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Repair delays for Tesla owners
- labmixz 8y agoI suppose you don't frequent the Tesla user forums or any YouTube Tesla channel? It's been a topic for a very long time, not just repair delays, but basic maintenance needing to be scheduled months out.
- willio58 8y agoSo should everyone stop reporting on the failures of a company? I’m hopeful Tesla figures these problems out, but media pressure can only really help in this situation.
- Tempest1981 8y agoIt's interesting news to me, as a potential buyer who doesn't (yet) frequent those sites.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- chomp 8y agoIs this a regional issue? Haven't had this problem at all in Texas. Scheduled maintenance and my car was returned in only a couple days.
- chrisseaton 8y ago> in only a couple days Is taking days normal or reasonable for car maintenance? I've never had my conventional car in for maintenance for more than about six hours.
- cptskippy 8y agoThat really depends on the type of maintenance. I've had situations where Honda kept my car for 24-48 hours because they needed to source a part and I'd scheduled the maintenance for a Saturday. I've also had situations where an issue was discovered during regular maintenance and Honda again asked to keep the car and rectify the problem under warranty. In that case it was a cracked engine block and they said "that's not suppose to happen". It took a few days to fix.
- stcredzero 8y agoI've had situations where Honda kept my car for 24-48 hours because they needed to source a part I've had this as well with Honda and Mercedes cars. When it comes to utilitarian cars, one thing you want to look for is the parts being as much a commodity as possible. Mercedes used to stock all the parts for what seemed like all of their models. Then they stopped. I should have taken that as a sign!
- close04 8y agoIn Europe most garages that service multiple brands don't really keep too many parts in stock. But they can order and have them available in a matter of hours. So when I went with my car for regular maintenance and they discovered I had 2 broken springs they got the parts and finished the work in about 6 hours. Which means I can very conveniently drive it there in the morning and pick it up after work. While I'd like a Model 3 (although not at the 45.000E pricetag for the cheapest model like it is today) I will wait until they can also offer good service after they make the sale.
- cptskippy 8y agoI would love to hear how most garages operate. It seems like most don't stock more than basic commodity parts anymore (e.g. oil filters, belts, pads, filters) but have means to get parts within hours worst case.
- bdavis__ 8y agoparts stores deliver to mechanics and garages many times a day. no app needed, they use the phone. so, when you need a starter for a 1992 honda, they call the closest parts store and a 'parts runner' delivers it.
- houqp 8y agoYes, my volt was kept in the shop for more than 2 days due to part issues. As a bonus, dealership refused to give rental for me so it was a PITA.
- moomin 8y agoAccording to another poster on this thread, the same situation on a Tesla would be 5, not 2.
- rconti 8y agoI've only had 2 new cars. My Golf R was in the shop for a few days waiting for them to source a lower control arm to fix a creak I was getting from the front end. Our Model 3 was in the shop for a couple of days over new year's weekend while they did a few small repairs, including replacing the entire rear glass (which was actually in stock). Also, had the rear quarter window smashed in and it took me a few days to find a glass shop that had the part in stock. Most shops said they could get it, but they have to drive to the Tesla service center to get an answer on ETA, due to issues manning the phones.
- cptskippy 8y agoThis is more like exception handling than scheduled maintenance. Owners were in accidents and needed urgent repairs. They took the vehicles to Tesla Authorized (but not Tesla) repair centers. Those repair centers had issues getting parts. The experience is totally different than scheduled maintenance. We had an issue with the dash panel on ours and scheduled an appointment with Tesla for work under warranty. They asked for pictures and made sure the part was on hand when we showed up. They swapped it out in under an hour and offered us a loaner or Lyft ride in the mean time.
- bdcravens 8y agoAre you in one of the major metro areas are you in a smaller city, and are you being serviced by Tesla directly or an authorized mechanic? Also I think scheduled maintenance would be things you could prepare for, whereas this article is talking about repairs for presumably unanticipated events. Also, scheduled maintenance took a couple of days? I get antsy when I have to wait more than a couple of hours.
