
Tesla X parts that had to be replaced after 400k miles - ranit
https://jalopnik.com/this-tesla-model-x-has-driven-over-400-000-miles-here-1841761190
======
jws
Of the $29k in repairs, over a quarter of it is just periodic new tires yet
they don't break that out in the article.

I was saddened to see that key fobs are about $150 (and he needed 6 of them).
That's the kind of pricing jackassery that I would not expect from Tesla. The
number of fobs is about right, I've worn my Ford's fob button out in about
120k miles, but 3rd party chip keys are $5 and 3rd party fobs are $5. It seems
like a 15x markup for a required, consumable item is bit "Detroit".

~~~
IB885588
Toyota Corolla keyfobs are like $400 CAD, last I checked.

~~~
asdff
Now how about the universal fob at autozone

~~~
swarnie_
How do universal fobs work? Do they pair with your car in some way?

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stirlo
Most of this seems to be cosmetic (various switches breaking, noisy seat
mechanisms) that the typical buyer would not bother fixing on a car with 100's
of thousands of miles.

Also interesting how much they got covered under warranty. I'd assume Tesla is
doing these repairs for free as they are getting valuable data on the real
world durability of their cars. I don't think the average owner would get a
free battery or CV joints when they reach a couple of hundred thousand miles
in 10+ years.

~~~
threeseed
The fact that the battery had to be replaced 3 times in 3 years seems very
odd.

An average owner would likely never have it replaced.

~~~
bound008
This is just a guess from reading the article, but the A/C that was running
non stop for years runs off of the 12V battery instead of being belt driven.
There are many issues that occur when people take affordable passenger cars,
(e.g. Camry) and drive them as taxis, that stem from not being used as
designed.

~~~
reportingsjr
The article states that the A/C compressor runs off of the high voltage
battery, not the 12V.

I'm curious what is running off of the 12v to cause such wear, but considering
the miles traveled having to replace it 3 times isn't actual that crazy.

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ScottFree
I'd really like to see a write-up like this on one of the model S's from
northern europe. The biggest longevity concern for me is rust and corrosion of
the frame due to winter road salt.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Most of the Model S and X chassis is aluminum, and will experience longer
longevity than traditional steel frame vehicles.

~~~
lttlrck
It might not rust but it can corrode.

Ford had hood issues:

[http://www.fordproblems.com/hood-rust/](http://www.fordproblems.com/hood-
rust/)

Aluminum boats:

[https://goneoutdoors.com/effects-saltwater-aluminum-
boats-85...](https://goneoutdoors.com/effects-saltwater-aluminum-
boats-8568042.html)

~~~
greglindahl
The first link about hoods is talking about aluminum/iron interfaces, not
salt.

~~~
nitrogen
During my DIY days I had a 10+ year old BMW in a winter climate with an
aluminum heat shield on the exhaust. When I swapped out the muffler, the heat
shield was barely even recognizable as aluminum and basically crumbled to dust
in places.

~~~
greglindahl
Was that because of road salt, or steel parts nearby? Steel parts nearby are
usually the actual issue.

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sremani
[https://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/1579](https://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/1579)

This Volt made it over 475K miles -- not sure of the current status. I think
it had couple repairs or so.

some more backstory : [https://insideevs.com/news/334835/this-chevy-volt-
has-400000...](https://insideevs.com/news/334835/this-chevy-volt-
has-400000-miles-on-odometer-with-no-noticeable-battery-degradation/)

------
nrb
One thing to note is that this is a rental/commercial vehicle, which people
absolutely do not treat as kindly as their own vehicles. They don't mention
how many miles were shuttle vs normal rental, and I'm surprised the article
makes only a brief passing mention of that fact at the beginning.

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Paperweight
I wish there was a "continually improved" model of car where they gradually
tweak every part that fails over time, instead of just throwing it all out
with an "all new redesigned" model every 10 years (with all fresh weaknesses).

~~~
frosted-flakes
There kind of is. The Chevrolet Express/GMC Savannah vans have remained
largely the same since the late 1990s. The design of the headlights and grill
have changed a few times, and there are several different versions of the
engines, but stuff like brake systems, heater controls and fans, seats,
instrument panel, etc. are more or less the same.

I don't think GM makes passenger versions anymore, but the cargo vans are
still super common in my area (southern Ontario).

~~~
Paperweight
Have they actually improved its weaknesses, though, besides upgrading the
engine from time to time?

