[Mrklaw]

To make Tesla owners feel better (perhaps!), before I had a Model 3, I had a BMW i3. At one point after the standard warranty expired, the backlight in the screen died. You can't, apparently, replace the backlight, so it required a new screen, which was just under £2000.

That was when I was glad I had bought the extended warranty, which cost me £700+ per year but paid for itself, since this wasn't the only issue. And since I did about 5-6000 miles per year, this, plus the cost of BMW servicing, cost about 20p per mile, completely outweighing any benefits of not buying petrol... financial benefits, at least.

Mine was a fairly early i3, and some of the issues arose from my being an early adopter, but it's hard to say that a 2000 quid backlight was a teething trouble in the EV transition. Almost every major part was replaced at some point ... under warranty.

Still, I was very fond of that car - better than the Tesla in many ways - I just wish it had had VW reliability and service costs instead of BMW reliability and service costs!

Actually, I could design my perfect car...

It would be built by VW, have software by Apple, batteries and charging network by Tesla, and come with a hatchback, roofrack and towbar... I don't mind who makes those!

But sorry, I've diverged a long way from your original post... I guess I just wanted to say that I'd be less worried about having a Tesla without a warranty than a BMW EV without a warranty... but either might prove pricey occasionally!

I've had my fair share of issues with BMW ICE cars too, and have heard scare stories about diesels in particular (never owned one but from BMW forums during my petrol years). So I'd always go with an extended warranty anyway - so you'd still be up on ICE prices

 

[gangzoom]

Our X is about 6 months away from been out of warranty, am in two minds about getting it extended.

The actual 'car' bits are pretty good/fine now, though I have had well over a dozen things replaced on it in the last 3.5 years, ranging from the steering wheel to suspension bits. If the previous owners have been diligent most issues *should* be sorted.

 

[Mrklaw]

also for expensive cars - even a 5 year old Tesla will still be 20k or higher probably, I'd likely err on the side of caution and buy from a main dealer and expect some kind of warranty (and option to extend if necessary after that) to allow me to at least shake the car down for a few months safely

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

There's a buyers guide here that lists the common MX problems which might be useful

Tesla Model X Buyers Guide

Tesla Model X Buyers Guide covering everything you need to know.

tesla-info.com

 

[gangzoom]

So I just looked up the Tesla extended warranty, the price is OK - £850/year for 4 years, or £70/months thats cheaper than from BMW/Merc for a similar priced car.

HOWEVER look whats not covered.....The air suspension and lights are probably the biggest cost items after the battery/motor which are covered by the drivetrain warranty anyways.

The only thing the extended warranty seems to cover is potentially the onboard charger and thats about it!! So I wouldn't be bothering with the extended warranty.

 

[Billbrown1982]

So I just looked up the Tesla extended warranty, the price is OK - £850/year for 4 years, or £70/months thats cheaper than from BMW/Merc for a similar priced car.

HOWEVER look whats not covered.....The air suspension and lights are probably the biggest cost items after the battery/motor which are covered by the drivetrain warranty anyways.

The only thing the extended warranty seems to cover is potentially the onboard charger and thats about it!! So I wouldn't be bothering with the extended warranty.

I think you'll find thats pretty much any warranty. springs and shocks will fail from wear and tear, so thats inevitable, 12v battery, they have their own warranties and again, always go sooner or later. Bulbs and lenses are wear and tear, lenses can be broken by stones etc.

The only one on there that surprises me is headlights and sealed beams. But then, if the wiring loom went wrong to those components, it would still be covered I would imagine. There's a lot of other stuff that will be covered too.

 

[gangzoom]

But then, if the wiring loom went wrong to those components, it would still be covered I would imagine. There's a lot of other stuff that will be covered too.

Why would a wiring loom fail? Outside the air suspension and lights am not what else big ticket items would be covered by this warranty?

Even the seats are classed as wear and tear. Not worth it for me.

 

[Billbrown1982]

Why would a wiring loom fail? Outside the air suspension and lights am not what else big ticket items would be covered by this warranty?

Even the seats are classed as wear and tear. Not worth it for me.

Water ingress? Wires rubbing on things causing shorts, bad connections, things like that happen quite often.

I'm only spit balling here but what about ECU, Screen, Cameras, HVAC System, Air Con, Condensers, Heat Pump, Radiators, window motors, door lock mechanisms, charging port and connected equipment, seat motors (assuming seats exclusion is based on wear and tear of the actual material), heating elements, steering racks and a multitude of sensors that, although may not be that expensive to repair in themselves, the diagnostic process of these can get REALLY expensive.

 

[gangzoom]

^For me the cost of the extended warranty for what it doesn't cover doesn't make it worth while.

Am sure there will be plenty of people who would buy it, as its actually pretty cheap, certainly cheaper than a BMW AUC warranty on a X5/X7........I simply have other stuff planned for which the £3.3k is needed, I love the X but I love the idea of having another EV to join my transportation options even more .

 

[bryand]

I decided to get rid of my 2016 Model S 70D because of the out-of-warranty repair costs. Some, like replacement front brake discs, were par for the course and to be expected. But there were too many unexpected failures e.g. the battery heater failed, necessitating the removal of the battery to fix it. Then 6 weeks later a battery coolant valve failed and dumped all its coolant on my drive so the car had to be flatbedded to Brum.
With the driver's door handle about to become the 4th handle to be replaced I decided it was time for a change.

If you're feeling lucky, then fine go for a 4-5 year old car but remember that it's a complicated car with lots to go wrong and the bill per service visit is rarely less than £400 a time.

 

[Billbrown1982]

Yeah honestly, something i've never done before but I probably will get an extended warranty on my 3 towards the end of its dealer warranty. I mean heck i'm already paying 870 a month for the car, so it'll be paid off in 6 years, 3 more months worth of payments and i'm warrantied (sort of) for another few years.

We shall see how reliable it is over the next 6 years though. I mean its already in Tesla now....but I guess we can put that down to new car teething problems....maybe....

 

[gangzoom]

Regardless of warranty worries, this is why I absolutely love our X as a family car, 6 people, 3 bikes (with option for more on the tow mounted carrier).

If you want to move people + stuff without having to resort to buying a van with windows, nothing else gets close .