- LandR 8y agoA couple of days is a really long time! When I had a car I wouldn't expect it to be away for more than a day unless it was having extensive work done. Most things like regular servicing, fixing niggles it's a case of drop it off in the morning and pick it up later in the day.
- goshx 8y agoI had to get the break pads replaced in my previous car, a BMW, and it took two days because they didn’t have the parts.
- blattimwind 8y agoThat seems... odd.
- FireBeyond 8y agoPretty much. I have a Jaguar. My dealership said, "Well, you should have it back tomorrow, unless we have to get the part from England (I live in Seattle), then it will be day after tomorrow".
- pkaye 8y agoWhat does the scheduled maintenance involve?
- twblalock 8y agoI suspect wait times are lower in areas with fewer Tesla owners who need service. I live in Silicon Valley and Teslas are everywhere. I know quite a few people who own them, and they all complain about reliability -- primarily software problems. If all of the Teslas on the road are as unreliable as the ones my friends own, there is probably a long line of owners waiting for service.
- 2Ccltvcm 8y agoAnybody involved with Tesla in any way should at least watch The Fantastic Case of the Missing Tesla by Rich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezqwfha-BZ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezqwfha-BZ8
- nimbius 8y agospeaking from experience as an engine mechanic for a small chain of shops in the midwest, ive done "Tesla authorized" suspension work before and its a hassle to say the least. Normal cars and hybrids are mostly an in-and-out kind of thing where the billable hours are fixed/known and you get a real choice in parts. Bilstein vs generic shocks or holly cams for example. With tesla, everything has to come from California. Control arms for example, which i could probably find one that will fit any Tesla, must be shipped from a warehouse certified. This took 5 weeks to deliver and the customer was furious that we would not keep the car in our garage for that long. Luckily they were close to the shop, so we waived a second tow charge and after a seriously long wait for parts, got the vehicle back on the road again. Tesla sometimes makes you do weird things like ship the old arms/linkage/etc.. back to them. Other times you might need to take pictures expressly for them, or call them after work is completed. Its a serious PITA for a car that could easily just get TRG or Moog aftermarket arms in about 3 days, but if you do, youll lose your "tesla certified" status in a heartbeat.
- 420codebro 8y agoWow - That sounds like a massive logistical efficiency failure. I could even see people tolerating higher prices (as it is a Tesla, etc) - but that long of a delay is insane. I wonder how many Tesla owners regret their purchase after experiencing a crazy-ass long delay like that. To be clear: I want Tesla to succeed. However I am also a realist - they have a lot of PR issues that would sink them if they were for example Ford/Chevy/BMW/Mercedes/Audi/etc.
- dangrossman 8y ago> To be clear: I want Tesla to succeed. Isn't it strange how often similar posturing appears in comments about Tesla. There aren't any secret SV police that are going to break down your door and take away your "we're saving the world" card if you say something "realist" about Tesla without a disclaimer.
- fisherjeff 8y agoWell I think that’s probably because there are a lot of very vocal people who seem to think that negative feedback must mean you’re a short seller and take that as permission to engage non-constructively. Disclaimer: I also want Tesla to succeed
- akvadrako 8y agoThere is also a Dutch Tesla rental company that recently decided to close shop because they couldn’t get replacement parts for their fleet.
- close04 8y agoTesla needs to develop a network of partner garages where mechanics are properly trained, needed parts are supplied quickly, and car owners can get to in a convenient manner. Post sale experience is just as important as show-room experience. Tesla focuses more on pre-sale (ludicrous mode, autopilot) because the garage experience is only visible long after sale. A few years ago I had to do some work on the suspension of my car (replace 2 springs) and everything was done in about 4-6 hours, including the regular checks and some other minor stuff. It took about 2h for the parts the mechanic ordered next to me to arrive. One acquaintance with a Model S waited ~10-12 days for more or less the same kind of work (he could still drive the car but still). And that's because we're in a region with easy access to anything, especially auto-related.
