[lowbloodsugar]

Re: #3 - handle what? Changing the oil? Replacing the clutch. Dealing with the camshaft gears shredding and destroying engine? Fixing any part of the gear box? Of the automatic gearbox? My belt tensioner isn't. The clutch on my ac is broken. My powersteering hydraulic line came loose and sprayed all over the road. My power steering pump needs replacing (a month after the fluid got dumped). Piston ring blown. Cylinder head gasket needs replacing.

So looking forward not to have to take the car to any kind of mechanic at all except for brakes and wiper fluid. Sure, anything else probably means swapping something out, but if you've ever had your gasoline engine out of your car, you'll know swapping out an electric motor is trivial by comparison.

[elihu]

EVs can potentially be very low maintenance, but they're still machines with parts that will wear out or break eventually if driven far enough: bearings, cv joints, suspension components, electric power steering units, etc... Plus all the little accessories that aren't part of the drivetrain or steering/suspension/brakes but might cause problems if they break, like motorized door handles or flash memory chips that have been written to too many times, or whatever.

Being able to get access to the parts and information necessary to fix things can make a lot of difference when things fail and the warrantee is expired. This is basically the "right to repair" issue. Some people care about it a lot and some people don't.

[imtringued]

Other than oil dripping on to the parking lot I haven't had any ICE related problems. Sure the car needs a yearly inspection and oil changes but the costs have been minimal. I've spent more on window repairs, brake pad & discs, tires and broken power steer than on ICE related maintenance.

[Sohcahtoa82]

> So looking forward not to have to take the car to any kind of mechanic at all except for brakes and wiper fluid.

You won't even need to go to a mechanic for brakes.

Regen breaking means your brake pads are rarely actually used and will probably last a million miles.

AFAIK, the only maintenance item you'll likely be taking an EV to is tires.

[monkmartinez]

This just isn't factual. Every part of car will eventually wear out. Go spend some time on the Tesla forums and you'll see they are not even close to maintenance free.

[Sohcahtoa82]

Are you using "maintenance" in this context to refer to repairing parts that might wear out or break, such as perhaps a suspension component, or a door handle breaking?

Because I'm only considering "regular" maintenance that most people do every X miles or Y years. For a Tesla, the only "regular" maintenance is cabin filters, tire-related maintenance, brake fluid, an A/C. The 12V battery also needs replacement periodically.

I strictly use the word "maintenance" to refer to preventative care and replacement of consumables such as tires, filters, and washer fluid. Repairs of failed parts are something else.

[nikau]

What's the point of compartmentalizing it other than to push a misleading "EVs are cheaper" narrative?

If it costs money its adds to the total cost of ownership, whether its preventative maintenance or unscheduled break fix.

The only difference with preventative is its scheduled so you can organize the work to fit your schedule without much inconvenience.

At the end of the day you need to factor in the entire cost of the car over its lifespan and figure out at what distance the cost of ownership crosses over from ICE being cheaper to EV being cheaper.

This includes repairs, fuel/electricity, insurance, opportunity cost of not having the price difference to invest, etc.

[lowbloodsugar]

"Analysis of real-world maintenance and repair cost data from thousands of CR members shows that BEV and PHEV owners are paying half as much as ICE owners are paying to repair and maintain their vehicles."

- Consumer Reports [1]

[1] https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/wp-content/uploads/2020...

[nikau]

Yeah that document is up there with Gartner research in terms of integrity.

Ignoring the fact they used "predicted five-year residual values" for their real word data, and the fact they compare a telsa model 3 to an BMW/Audi/Lexus rather than a Camry or something in the same actual class, the operational costs are nowhere near "half" in their own table, eg.

A telsa model 3 over "lifetime" is $49,800 whereas a Lexus is $63,200 - significantly less than $99,600.

Oh and thats skipping the insurance and charger costs too.

Its a biased piece of toilet paper.

[Ekaros]

I would actually be worried about brakes not getting used instead of them getting used and worn out. Having replaced my KIA's breaks due to dragging. After all they are hydraulic system with moving parts that can get stuck if not used enough.

[nikau]

Ironically Teslas have issues with binding brakes due to lack of use.

[nikau]

I hope you didn't get a Tesla as they specify an AC service every two years