Sounds like a business opportunity to me. Aftermarket Tesla replacement panel company? Build and sell a replacement half the price of ol Elon?
Tesla Touchscreens Only Built to Last 5-6 Years
- Thread starter FordMoCo21
- Start date
Most Euro lux cars are built to be 80% reliable for the duration of a standard lease or basic warranty period. Japanese cars were always better, but have been slacking off especially with CVT transmissions.
Lexus cant get their current gen AC servo motors to last a year, let alone a basic warranty period. I was replacing entire AC servo sets (4-5 servos) under warranty at least once a week the last year I was a tech. Some cars were on their 3rd set of servos under the basic original warranty. Lemon law didnt apply because it would not lock out defrost or the heat. Since it is deemed not a safety defect, it gets 4 repair attempts under warranty outside of California.
.... we all know about the Big 3 lmao
People act like this doesn’t happen across other brands. I can’t even tell you how many 5 year old cars I total loss or can’t repair due to parts availability. Specially when it comes to structural components. The OEMs just don’t hold a revolving stock of parts like they used to because either people don’t retain cars that long anymore or they simply don’t want their customers to.
You can practically rebuild an entire car between places like Rock Auto, Advance, AutoZone, etc. Not to mention the take-off places, copart, etc. etc. Let me know when it's that easy to get Tesla shit. Until then, their planned obsolescence is a much larger issue than manufacturers simply not maintaining old stock. The issue with Tesla is you don't need to crash the car, and then find the part. The car crashes itself (figuratively) in the driveway, by self destructing.
min not saying Tesla isn’t in the wrong, but what I’m saying is most people do not have the capabilities to rebuild said car even if they have the parts. The calibration equipment alone is a large chunk of the value of a given vehicle. Let alone the knowledge of how to use said equipment.
I think one of the biggest issues I have with it, beyond the car NEEDING to be replaced at 5 years, is the fact that if you don't get it repaired before trading it in, how large of a hit will that have on trade in value?
As of now, some cars hold value quite well, and you can carry that over to a new vehicle. If you go to trade in a Tesla that literally doesn't work, what is the thing even worth? Once this happens for a few decades now the prices of cars have to come down due to people simply not having the initial capital to put down (trade in credit). Then the manufacturers would likely have to find a way to lower the price of the average car. They're pigeon holing themselves really... But I guess they're more worried about next quarter's revenue than 10 years from now. That's for the next CEO to deal with lol.
I can't say for sure, but I have a feeling the price of the average car can rise quicker than the increase in income due to the fact that people kind of "build up" their trade in... Buy a car for 30k, trade in for 12k on a 40k car. Then trade in that 40k car for 16k on a 50k car etc. Obviously this assumption only works if the car is getting paid off each step, but income could stay relatively flat...
My guess is this MAY work for Tesla, as their buyers do tend to be more affluent, so a new car, regardless of trade in credit, every 5 years isn't such a big deal. But most other brands that do cater to lower income folks, simply will not be able to get away with this tactic.
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