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Comment by linuxftw | Hacker News Reader

Worse yet, their latest announcement regarding shuttering retail stores also indicates that their solution to their service problem is to deploy a fleet of 'come to you' trucks. EG, they're going to want to dispatch and repair/replace components in your driveway or on the street, which is prohibited in many places.

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This is incorrect. They are closing retail stores, but those are usually not the same as the service centers, even if they share a building. An analogy would be a dealership shuttering their sales department but keeping the service department.

I would expect that this is mostly limited to software-related problems or really small stuff (wipers and window washing fluid) and for everything else they will just tow your car away.

Tow it to where, precisely? Additionally, are you going to get a free loaner that pretty much every other major brand gives you for warranty work?

If you break down on the side of the highway, what then? Where does the car get towed?

I don't know and frankly I'm not sure that Tesla does either yet.

But what are they going to do? Carry around whole drivetrains in their "Service Car Model X" that comes to your house? Even if so, you need specialized equipment, hydraulic lifts etc. to repair things like that.

So what will their options be if they do not have their own (service) shops anymore except than picking up your car, bringing it to _whereever_ and fixing it there?

I don't see any and I think this can and will probably fire back on them.

Exactly, I agree. It's going to be a boondoggle.

> boondoggle

Learned a new word today. Thanks. :-D

I hope that hornswoggle makes your day even better :)

Amazing! :-D

You just assume Tesla has no way to provide service to hundreds of thousands of cars they have on the road? This is just FUD...

They are not closing their service centers. They are closing the showrooms. They are totally separate locations. The showrooms are usually located in malls.

Where's the proof the have the capacity to service 100's of thousands of cars? Do they have a service center in every state? Every major metro area? Currently, they don't have a facility in every state.

I think people are right to be skeptical, buying an automobile is a major financial decision for most folks, and warranty/repair is a very important part of that story.

There are service centers completely separate from the retail locations. They have never done service at their showrooms.

They absolutely have ways to book appointments at their service centers and provide loaner cars.

> They absolutely have ways to book appointments at their service centers and provide loaner cars.

I can barely put 100k € in cash on the table and leave their place with a car and you tell me they have loaners like nothing standing around?

And for the whole of Germany there are 10 service centers listed on their website. That will be a long trip for a repair.

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