MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2017 - DEC6

Tesla Motors

Shop Key Pro / Mitchell
Figure 15: There was no listing in Mitchell On Demand / Shop Key Pro
for ANY Tesla models.

pany in Massachusetts. That state is the only state
in the United States to have a "Right to Repair Act"
signed into law. Just about every other auto manufacturer (that I'm aware of) provides OEM service
information subscriptions thereby waiving their
legal right to withhold factory service information
from the general public and professionals including legitimate independent service providers such
as the MACS members reading this publication.
Access to factory service information becomes a
legal requirement in states with "Right to Repair
Acts" in place. Therefore regarding Tesla Motors,
you have to have a Massachusetts address (Fig.
16) on your credit card billing info to purchase
an OEM service info subscription unless you are a
'Tesla Approved Body Shop'. As for the trainer 's
experience, while access to the information for his
training business was helpful for obtaining information about Tesla vehicles, obtaining replacement
parts from the dealer was another story. The dealer
didn't offer much in the way of over the counter repair parts and the online catalog to numerous parts
providers either didn't list any Tesla parts or only
listed the very basic listings of bulbs and wiper
blades. (Fig. 17)

Figure 16: This is a far as you can get obtaining OEM information from
Tesla. I was READY to verify what my HEV / EV mentor already said
in a training class and there it was . . . the Tesla information road block.
Clicking on the default for Massachusetts to select my home state of Indiana won't work. The selection is just plain stuck on the ONLY state in
the United States that has a legal "Right to Repair Act" in place. Unless
your personal or shop's credit card has a Massachusetts billing address,
you're not getting Tesla OEM service information. Period.

from just 'average' the 2014 model year. That means
the Tesla S for 2015 didn't make the CR (Consumer
Reports) coveted "recommended" designation. CR
reported that the 2015 Tesla S' main problem areas
involved the drivetrain, power electronics equipment, battery charging equipment, and the Apple
I-Pad sized center console. The typical new car
bugs of body and sunroof squeaks, rattles, and water leaks made the list as well.
CR's survey of the 2015 model also fielded new
complaints on HVAC systems along with steering
and suspension systems. Owner complaints on the
electric drive system have also seemed to be increasing since the Model S debuted in 2012, running its
full production year in 2013. Since you don't really
drive an all-electric car on long highway trips like
a conventional vehicle, most of the model S owners

Tesla Reliability - Maybe They Don't Need Service?
A recent Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (1,400 survey responses) from 2015 model year Tesla Model S owners reported a variety of
problems. The survey led to a below average rating
of the car maker 's overall reliability dropping down

December 2017

MACS Service Reports

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MACS Monthly Newsletter - 2017