Model 3 tyre rotation and proactive warranty repairs
It should be common knowledge that electric vehicles have significantly lower maintenance costs than I.C.E, this has been repeated constantly to illustrate the benefits of ownership and Tesla's Twitter account has been more active than ever in the past few months sharing similar helpful information about their products;
This is great to make new owners feel more comfortable and entice prospective buyers who may be on the fence and I’d like to use this opportunity to share some extra anecdotal evidence for consideration. A couple of weeks ago I had my first service experience since purchase as I decided that it was time to book a tyre rotation after reaching 12k miles, because according to their owner’s manual;
Tesla recommends rotating the tires every 6,250 miles (10,000 km) or if tread depth difference is 2/32 in (1.5 mm) or greater, whichever comes first. Tire rotation is an essential part of tire maintenance.
So I opened the app and choosing from the well-organised, wide selection of issues (as well as recent alerts from the car) you might need help with, requested a service. Shortly after I received confirmation that a mobile engineer would come to perform the work, so I selected a convenient slot early the next week - it couldn't have been easier.
They send an initial estimate to approve based on your description of the problem, in this case less than £40 with VAT seemed fairly reasonable, but I noticed they also added a couple of other items which I had no knowledge of and I wondered if there was some diagnostic data from my car which led them to think to install compressor pipe insulation and a trunk strut o-ring;
I got a call from the engineer a day before to double check the appointment and then again on the day just before arrival, there was great communication throughout the process. They turned up in a fully kitted-out Model S emblazoned with ‘Tesla Service’ livery and although it can be entirely interaction-free (I was just asked to unlock the car), I was keen to ask a lot of questions and was happy that they seemed friendly and willing to explain everything.
Ten minutes was all it took to do both jobs, the ease and space available to work under the hood is such a change from what I’m used to with sports motorcycles where everything is crammed into a cradle between your legs, but even my old ICE cars had so much complexity there was no room to move in the engine bay. Once all was done they bid me good day and completed the booking by installing the software update Tesla pushes to your car a day prior, along with a warning not to install it.
Surprisingly for me the tyres were fine with a difference of just 0.5mm and a good few thousand miles of life left, I was amazed! I'd heard of others having to change theirs once or twice a year and here it looks like I'll get to two years before it's a problem. I'm sure the dual-motor or performance package would make a difference, perhaps the Standard Range is at the sweet spot in terms of optimal efficiency for energy per mile and longevity of components.
I usually drive quite conservatively because it's enjoyable, the ride can be so smooth it feels like you're gliding through a video game cutscene sometimes and I believe I pay more attention than the average driver to energy consumption, but I've had plenty of fun around the countryside testing out the responsive throttle and impressively stable cornering. So after 18 months it's good to get feedback on the state of the vehicle and I'm glad to say that (outside of the exceptional cases of accident repair) the only 'maintenance' I've done is refilling the screen wash, which cost £10 from Halfords.
In their tweets, Tesla highlighted exactly the same and I can expect an air filter replacement in a year or two and tyre replacement possibly next year. Ironically just after my appointment they also confirmed the car will let you know if there's a noticeable difference in tyre tread and remind you to get it fixed.
I’m glad to know now and perhaps should have expected no less. In any case, the other work involved adding some absorbent foam to the compressor pipe and shielding the high-voltage plug with a plastic cover, since it some vehicles they found the condensation was not being fully absorbed and dripped nearby, along with replacing the trunk strut o-ring with a more silicon-based piece that lasts much longer than the original. Neither were problems with my car, but it was great to see this kind of proactive attitude which gives me great confidence and peace of mind that it will last long into the future with great support from the manufacturer.
I didn't end up paying a penny because all the work was covered under warranty and I had a really easy and enjoyable experience, chatting to the friendly, knowledgable tech and managing everything with a few clicks through my phone. I didn't even need to be there, just leave the car in an accessible location, although I was really curious to watch under the hood as they stripped out the frunk container to reveal the underlying wizardry and cutting-edge bespoke technology, like their famous heat pump and Octovalve.
It's a breath of fresh air compared to the challenges I've faced with dealership servicing in the past and I don't expect to need their help again any time soon, but if I do it's incredibly reassuring to know that it's just a tap away. With such a high level of quality and focus on customer satisfaction, hats off to the UK Tesla Service team, keep up the great work!