![]() "Most accidents are actually small - a broken fender or scratched side of the car." "It's remarkable how small changes in the design of the bumper (and) providing spare parts needed for collision repair have an enormous effect on the repair cost," he said. Musk also said "we want to minimize the cost of repairing a Tesla if it's in a collision," citing changes to vehicle design and software. Insurance carriers, meanwhile, are writing off low-mileage Tesla Model Ys that have been in crashes, and sending them to salvage auctions after deeming many too expensive to repair.ĭuring Tesla's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Musk said premiums from third-party insurance companies "in some cases were unreasonably high" and that the EV maker's insurance arm was putting pressure on those carriers by offering lower rates to Tesla owners. So far, there's no indication how likely it is to pass.Tesla electric vehicles are expensive to repair - so much so that the automaker and insurers are addressing the issue in sharply different ways.Ĭhief Executive Elon Musk says Tesla is making design and software changes to its vehicles to lower repair costs and insurance premiums. In the meantime, in Texas, which has banned Tesla from selling through stores in the state, the legislature has introduced a bill to ban the company from working on its cars at its service centers. It remains to be seen whether eliminating annual service visits in favor of waiting for problems to crop up will improve or diminish either customer satisfaction or service-center wait times. These are the kinds of things that independent mechanics can mostly accomplish if they have access to the parts. In independent reliability reports, such as those from Consumer Reports, electric car cars have proven to require vastly fewer repairs of critical systems such as their drivetrains -if not necessarily any better overall reliability based on body hardware and minor annoyances such as squeaks and rattles. ![]() Now Tesla tells owners: "Your Tesla does not require annual maintenance and regular fluid changes," and instead recommends only periodic, as-needed servicing of brake fluid, pads, and calipers, filters, and air conditioning.ĬHECK OUT: Tesla Model S Service Contract: $600/Year, Or Warranty Voided (2012) ![]() Tesla recommended the service every year or 12,500 miles for the Model S and Model X and every two years or 25,000 miles for the Model 3. ![]() READ THIS: Tesla opens its first in-house body shops to reduce repair times The annual maintenance schedule covers things like the cabin air filter (or HEPA filter, in the case of cars that include Tesla's Bioweapons Defense Mode), replacement of air-conditioner desiccant, tire rotation and wheel alignment, and brake fluid tests every two years, since the hydraulic brakes don't get used as much in electric cars and the hygroscopic brake fluid (which attracts water) tends to sit still for too long in the brake lines where it can cause rust. Tesla hasn't revealed what percentage of its service-center visits are for annual maintenance versus repairs. He later made another change to eliminate parts distribution centers and stock common Tesla repair parts, including some body-repair panels, at the service centers themselves. In an earnings call in January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said improving service is one of his main priorities for 2019. Now the company has reportedly put an end to those extended service plans and is hoping instead to highlight electric cars' inherent reliability -and hopefully reduce the wait times at those service centers.ĭON'T MISS: Tesla aims to make service quicker, roadside assistance automatic With hundreds of thousands more Teslas hitting the road, all those service visits -along with repair work -have reportedly backed up the company's service centers. ![]()
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