Tesla Drops Yearly Maintenance Program, Claiming Less Upkeep Needed

It is more likely that Tesla is doing this in an effort to save money.

Unlikely since there was a positive gross margin from the service centers last quarter.

Tesla is doing this to do a 'shadow-increase' of capacity at its (very constrained) service centers.

Tesla seems to no longer have the luxury of letting people bring in vehicles for "routine" service because of the space constraints. Also - having people bring their vehicle in for annual service probably created a whole host of warranty work as well (which Tesla really cannot afford to pay for).

#Enron2.0

Tesla wants to book sales and to hell with ongoing customer relationships and after-sales support.

All rational signs indicate that people should not expect too much from their Model 3 purchase. A $60,000 auto is not the same as a $1,000 smart phone.

#RolltheTeslaDiceComeUpSnakeEyes

Sorry, but do I hear a hint of jealousy that you guys have cars that you need to take in routinely? Even the scheduled service on the 3 listed appointments every two years. Many of the items on the list don't really have to be done until 4 or 6 years, so instead of gauge consumers, they are doing the right thing and showing how low maintenance EVs can be if designed from the ground up to be that way.

My vehicles are astoundingly reliable, but Tesla owners learn that they bought into nonstop reliability issues.

That's an edge case, I only know one couple that really had tons of issues (early Model 3)... and they still like the car enough to where they won't trade it for something else.

Here is the actual list of what is recommended besides tire maintenance:

- Cabin Air Filter Your Tesla is equipped with an air filter that prevents pollen, industrial fallout, road dust and other particles from entering through the vents. Tesla recommends replacing your cabin air filter every 2 years.

- Brake Fluid Test Tesla recommends testing brake fluid for contamination every 2 years and replacing as needed.

- Air Conditioning Service An air conditioning service replaces the desiccant to help the longevity and efficiency of the air conditioning system. Tesla recommends an air conditioning service every 2 years for Model S, every 4 years for Model X and every 6 years for Model 3.


The brake fluid test is not really necessary (brakes don't do most of the braking anyway), so you are looking at replacing an air filter (also not critical) and cleaning the AC every 6 years on a Model 3. If you wanted to, you could get away with doing none of these--and guess what, not servicing your car does not invalidate your warranty like many ICE vehicles.

Musk says 'Tesla don't need no stink'n maintenance!'

Welcome to the future.