Already singled out for the reliability of its cars, victims in particular of youthful concerns, Tesla fails to reassure its customers with its after-sales service. The latter complain of excessively long waiting times, the high price of spare parts – leading to more costly interventions – as well as the impossibility of calling on an independent mechanic. Moreover, a still underdeveloped network of dealers does not contribute to alleviating these difficulties.
Repair costs too high
Numerous testimonials from disgruntled users are flooding the web, painting an unflattering portrait of Tesla and its after-sales service. Between long-time customers deploring the decline in the quality of services and dissatisfied owners who regret the procedures and the excessively long waiting times, the price of repairs is regularly in the sights. Moreover, while the 8-year battery warranty may seem advantageous, a taxi driver interviewed by The Automobile Magazine announces having had to call a lawyer to enforce his rights during a simple battery problem.
To make matters worse, many customers complain about the prohibitive cost of repairs. According to BCA Expertise, an automotive specialist, the price of repairing Tesla cars was 11 points higher than the sector average in the first quarter of 2023.
The particular design of the brand’s vehicles does not help to lower the bill. If the Tesla are very accomplished cars, they were however not designed for repair, not facilitating the task and increasing the cost of labor accordingly.
A divisive policy
Among the points decried, the closure of the brand to other repairers regularly comes up on the carpet. Tesla has a policy of preventing Tesla cars from being repaired by an independent or non-branded garage. The result is a repair network that is too small, sometimes forcing customers to travel far and extending repair times.
Even for routine operations, such as changing a light bulb, you have to go through the manufacturer as it is difficult to obtain the part and fit it yourself without knowing the processes put in place by Tesla.
Admittedly, the manufacturer provides technical documentation as well as a subscription providing the tools necessary for repairing Teslas at the disposal of professionals, but this requires trained personnel as well as specific equipment, which ultimately affects the customer’s invoice.
Of course, unhappy customers are always louder than happy customers. However, it will be necessary to wait a few years for recent Teslas to be out of warranty in order to have a more exhaustive overview of the repair path. We hope that the network of Tesla dealers and authorized repairers will then be sufficiently developed.