Service Center Openings Tesla’s Musk Shares Brutally Honest Take

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently pledged to expedite the company’s ramp of its physical service centers, even as the company expands its mobile service fleet.

A Tesla Model 3 Performance owner asked Musk when Tesla would open more service centers in the northeastern U.S. The owner, @JeffTutorials, informed Musk he received a wait time of three or more weeks for just an appointment with a service center. Jeff wanted to replace the front upper control arm of his Model 3 and believed it could not be done via Tesla Mobile Service.

“Thank[s] for bringing this up. Tesla will expedite service center openings. Have you tried our mobile service that comes to you,” replied Musk. As Tesla’s fleet grows, it may be time to focus more on delivering quality service and more service options. Currently, Tesla has service centers in 39 countries worldwide. In the U.S., Tesla has service centers in at least 34 different states. Some states only have one Tesla Service Center.

There are no listed Tesla Service Centers in three of the nine states in the northeastern U.S.: Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont.

Among the northeastern states that do have a Tesls Service Center, only one each is listed in Rhode Island and Connecticut. New Jersey has four Tesla Service Centers, while Pennsylvania has three. New York has the most Tesla Service Centers in the northeast, with seven.

That’s a total of 20 Tesla Service Centers in the northeastern U.S. For perspective, California alone has 39 Tesla Service Centers.

During the Q4 2020 earnings call, Automotive Director Jerome Guillen said Tesla hoped the Mobile Service team would address 50% of customer service needs in 2021.

According to Guillen, Tesla planned to open 46 new service centers in North America in the first half of 2021. In retrospect, 46 service centers may not be enough to accommodate Tesla’s growing customer base in the U.S., and even more would be needed to address service needs around the globe.

Tesla is working with third-party repair shops to deliver service to customers. However, it would take experience and knowledgeable technicians to service a Tesla properly.

Lately, Tesla seems to be considering other service options it can provide to owners as its customer base grows. Recently, Tesla quietly debuted service subscriptions, which included a diagnostic software package that could help owners make minor repairs on their own at home. Association’s Foothill chapter. Tell us about the importance of the organization and its role in the industry in California.

A: The shops that join CAA are always the top shops who see the value in the organization and what they do. The CAA provides its members with a lot of valuable information through people like Jack Molodanof, their lobbyist in Sacramento, and speakers we’ve had such as Michael Anderson, BAR representatives and industry leaders. I think the MSOs would benefit from joining CAA too. We plan on meeting again soon as opposed to Zoom calls, and we have some big plans for 2022, so now is the perfect time to join.

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