Facts about Tesla maintenance, service and costs

Everything you need to know about Tesla maintenance, including service, warranty, and ownership costs, will be covered today. Let’s get started right away! 

Intro 

Teslas have far fewer moving parts and no fluids to leak or belts to wear out than a traditional gas-powered vehicle. Making lifetime maintenance significantly less expensive. Let’s compare the upkeep of a Tesla to that of a traditional gas-powered vehicle. 

You’ll eventually need to perform maintenance on a variety of items, including filters like the engine air filter, oil filter, and fuel filter. Your fluids, such as power steering and gearbox fluids. All belts and hoses, brakes, the 12-volt battery, and components prone to failure, such as spark plugs, fuses, transmission, fuel pump, and water pump. 

Not to mention oil changes, which can be expensive depending on the type of vehicle you drive. You won’t have to worry about any of that if you own a Tesla. Let’s take a look at what Tesla specifically recommends for car maintenance: 

MAINTENANCE FOR TESLA 

According to Tesla’s website, the cabin air filter is the first thing you’ll need to maintain because it prevents dust, pollen, and other contaminants from entering through the vents. This should be replaced every two years for the Model 3 and Model Y, and every three years for the Model S and Model X. 

Despite the fact that I’ve had my Tesla for less than two years, I decided to replace the filters myself with HEPA（High Efficiency Particulate Air） ones. If you’re interested, check out my video on the Tesla HEPA Filter Upgrade. If your Tesla already has a HEPA filter, Tesla recommends replacing it every three years. 

The next step is to have your wheels and tires aligned. 

Tesla recommends rotating your tires every 6,250 miles or whenever there is a tread depth difference of at least 2/32 inches, whichever comes first. Let’s talk about tires on a Tesla right now. 

A good set of tires on a standard gas-powered car typically lasts three to five years or 60,000 miles. 

Tesla tires need to be replaced more frequently, every 2.5 to 3 years or 30,000 miles. 

This is because Teslas are heavier than typical gas-powered cars due to their battery packs, which put more strain on the tires and cause them to wear out sooner. Your driving habits may also cause your tires to wear out faster. 

That is a disadvantage, but one advantage of owning a Tesla is that tire rotation can be performed by Tesla’s mobile service, allowing you to have the service performed conveniently and without ever having to be present at your home or place of employment. Stay tuned as we discuss mobile service in greater depth shortly. 

Someone may then recommend testing brake fluid for contaminants every two years and replacing it as needed. However, before we proceed, here is some additional information about brake maintenance: 

In a typical gas-powered vehicle, brake pads should be replaced every 15,000 miles. On luxury brand vehicles, a complete brake change, which includes replacing the pads, rotors, and calipers as well as labor, can cost between $300 and $800. 

However, if you own a Tesla, your brakes will last significantly longer and you will be able to travel more than 300,000 miles between brake changes thanks to regenerative braking, which uses the car’s electric motors to brake instead of the actual brakes while also regenerating energy back into the battery to extend the vehicle’s range. 

The only additional service Tesla recommends is cleaning and oiling the calipers every 12 months or 12,500 miles if you live in a cold climate. 

The only other item you will need to maintain is your air conditioner’s desiccant bag, which ensures the unit’s durability and effectiveness. The Model 3 will need to be replaced every six years. Three years for the Model S and X, four years for the Model Y. 

That’s it! There are only five simple things to maintain on a Tesla, and as an added bonus, the Tesla App will always remind you when each recommended maintenance is due. 

PRICING AND COMPARISON 

The majority of Tesla owners spend less than $300 per year on these five expenses, which total $1,490 over five years, including the cost of a vehicle inspection. Here are some different cars and how their five key features compare. 

WARRANTY 

Things can break or stop working properly in any car. Naturally, you’ll need to have the car serviced at this point, which is where the warranty comes in. 

The standard limited warranty that comes with every Tesla lasts four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. 

The Supplemental Restraint System Limited Warranty for the Model S covers your car for 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. 

Furthermore, for all Tesla models, the battery and drive unit are guaranteed for 8 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, with a minimum 70% battery capacity retention over the warranty period. 

A Tesla’s battery life will range between 300,000 and 500,000 kilometers. Gas-powered cars typically travel 200,000 miles, but some can travel 300,000. Although I don’t expect to use my Tesla for another 12 years, it’s comforting to know that it can outperform the majority of gas-powered vehicles. 

If you choose to keep driving for more than 500,000 miles, you can replace your battery for around $13,500 and expect to pay around $2,300 in labor. As a result, the total cost of a battery replacement may be in the region of $15,800, which, depending on the individual, may be less expensive than purchasing a new vehicle. 

ADVANCED EV REPORTS 

To give you confidence when purchasing and owning electric vehicles, Recurrent provides free monthly battery performance reports that make it simple to monitor your battery’s health. This improves the transparency of EV performance, value, and range over time. 

Recurrent provides three types of reports: EV Owner Insights, Range Scores, and Recurrent Reports. 

Using EV Owner Insights, you can compare your daily battery data to that of thousands of other vehicles. After you’ve authenticated, you’ll receive a free monthly report with updates. 

Range Scores were created with EV buyers in mind; they are intended to provide you with an overview of the current expected range in comparison to what it was when the car was new, giving you peace of mind while looking for a used EV. 

Our reports resemble CarFax reports but are tailored to EVs. Because the projected range provided by an EV’s dashboard is frequently inaccurate, it’s great that dealerships are now offering this service. This report can be useful when selling your own electric vehicle (EV), as it provides the buyer with information to demonstrate that the battery is in good condition. 

The reports exclude features that the average car buyer does not have access to, such as chemical testing in a lab and onboard devices. As a result, I’d like to emphasize that they are not comprehensive battery health solutions. Recurrent reports are intended to answer frequently asked questions such as: 

How far can an electric car travel today? What variations will there be in the summer and winter? What will the range be in three years? 

You can now get these answers and more by visiting our website to find.

THE TESLA MOBILE SERVICE 

The Tesla service team can come directly to your home or place of business to fix any problems, saving you the hassle of having to take your car to a dealership or mechanic. Another significant advantage of owning a Tesla. 

Simply launch the app to report a problem, and the team will respond via chat to determine whether you can resolve it on your own or if a software update is required. Regardless, they will inform you if you can schedule a mobile service appointment or if you must bring your car to a service facility, depending on the problem. 

When one of my right-side cameras stopped working, I had to use the mobile service myself. I simply opened the app, scheduled the appointment, and that was it. The service personnel arrived at my house, changed the camera, started the vehicle, and then left. 

The entire process took less than 20 minutes, and everything was covered by the guarantee. A mobile appointment is free, and the service is available throughout the United States and is quickly spreading abroad. 

Before we go, I’d like to highlight one disadvantage of Tesla servicing. If something goes wrong with a traditional gas-powered vehicle, you can practically take it to any mechanic and get an appointment within a week, or even the same day. 

Making appointments can be difficult because Teslas can only be serviced by Tesla personnel, and once you do, it can take a long time to get your car back. 

OUTRO 

It’s all done now! Isn’t it incredible? Does this information make you more likely to buy a Tesla Product? Please share your thoughts with me.