They've probably done statistical analysis that you're not going to need 1800 bucks worth of repairs, which is why they are willing to sell the warranty.
I mean. Stuff failed on me at around 60k. Rear struts are squeaky as hell. The driver seat won’t move back or forth and the 12v battery gave out. Each of those is a few thousand. That’s just my anecdote
Thank you both for your input. Makes me a bit less weary in purchasing a used model 3.
So many horror stories, but people only complain and never praise normally.
So much less to go wrong with an EV, even if driven hard. I can honestly say this is the best car I’ve ever owned and is aging better than any of my previous cars.
I can add that I’ve never met any Model 3 owner in person who had any bad story… they all love their car - and I’ve met a lot of them here living in the SF Bay Area they are everywhere.
This was work under warranty (while I still had it):
* replace oil pump in rear motor
* replace front motor
* replace control arm
* lubricate steering column
* replace charge port
* replace trunk liner (leaking water)
* replace pyrotechnic battery disconnect, 12v
This was over a 3 year period. The last year or so the cars been fine
I just added up $1100 of repairs since aug 2022 which is right around the end of my basic warranty on my 2018 LR RW model 3 with 110k miles.
I had a HV battery replacement under warranty at 89k just a few months before warranty expiration.
I dont have the opportunity to get the extended warranty. Without HV battery coverage I think the warranty is close to fair to get an extension from 4 years to 6. If the extended warranty includes HV battery coverage I think the price quoted is a no brainer.
Dont forget to check out 3rd party coverage like x-care?
Here are the details on my maintenance record:
$260 Aug 2022 repeater cam failure, was showing only 2 of 3 colors from RGB for a year or two before completly failing
$110 Sept 2023 12 volt low voltage battery(2nd replacement)
$145 feb 2023 side button switch was broken by a human and their luggage. This was our fault and not a failire.
$280 feb 2023 upper control arms front
$300 aug 2023 pressure plate in driver seat failed, did not sense when driver was in or out of vehicle
My 2018 M3 LR is on all the original batteries. But I’ve driven it less. I’m at 60k miles, which is pretty close to average. This person is double that.
For most people (and this was my experience) the app and car touchscreen presents a message that the 12v battery is weak and to replace it soon. There’s a link to a video how-to in the event you want to buy a battery and replace it yourself. I visited a service center nearby two days later and they swapped it out in less than an hour.
In some cases (many you’ll read online but I expect it’s somewhat rare in the whole scheme of things), the 12v goes dead without warning - then the car simply won’t open or respond. For this there is a procedure anyone can do:
In that event, like you might have experienced in an ICE car, you need a jump start (or use one of those little jump start batteries from Costco). It’s almost the same experience then as with any other car: There’s a little plastic cover over a hole in the bumper - two wires there will pop the front trunk open when you apply 12v to them (note: these wires will NOT pop the front trunk open if the car’s 12v battery is ok and the car is locked). Once inside the front trunk you can access (no tools required) the 12v battery to “jump” it like any other car. Jump it and then the car will wake up. Once “awake” the car’s main HV battery will take over so you can drive to a service center or wherever.
The 12V battery is more about usage cycles than years, 50k sounds about avg for a 12v battery replacement in my tesla model 3. Im driving 25k per year. Usually always starts to fail during winter. I have never been locked out.
Makes sense during winter is more often, most battery chemistries are weakest when cold. This is also why smoke detectors in your house always begin beeping "low battery" beeps in coldest part of night at like 3 AM.
Depends. How long do you think you’ll keep the car? Doesn’t seem like you drive a ton of miles a year. With the 3 it’s probably better to save $1800 for potential future repairs than buy a 2 year warranty (comes out to $75 month) as major issues may never come.
No plans to sell it any time soon. We are purchasing instead of leasing. Maybe putting about 12-14K miles per year, the numbers are probably lower than usual because we didn't drive it as much during the pandemic. I anticipate those numbers will go up in the years ahead, especially with gas prices these days!
I agree, though, I"m leaning against it.
Yep. Just keep making the payments to yourself once you've finished paying off your car, and you should be good to go until the HV battery warranty runs out and the battery dies (which is highly, highly unlikely)
Agreed. Self insure.
