Tesla electric cars may be famous for many things, but cheap is not one of them. After the price increase in March, the price of these EVs is no less than $45000, and this figure can soar -- the price of the most expensive Tesla Model x tri motor can reach $138990.
Expensive cars are usually equivalent to expensive parts, so it is not surprising to see that replacing the windshield of Tesla Model x will cost extra. But did you know that it may actually cost three times more than many non electric cars?
This unfortunate news came directly from the Tesla Model x owner in 2018, who shared their experiences on the forum of Tesla Auto Club. It is reported that the maintenance carried out by safelite autoglass company in Scottsdale, Arizona is effective and fast, but it is by no means cheap. In addition, the forum users described that replacing the windshield itself is a long story, so although the actual replacement took only a short time, it took more than a month to wait for parts. This may vary depending on your location - it is possible that Arizona's inventory was low at the time and may have improved later.
According to the user, Tesla hopes to pay $1500 first to replace the windshield during maintenance. Out of pocket means Tesla owners will then have to go through their car insurers to get compensation. This is why they chose the safelite route, but the cost savings were relatively small - all due to the cost of the windshield itself.
Windshield replacement is much cheaper in standard cars
The general ledger bill for repairing Tesla Model x is $1597. This is equivalent to $1311 for parts, $181 for labor and $105 for sales tax. Considering that it takes up to four people to replace the windshield -- two to remove the previous windshield and four to install a new windshield -- labor can be said to be quite cheap. But the windshield itself is not cheap.
According to the data of auto glass locator, in the United States, the average cost of replacing the windshield without insurance is about $375, which is applicable to standard vehicles. Of course, the price will vary due to many factors, from the brand and model of the car to its age, not to mention the location of the owner. According to the data of various repairpal automobile maintenance assessments, autoguide believes that the average price is between $200 and $401. To sum up, even a high average is much cheaper than replacing the windshield of Tesla Model X.
So why are Tesla's maintenance costs so expensive by comparison? This is because Tesla is a relatively new brand, which means that it will take some time for general vehicle maintenance experts to master all the knowledge to solve any Tesla problem relatively easily. Tesla cars are not as rich as their competitors. Therefore, the secondary sources of parts used in Tesla cars are not as easy to obtain as big brands.
In the case of windscreens, the quality of the glass will certainly affect the final cost. As explained by electric car pledge, some Tesla windscreens are double-layer. Cybertruck is also said to be bulletproof, although it can be seen from the above video that Elon Musk's test in front of the live audience was not very successful - the glass broke immediately. Time -- and Tesla's success in the next few years -- will tell us whether any maintenance price of the vehicles manufactured by the brand will rise or fall for future drivers.