Not being funny, but I'm not sure I'd buy a 3 year old Model S off you matey, not if you've only spent £60 on maintenance and that was only to get the mechanic pissed ;-) (£20 for a pint down your gaff? crickes!)£40 for a wiper blade
Even more reason I will be taking my S to a local mechanic for it's annual inspectionHere's my choices as I see them right now:
Option 1:
Stop on way to work at backstreet garage
Mechanic: "Hmm yep, brake pads look OK"
Me: "Thanks here's a £20, buy yourself a pint."
Option 2:
Drive 150 miles to the nearest service centre
Tesla: "We will need your car a day"
Me: "Ok, See you tomorrow"
Drive 150 miles home
Next day.
Drive 150 miles back to the nearest service centre.
Tesla: "We changed you windscreen wiper. It was OK, but we changed it for you anyway as part of our customer centric approach"
Me: "And the brakes?"
Tesla: "They were fine. The car is very light on brakes, due to our awesome Regen system"
Tesla: "That will be £500 please"
Drive 150 miles home
I'd never buy a car without a service history from the manufacturer (especially <3 year old); it simply states that the owner cared enough for the car to make sure that those with the relevant expertise have looked after it. This is an EV, that relevant expertise is (currently) hard to find outside the manufacturer (I wouldn't let my usual workshop look at it let alone service it). As (if?) EV ownerships grows significantly, then back-street garages may very well take the time and expense to train their staff in EV servicing, but I don't know of any in my area with that expertise. Changing the brake pads and wipers could be done by a trainee at any garage, but that's not a service.
All that said, £450 a pop does seem a bit steep, it was only £300 on my Seat Leon ;-)