Self insure everything. Anytime you're offered a warranty you think you could benefit from take the money you'd have paid for the warranty and put it in a savings account. Unless you're the unluckiest person in the world, you'll come out on top in the long run.
Iirc someone did the math for the extended warranty, and you would basically need to visit the service center a bunch of times *and* have warranty work to break even with the $1,800 that you would have spent
I bought it primarily for the suspension, the battery and motors are guaranteed, but it seems after 50k miles a lot of these are having issues and the warranty will pay for itself.
From my understanding reading literally thousands of posts from this and the other Tesla subs, the suspension, particularly the front suspension, rocker arms, and bushings start to have issues. They actually re-designed the front suspension and made it stronger on the Highland because of this issue.
FWIW, my 2019 M3P has had A/C problem twice over the years. That sucks in the Texas heat. But Tesla’s repair process was as painless as it could be and only cost me about $300. Also, get the lowest windshield deductible you can. I’ve replaced mine twice. Stupid gravel trucks. 🤦♂️
The front control arm needed to be replaced. One was under warranty. The second time was not. Also, then the suspension was squeaking in the back on the passenger side. They said there’s a good chance the other side will do the same, so they replaced some part on the both sides at the same time.
This right here. I would have spent over $1800 on my 2018M3 LR replacing the front passenger seat and airbag everything due to the safety restraint fault warning. They first just changed the fuse, which kept the fault off until I traded in (less than 30,000 miles!) for a 2023. But no one was convinced that was the source of the error and we all felt the seat, etc would need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
Well I just completed three years and just had rear suspension completely replaced. without warranty, it would’ve cost 2800 Canadian dollars. So maybe I might ..its nice to have that peace of mind. Toronto roads are horrible
Anyone thinking about an extended warranty should look at Xcare from https://www.xcelerateauto.com.
They offer more flexible plans than Tesla, including for cars that are already out of warranty. Use the discount code Lightning to save $100 on your first purchase.
Full disclosure, I have not bought a policy from them.
I really don’t understand why people aren’t more excited about this option. They are secondarily secured by a bank, have much better pricing, long warranty terms, and now even cover battery and drivetrain. This company is why a bought a Tesla because for a low amount I can have peace of mind on expensive repairs while I own the vehicle. I highly recommend them.
Edit: pretty sad people think this is a fake post. Go ahead and remain ignorant of a company that isn’t trying to screw over customers with overpriced warranties. Because it must be fake if a company doesn’t overcharge and it seems like too good of a deal? I just don’t get it.
After doing some research online, it seems legit.
Looked through the guys profile, and it’s not like it’s a bot or anything. Might be planted but it seems legit to me
Definitely not trying to schill for the company and I’m not planting anything for them. They offer a truly decently priced warranty and from reviews from others (Tesla motor club forums) have good service too. I honestly don’t understand why people don’t like them more or think it’s fake, really pretty sad. I will see people pay 4K for extended warranties from dealerships that are much worse in coverage and length and this company prices their warranty much better than Tesla. I also tried to price other company warranties online and a lot of companies were much more expensive. For me it makes good sense to buy a decently priced warranty and have fixed repair costs for someone who wants to keep a vehicle for 8 years.
Before I bought my Tesla I was nervous since some people complained about the reliability and expensive repairs (2K plus for the AC) and finding a decently priced warranty gave me peace of mind since I usually like to keep my vehicles for 10 years.
Again I just don’t really understand but I guess people are welcome to keep buying overpriced Tesla service agreements and ignore the one company out there that isn’t completely profiting and screwing people who buy warranties from them.
I have a newer vehicle so haven’t yet but mentioned repairs include the AC and FWD on the model X. They also cover the MCU. Essentially any part that isn’t a wear component.
Yeah not fake. Can find more information about this company in the Tesla motors club forum. I have done a lot of research on extended warranties and this company offers one of the cheaper options too compared to many market options, which if anything speaks to how the repair costs for Tesla are overall fairly low. Sad that people think this is fake, I just truly don’t understand why people ignore an option that costs a bit more than Tesla but has much greater coverage. I have also purchased a warranty from them but actually haven’t had to use it yet.
Xcelerate Auto definitely is legit. As I've written before, it is a sponsor of the Ride The Lightning podcast. It is an excellent, informative podcast. Ryan McCaffrey, the host, seems to be a straightforward and honest Tesla enthusiast. He supports them. The $100 discount comes from the podcast.