- marcinzm 8y agoThe problem is that Tesla wants to control everything tightly including parts. In general, distributed control (capitalism) is more flexible than central control (communism). However Tesla doesn't want to lose control.
- tuxxy 8y agoThis has absolutely nothing to do with Capitalism vs Communism. This is about Tesla's logistical operations.
- frosted-flakes 8y ago> Tesla needs to develop a network of partner garages where mechanics are properly trained, needed parts are supplied quickly, and car owners can get to in a convenient manner. Yeah. We could call them dealerships, of which there are none for Tesla. I hear that's part of the reason they can get away with not releasing diagnostic tools, parts, etc. to third parties.
- close04 8y agoNot necessarily dealerships. I used plenty of "independent" service networks (repair-only shops), not strictly affiliated with a particular brand but authorized by them. They have mechanics trained for the brands, access to spare parts, etc. I'm not sure it's a matter of "getting away". I would have thought it's in their interest to offer a solid support network after sale. I wonder if the tight control is due to not having enough capacity to make enough (spare) parts.
- Animats 8y agoYou can see the backup at Chilton Auto Body in San Carlos in Google Maps.[1] [1] https://www.google.com/maps/@37.5178956,-122.2656497,107m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@37.5178956,-122.2656497,107m/da...
- jstandard 8y agoA friend of mine is the head painter at Chilton San Carlos. He said the volume there currently is absolutely insane as the Model 3 has ramped. They are swimming in wrecked or poorly put together Model S/3s. His accounts match the tone of the article, though Chilton experiences it to a lesser extent since they're so close to the Tesla mothership.
- newnewpdro 8y agoHopefully with their decision to raise money they can afford to improve this situation.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- magnetic 8y agoAs a Model S owner, this is one of the things that worries me a lot. I rely on my Model S to make my commute "bearable" (via Carpool lane use), which even a covered insurance rental car isn't likely to enable. Doubling my commute time for months would drive me nuts. I hope an infusion of cash is going to help the parts department and decrease the latency around parts getting built. I hope that the new insurance business they are getting into will take this into account: I'd pay extra to have my insurance give me an exact same loaner with the same "carpool friendly" characteristics while my car is in the shop. When insurance companies are on the hook to pay for a rental during repairs, they tend to ensure that the repairs don't take too long, as they have an incentive to minimize their rental costs: that's a good thing because it means the incentives are aligned with the customer.
- iso1337 8y agoWhat are your plans for when the carpool sticker expires in 2022/23?
- magnetic 8y agoVery timely question: I'm in the process right now because my current Model S has a sticker that expired in 2019, so I'm looking into trading in (or selling) my current S for another Tesla. I don't know if the whole sticker option will disappear after 2023, but if it is still available then the "trade in" option will still be viable. It's expensive, though (not unlike a lease actually, since you end up selling/buying with a periodicity of about 3-4 years).
- mehrdada 8y agoOr take an Uber when the car is in the shop? I hear Tesla is willing to give the option of lots of Lyft credit per day instead of a loaner.
- idlewords 8y agoWait, single-occupant Tesla cars get to use the carpool lane? Thanks for giving me another reason to hate this company. It's not easy anymore but it turns out there is always something new if you read enough of these threads.
- vkhn 8y agoThis story sounds so familiar it's painful. Took 5 months to get my 2016 Model S back after I was hit. I loved this car, but frankly I never again want to deal with them. Cancelled my Model 3 order, and now tell everyone that asks me about the car to stay away.
- TheTruth1234 8y agoAwww, paw babee x
- dominotw 8y agono sure about the extent of damage from the hit but for comparison I got into a T collison on my 2016 mazda cx3 and it took them ~70 days to fix.
- rickmode 8y ago4 months for my 2016 Model S. Most of this time (all but 2 weeks, I think) was waiting for airbag related parts. Missed the entire summer last year -- accident in May, got the car back in September. Suffered crappy rental cars. This was a lease, and my wife and I did not get another after the lease return. Definitely makes me hesitant about getting another.
