In a recent tweet about the genius of having Tesla repair its own vehicles, something every other automaker's dealers have done for over a century, Elong Musk seems to have forgotten how many models it has produced.
Outside repair shops are jack of all trades, which means supporting 1000’s of makes & models. Tesla collision repair specializes in three. Having all parts in stock & not waiting for insurance approval also make a world of difference.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2018
Musk referring to Tesla new and innovative in-house collision repair business says that the company "...specializes in three" models. Counting on our fingers, there is the Roadster, Model S, Model X, and Model 3. which of the four is Tesla not a specialist in repairing?
The hubbub over Tesla cars and repairs is not new. Not only are luxury cars more expensive to repair than mainstream vehicles, but Tesla's luxury cars are also more expensive to repair than are its competitors. And they crash more often. At least that's what the leading experts in auto insurance and safety concluded after a 2017 study.
Posts and threads at Tesla forums detail long waits for collision repairs and Elon Musk's shockingly innovative idea to do what other automakers have done since the dawn of automobiles may help or it may be just more smoke and mirrors. These are not normal delays. Some owners have waited up to eight months for parts to have their Tesla's repaired.
But is it just crash damage repairs that take a long time? Tesla owners are reporting long wait times to get their Tesla's with non-crash issues fixed. And these aren't the Roadsters, Tesla's first car model, to which we are referring, but rather its most recent models. One Model X owner was told that leaving the vehicle at the Tesla Service Center was not even option, but that a wait of multiple weeks just to bring the car in was the sad reality.
Tesla has already duplicated pretty much every dealer business model. Now it is going to bring repairs in-house. Welcome to 1938.