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>Tesla actually just won the "Most Loved Brand" rating from Auto Trader I suspect this rating will probably do a 180 soon. Tesla cars (all of them) aren't that

>Tesla actually just won the "Most Loved Brand" rating from Auto Trader I suspect this rating will probably do a 180 soon. Tesla cars (all of them) aren't that old. Just wait until a lot of owners are thoroughly in the used bracket and problems like [1] and [2] start rearing their head. [1] - https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-owners-are-furious-and-nothing-is-being-done https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-owners-are-furious-and-nothin... [2] - https://www.thedrive.com/news/27945/a-single-component-can-brick-older-teslas-and-tesla-wont-fix-it https://www.thedrive.com/news/27945/a-single-component-can-b...

zaroth 7y ago
One thing to keep in mind is that every Model S and X car is built to order. Whereas the Model 3 is mass produced up front. Parts availability for a mass produced car at a run rate of nearly 500k units/year (by the end of 2019) is going to be very different than parts availability for a made-to-order car selling 50k units / year. Tesla has to scale their service capacity tremendously. But they know this, and talk about it a lot with investors. At the end of 2016 they had made a cumulative 170k cars, by 2017 it was 272k, 2018 it was 526k, and by the end of 2019 it will be nearly 1 million. They have a technically sophisticated product which would ordinarily result in a tremendous number of service calls for things which aren't even technically repairs. I think the huge base of YouTube videos and forum posts helps saved them a lot in this regard, as I will turn to Google searches for answers before calling Tech Support. Tesla does have a very unique service model. They have entire states which legally bar them from operating service centers. They do mobile service in your driveway. They will text back and forth with you to help resolve an issue, and remote access your vehicle logs to diagnose a problem. The car will pre-order parts at your local service center if it detects certain anomalies. I am sure that a minority of owners will experience Tesla "service hell". But I doubt very much that the Model 3 will turn out to be a lemon. So I think the rating will stand the test of time, particularly with OTA updates continuously making the car better in many measurable ways on a practically monthly basis.
- hef19898 7y ago
  So Tesla competes in the premium market segment and outsources support, partially, to Google search, YouTube and do it yourself-tutorials? Doesn't sound very premium to me. Cars the age of the average Tesla are supposed to run. And for that price tag customers can and do expect prompt service. But I have to admit, marketing vise Tesla and Musk are even better than VW. Which is an achievement.
  - zaroth 7y ago
    Tesla incentivized the massive library of tutorials on YouTube, Tesla blogs, and such with their referral code program. It's a huge asset, and strictly better than not having that fan base out there explaining and demo'ing every little new feature that Tesla releases. I'm not sure how you consider that a negative. Car companies have always strived for a loyal following of ardent fans to talk ceaselessly about how much they love their vehicle. Tesla does it better than most.
- jeromegv 7y ago
  -minority of owners will experience Tesla "service hell"- Just make sure nobody crashes into you or damage your bumper!
- navigatesol 7y ago
  >Parts availability for a mass produced car at a run rate of nearly 500k units/year (by the end of 2019) The astroturfing for this company on this forum is insane. They will not reach 500k run rate by the end of the year, demand is flatlining. Why not talk about the actual numbers of today, rather than some hypothetical that you'll soon dismiss as "a goal" when it isn't reached? Can you see how ridiculous it is to argue "Tesla is having problem now because of some theoretical production rate they'll probably never reach".
  - zaroth 7y ago
    > Why not talk about the actual numbers of today,... Maybe you stopped reading my comment before the second paragraph? Today they are at a 250k run rate. By the time Giga3 comes online that will be double. They are targeting the end of 2019, but certainly it could be mid-2020. My point was actually that their service challenge is just going to get bigger, not debating the specifics of when they will hit production of 500k vehicles per year.
- rhacker 7y ago
  This is all true, except for one small complication that OTA updates may be lethal. Though, I'm hoping they are past that.

zaroth 7y ago

One thing to keep in mind is that every Model S and X car is built to order. Whereas the Model 3 is mass produced up front. Parts availability for a mass produced car at a run rate of nearly 500k units/year (by the end of 2019) is going to be very different than parts availability for a made-to-order car selling 50k units / year. Tesla has to scale their service capacity tremendously. But they know this, and talk about it a lot with investors. At the end of 2016 they had made a cumulative 170k cars, by 2017 it was 272k, 2018 it was 526k, and by the end of 2019 it will be nearly 1 million. They have a technically sophisticated product which would ordinarily result in a tremendous number of service calls for things which aren't even technically repairs. I think the huge base of YouTube videos and forum posts helps saved them a lot in this regard, as I will turn to Google searches for answers before calling Tech Support. Tesla does have a very unique service model. They have entire states which legally bar them from operating service centers. They do mobile service in your driveway. They will text back and forth with you to help resolve an issue, and remote access your vehicle logs to diagnose a problem. The car will pre-order parts at your local service center if it detects certain anomalies. I am sure that a minority of owners will experience Tesla "service hell". But I doubt very much that the Model 3 will turn out to be a lemon. So I think the rating will stand the test of time, particularly with OTA updates continuously making the car better in many measurable ways on a practically monthly basis.

hef19898 7y ago
So Tesla competes in the premium market segment and outsources support, partially, to Google search, YouTube and do it yourself-tutorials? Doesn't sound very premium to me. Cars the age of the average Tesla are supposed to run. And for that price tag customers can and do expect prompt service. But I have to admit, marketing vise Tesla and Musk are even better than VW. Which is an achievement.
- zaroth 7y ago
  Tesla incentivized the massive library of tutorials on YouTube, Tesla blogs, and such with their referral code program. It's a huge asset, and strictly better than not having that fan base out there explaining and demo'ing every little new feature that Tesla releases. I'm not sure how you consider that a negative. Car companies have always strived for a loyal following of ardent fans to talk ceaselessly about how much they love their vehicle. Tesla does it better than most.
jeromegv 7y ago
-minority of owners will experience Tesla "service hell"- Just make sure nobody crashes into you or damage your bumper!
navigatesol 7y ago
>Parts availability for a mass produced car at a run rate of nearly 500k units/year (by the end of 2019) The astroturfing for this company on this forum is insane. They will not reach 500k run rate by the end of the year, demand is flatlining. Why not talk about the actual numbers of today, rather than some hypothetical that you'll soon dismiss as "a goal" when it isn't reached? Can you see how ridiculous it is to argue "Tesla is having problem now because of some theoretical production rate they'll probably never reach".
- zaroth 7y ago
  > Why not talk about the actual numbers of today,... Maybe you stopped reading my comment before the second paragraph? Today they are at a 250k run rate. By the time Giga3 comes online that will be double. They are targeting the end of 2019, but certainly it could be mid-2020. My point was actually that their service challenge is just going to get bigger, not debating the specifics of when they will hit production of 500k vehicles per year.
rhacker 7y ago
This is all true, except for one small complication that OTA updates may be lethal. Though, I'm hoping they are past that.