YouTube-famous Tesla rebuilder opens shop in “coopetition” with Tesla

Rich Benoit and Chris Salvo, founders of the Electric Garage [YouTube screen capture]Without dealerships, service has been a regular challenge for Tesla and its owners. Reports are so rampant about months-long wait times for Tesla service that CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged that addressing service complaints is his No. 1 priority for 2019, especially after the company's sales exploded as Model 3 production ramped up. Now the...

Dealers start to worry about ebbing repair income from electric cars

Honda Clarity Fuel Cell on lift at dealershipThe average vehicle on U.S. roads these days is more than 10 years old, despite three successive years of record new-vehicle sales. That's a result not only of the 2008-2010 recession but also vastly more durable and reliable vehicles compared to those of previous decades. All of those vehicles provide a ready stream of service revenue to...

Life with Tesla Model S: beware Extended Service Agreement fine print

2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]A couple of years ago, as my 2013 Tesla Model S approached the end of its 50,000-mile warranty, I debated long and hard whether to opt for Tesla’s extended warranty, which they call an Extended Service Agreement (ESA). At $4,000, it wasn’t cheap. It provided four years and an additional 50,000 miles of coverage, up to a total of...

How do you service a hydrogen fuel-cell car at a dealer?

Service technician working on Honda Clarity Fuel Cell at dealershipOver the past century, gasoline-powered vehicles have gotten simultaneously more complex and more reliable. Service intervals have lengthened, drivers no longer check a car's fluids daily or weekly, and many new-car owners will never once open the hood. Reliability data shows that some of them won't visit a dealer service department except for...

Waits for Tesla service get longer as more electric cars are sold

Map of Tesla service center locations in the U.S., December 2016My 2013 Tesla Model S is now approaching 75,000 miles on the odometer. That happens to be the mileage benchmark for my next scheduled Tesla service. So I called my local Tesla service center, in Paramus, New Jersey, to set up the appointment. No problem, the service rep said. The first available slot is...a month from now. Whoa. DON'T MISS: Tesla...