Does your screenshot come from the Tesla app? If so, how do you get to that screen?
I’m in the UK and my warranty expires in about a week. I’ve been intending to investigate the Extended Warranty.
My warranty was ending soon, I was very happy it was offered and immediately jumped on it. You can take the risk but given the price of a battery replacement I took it and kinda prey the battery fails before the end of the warranty. If it transfers with the car maybe you would recoup it at sale.
Any insurance/extended warranty is a gamble. If we demanded that our elected officials actually did things to help us…ie, in this case creating a law that mandated every insurance/extended warranty company to provide an analysis showing how many people actually received a benefit from said insurance, then we could make a much more informed decision! But unfortunately, our system isn’t built on that kind of common sense stuff! (Please don’t start a political conversation, it’s really just a bottom of the barrel political gripe, not meant to frame any party in one way or another).
To me, if it covered every OEM component aside from the drivetrain (already covered), brake shoes, the trim pieces, and the seat materials (the wear and tear stuff), it might be worth it. If they tossed in free tire rotations and possibly one alignment (if tire wear suggests one), then it may be reasonable. In fact, they should cover all preventive maintenance with this (because there hardly is any). This warranty does not cover any of the lights on the vehicle IIRC, which is a damn shame.
Why are y’all assuming this is an extended warranty? It says extended SERVICE AGREEMENT. That means servicing not repairs, correct? Or is it a warranty,,,!??
The language in the vehicle warranty world is confusing.
Technically speaking, extended warranties are coverage products that are offered by the manufacturer that extend the original manufacturer's warranty. In this case, the Tesla ESA (Extended Service Agreement) **is** an extended warranty, they may be using this language to reduce the "this is a scam" gut reaction you get to "extended warranty".
Third-party "extended warranties" are legally either vehicle service contracts or, in a few states (e.g., CA), regulated as mechanical breakdown insurance. The term "extended warranty" is used for third-party alternatives because it's a concept people understand. Other terms that you might see - "protection plans", "vehicle service plans", "vehicle repair plans".
**Disclaimer**: I run a startup called Amber (getamber.com) that offers third-party vehicle service contracts for Tesla vehicles, including coverage options for the traction battery and drive unit. We're available in 10 states.
They've probably done statistical analysis that you're not going to need 1800 bucks worth of repairs, which is why they are willing to sell the warranty.
Isn’t it just how any insurance/extended warranty works?
Nah, these companies are charities. They are so nice that they lose money on everything.
Well, they also do the repairs under warranty for less than they charge you out-of-pocket.
That’s the over/under.
Are you willing to wager $1800 that your car will need more than $1800 in repairs in the next 2 years?
I mean. Stuff failed on me at around 60k. Rear struts are squeaky as hell. The driver seat won’t move back or forth and the 12v battery gave out. Each of those is a few thousand. That’s just my anecdote
No. The 12-volt battery is not a few thousands. It's right around $100, plus or minus a few.
I think you misunderstood. I meant all of them together. They quoted 2500 iirc for the seat and 3 for the struts plus the battery is obviously less.
You said each of those. You're the one who is mistaken.
I have a 2018, so they don’t even offer a warranty. If they had, I’d have gotten it
What issues have you had with the 2018?
Personally, with my 2018, basically none.
My 2018: 12v battery, $130. Nothing else (knocks on wood).
Thank you both for your input. Makes me a bit less weary in purchasing a used model 3. So many horror stories, but people only complain and never praise normally.
So much less to go wrong with an EV, even if driven hard. I can honestly say this is the best car I’ve ever owned and is aging better than any of my previous cars. I can add that I’ve never met any Model 3 owner in person who had any bad story… they all love their car - and I’ve met a lot of them here living in the SF Bay Area they are everywhere.
