Thankfully, due to the reduced amount of parts in Tesla cars compared to typical internal combustion cars, Teslas need very little maintenance. That’s great because not only are Teslas fantastic cars that help accelerate the change to sustainable energy, but on top of that, they don’t require a lot of maintenance!
Thankfully, Tesla cars don’t have to deal with spark plug replacements, oil changes, and other typical replacements from traditional internal combustion engine cars. However, they are still cars, and some level of maintenance should be expected. So what maintenance costs should you expect?
Tire maintenance is one of those things you will never be able to escape when driving a car. The more you drive, the more your tires will wear out, and this will result in the need to bring it in for some tire service. Plenty of other factors will affect the wear of the tires, such as style of driving, road conditions, and weather conditions.
The official Tesla recommendation is to “check your tires every 10,000 - 12,000 miles for rotating, balancing, and aligning needs”. This is definitely something you don’t want to skimp out on, as unbalanced or tires in poor condition can result in sup-optimal performance in braking, turning or accelerating.
Regardless of being electric, Tesla cars still use brake fluid in their hydraulic braking system and hence the brake fluid needs to be properly maintained over time. As the brake fluid ages, it will slowly get contaminated over time, and this decreases performance in the braking system.
Apart from braking, important safety systems of your Tesla such as traction control, and ABS rely on having properly maintained brake fluid. The Tesla recommendation is to test brake fluid every 2 years and to replace whenever needed.
Teslas are equipped with a High Efficiency Particulate Air filter, HEPA in short. HEPA filters are used to filter out particles 0.3 microns or larger, with an efficiency of up to 99.7%. According to Tesla, this can keep out viruses, bacteria, and other nasty particles.
Debris and dirt particles tend to build up inside the HEPA filter, so they can lose effectiveness over time. This is why maintenance for HEPA filters is essential, to make sure the filter is working properly and protecting you against the adequate particles it’s supposed to. Tesla recommends replacing your HEPA filters every 3 years.
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Apart from the previously mentioned maintenance, some other usual wear and tear maintenance can be expected. Interior seat fabric can easily deteriorate over time and can need some fixing.
In addition, brake lights and headlights can naturally need some fixing or maintenance, as they will lose power or other complimentary parts will cease to work.
In conclusion we definitely recommend keeping an eye out on your Tesla’s maintenance. Ignoring the signs of maintenance could lead to bigger problems, and hence it’s always best to listen to the official Tesla recommendations.