Comment by Maursault | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Maursault | Hacker News Reader

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> A Tesla service subscription to get access to schematics and troubleshooting help cost $3178 per year. Contrast that with GM's $550 annual charge and you will see the bleak future of Tesla repair.

That doesn't sound all that unreasonable, at first. Auto repair business average between $250K-$500K in annual revenue, but average annual profit might only be $100K. I suspect many that repair domestic ICE vehicles don't bother with subscriptions and rely on the experience of their mechanics. There must be some threshold of Tesla repair customers to make a subscription worthwhile. Though, I live on the East Coast, rural setting, but I have travelled from PA to FL more than a few times since 2019, and it just occurred to me that I have never seen a Tesla in the wild.

> That doesn't sound all that unreasonable, at first.

Selling an item, then selling the repair manual to that item, isn't unreasonable - it's an insult to your customers, and only a few steps removed from extortion. It's the manufacturer saying "I want to use technical means to control how you can use the item, even after you've bought it - and by extension, to control you."

I hope the right to repair movement makes this practice illegal.

As an auto tech, Tesla has fire walled their information from the usual distributors. A AllData Or Mitchell repair subscription cover every (popular) brand except Tesla. Their cost for a single mechanic is cheaper than Tesla's.

Revenue is not equal to profit. Adding in $3000 from each manufacturer could add a huge amount to the operational costs of one of these businesses, further reducing margin and therefore profitability. Additionally, your average home mechanic should be able to deal with most things on a Tesla with the exception of high voltage electronics. That schematic charge prices your average Joe out of the self repair market almost instantly.

It is definitely unreasonable.

I am excited for Hyundai and Kia's EV vehicles with their insane warranties and third party support.

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