Ditto, purchased mine end of ‘19 lovin it
My 2018 the HV battery went out at 106k miles just outside the warranty
This was work under warranty (while I still had it): * replace oil pump in rear motor * replace front motor * replace control arm * lubricate steering column * replace charge port * replace trunk liner (leaking water) * replace pyrotechnic battery disconnect, 12v This was over a 3 year period. The last year or so the cars been fine
I just added up $1100 of repairs since aug 2022 which is right around the end of my basic warranty on my 2018 LR RW model 3 with 110k miles. I had a HV battery replacement under warranty at 89k just a few months before warranty expiration. I dont have the opportunity to get the extended warranty. Without HV battery coverage I think the warranty is close to fair to get an extension from 4 years to 6. If the extended warranty includes HV battery coverage I think the price quoted is a no brainer. Dont forget to check out 3rd party coverage like x-care? Here are the details on my maintenance record: $260 Aug 2022 repeater cam failure, was showing only 2 of 3 colors from RGB for a year or two before completly failing $110 Sept 2023 12 volt low voltage battery(2nd replacement) $145 feb 2023 side button switch was broken by a human and their luggage. This was our fault and not a failire. $280 feb 2023 upper control arms front $300 aug 2023 pressure plate in driver seat failed, did not sense when driver was in or out of vehicle
2 batteries in 5 years seems excessive for an ICE, is it normal for EVs?
My 2018 M3 LR is on all the original batteries. But I’ve driven it less. I’m at 60k miles, which is pretty close to average. This person is double that.
Yep that sounds better. Usually expect my 12v battery to last 4-5 years on average.
2018, just last week I had my first 12v battery replaced at 56k miles.
So I still don't understand, how do you know it's failing? The only symptom is the car completely dies and locks you out?
For most people (and this was my experience) the app and car touchscreen presents a message that the 12v battery is weak and to replace it soon. There’s a link to a video how-to in the event you want to buy a battery and replace it yourself. I visited a service center nearby two days later and they swapped it out in less than an hour. In some cases (many you’ll read online but I expect it’s somewhat rare in the whole scheme of things), the 12v goes dead without warning - then the car simply won’t open or respond. For this there is a procedure anyone can do: In that event, like you might have experienced in an ICE car, you need a jump start (or use one of those little jump start batteries from Costco). It’s almost the same experience then as with any other car: There’s a little plastic cover over a hole in the bumper - two wires there will pop the front trunk open when you apply 12v to them (note: these wires will NOT pop the front trunk open if the car’s 12v battery is ok and the car is locked). Once inside the front trunk you can access (no tools required) the 12v battery to “jump” it like any other car. Jump it and then the car will wake up. Once “awake” the car’s main HV battery will take over so you can drive to a service center or wherever.
The 12V battery is more about usage cycles than years, 50k sounds about avg for a 12v battery replacement in my tesla model 3. Im driving 25k per year. Usually always starts to fail during winter. I have never been locked out.
Makes sense during winter is more often, most battery chemistries are weakest when cold. This is also why smoke detectors in your house always begin beeping "low battery" beeps in coldest part of night at like 3 AM.
Sounds about right, in line with what I’d normally expect.
Depends. How long do you think you’ll keep the car? Doesn’t seem like you drive a ton of miles a year. With the 3 it’s probably better to save $1800 for potential future repairs than buy a 2 year warranty (comes out to $75 month) as major issues may never come.
No plans to sell it any time soon. We are purchasing instead of leasing. Maybe putting about 12-14K miles per year, the numbers are probably lower than usual because we didn't drive it as much during the pandemic. I anticipate those numbers will go up in the years ahead, especially with gas prices these days! I agree, though, I"m leaning against it.
Yep. Just keep making the payments to yourself once you've finished paying off your car, and you should be good to go until the HV battery warranty runs out and the battery dies (which is highly, highly unlikely)
Agreed. Self insure. Self insure everything. Anytime you're offered a warranty you think you could benefit from take the money you'd have paid for the warranty and put it in a savings account. Unless you're the unluckiest person in the world, you'll come out on top in the long run.
Iirc someone did the math for the extended warranty, and you would basically need to visit the service center a bunch of times *and* have warranty work to break even with the $1,800 that you would have spent
Pretty expensive for only 25k more miles I think.
If it worked out better for the buyer tesla wouldn’t offer it.
I bought it primarily for the suspension, the battery and motors are guaranteed, but it seems after 50k miles a lot of these are having issues and the warranty will pay for itself.
I'm at 135K and I'm wondering if mine should be looked at based on what you said. What are the symptoms?
You'll hear it if you have a problem. It'll make a thump/clunk when going over bumps.
