Tesla service & maintenance: the biggest difference with legacy car makers?

[Big_D]

Had an appointment at the Tesla Service Centre in Nottingham today to replace a faulty tyre pressure sensors in my 2021 M3. In all the ways that Tesla tries to be different - some of which are more successful than others - it made me come to the conclusion this may be one of the best.

Booking a service is just so swift - it even brought the tyre pressure error message up as reason to book it in. Received a estimate for approval in minutes and booked a service for 2 weeks later. Dropped it off today without seeing or talking to anyone, work was done in under an hour, and picked it up again without any human contact. Now this may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I just love this whole process.

With a legacy car maker, it’s my experience you can’t really book any maintenance in their app, and if that functionality is there it would probably only allow you to book a standard service. I’d have to call the dealer, explain what the problem is and have it booked in for them to diagnose the issue. If I were unlucky, they would only then figure out what part they need to fix it, it wouldn’t be in stock, and I’d have to come back another day.

This is the sixth time I’ve had some sort of service done on the car for warranty as well as out-of-warranty stuff. Three of these appointments were mobile visits, which again is something I’ve never had before with your old school manufacturers. I am assuming for Tesla these were born out of a lack of physical service centres, but it just works for me.

There are many, many things that Tesla does where it seems it’s change for the sake of change (I’m looking at you wipers). But servicing is so much better, it makes me wonder why everything isn’t run like this.

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Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[piffmunday]

Its definitely a good point, I do not know of any other manufacturer that works like this. There are a few advantages that EVs offer in this regard, Less complicated drive train making it much easier to remotely diagnose issues. There isnt really the independent garage setup that you have for ICE cars, i.e. local garages etc. Maybe this will come in the long term but its quite a way off yet. This leads most people back to the manufacturer for repairs.

It is also driven by Tesla's philosophy to reduce costs by having as little person to person contact as possible, this ultimately drives the online/app based ordering and all related aftercare.

 

[thrash]

I guess the main difference is most dealers are part of franchised groups where as Tesla can manage it all centrally, which makes things more efficient.
The whole experience has improved massively though, it certainly wasn't as good and efficient when I first got my car almost 4 years ago - battling to get things sorted under warranty, having to wait months for appointments, loan cars pretty much non-existent, etc.
The only thing I miss about ICE dealers is coming back to a nice clean car when it had been in for work

 

[piffmunday]

I guess the main difference is most dealers are part of franchised groups where as Tesla can manage it all centrally, which makes things more efficient.
The whole experience has improved massively though, it certainly wasn't as good and efficient when I first got my car almost 4 years ago - battling to get things sorted under warranty, having to wait months for appointments, loan cars pretty much non-existent, etc.
The only thing I miss about ICE dealers is coming back to a nice clean car when it had been in for work

I didn't think of the whole franchise situation. That also makes things easier.

 

[Wybrook]

I’m convinced that with my last ICE car the dealer was deliberately “thick” as despite it only really having one fault, they had to diagnose it every time, then order the parts, then arrange to fit it. Reason - it was under warranty and this process maximised the amount they could charge the manufacturer. The fact it totally pissed off the customer didn’t matter

 

[Dear_OP]

Franchise model is to ensure money goes around.
The whole legacy dealership model is archaic. Needs to go.

 

[bobbyjae]

You must be in an area where there aren't a lot of Teslas. In the US and in the Wash, DC area, it's a nightmare to try to get something fixed at a service center. There are very long waits and the potential for the service folks to mess up your car (scratches, dirt, missing pieces, etc.) at pickup.

It's so bad that I would not go in unless there are multiple issues with my car.

 

[Noodle944]

Had an appointment at the Tesla Service Centre in Nottingham today to replace a faulty tyre pressure sensors in my 2021 M3. In all the ways that Tesla tries to be different - some of which are more successful than others - it made me come to the conclusion this may be one of the best.

Booking a service is just so swift - it even brought the tyre pressure error message up as reason to book it in. Received a estimate for approval in minutes and booked a service for 2 weeks later. Dropped it off today without seeing or talking to anyone, work was done in under an hour, and picked it up again without any human contact. Now this may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I just love this whole process.

With a legacy car maker, it’s my experience you can’t really book any maintenance in their app, and if that functionality is there it would probably only allow you to book a standard service. I’d have to call the dealer, explain what the problem is and have it booked in for them to diagnose the issue. If I were unlucky, they would only then figure out what part they need to fix it, it wouldn’t be in stock, and I’d have to come back another day.

This is the sixth time I’ve had some sort of service done on the car for warranty as well as out-of-warranty stuff. Three of these appointments were mobile visits, which again is something I’ve never had before with your old school manufacturers. I am assuming for Tesla these were born out of a lack of physical service centres, but it just works for me.

