Unavailability of Tesla Parts Lists/Diagrams and Service Manuals

[stopcrazypp]

This seems straight up protection for their service centers profit.

While Elon has said they don't want them to be profit centers, the cost and pseudo-requirement of annual service is evidence that is not the case. While, like many things there are multiple reasons for it, and I'm sure not wanting to deal with the negative publicity that would occur if an indy/home mechanic hurt themselves, or broke the car is certainly occurred to them. I bet its more an issue of the right hand not talking to the left, where what Elon says in public is not what is actually set as corporate policy.

Charging for optional annual service is not the same as being profit centers. There are significant overhead costs in maintaining a service infrastructure even if little to no cars in the Tesla fleet needs service. In fact, I bet their service centers are losing money overall, which is why there's been recent policy changes to reduce costs (for example no longer offering flat rate $100 Ranger service).

 

[doug]

Tesla Doesnt Want You to Work on Its Cars

 

[mookhead]

There is no legitimate reason for Tesla to do this, especially with 2+ week lead times for service appointments, and my less-than-stellar track record with the Fremont service dept. (I'm on the phone right now waiting to see if I can schedule a rush appointment to fix something I've taken the car in twice for before my warranty runs out).

 

[jaguar36]

The legitimate reason is that they want to make more money on service. or more likely they don't want there to be stories in the press of idiot mechanics or DIYs hurting themselves while working on a Tesla.

Also if it was an issue that you brought the car in for while it was still under warranty, and they failed to fix it, they should still cover it even if your warranty expires.

 

[Petra]

Also, the Model S changes hardware soooo often that any "shop manual" actually needs to be integrated into a VIN database so that you know what you actually have under your hood. One car might have completely different tire pressure sensors, bluetooth antennas or modules, and brake system. And it isn't done by model years like other car manufacturers. With the same option package, I'll bet there are 200 different variants running around...

Actually, this isn't a problem--it's how the BMW TIS has operated for years. Back when I still had my M Roadster, I obtained an old-ish standalone copy of the TIS (Technical Information System) and it would pull information based on the car's serial number. The same can be done with parts information from sites like RealOEM (an adaptation of the BMW ATK, if I remember correctly? If you want to give it a try with a specific car, just enter my old Roadster's serial: LC92929).

 

[stopcrazypp]

The legitimate reason is that they want to make more money on service. or more likely they don't want there to be stories in the press of idiot mechanics or DIYs hurting themselves while working on a Tesla.

Also if it was an issue that you brought the car in for while it was still under warranty, and they failed to fix it, they should still cover it even if your warranty expires.

Rather than make more money, I think probably just break even (as the original goal was). Right now I'm pretty sure service as a unit is a huge money loser as all they are doing is mostly warranty work, while service plan is optional.

DIY risk is probably a big issue for Tesla too.

 

[mookhead]

DIY risk is probably a big issue for Tesla too.

I've never really understood this comment. Is it a PR risk?

 

[stopcrazypp]

I've never really understood this comment. Is it a PR risk?

Yes, mostly negative PR for Tesla. If a Tesla catches on fire or electrocutes someone, it'll be all over the news as yet another example of the dangers of the car. People may not look into the details.

I believe most dealers servicing hybrids and EVs require special training from the factory before technicians are allowed to service them because of the high voltage components involved. A DIY person obviously would not have that training.

 

[AudubonB]

Just musing here:

An awful lot of Tesla owners and advocates have stated words to the effect that a Model S is not really a car, but a computer that has four tires on its corners.

Now...how many of us have demanded Apple provide a parts list and service manual? Oh - and how successful has that been?

Perhaps what we have here is an example of Silicon Valley mentality. For better AND ​for worse.

 

[TexasEV]

I've never really understood this comment. Is it a PR risk?

Absolutely. The headline would say "Tesla", not Joe Mechanic. Think of all the press about a few fires in accidents compared to almost never reporting on ICE car fires that happen every day. Tesla is much more at risk from a negative event than any traditional manufacturer. The knives are out from dealers, ICE manufacturers, oil companies, and everyone whose livelihood depends on them.

- - - Updated - - -

Just musing here:

An awful lot of Tesla owners and advocates have stated words to the effect that a Model S is not really a car, but a computer that has four tires on its corners.

Now...how many of us have demanded Apple provide a parts list and service manual? Oh - and how successful has that been?

Perhaps what we have here is an example of Silicon Valley mentality. For better AND ​for worse.

The better far outweighs the worse.

 

[Petra]

Just musing here:

An awful lot of Tesla owners and advocates have stated words to the effect that a Model S is not really a car, but a computer that has four tires on its corners.

Now...how many of us have demanded Apple provide a parts list and service manual? Oh - and how successful has that been?

While an interesting point, it's still a car. Also, it's a lot easier to put together a user/community sourced teardown/repair guide for electronics items due to how cheap they are--a Model S costs easily 100x more than a base MacBook/MacBook Air/MacBook Pro. Additionally, Apple products don't fall into the category of safety critical systems... many of a car's components do and, therefore, there really needs to be an official reference for servicing them.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I think when Tesla gets more "mainstream" (likely if Model 3 is a success) they would not have to be as concerned about negative PR. It will also help when the pace of growth has stabilized, so Tesla can free up engineering resources to create such detailed manuals.

 

[TexasEV]

I think when Tesla gets more "mainstream" (likely if Model 3 is a success) they would not have to be as concerned about negative PR. It will also help when the pace of growth has stabilized, so Tesla can free up engineering resources to create such detailed manuals.

I don't know about that. When Tesla was a curiosity producing a few cars per day the big boys mostly ignored it. When Tesla started taking off and it looked like it might actually succeed is when it became more of a target. The more successful Tesla is, the more threatening it is to the traditional manufacturers and dealer model.