Model S Long Term
Discussion
I bought a Model S 75 new back in 2017 and it has like 50000 miles or so now. Its had various niggles with trim when newer but touch wood nothing else at all really. I'm used to likes of Landrover / RR and by time 5 years old they cost us a few £k per year with something serious failing now and again. Normally I'd change around then as they became more of a hassle or get it a massive overhaul (normally at a huge cost). With COVID and WFH changes I do even less mileage. The new model S seems lovely but has nothing I'm bothered about and basically looks same! I'm not too fussed for getting a brand new car just for sake of it and in general probably detaching myself from that car consumer cycle the older I get.
I'm thinking to keep it for another 5 years (maybe longer) and hoping with the overall simpler design an EV has and knowing entire car history that won't be a huge risk. I don't mind a £5k bill at some point but what is worst case?! I was looking for general thoughts?
I'm thinking to keep it for another 5 years (maybe longer) and hoping with the overall simpler design an EV has and knowing entire car history that won't be a huge risk. I don't mind a £5k bill at some point but what is worst case?! I was looking for general thoughts?
Our original 75D X would be 5.5 years old now, current one is 4.5 years old with 51K on the clock. Bumper to bumper warranty expired 6 months ago, and touch wood so far things are fine relatively speaking. There is a garage down the road that did a 12V battery replacement for less cost than Tesla, they also replace the main cabin PTC heater (known fault on Xs) for £640 all in without any issue, I asked about potential air suspension work in the future and they didn't seem phased.
The 'free for life' SC is now actually starting to have some small value as SC site approach 50p/kWh, and I've had the CCS and MCU2 retrofits done. That along with the mad increase in S/X prices means am planning to keep ours till at least 2025 when the battery/motor warranty runs out, which amazingly isn't that a long way away!
The biggest 'unknown' cost issue would be a battery/motor replacement beyond 2025. The battery isn't that bad, as it seems like like MAY have reduced the price of a new 90kWh 350volt pack from $22K to $12K, which would be pretty acceptable as the new pack actually has 90kWh usable essentially not far off the capacity of a brand new LR pack.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/service-sa...
An out of warranty motor replacement however is a different matter.....$10K, zero/little chance of third party repair, and no improvements in range etc you get with a new battery.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/out-of-war...
Overall as a family car these things are still fab, I found at the weekend 2 players games existed in Arcade??!! Will make the up and coming road trip to France easier when it comes to entertaining the small people at stops, for something made in 2017 these things aren't ageing too badly. I've also got far too use to the space of the X in the back to swap it for anything else
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The 'free for life' SC is now actually starting to have some small value as SC site approach 50p/kWh, and I've had the CCS and MCU2 retrofits done. That along with the mad increase in S/X prices means am planning to keep ours till at least 2025 when the battery/motor warranty runs out, which amazingly isn't that a long way away!
The biggest 'unknown' cost issue would be a battery/motor replacement beyond 2025. The battery isn't that bad, as it seems like like MAY have reduced the price of a new 90kWh 350volt pack from $22K to $12K, which would be pretty acceptable as the new pack actually has 90kWh usable essentially not far off the capacity of a brand new LR pack.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/service-sa...
An out of warranty motor replacement however is a different matter.....$10K, zero/little chance of third party repair, and no improvements in range etc you get with a new battery.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/out-of-war...
Overall as a family car these things are still fab, I found at the weekend 2 players games existed in Arcade??!! Will make the up and coming road trip to France easier when it comes to entertaining the small people at stops, for something made in 2017 these things aren't ageing too badly. I've also got far too use to the space of the X in the back to swap it for anything else
..Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 15th May 17:57
I went through the same thought process last year - I have a January 2016 Model S 85D now on 98k miles. I considered selling it late this year so it had over a year of drive train warranty on it.
But after talking to Cleevely EV at the Fully Charged Exhibition I changed my mind and the plan is to keep it indefinitely at the moment, as I think the risk of total battery failure after 8 years is low as I have looked after mine and the guessometer range is still 250 miles at full charge.