There are many, many things that Tesla does where it seems it’s change for the sake of change (I’m looking at you wipers). But servicing is so much better, it makes me wonder why everything isn’t run like this.

View attachment 1038067
"New @teslamotors store & service centre open in #calgary, #alberta, #canada. #ev #electriccar #electricvehicle #tesla #teslaroadster #teslaroadstersport" by voyagevixen2 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

Strange, I was having this exact same conversation with somebody this week. I actually love it and it was at Nottingham Tesla as well!

 

[M00cow]

I would have to agree with this. The remote diagnosis, updates and parts ready for fitting is a game changer over traditional dealerships.
Even from an EV perspective, the likes of VW are miles behind.
As an example, when my onboard modem went faulty it was one visit to Bristol service centre after determining it wasn't working from data supplied by myself and the car beforehand. I also liked that I could pick the date useful to me.
VW my dad has an ID3, he had a call from the dealer to bring in his car for some work which was a software update. He had to take it in, they plugged in checked it and found some other fault during the attempt meaning it failed. So it ended up being two entire day visits to basically install an update that we enjoy over the air.

 

[Dear_OP]

I think and I hope over time legacy EV makers will improve over time. Currently their traditional model is not working out. Dealerships are too entrenched with "we've done it this way" mindset. I hate visiting dealerships unless for warranty or recall where I am given a loaner. Hate the wait, hate the smell, hate the run around and hate having it done OoW with my own dime! So I perform repair and maintenance on my ICEVs. Helps having a garage lift.

 

[d-lo]

Your experience in Nottingham is not typical. Tesla service in many places in the US can be a nightmare. My experience with Tesla has gone from quite good 7-8 years ago to horrible and totally unacceptable the last four years.

Teslas need very minimal service. However, the manufacturing quality is quite poor, especially when comparing vehicles of comparable cost at the higher end of the Tesla range. Each of my last three Teslas was delivered with defects or developed 1-3 seriou problems within the first 1-2 weeks. The display on my 2019 M3 Performance had its first “blank black screen” fault at 35 miles, two cameras failed in the first week, and several parts just “fell off” because they were not assembled properly. The recurring intermittent display blackout NEVER WAS fixed in over 3 years. It took 2.5 years before Tesla ever even made an effort to diagnose the fault. I believe Tesla requires their service managers to have the part of the brain that interprets the concept “persistent intermittent” surgically removed. When a conscientious tech finally diagnosed the cause Tesla repeatedly failed to get the correct parts to the right service location for 12 months, in several instances because of incredibly brain-dead flaws in their vaunted app-centric service process. I had to drive several thousand miles with a blank screen. After being without the vehicle for weeks at a time for 18 month I just gave up and drove it for over a year no rear defogger, no access to the front boot and a rear camera that only occasionally worked.

My 2033 M3P was delivered to the wrong address in another state, dumped off with no opportunity to inspect for defects and accept or reject delivery. When I flew in to fetch the car it had lockout problems, faulty headlamps, a front boot latch that was nearly impossible to latch, and a defect that would cause the seat to move all the way back, then forward until it pinned the driver against the steering wheel… while the car was moving. I took it to the nearest Tesla service with 15 miles on the odometer. They refused to look at it because I hadn’t made an appointment in the app. When I did so I was given an appointment 18 days later. I was 2500 miles from home.

A year later only one of the defects has been repaired. Why? Well, I use my Teslas almost exclusively for long trips of 1 to 3000 miles. I’ve been stranded 5 times, and each time had to leave the Tesla behind for service. Each time they refused to look at the ENTIRE list of faults AND either did not fix the main disabling fault or broke something else during the service visit. After 6 months of this I was so tired of being abused by cranky, overworked service people and in-your-face phone “support” staff that I just gave up. I may use my holiday next month to try to finally get the Tesla serviced. The issue was of course compounded because NEVER got my “new car” home. As a Tesla manager in LA told me “most of our customers have 3 or 4 vehicles” and apparently don’t mind 1-8 week delays for service and/or spare parts.

He was serious, and that may have been true a few years ago. But the truth is that Tesla’s service policies and business process are deeply flawed. If you’re lucky or rarely travel long distances you may never be bothered. But for me, and dozens of other Tesla owners I’ve talked to at Supercharger stops (I single out owners with reg plates from 2 or more states away from wherever I am) there are many, many owners who have experienced the pain.

 

[EatsShoots]

I've not had to interact with service much. My impression is it's great when it works well, but when it doesn't it's a hassle. It was quite a chore to get my local place to order a part. With any legacy brand I would have called the parts counter guy up, at the dealership, and a human being would have given me direct and accurate answers immediately, allowing me to order a part.

