Model y serviceability by owner?

[kehyler]

Hi Guys,

I'm considering a model y to replace an aging Prius. I'm now waffling a bit from a previous question I asked: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...ndation-4-seat-sporty-manual-reliable.393712/

Realized that a model y might fit the bill, if I relaxed the manual transmission requirement .

Regarding Tesla vehicles (Model Y, in particular). Have people had success buying repair parts and installing them themselves? I'm thinking of things like brake pads, calipers, control arms etc. On my Toyota vehicles, I've never had a problem getting a part I need. Just trying to learn whether I should be considering an EV. I like the idea of not doing so much maintenance...

Thanks,

-kehyler

 

[Rand]

If I wanted a budget EV I'd consider a 3-4 year old bolt before the EV credit expires.

With model Y your insurance tripling is the pain.

 

[JeffKeryk]

As @Rand posted, it is wise to check your insurance.
Regarding servicing, the cars don't need much. Brakes last a long time due to Regen braking.
There have been parts problems in accidents, so that could be an issue. Perhaps Youtube Tesla repairs?

My guess is, if you can charge at home, you just might love a Tesla.
Good luck.

 

[kehyler]

Was able to stop by a Tesla service center, and they at-least stated that they sold parts to owners.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Was able to stop by a Tesla service center, and they at-least stated that they sold parts to owners.

Yes, if they have them. I think the part procurement problems were mainly in the earlier years, but ya never know.

 

[Trav]

Was able to stop by a Tesla service center, and they at-least stated that they sold parts to owners.

You can buy parts direct from Tesla online. I suggest you look at other makes and compare the price of parts especially the drive train and HV battery. Most others look much better and have higher build quality than the Tesla anyway, do not be swayed by fan boys.

https://epc.tesla.com/en-US/catalogs

 

[fdcg27]

Rock has everything available that you'd be likely to need.
I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised at this and the prices are not too awful.
I'm sure that plenty of indie shops are also able to procure parts and do the work at reasonable prices.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I would check your insurance first

 

[Torrid]

I don't think it will be an issue for parts. Tesla will sell them aside from any of the more major parts. Consumables like you mention are widely available. Anything major like the HV battery and motors are under warranty for 8 years, 120k miles. Like mentioned, check your insurance. While they're not much higher here than other cars I've owned, I've heard they can be bad when it comes to rates in other areas.

If there's a car I know, it's the Model Y.

 

[kehyler]

...If there's a car I know, it's the Model Y.
...

I test drove a blue like that yesterday.

Do you have any major complaints about your model Y?

 

[Torrid]

I test drove a blue like that yesterday.

Do you have any major complaints about your model Y?

I haven't had any issues outside of FSD functionality, but FSD in general has really weird problems in my area. I don't use it much. Overall I feel like Tesla did a great job combining simplicity and technology. If I was to buy something different than the Y Performance, it would be the Model 3 Performance just because there's not a new Model Y Performance available yet. I still prefer the Model 3's design, but it's a little small for our needs these days. We actually traded a Model 3 for the blue Model Y because of space.

 

[kehyler]

^Yeah, I'd want a Model 3 but DW wants the space of the Y.

Edit to add that I'm curious about FSD, so I'm torn between acting on the federal credit and waiting for the new hardware that's supposedly around the corner. I don't need a new vehicle at the moment, so I can choose either option.

 

[Torrid]

^Yeah, I'd want a Model 3 but DW wants the space of the Y.

Edit to add that I'm curious about FSD, so I'm torn between acting on the federal credit and waiting for the new hardware that's supposedly around the corner. I don't need a new vehicle at the moment, so I can choose either option.

The problem is the hardware always goes out of date. The 2023 Model 3 we had was HW3 and Tesla said that would make it to unsupervised. Then that wasn't enough so HW4 came out and we were told it had all kinds of headroom in compute power to go unsupervised. Now the same story starts again. If you like the car, get the car. Don't get it specifically for FSD though. You will end up disappointed with its wayward performance.

 

[97prizm]

Hi Guys,

I'm considering a model y to replace an aging Prius. I'm now waffling a bit from a previous question I asked: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...ndation-4-seat-sporty-manual-reliable.393712/

Realized that a model y might fit the bill, if I relaxed the manual transmission requirement .

Regarding Tesla vehicles (Model Y, in particular). Have people had success buying repair parts and installing them themselves? I'm thinking of things like brake pads, calipers, control arms etc. On my Toyota vehicles, I've never had a problem getting a part I need. Just trying to learn whether I should be considering an EV. I like the idea of not doing so much maintenance...

Thanks,

-kehyler

If you dig a little You'll find page after page of frustrated owners. Tesla can't even keep track of which part was installed which date on which vehicles. Teslas insurance in California was according to Musk "Supposed to significantly reduce insurance premiums since they owned it" that hasn't panned out. Numerous owners have seen extensive waits (45 days or more) on parts and repairs. This isn't new news. Tesla also has a bad habit changing parts/part numbers on a whim so who knows if you buy one if or what parts it'll have.

