Tesla Admits Failure On Roadster Service; To Offer 'Dedicated' Technicians, Service Channel

Tesla has reassured Roadster owners with more service support via a “dedicated channel” comprising service advisors, technicians and repair centers. The electric carmaker also admitted its service for Tesla Roadster has not been exemplary.

According to a CNBC report that quoted an e-mail by Tesla’s President of Automotive Jerome Guillen, Roadster owners have been offered many options to improve their vehicles.

Promises better service

The report said an impression prevails that enthusiasts who purchased Tesla’s debut vehicle are a neglected lot after the company amplified focus on the Model S and other models since 2012.

It has been known that Tesla no longer manufactures spare parts for its original Roadsters. There is also no facility for drivers to book Roadster service appointments through the apps that serve other Tesla vehicles, per insider sources.

“Delivering great service is important for automakers as new vehicle sales growth is slowing down overall,” noted Hans-Werner Kaas, Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company.

The Tesla Roadster was produced and delivered from 2008 to 2012. So the cars are aged 7 to 11 years as of now. In the U.S., the average age of vehicles is around 12 years. Most automakers make sure cars are easily repaired for a life beyond a dozen years.

In the e-mail, the Tesla official hailed the continued support for Tesla and noted the need to improve service for Roadster and highlighted a “dedicated channel” being in place to address Roadsters’ needs.

There will be dedicated service advisors, service technicians, and repair centers, the mail assured. It also added that the channel will be exclusive for Roadsters and the Tesla app will serve other Tesla cars.

Roadster owners can trade-in for new vehicles

Guillen also urged Roadster owners to trade in their old cars and buy a Model S, Model X or Tesla Model 3. They were also invited to book the next-generation Roadster.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk used to highlight how electric cars are superior to legacy counterparts with internal combustion engines in terms of less maintenance.

Electric vehicles have fewer issues unlike the annual maintenance and replacements required in oil vehicles in terms of motor oil, engine air filters, oil filters, transmission fluid, and spark plugs.

But the problems faced by electric vehicle owners are unique. Ride control and tires need frequent service or replacements due to the higher curb weight and acceleration, notes Kass.

Elon Musk outlines Tesla priorities

Meanwhile, Elon Musk in an internal e-mail outlined “Tesla’s two most critical priorities for December”

Musk said Tesla must deliver “all cars” by the end of the year. Tesla set a recorded delivery of 97,000 cars in the third quarter and that figure needs beating this quarter.

The second priority is to expand the rate of solar deployments significantly, per Electrek. Tesla has also launched a solar rental service allowing homeowners to hire a solar panel system for $50 per month.

Tesla's latest Solar Roof V3 is a less expensive version of its solar tiles. Tesla (TSLA) stock was up 0.17 percent in the after-hours trading on Wednesday, per Yahoo finance.