[m463]

> ban on firmware updates and programming tools locked behind a dealer

Tesla won't let you buy parts unless you enter the vehicle vin. I believe some other things you have to order through the tesla app.

I think those kinds of requirements should be disallowed too.

[nickff]

The VIN requirement may be due to part (version) differences between vintages. Most automakers make few changes during production of (one year’s) model, whereas Tesla seems to make changes all the time.

[izacus]

Other manufacturers manage just find without this kind of block, there's really no need to jump at corporate defense like this.

[mschuster91]

Legacy car industry has a life cycle for a model of about 6-8 years with a "refresh" in the center, so usually you can get by with model variant code(s) and construction mm/yy to find a specific spare part. Designs are locked in-between and you can't just go and swap suppliers or whatnot, which is what almost broke the neck of the entire industry back in the heyday era of covid - there was no flexibility, even if there were alternative suppliers for missing parts. Everything is solidly locked with multi-year long contracts on both sides.

Tesla however, they change stuff alllll the damn time because they make so much of their stuff in-house, the vertical integration eliminates the need for rigid contracts. You absolutely need the VIN because for some differences even knowing the week of the production doesn't give sufficient resolution.

By the way, legacy car makers are also shifting to that model, BMW for example doesn't deliver paper-printed sheets for which fuse in the fuse box does what for a few years now, you have to use an online service. The logistics for printing the sheets for all the variants became too complex.

[DrillShopper]

> Tesla however, they change stuff alllll the damn time because they make so much of their stuff in-house, the vertical integration eliminates the need for rigid contracts. You absolutely need the VIN because for some differences even knowing the week of the production doesn't give sufficient resolution.

Sounds like a maintenance nightmare. Who decides when parts go EOL?

[izacus]

This is absolutely not true, other manufacturers refresh their models all the time. They just use a simple approach - part numbers to track what goes where. Funny how you call THEM "legacy", not a company that can't do that.

[lamontcg]

Yet another reason to not buy a Tesla.

All of that fuckery is not going to help you or the technician when your car breaks.

I guess this suggests what kind of people should be buying Teslas (buying new cars every 1-3 years) and what their resale value should quickly become (disposable cars).

[smolder]

Interestingly in an 80's Toyota I worked on there were some minor revisions part way through a given model year. Most of the vehicle stayed the same, but I recall in some cases you needed to know year and month rather than just year in order to find the correct part or wiring diagram. I'd have to answer the question: Do I have the early version or the late version in this case?

[titzer]

Model year and engine config (e.g. cylinder count) has usually been enough for auto parts for decades.

[imchillyb]

Vehicle manufacturers don't typically re-source parts in the middle of production, nor would they do this several times in one year.

Tesla does. They're constantly changing parts out.