That’s what the service technician said when he arrived at my house to do the requested end-of-warranty check. I was concerned that after leaving warranty something might go wrong and I would end up with a big bill (been there, done that, with other vehicles). So, I thought the quoted AUD$200 was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Tess is not a new car anymore. Over the past 2 and half years, we have done over 75,000 km. In fact, compared to the new models coming out from Shanghai, she is pretty much an antique. I tell people that EVs are like laptops, the technology is moving very fast — “Tesla speed” perhaps. Thank goodness for over-the-air updates.
The car hasn’t had any regular servicing, like my fossil-fueled cars had to have. A few things have gone wrong and have been fixed under warranty. I asked the technician if he is doing a lot of these checks, and he said no – “There’s nothing much to do.” He listed what he normally does: rotating the tyres, changing the air-conditioning filters, checking the brake fluid. “What,” I said “no oil, filters, rings and bearings?” I hope he appreciated the joke.
Technician’s Model 3 boot with tools for mobile servicing. Photo by David Waterworth.
We had got him to change the AC filters some time back, as the Queensland humid summer had led to a bit of a moldy scent in the car, and we had had new tyres fitted before that. So, there was even less to do. He did change the windscreen wipers and checked the brake fluid. The bill came down to $120.
At a recent Expo event, my eagle-eyed wife had noticed that the dash décor strip was starting to deteriorate.
Dash décor strip deterioration. Photo by David Waterworth.
Also, when she washed the car, she found that both rear wheel arch inserts had some damage. So, an appointment has been booked for these to be replaced at home in our garage — still under warranty.
Rear wheel arch insert torn. Photo by David Waterworth.
Can’t beat that Tesla service. And he was right — there was nothing much to do.
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