I don't have any experience with other EVs but I'd have to imagine the same or similar would be true as far as some of your concerns. Things could have changed but how many independent shops are familiar with services EVs. At one point, some shops didn't even want to do something as simple as a tire change.
I may be mistaken but it sounds like you may be referring to Rich Rebuild as far as salvage Teslas. My question would be why would you want any car that has been submerged in water? Rich enjoys restoring cars but the average person isn't doing that. I have no experience in that area but I can't imagine not being able to get a used Tesla compared to attempting to restore a water damaged car. The other issue was the right to repair with impacts a lot products. Generally, speaking it seems like more and more cars are getting to the point where they make it harder for you to self repair or they'll void the warranty.
Before someone crashed into me, I've never had to do any real maintenance since owning the model S. I know they have certified Tesla body shops for 3rd parties but im not sure about general maintenance. On two occasions, a Tesla tech was sent to my home for some minor issue.
Overall I don't have any regrets about the car itself. At the price point, I'm not likely to buy another. If you are going to pay luxury prices, you should get a more luxurious car . Let's not even talk about the overall build issues of the car. The main selling point that is still in place for now is the super charger network and if i were to buy another one that would br tge reason. I'm not likely to trade it in because I have free unlimited supercharging.
I didn't buy a Tesla because of Elon so his behavior has no impact on keeping my current vehicle or purchasing a new one. Nor do i care about how others may view me for driving a Tesla. In truth, people already made assumptions about you well before Elon went full troll. Some of these people feel the same way about anyone who drives a luxury vehicle and then you factor in people who livelihood is dependent on fossil fuels and you'll get better understanding of some of the real issues people have with EVs in general.
Another common complaint I hear is about changing times and distance. Before I moved into my house, I depended on a supercharging station that I would use 1 to 2 times a week. Normally, I would go grocery shopping, go for a run or watch something in the car worse case. Even then, it's not as if you really need to charge up fully. On average, i believe I'd charge for as low as 15 minutes to 30 minutes. If i really let the battery go down, it may take an hour at a supercharger. Its not the 5 to 10 mintues for gas, but its not as bad as it seems. Now that I own a home, I have a charger in the garage and I charge up at night as needed which is usually once a week. On average I charge up to 290 miles and the max is around 330. When I go into the office, it's about 40 miles round trip. Assuming the app is correct I've spent $22 for the last 31 days to charge at home. Keep in mind that I've had my Tesla since 2018 and there have been battery and charging improvements since then. Clearly there is room for improvement with the EVs and the infrastructure.
On your first point, when I hear folks say things like this brand or that is a nightmare to maintain, I don't have that experience. I always take my car in for yearly service, but have levels of maintenance. Some I do, (air filter, plugs), for what I can't do I go to an
indie, for what they can't do or what I would not trust them to do I go back to the dealer. Personally, have not had any large costs
doing this, in fact very minimal
Bingo, you caught me. Yeah, I've probably seen all of Rich Rebuilds videos especially on Right to repair. Since rebuilding the
salvaged Tesla and working on battery replacement, there have been tons of new options on the market. But Tesla still has
the big joker in the Supercharger network.
So since 2018, no yearly maintenance, even just inspection to speak of?
I just feel like with other tech that gave free for life services like grandfathered in Sirius XM devices, where the rug was pulled,
with Elon at the helm, free might not be the future that you can count on. The network, right now, is still superior and might be
worth paying for given choices between brands. And if I know it, he knows it, and Tesla is bound to act on it once their stock
settles due to competition and less demand when they could just increase revenue by lessening the amount of free charging
overnight.
Teslas quality started going down. I am looking into buying an electric car in a few years and its not going to be a Tesla.
