[ebikelaw]

The guy sitting right next to me has been increasingly angry about not being able to get a new headlight for his Model S, at a price well over $2000, for over a year. I don't think the lack of a dealer service network is a big plus for Tesla. It's just another aspect of their "disruption" circus.

[compcoffee]

>not being able to get a new headlight for his Model S, at a price well over $2000, for over a year.

Most of the main stream media seems completely oblivious to the struggles with parts and service Tesla is having. Twitter and the forums are filled with people who have had their cars waiting for parts for weeks and sometimes months. And this supply chain will be strained moreso after all these Model 3s have been in service for a while.

Meanwhile, some people talk about how superior this system is. Can anyone explain the difference between a "dealer" and a "Tesla service centre/store"?

[smsm42]

So you've got a car that costs $70-100K, and then you can't get a headlight for it for a year? And I understand it's illegal to drive with a non-functional headlight, so you can't use the car for the whole time, or at least part of the time? And the headlight costs $2K - I could buy a working used car for that price (I did). I just checked and my car's headlight assembly costs around $100 and I could order it from Amazon. I guess it must be a heavenly pleasure to drive a Tesla to put up with stuff like that.

[mikestew]

And I understand it's illegal to drive with a non-functional headlight, so you can't use the car for the whole time, or at least part of the time?

In many (all?) U. S. states, your headlights must be functional at all times. IOW, if you have an obviously non-functioning headlight, you can be pulled over at noon on the summer solstice. Don't plan on being out after dark? Many states require you have lights on in the rain. Or that matter, can you guarantee you won't be caught out after dark?

So, in summary, by the law of many states the Tesla would be unusable for that year.

[ebikelaw]

In California no white person has ever been pulled over for having one non-working headlight.

[smsm42]

I have never had headlight malfunctioning but both myself and my wife have been warned by the police about malfunctioning tail lights (it wasn't exactly pulled over as it was on a plazas so it may not count as driving). We both are white (though there was no way for the policeman to know that upfront before approaching the vehicle, as it was dark) and live in California. I think you are confusing your ideological biases with facts.

[davidgould]

This is untrue by counter-example: I'm white and back in the 80s got pulled over on US 80 headed down from Donner Pass to Reno in blowing snowstorm for having a non-working headlight. The CHP officer looked at my license, looked at me, and said, "Hey, I went to high school with you, I'm Steve" and after a few minutes reminiscing sent me on my way with a friendly "make sure you get that light fixed".

See, the system works! /s

[mikestew]

Is the implication that black people don't drive Teslas? Because I know that's not true.

[ebikelaw]

Black people get pulled over for being black.

[gowld]

Headlights are only required in dark and rain, times when police aren't out trawling for violations to meet quota.

[mikestew]

No, headlights are only required to be turned on in dark and rain. In the state of WA, your car is to have two forward-facing front headlights. Though the law does not specify that they must work, I assume it is implied that word "headlight" means it will produce light at any given time.

[dragonwriter]

Even aside from confusing the requirement for activated headlights with that for operable ones:

> Headlights are only required in dark and rain

...and in tunnels and in designated “daylight headlight areas” (often forested areas that are typically overshadowed); there are lots of places that cannot be accessed conveniently without crossing such a stretch.

> times when police aren't out trawling for violations to meet quota.

Even aside from th mistaken idea that times other than heightened enforcement (whether quota driven or otherwise) are safe from ticketing, there are lots of heightened enforcement times that can happen in dark and rain; and they are often times that people are likely to wait to to drive—particular holiday periods, for instance.

[prostoalex]

If a corporate Tesla-owned service center has an issue getting the part, why would a third-party-owned dealership fare better?

[paulddraper]

It wouldn't.

I don't think the implication was that a non-Tesla party would be faster at getting a Tesla part; rather they would be faster at getting a non-Tesla part.

[prostoalex]

Can dealership do that? Every time I went in for Nissan service, they emphasized the genuine parts (I suppose to justify the mark-up).

If a random mechanic can get a random non-Tesla part, why is there a need to affiliate themselves with Tesla? Bunch of shops in my area advertise that they "fix German cars" without flying a Mercedes-Benz or BMW logo.

[dsfyu404ed]

I find those details hard to believe

If they cost $2k and are backordered a year then why hasn't some dude in china with a set of dial calipers and a Rolodex of people who own factories that make plastic car parts isn't making good enough knockoffs for $500 and selling them on eBay and Alibaba for $1000?

[Avshalom]

I'd guess Tesla has a 5$ headlight and a 1995$ encrypted ROM to brick your car if you go outside their supply chain

[dsfyu404ed]

At some level hardware is hardware. If the headlight has a module that needs to to authenticate then someone would offer a "send in your core and we replace all the shattered plastic and glue it back together" service. Such services are commonplace in the aftermarket parts industry. Usually they just charge you for the core and credit you when the core you send in is good but for rare/low volume stuff you have to send in a core before they do anything which is the business model I would expect to see for something like a Tesla headlight.

[davrosthedalek]

Have a look at Rich Rebuilds on youtube. There is a long list of things Tesla can do if you go outside of their blessed supply chain. Including, for example, revoking super charger rights. They might not do it over a broken headlight, but it's a bet you have to take.

[TomMarius]

> Such services are commonplace in the aftermarket parts industry.

Such services are available for the most common vehicles, not every vehicle. It also takes time to prepare, and if the market is small (Tesla is still a niche luxury car), then why even bother?

I know, I know, there are cities where it's a relatively common vehicle. That's not enough, it has to be relatively common on at least one whole continent.

[greedo]

But then the buyer is having to pay out of pocket for a warranty repair.