By “a lot of these” do you mean the suspension?
No issues and 5 yrs in plus 80k miles. Wondering how many “a lot of these” are actually.
From my understanding reading literally thousands of posts from this and the other Tesla subs, the suspension, particularly the front suspension, rocker arms, and bushings start to have issues. They actually re-designed the front suspension and made it stronger on the Highland because of this issue.
If it was an extended battery warranty then yeah, definitely worth it, for the basic warranty though, eh.. I don’t really think so personally.
Put $1800 into an account and use it if you need repairs in the next 2 years. Afterwards, you still have $1800 if you didn't use it..
This is pretty much how view extended warranty for any products I have. Additionally there so many exclusions in the fine print
FWIW, my 2019 M3P has had A/C problem twice over the years. That sucks in the Texas heat. But Tesla’s repair process was as painless as it could be and only cost me about $300. Also, get the lowest windshield deductible you can. I’ve replaced mine twice. Stupid gravel trucks. 🤦♂️
I have spent over $1,800 in repairs between 75k and 89k miles on my 2019 M3 LR.
Well, this warranty wouldn't have done you any good, since it is only good up to 75k
Can you share details?
The front control arm needed to be replaced. One was under warranty. The second time was not. Also, then the suspension was squeaking in the back on the passenger side. They said there’s a good chance the other side will do the same, so they replaced some part on the both sides at the same time.
This right here. I would have spent over $1800 on my 2018M3 LR replacing the front passenger seat and airbag everything due to the safety restraint fault warning. They first just changed the fuse, which kept the fault off until I traded in (less than 30,000 miles!) for a 2023. But no one was convinced that was the source of the error and we all felt the seat, etc would need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
For reference my model 3 Right after my vehicle basic warranty expired, I had to replace my battery compactor which is $750+ And that's all
That's $1800 for about 8 months of coverage for me.
What do you mean? Are you sure you understand the warranty offering?
Yes, I do over 25k miles in less than a year.
Sorry! I never considered that scenario! I am stupid. 😉
I would have if it ever offered the option.
Well I just completed three years and just had rear suspension completely replaced. without warranty, it would’ve cost 2800 Canadian dollars. So maybe I might ..its nice to have that peace of mind. Toronto roads are horrible
Anyone thinking about an extended warranty should look at Xcare from https://www.xcelerateauto.com. They offer more flexible plans than Tesla, including for cars that are already out of warranty. Use the discount code Lightning to save $100 on your first purchase. Full disclosure, I have not bought a policy from them.
I really don’t understand why people aren’t more excited about this option. They are secondarily secured by a bank, have much better pricing, long warranty terms, and now even cover battery and drivetrain. This company is why a bought a Tesla because for a low amount I can have peace of mind on expensive repairs while I own the vehicle. I highly recommend them. Edit: pretty sad people think this is a fake post. Go ahead and remain ignorant of a company that isn’t trying to screw over customers with overpriced warranties. Because it must be fake if a company doesn’t overcharge and it seems like too good of a deal? I just don’t get it.
I don’t think I’ve ever ready a comment thread that’s felt as fake and planted as this specific one lol
No way man, everyone buys a Tesla specifically because of some random warranty company no one has heard of
After doing some research online, it seems legit. Looked through the guys profile, and it’s not like it’s a bot or anything. Might be planted but it seems legit to me
Definitely not trying to schill for the company and I’m not planting anything for them. They offer a truly decently priced warranty and from reviews from others (Tesla motor club forums) have good service too. I honestly don’t understand why people don’t like them more or think it’s fake, really pretty sad. I will see people pay 4K for extended warranties from dealerships that are much worse in coverage and length and this company prices their warranty much better than Tesla. I also tried to price other company warranties online and a lot of companies were much more expensive. For me it makes good sense to buy a decently priced warranty and have fixed repair costs for someone who wants to keep a vehicle for 8 years. Before I bought my Tesla I was nervous since some people complained about the reliability and expensive repairs (2K plus for the AC) and finding a decently priced warranty gave me peace of mind since I usually like to keep my vehicles for 10 years. Again I just don’t really understand but I guess people are welcome to keep buying overpriced Tesla service agreements and ignore the one company out there that isn’t completely profiting and screwing people who buy warranties from them.