- Robotbeat 8y agoIf Tesla was making 10 times as many cars, I doubt this would be a serious issue. Much of it is a matter of scale. Tesla is doing something nearly impossible. I'm not surprised it's having difficulties here. It has always been the case that failure is a serious possibility. Not only is starting a car company hard, but an electric car company is especially hard. Margins are so thin in carmaking in general, that you depend on scale to make things like maintenance doable. With gas prices low and EV credits disappearing, the natural outcome of all these pressures when fossil fuels are not paying for their externalities is that the electric car maker will fail. And unfortunately, it's not like other electric car makers in the US are doing any better. EVs tend to be a loss-leader (halo cars or compliance cars) for traditional manufacturers. GM ended their Volt production. And my experience on Volt forums is that it's incredibly hard to get dealers to service electric cars because they also don't have qualified staff. And that's for vehicles that can take advantage of the GM ecosystem for things that aren't powertrain related. I own a Volt and a Leaf. The Leaf also has had many issues with powertrain maintenance (more than Tesla) in spite of using a very similar vehicle platform to the traditional vehicles Nissan produces. I look at those saying we have to pull out all stops to address 1.5 degrees C of climate warming, and then I look at our utter failure to pass meaningful federal measures to support electrification of transport, even letting our previous ones expire while China takes enormous strides in standing up their electric vehicle industry... It's as if we literally don't care. We're just going to let the American electric car industry fail. In fact, several states are passing and have passed extra taxes on electric vehicles in order to "compensate" for lost gas tax revenue (although basically universally over-estimating how many miles EV owners drive per year, thus actually taxing them HIGHER than gas drivers). ...and considering all that (Losing a $7500 credit and gas prices now about $6000 less over the life of the car compared to a few years ago), I actually think Tesla is doing fairly well. They're going to have to quickly expand beyond America, though, because we are failing them. EDIT: Rivian is in a similar boat. Their products look amazing, but they're starting from scratch in a low-margin business at a time of low gas prices. Hopefully both Rivian and Tesla can make it. But without the support from the federal government like firms in Europe and especially China, it's quite possible both will fail.
- madengr 8y agoThey are trying to implement that tax here in KS. To screw me even further, the property tax is based on a average depreciation for all vehicles. Thus the used 2015 Leaf that I bought for $8,500 was taxed at $23k for a two year old car. I filed a “payment in protest”, but they don’t accept them for vehicle tax.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- williesleg 8y agoHaters gonna hate. Where's the article about how bad gasoline fumes are to your health?
- yalogin 8y agoTesla is terrible when to comes to service. They actively discourage you from going to the service center. You cannot talk to people on the phone as the wait time is always more than 30 mins. They are stretched really thin in the service department. They need to at least have three times the staff and centers they have today. Interestingly I haven’t seen one thread about this on r/Tesla over on reddit. They completely pray at the altar of Musk.
- freerobby 8y agoThis doesn't reflect my experience at all. I've been to the Dedham and Watertown MA service centers about a dozen times in the last four years. I've never had to wait more than 2 minutes on the phone or at the counter. I have had a couple emails get lost, but after a bump or two I got the answers I needed. Appointments do book out a few weeks, but scheduling is pretty easy (especially now that it's all online). The one time something urgent came up with my car, they took me without an appointment, and even put me in a rental car since they were out of loaners. I've never had service anywhere near that good when I had a Toyota or a Subaru.
- semi-extrinsic 8y agoWhy has your brand-new car had to go in for service ~12 times in 4 years? Isn't that exactly the issue being discussed? I drive a 15-year-old station wagon, and I'm averaging around half that.
- DKnoll 8y agoIf you've brought your car in for service only 6 times in 4 years you're either doing some service yourself or falling behind on your maintenance schedule. In 4 years you should be changing your oil alone at least 8 times, 16 if you use conventional instead of synthetic.