For example, today I replaced a front wheel hub-bearing on a FWD car. These
are designed with a cast steering knuckle that the axle goes through. The
bearing assembly is mounted on the front of the bore, the axle goes through
the bore into the hub-bearing from the back, and there's a little seal on the
back of the bore that the axle rides on.

Diagram:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Steering...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Steering_knuckle_diagram.png)

The weakness is that water inevitably gets into the bore around the back seal
(since the axle moves around a bit) and the only way out is _through_ the
bearing out the front. It rusts out. Nobody has improved this design for the
past 50 years, as far as I am aware. Perhaps a weep hole? Perhaps they need to
be completely filled with grease?

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justinph
I want to say this is fairly reasonable for a 400k vehicle, but two AC
compressors before 120k miles is crappy. An electric-driven compressor has a
muuuuuch easier life than one driven by serpentine belt that with a clutch. It
should be essentially a forever part. That's some shitty design on Tesla's
part.

Going that long on factory brakes shouldn't be too surprising either; hybrids
have been doing that for decades.

~~~
m463
> electric-driven compressor has a muuuuuch easier life

I disagree. Tesla cars run the compressor more often.

\- There's a setting most people leave enabled that will cool the car anytime
it reaches 104 (when parked).

\- you can also leave the ac going while you're away from the car, like in a
restaurant.

\- you can cool the car from your phone

\- this was a service vehicle, so they probably left it going so customers
would get a cool car.

\- This specific tesla was going across the desert between vegas/palm
springs/los angeles

------
gibsonf1
That equates to $60 per month maintenance if the car had been driven 10K miles
per year ($29K / 400K miles = $.0725 per mile) which seems extremely good.

~~~
Someone1234
> That equates to $60 per month maintenance

You mean $600/month? $29,000/48 = $604.16. And that doesn't include Tesla's
free (outside of warranty) battery replacement.

~~~
Ottolay
Your number assumes the car is driven 100,000 miles a year, which would get it
to 400,000 miles in 48 months (4 years).

The original comment assumed 10,000 miles a year, which is on the light end.

~~~
Someone1234
The car is only 4 years old, it couldn't have been driven longer than it has
existed.

~~~
prawn
I think OP adjusted to more regular annual mileage (10k miles/year), and
adjusted the costs with it.

~~~
anchpop
Additionally, with lighter milage, many of the repairs would likely have not
been necessary.

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serf
This is out of the context of the article, but how does someone spend the cash
on a Tesla X and then put Nexen tires on it as soon as possible?

I can't think of a company that makes cheaper rubber.

Might just be my own opinion, but talk about out-of-whack priorities.

I wouldn't want to drive even the world's safest car if it had tires on it
that I wouldn't put on a mid 90s beater car.

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peter303
My two Honda Civics had similar profile: pretty reasonable to maintain the
first 200K miles. Then not so cost effective afterwards.

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ryanmercer
I mean... 400k miles is a LOT. I've never personally been in a vehicle with
that many miles, the most I've seen in a vehicle I've driven/ridden in is
about 190k miles and the car really needed to be shot and put out of its
misery. The fact the car was still running at 400k miles is amazing.

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throw0101a
I've heard that the LeMans 24-Hour race is very gruelling on vehicles: how
practical would having a Tesla (or any other EV) try doing it? (Or has it been
tried?)

~~~
tonyedgecombe
A Tesla would be left for dead by a Leaf:

[https://insideevs.com/news/359903/video-nissan-leaf-beats-
te...](https://insideevs.com/news/359903/video-nissan-leaf-beats-tesla-
model-s/)

~~~
jhloa2
"The particular race showcased in the video is between an older Tesla Model S
and a new, modified Nissan LEAF PLUS"

Doesn't really seem like a fair comparison, regardless of what the subtitle
says.

~~~
tonyedgecombe
Of course it isn't, the whole argument is pointless. It's just a bit of fun.

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winrid
A comparison to a similarly priced car/mileage/environment would be more
interesting.

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winrid
A front axle replacement is $2k? That's insane!

~~~
csharptwdec19
Ehh, the line item says front axle and part of the Halfshaft.

I'll admit I don't know all the parts in these cars... but if I see front axle
and front halfshaft there's probably a differential and other stuff involved
too. Such things can vary pretty wildly in price. As an example, the front
diff for my car it is just a couple hundred bucks for the part, on some VW
models it's almost a grand. The Tesla part is probably on the lower side of
that band, if it was involved. A more detailed breakout would be helpful to
find out.

~~~
winrid
If the repair included a differential the line item would have said that
right?

Replacing an axle doesn't mean the differential is involved at all.

As someone who's replaced at least a dozen axles.