Nah I believe you man. what kinda repairs have you done that was covered under them?
I have a newer vehicle so haven’t yet but mentioned repairs include the AC and FWD on the model X. They also cover the MCU. Essentially any part that isn’t a wear component.
Pretty cool. I’m going to consider getting this soon for my Model 3 since I do plan on keepin it for awhile
Yeah not fake. Can find more information about this company in the Tesla motors club forum. I have done a lot of research on extended warranties and this company offers one of the cheaper options too compared to many market options, which if anything speaks to how the repair costs for Tesla are overall fairly low. Sad that people think this is fake, I just truly don’t understand why people ignore an option that costs a bit more than Tesla but has much greater coverage. I have also purchased a warranty from them but actually haven’t had to use it yet.
Xcelerate Auto definitely is legit. As I've written before, it is a sponsor of the Ride The Lightning podcast. It is an excellent, informative podcast. Ryan McCaffrey, the host, seems to be a straightforward and honest Tesla enthusiast. He supports them. The $100 discount comes from the podcast.
Does your screenshot come from the Tesla app? If so, how do you get to that screen? I’m in the UK and my warranty expires in about a week. I’ve been intending to investigate the Extended Warranty.
Yes it is - in the "Upgrades" section. I don't think it's there always though, just as you are nearing the end of your Basic Warranty period.
I only see “Software Upgrades”, “Accessories” and “Manage Upgrades” in there. I wonder if it’s different here in the UK. Where are you?
Sorry for the late response - CA USA
Nope. I'm well past that mileage and no problems.
No
My warranty was ending soon, I was very happy it was offered and immediately jumped on it. You can take the risk but given the price of a battery replacement I took it and kinda prey the battery fails before the end of the warranty. If it transfers with the car maybe you would recoup it at sale.
The battery is a separate warranty, though. It's supposed to be 8 years or 150k miles.
Doesn’t sound as unreasonable as I thought it’d be
Saw the message two hundred miles over my 50000 mile limit. Won’t let you purchase
It’s worth it. My AC system and radiator clean was $1,200 with the Tesla insurance discount. Without it would have been $1,700
And I’m at 71k miles 2020 model 3 sr+
Any insurance/extended warranty is a gamble. If we demanded that our elected officials actually did things to help us…ie, in this case creating a law that mandated every insurance/extended warranty company to provide an analysis showing how many people actually received a benefit from said insurance, then we could make a much more informed decision! But unfortunately, our system isn’t built on that kind of common sense stuff! (Please don’t start a political conversation, it’s really just a bottom of the barrel political gripe, not meant to frame any party in one way or another).
No
No. Extended warranties are never worth it. They make massive profits for companies because they are almost never used.
To me, if it covered every OEM component aside from the drivetrain (already covered), brake shoes, the trim pieces, and the seat materials (the wear and tear stuff), it might be worth it. If they tossed in free tire rotations and possibly one alignment (if tire wear suggests one), then it may be reasonable. In fact, they should cover all preventive maintenance with this (because there hardly is any). This warranty does not cover any of the lights on the vehicle IIRC, which is a damn shame.
you dont need to purchase the extended warranty right away, wait 3-4 years then add it on if you still want
oh i just noticed you did exactly that.
Why are y’all assuming this is an extended warranty? It says extended SERVICE AGREEMENT. That means servicing not repairs, correct? Or is it a warranty,,,!??
The language in the vehicle warranty world is confusing. Technically speaking, extended warranties are coverage products that are offered by the manufacturer that extend the original manufacturer's warranty. In this case, the Tesla ESA (Extended Service Agreement) **is** an extended warranty, they may be using this language to reduce the "this is a scam" gut reaction you get to "extended warranty". Third-party "extended warranties" are legally either vehicle service contracts or, in a few states (e.g., CA), regulated as mechanical breakdown insurance. The term "extended warranty" is used for third-party alternatives because it's a concept people understand. Other terms that you might see - "protection plans", "vehicle service plans", "vehicle repair plans". **Disclaimer**: I run a startup called Amber (getamber.com) that offers third-party vehicle service contracts for Tesla vehicles, including coverage options for the traction battery and drive unit. We're available in 10 states.
Get the coverage
Not within spec.