It’s fun being a Tesla owner until it’s not. This year began with one of those “not-fun” moments when my Model X made an odd grinding/rattling sound when accelerating. I spent three weeks trying to gauge whether it would be more painful to foot the bill to have this problem repaired, or to drive around with my car sounding like a Power Wheels Jeep. Eventually, the sound became as annoying as a mosquito buzzing in my ears, so I took the car for service on January 7th.
I was very familiar with this repair, since this would be the third time that it was needed in my car. It is called a half shaft repair, which is a replacement of the part that connects the electric motor to the front wheels. Since the motor is so powerful, it tends to damage the front half shaft on hard acceleration. But over the past year, I’ve been slowly accelerating like a 94-year-old driver because my factory warranty expired and another repair would cause my wallet to also need a repair. Apparently, driving carefully made no difference and the motor caused damage to the half shaft, my emotions, and my trust in Tesla in one fell swoop.
The service center evaluated the car and sent me the estimate for the repair: $1,753.81. OUCH! I thought, “maybe I can just play Spotify at full volume to drown out the grinding/rattling noise and save myself the seventeen hundred and fifty three dollar and eighty one cent repair.” But the car was already in the service center and I wanted it to live a long life, so I approved the repair.
Two days later, they found something else and I had to put on my figurative helmet to brace for the figurative punch in my literal face. I don’t know if I was supposed to be happy that they were proactively identifying issues, or annoyed about the additional bill. This time, issue was that both motor mounts needed to be replaced because they interfered with ride comfort. The new estimate: $3,822.21. DOUBLE OUCH! I began to think, “maybe it’ll just be cheaper to buy a good, reliable horse.” But a horse poops and doesn’t have Spotify, so I couldn’t go that route. I approved the repair again.
The car was with the Tesla service center for one month. One month of driving a loaner car and missing my beloved Big Blacky HJackee (yes…that’s her real name and the H is silent). Then I got the call that the car was ready for pick-up. I paid the wallet-injuring bill and I picked up my car. While driving home that night, the car made a much more violent sound and the screen kept flashing “VEHICLE MAY NOT RESTART – SERVICE IS REQUIRED.” Did I just pay the equivalent of 331,704 Rupees for my car to be a giant paperweight? I had to return the next day for it to be serviced, and, as luck would have it, the next day the car refused to drive after it got to the service center.
They evaluated the car again and now it was the battery heater that needed replacement. New price for the repair: $938.91. TRIPLE OUCH! Maybe it would be a better idea to go with the horse, wear AirPods for Spotify and carry a shovel to deal with the manure, but then I realized that going from 518 horsepower to 1 horsepower would be a huge downgrade. I approved the repair again.
While the car was in for service, a truck ran off the highway and rammed 7 cars in the parking lot—six of which were also at Tesla for service. Earlier that week, my car was parked in the spot that was in the direct path of the truck’s demolition derby, but it was moved to the opposite side of the parking lot because I had a planned visit for a mid-service inspection. If it had not been for that visit, my car could have been pulverized by a box truck. Suddenly, these car issues seemed minor in comparison and I had a newfound appreciation for my car. I needed Hjackee back, expeditiously!
The team at the service center expedited the repair and waived the cost of the final invoice, so I had my car back to me 48 hours later. Ever since that day, it has driven great and problem free. I believe that the car decided to act right so it wouldn’t be back in a place where a rogue truck can careen into its front fender and end its life. But what she should actually be worried about is her owner putting her up for adoption if she keeps costing him thousands of dollars to keep her alive.
Get it together, Hjackee!