- semi-extrinsic 8y agoEither you have a car with an engine that was engineered in the 1970s, or you're getting seriously ripped off. If you look at what the people who sell motor oil recommend, it's 7500 to 10000 miles between oil changes. E.g. here: http://www.elf.com/en/advice-corner/synthetic-oil-faq/synthetic-oil-change-interval.html http://www.elf.com/en/advice-corner/synthetic-oil-faq/synthe... Some manufacturers are specifying 25k - 30k km these days And I do in fact change engine oil myself. Undo one bolt to drain, take off the filter and install a new one, refill oil. Takes 30 minutes including some time for having a beer while you wait for the last bit to drain. It's almost as easy as changing out your windshield wipers and refilling washer fluid. My point is, it makes zero sense to include basic stuff like this in a discussion on reliability.
- powerbroker 8y agoI almost picked up a part from two states over when Tesla went radio silent for a month plus after 2 months of 'repairs'. Absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced.
- zhoujianfu 8y agoJust adding that my model X has been in the shop since December 30th (self-drove into a highway divider.. nobody was hurt). So up over 4 months now and I'm just assuming there's no chance I'm getting it back before labor day.
- askafriend 8y agoI'm curious. What happens when your Tesla is in the shop? Do they give you a loaner Tesla for the entire time?
- r_singh 8y agoHopefully have another spare vehicle at home or Uber/Lyft I guess
- dpifke 8y agoIn my experience, the convenience of Tesla's mobile service—they come to you for most repairs—somewhat offsets the slow parts delivery time. One of my neighbors took out the passenger side mirror on my model S (knocked the whole assembly clean off). It took about a week to get the replacement parts, but once the parts were in, we scheduled a time for them to come out and fix it in the parking lot next to my apartment. No driving halfway across town to a dealership, waiting around, or having to arrange transportation to pick my car back up. A similar repair for my BMW would have consumed at least half a day of my time - this took 5-10 minutes at most. (And the tech was way more friendly and knowledgeable than anyone I've ever dealt with at a dealership.)
- mdorazio 8y agoFWIW, many aftermarket repair services and even some dealerships offer the same kind of service, too. For example, when someone broke a window on my civic, a local glass replacement place came out the next day and fixed it at my office parking lot. However, it’s important to note that there’s a difference between this kind of basic repair work and something complex like replacing a brake assembly, which requires a lot more equipment.
- Proven 8y agoOn the poll 13% of those who voted are likely or very likely to buy a Tesla. Despite generous government subsidies market might punish the company as well as those who ignored common sense and purchased their crappy product.
- privateSFacct 8y agoVery well known issue among tesla fans. Been going on a long time so promises of a quick fix are just that unfortunately. If you are a bit higher income / time is money type of person or situation, lack of parts avail for repair (and the time /hassle that causes) and/or an inability to get at home EV charging would be the only two reasons not to get a tesla I think. I am very grateful for folks who have flagged this up. If you hate getting the service runaround on car repairs (waste of time / etc) then the heads up we are getting on this is critical really. Currently drive an Audi - obviously planned on going to Tesla but holding off until this get's sorted.
- manav 8y agoEarly last year it took me around 2 months to get a windshield replaced on a 2016 Model S. From what I understand, they have changed the design of so many components as they iterate that they often have to custom order parts to support "older" vehicles. On the other hand, my Model 3 has needed critical servicing for the last 6 months but they haven't received the parts in yet (I also live next to the factory in Fremont). It can be a hassle, but they are a young car company and I'm willing to put up with beta testing their cars because I want the company to succeed and I do still prefer their products compared to anything else on the market.
- warp_factor 8y agoreading the comments, I'm really amazed to see so many owners that complain about lengthy delays, but are "ready to put with it" because they want Tesla to succeed. This would never fly for any other car companies. Once more, it confirms to me that people buy a Tesla as a symbol//cult more than as a vehicle. Teslafans want to be recognized as those next level earth-friendly yuppies socialites. And it really scares me to see how many here go blindly with it.