 

[FireFighterHil]

My experience hasn't been that great either. I paid out of pocket to get the MCU2 with FM radio upgrade and had to take it back twice because they "forgot" to install the FM radio and then "forgot" to make sure the mic worked for making phone calls. Both times they wanted me to leave it overnight even after having it for almost 2 weeks the first time. And I got no apologies for wasting a ton of my time and the inconvenience.

 

[Foxsbiscuits]

They called me in for a coolant leak warning.
I never had the warning on screen but they said it could be serious.

Turns out that person has no technical knowledge and was just reading old outdated warnings so I spent the day sitting around waiting for them to tell me there's no coolant issues and then they wanted to charge me for the pleasure.

Thankfully I was able to talk to a senior engineer and he completely agreed it was a mistake and didn't charge me.
I told him I had felt lost and confused through the process as I didn't have just one person holding my hand through it so to speak. He said they got rid of that "one person" a while back, cost saving.

They also found issues with my rear suspension and have quoted £2.3k, the bulk of which would be their days labour fee which is an astronomical £165ph so I'm talking to local garages.

I've had ok experiences at Tesla services before but there's an overall lack of cohesion and responsibility. I tried to give feedback in the app but was limited to their predefined responses. I wrote in the freeform box but my guess is it'll be put in the bin, it's all a cost saving exercise.

I would prefer having one person I deal with throughout rather than the random and potentially clueless person working the current shift on the app.

In summary it seems pot luck.
Rangers are useful for some, their jobs border on DIY though anyway.

Edit - why is there an American picture with OPs first post?

 

[Whyone]

Because OP is based in N America...Canada to be specific.

 

[Big_D]

Because OP is based in N America...Canada to be specific.

Nope, based in the UK. Admin added the image. "Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail"

I am assuming because typically the Googles of this world like an image for content search:

 

[Big_D]

Admin question: why has my post been moved to the Canada subforum? I am not in Canada, and it’s not about a Canadian service centre. Image of the Canadian service centre was added by admin, not by myself.

 

[Solar Windman]

Had an appointment at the Tesla Service Centre in Nottingham today to replace a faulty tyre pressure sensors in my 2021 M3. In all the ways that Tesla tries to be different - some of which are more successful than others - it made me come to the conclusion this may be one of the best.

Booking a service is just so swift - it even brought the tyre pressure error message up as reason to book it in. Received a estimate for approval in minutes and booked a service for 2 weeks later. Dropped it off today without seeing or talking to anyone, work was done in under an hour, and picked it up again without any human contact. Now this may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I just love this whole process.

With a legacy car maker, it’s my experience you can’t really book any maintenance in their app, and if that functionality is there it would probably only allow you to book a standard service. I’d have to call the dealer, explain what the problem is and have it booked in for them to diagnose the issue. If I were unlucky, they would only then figure out what part they need to fix it, it wouldn’t be in stock, and I’d have to come back another day.

This is the sixth time I’ve had some sort of service done on the car for warranty as well as out-of-warranty stuff. Three of these appointments were mobile visits, which again is something I’ve never had before with your old school manufacturers. I am assuming for Tesla these were born out of a lack of physical service centres, but it just works for me.

There are many, many things that Tesla does where it seems it’s change for the sake of change (I’m looking at you wipers). But servicing is so much better, it makes me wonder why everything isn’t run like this.

View attachment 1038067
"New @teslamotors store & service centre open in #calgary, #alberta, #canada. #ev #electriccar #electricvehicle #tesla #teslaroadster #teslaroadstersport" by voyagevixen2 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

I hope service is good like this in my area. My experience with ICE dealers is that there is often something they're trying to add on to the service. For example, with my BMW there is a clamp or holder for a cable that is cracked. The replacement clamp costs about 18.00, but the service fee for repair is an extra 600.00! (Of course, it's not covered by my extended warranty- they say). The cable is exterior and can be plainly seen. I have to turn that down when I get the oil change service. Plus, I had to have software update to my BMW and had to have the vehicle physically there for 2 hours for the software update. I could not leave the vehicle, so I had to wait. With the oil change, it was a miserable 3 1/2 hours. Service is another reason to go electric!

 

[Solar Windman]

I’m convinced that with my last ICE car the dealer was deliberately “thick” as despite it only really having one fault, they had to diagnose it every time, then order the parts, then arrange to fit it. Reason - it was under warranty and this process maximised the amount they could charge the manufacturer. The fact it totally pissed off the customer didn’t matter

Yup, it not about customer service!

 

[Solar Windman]

Yup, it not about customer service!

And pay the large diagnostic fee