 

[97prizm]

The problem is the hardware always goes out of date. The 2023 Model 3 we had was HW3 and Tesla said that would make it to unsupervised. Then that wasn't enough so HW4 came out and we were told it had all kinds of headroom in compute power to go unsupervised. Now the same story starts again. If you like the car, get the car. Don't get it specifically for FSD though. You will end up disappointed with its wayward performance.

I wanted to bet Musk a Billion dollars that HW3 wouldn't be fully autonomous or unsupervised. I flat out knew he was pumping the stock again. FSD/autopilot continue to run red lights, etc.
And in case of any doubt AGAIN Tesla has the HIGHEST accident rate of any auto manufacturer. Forbes updated their data in February 2025.
Tesla has accident rate per 1000 vehicles

 

[Torrid]

I wanted to bet Musk a Billion dollars that HW3 wouldn't be fully autonomous or unsupervised. I flat out knew he was pumping the stock again. FSD/autopilot continue to run red lights, etc.
And in case of any doubt AGAIN Tesla has the HIGHEST accident rate of any auto manufacturer. Forbes updated their data in February 2025.
Tesla has accident rate per 1000 vehicles

It doesn't matter what hardware they're on. It's never going to be fully autonomous with only cameras. I voice my opinion online with people of my FSD experience and most of the nuts say I need to start my own YouTube channel documenting the issues. The problem is that if that was my business, I'd gladly do it. FSD's issues are a major inconvenience to me when I run into these problems. It's infuriating. It doesn't spark the idea of picking up a camera and documenting it since I'm not going to set up and film every drive. I don't have time for that. I'll just not use FSD.

Then I'm just a Tesla hater. Such a hater that I've bought three of them. Tesla fanboys might be the most annoying people I've ever dealt with in my life. It's like they can't be honest about how anything works with the car. Not everything is perfect and it's biggest flaw is FSD. By far. I'm genuinely loving California trying to ban sales for 30 days because of truth in advertising issues with Full Self Driving. Now I don't think that should ban sales of cars, but I wouldn't have problems with them not allowing FSD sales until they get a bit more blatant with their disclaimers.

Now I would say that there are actually plenty of disclaimers in the software for FSD. I've seen them. They're adequate for smart human beings. The problem is we live in a world where everything needs a disclaimer for least gifted among us and given how some treat FSD it's obvious to me that most are ignoring these disclaimers or just don't care and trust the system way more than they should. I get that some have had great experiences with FSD. I wish I could say the same. That's the part that concerns me that when it does go wrong those using FSD with the rosiest of experiences they probably will not be ready for the resulting incident.

 

[GON]

If you dig a little You'll find page after page of frustrated owners. Tesla can't even keep track of which part was installed which date on which vehicles. Teslas insurance in California was according to Musk "Supposed to significantly reduce insurance premiums since they owned it" that hasn't panned out. Numerous owners have seen extensive waits (45 days or more) on parts and repairs. This isn't new news. Tesla also has a bad habit changing parts/part numbers on a whim so who knows if you buy one if or what parts it'll have.

If Tesla owners are only waiting 45 days for parts on late model Tesla's, they are doing significantly better than purchasers if the big three USA vehicles.

Frequently I read stories of individuals with their Ford, Chevy, Ram with their late model truck at the dealer over 180 days waiting for parts under warranty.

Times are a changing for automotive parts. Not sure why, but appears to be a risk in certain late model vehicles, especially full size pick ups.

 

[nobb]

Teslas save on engine and transmission related maintenance but they still have fluids like brake fluid, coolant, gear oil. I'm curious how easy these are to DIY service?

The other intimidating thing to DIY would be anything related to the HV system or the computers. But I suppose most modern vehicles and even hybrids are like that now. Curious if anyone has any general experiences with this.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Teslas save on engine and transmission related maintenance but they still have fluids like brake fluid, coolant, gear oil. I'm curious how easy these are to DIY service?

The other intimidating thing to DIY would be anything related to the HV system or the computers. But I suppose most modern vehicles and even hybrids are like that now. Curious if anyone has any general experiences with this.

My guess is, before too long some of the services will be on YT along side the Corolla oil changes.

 

[NissanGuy91]

Teslas save on engine and transmission related maintenance but they still have fluids like brake fluid, coolant, gear oil. I'm curious how easy these are to DIY service?

The other intimidating thing to DIY would be anything related to the HV system or the computers. But I suppose most modern vehicles and even hybrids are like that now. Curious if anyone has any general experiences with this.

The basics are easy and don't require any special tools. I've Changed the drive unit's oil and it was very easy to do. Recently my 12V battery went dead with no warning and that was a real pain since no local stores carry the 12V battery and Tesla had to replace it but it was only 140$. Also when you put the car into service mode you can activate the abs pump for the brake fluid flush.