Tesla Roadster Ownership

10593 Views 66 Replies 16 Participants Last post by Simon Mac, Oct 27, 2014

Kevin Sharpe

Discussion Starter · Mar 31, 2014

I thought it might be interesting to log some of my Tesla Roadster ownership experiences

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Reactions: 4

61 - 67 of 67 Posts

Lee Jones

· #61 · Oct 27, 2014

Simon Mac said:
£40 for a wiper blade

Even more reason I will be taking my S to a local mechanic for it's annual inspection Here'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

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!)

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 ;-)

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Simon Mac

· #62 · Oct 27, 2014

Lee Jones said:
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!)

To be fair it will still have 1 years manufacturers warranty, and will probably go back to Tesla as a deposit on the next car, so no need to worry

I guess the point is (flippancy aside about some dodgy backstreet scenario) is in real terms, a mobile Tesla "inspection" (which is the only practical way without using 2 days driving back and forth Heathrow) is going to cost north of £600. For exactly the sum of checking pads, and changing wipers.

Literally there is nothing else on the car to "service" apart from maybe a cabin filter. I've had ICE cars that have 2 year service schedules, so an EV requiring an eye watering service bill annually is really poor.

We can all moan and bitch about it, but unless some of us refuse to pay, the price will stay the same.

Hopefully our local Mercedes Benz independent, will get qualified on the B Class BEV, and I'll take it there (after all it's the same motor and power electronics)

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Jimbo

· #63 · Oct 27, 2014

To be fair, they also apply service bulletins if any are needed.

The car still has suspension, power steering, etc that must be correctly adjusted and checked for wear and tear against the manufacture's tolerances.

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Simon Mac

· #64 · Oct 27, 2014

@Jimbo

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/17061-Model-S-Annual-Service-Checklist

It's not as comprehensive as the price tag would have you believe. Especially the "a" service

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Jimbo

· #65 · Oct 27, 2014

From that post: "EDIT: Tesla has asked me to remove this pdf since it is no longer accurate. While I believe this pdf should remain to show what the Annual Checklist was at one time, I have been informed that this list is no longer accurate. To find out what is currently included in your Model S Annual Checklist, please check with your Tesla Service Center."

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Paul

· #66 · Oct 27, 2014

Did anyone grab it?

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Simon Mac

· #67 · Oct 27, 2014

Paul said:
Did anyone grab it?

It's still downloadable. I think @Jimbo's point (and a valid one, is it isn't current).

It was however what your $500 used to get you, and the US lot felt a bit ripped off. Basically it's all "visual" inspections, and actually much less work than on a Mercedes "A" schedule for an E Class (as you would expect for a car with no ICE)

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