Even if the battery does have an issue after 8 years then the independent garages like Cleevely are planning to have routes to do low cost fixes in the same way as the Electrified Garage did for YouTube Hoovie’s Model S or a refurbed battery from Tesla is $13k in the US ($20k for a new one). There are also plenty of used motors out there for someone like Cleevely to replace a dead one with.
My reader's car thread is here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
But after talking to Cleevely EV at the Fully Charged Exhibition I changed my mind and the plan is to keep it indefinitely at the moment, as I think the risk of total battery failure after 8 years is low as I have looked after mine and the guessometer range is still 250 miles at full charge.
Even if the battery does have an issue after 8 years then the independent garages like Cleevely are planning to have routes to do low cost fixes in the same way as the Electrified Garage did for YouTube Hoovie’s Model S or a refurbed battery from Tesla is $13k in the US ($20k for a new one). There are also plenty of used motors out there for someone like Cleevely to replace a dead one with.
My reader's car thread is here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thanks very much!
I suppose it is a big consideration that there should be more independent garages to get big fixes in the future.
At the moment if I look at cost the change it seems terrible - and my car really still feels like it did when new.
I presume I'd need to wait 2 years for a new one too!
I suppose it is a big consideration that there should be more independent garages to get big fixes in the future.
At the moment if I look at cost the change it seems terrible - and my car really still feels like it did when new.
I presume I'd need to wait 2 years for a new one too!
Spunagain said:
Even if the battery does have an issue after 8 years then the independent garages like Cleevely are planning to have routes to do low cost fixes in the same way as the Electrified Garage did for YouTube Hoovie’s Model S
Probably not the best example to pick for a third party 'fix'. 18 minutes in, this is the same car that was 'fixed' by Electrified garage essentially bricking itself even though it had 10-15%+ SOC of charge left. Jason Hughes (the guy to retrofitted AP1 into a none AP P85, and also the only owner of a P100S), is 100% adamant only Tesla can do cell block level replaced, otherwise its pack level replacements. Personally I would much rather pay Tesla £20K for a brand new 90kWh 350v pack than waste £5K on a temporary fix.
https://youtu.be/Suhj7SJuEbM
So it appears the 'new' 90kWh 350v is becoming more real, and Tesla must be running low on the original 'refurb' packs, as they put in a new 90 pack for someone who paid $11k for a refurb pack.
With a new 90kWh pack, a 2017 S will have a real world range of 270-290 miles, and if the replacement cost will really become as low as 10k that's pretty amazing value.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/is-there-a...
Add in 'free' Supercharging with costs now close to/over 50p/kWh, free connectivity, and for 2017 cars still the ability to run the latest FSD beta code (when ever Tesla finally starts testing in Europe), there is less and less reason for me to even think about selling our 2017 X for a newer car. Paying out more £££££ in exchange for a car that costs more to own, that's maddnes isnt it??!!
The long term support for a new battery is key though, its pretty clear the 75D pack in our X will last 8 years easily without significant degredation that impacts is usage (only 3 years to go). But we have a 13 year old combustion car that still works well, so Tesla needs to show an ongoing commitment to pack replacements going forwards, luckily at present they do seem to be doing this.
With a new 90kWh pack, a 2017 S will have a real world range of 270-290 miles, and if the replacement cost will really become as low as 10k that's pretty amazing value.
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/is-there-a...
Add in 'free' Supercharging with costs now close to/over 50p/kWh, free connectivity, and for 2017 cars still the ability to run the latest FSD beta code (when ever Tesla finally starts testing in Europe), there is less and less reason for me to even think about selling our 2017 X for a newer car. Paying out more £££££ in exchange for a car that costs more to own, that's maddnes isnt it??!!
The long term support for a new battery is key though, its pretty clear the 75D pack in our X will last 8 years easily without significant degredation that impacts is usage (only 3 years to go). But we have a 13 year old combustion car that still works well, so Tesla needs to show an ongoing commitment to pack replacements going forwards, luckily at present they do seem to be doing this
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