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What will EV's do to dealer repair center profits?
We can safely say that EV's with less moving parts, and no oily bits should require less trips to the shop, including for consumables like brake pads due to regen. What will this do to the repair center for dealers which is their current bread and butter?
A lot few repair shops, but the ones that make the transition will still make good business. With all it's safety features idiots still end up damaging their Teslas. I am sure it will still apply to all future BEVs.
And never forget the show-offs who try to do stunts that no car should really do, just go to YouTube and search "Idiot Drivers", no car is safe with them behind the wheel.
Earl Colby Pottinger (Tesla, Bollinger, Rivian and other BEVs fan)
The existing US dealer channel will be doing just fine for at least a decade. After that point it's a TBD and most importantly the existing dealer channel will have several years of runway to adapt to changes in technology and marketing.
1. As of 2018 BEV's are still around 2% of the US Market. Even with the introduction of many new models and manufacturers that starts in 2019 it's many years till say a 25% market-share is obtained.
2. Due to increased cost and reliability of today's vehicles, it takes 10-12 years to turn the US fleet over. That's well over 150 million vehicles that will need service and support.for the next decade.
3. In the majority of states, it's currently state law that if an automobile manufacture sells through a dealer channel they can not sell direct to consumer. Dealers employ a lot of people when you look at entire states and they have powerful lobbies inside state governments.. Any efforts to alter these laws will be met with a lot of resistance.
We can safely say that EV's with less moving parts, and no oily bits should require less trips to the shop, including for consumables like brake pads due to regen. What will this do to the repair center for dealers which is their current bread and butter?
Purely anecdotal, but with my Cayenne I had only one engine-related repair in 9 years and 5 related to electronics and suspension. Electric cars have more electronics. So it will balance out. Also, they may borrow some ideas from Tesla and build-in things like bolts getting lose, interior leaks and panel gaps changing over time to further increase service visits (joking of course).
Purely anecdotal, but with my Cayenne I had only one engine-related repair in 9 years and 5 related to electronics and suspension. Electric cars have more electronics. So it will balance out. Also, they may borrow some ideas from Tesla and build-in things like bolts getting lose, interior leaks and panel gaps changing over time to further increase service visits (joking of course).
I have similar experience myself. In around 50+ car-years of ownership spread between many brands around my family that I've seen, around 2/3 of all repair trips were not powertrain related. Climate control, power seats, plastic pieces breaking, door lock issues, infotainment issues, interior rattles, air suspension leaks, worn suspension links and rubber bits, window regulators, corroded wiring, rusty (not worn) brakes, etc. Street cars stored outdoors in Canada usually have their brake rotors rust long before they're worn out.
I have similar experience myself. In around 50+ car-years of ownership spread between many brands around my family that I've seen, around 2/3 of all repair trips were not powertrain related. Climate control, power seats, plastic pieces breaking, door lock issues, infotainment issues, interior rattles, air suspension leaks, worn suspension links and rubber bits, window regulators, corroded wiring, rusty (not worn) brakes, etc. Street cars stored outdoors in Canada usually have their brake rotors rust long before they're worn out.
good points.. it's a lot of the non-essential non drivetrain-related stuff which tends to break.. so maybe the dealers won't feel the pinch as much as we think. but when you go from 10,000+ parts to less than half (going from memory.. IC to Tesla).. and much less oily and moving parts.. I can't see that there won't be a dramatic decrease.
Hybrids have already demonstrated the change in maintenance trends and EVs will continue them. Fewer consumables, so less maintenance, but that doesn't mean other stuff won't break. Brake pads will last the life of the car basically, no spark plugs, belts, oil filters, fuel filters, engine oil to change. But EVs still may require fluid changes for their drivetrain as they pretty much all have gear reduction transmissions.
this also matches the maintenance schedule for the Chevy Bolt - the _ONLY_ factory scheduled maintenance for the Chevy Bolt is some 1xx,000 mile fluid swap ($75) for the battery thermal system. There is _NO_ other maintenance suggested by the factory. Talk about screwing the dealer service revenue model.
EV's simply need less maintenance - this matches my experience with owning EV's since 2012
my Tesla's since 2013 have had _NO_ need for regular maintenance the only service I've done:
1. tires
2. various warranty issues - things still break - but nothing that would concern me long term regarding the car
3. brake fluid (at my request - brake fluid should be change every 2-4 years)
4. safety recalls
from a reliability point of view my Tesla's have been flawless (reliability being defined as "has the car ever stranded me - minor or major drive train issues" - on that metric my 5 Tesla's have been 100% reliability - no BS) - I can not say the same about most of my ICE's - all except my Honda and my Lexus - I certainly can't say the same think about _ANY_ of the Porsche's I've owned - all have experienced a major/warranty failure that required a tow truck.
if you define reliability as zero issues - then Tesla is "less" reliable on that metric - but they have never failed as a transportation device (I've sometimes had to drive with no AC or some rattles, but never failed me as a car). My other ICE cars have been better to equal in this measure but none have been flawless.
the most flawless car I've owned to date is my Tesla Model 3 - yes 10,000 miles in now there have been zero issues - zero from the day I took delivery. So far it's been quite solid.
a local performance shop in the Bay Area is already seeing the effect - Silly-con valley has a very very high concentration of EV's and in particular Tesla's - all the local service shops are seeing a dramatic reduction in service for several reasons (lime's assertions to the contrary)
1. the EV doesn't need regular maintenance
2. the EV lacks several major parts that require regular service (exhaust systems, O2 sensors, water pumps, alternators, spark plugs, complex transmissions, oil pumps, filters, timing chains, values, etc…)
3. once someone owns an EV they are now driving their ICE less - reliable customers that use to generate 1-2 to service visits a year are now absent because their EV is carrying the transportation load and the ICE is now racking up far fewer miles…
yes things can still break, and you require a service network - EV are NOT service free - but they are for the most part maintenance free - yes you will need to service the EV when something breaks, but lacking in several major complex/components that are present on an ICE - they are factually cheaper to maintain than an ICE car.
if you don't believe me I'll PM you the shop owner and you can speak with him yourself - he sees the writing on the wall - and his entire business plan is at risk cause there is just simply less needed on an EV - and he's already experiencing significant revenue reduction as his customers migrate to EV's - he's is very very concerned…he is also considering purchasing an EV given the lower costs - ROFL.
Last edited by daveo4porsche; 03-23-2019 at 10:48 AM.
line one is hoot - "Rotate tires and perform Required Services" - in speaking with the dealer and other owners -there have yet to be identified any "Required Services".
Here is the Maintenance schedule for the Chevy Bolt simplified
1. rotate tires - replace tires as needed
2. replace cabin air filter if you like
3. replace wind shield wipers
4. fix things that break (not a lot of things break but it happens)
5. Change the battery thermal system fluid at 150,000 miles
6. change the break fluid every "n" years.
that's it - and if a car is properly designed there isn't a lot of #4
please explain to me again how EV's are not cheaper to "maintain" - drawing a distinction between "reparing something that broke" vs. "preventably" maintaining something so that it doesn't break…EV's require service when things break, but they require less maintenance than a ICE car. the chart below does little to fully illuminate the sheer number of things to go wrong on an ICE car that will require maintenance/repair just because ICE's are more complex and have more moving/complex parts.
Toward the end of VW/Porsche ownership, I was getting flyers for pre-paid service. I though, that's new.
I have less repair in the 4 years, since. Probably more importantly, I haven't had that cloud hang over me, driving around with a temporary inspection sticker as i found what would get the engine light back out.
Tesla's CAN bus is attached to probably more electronic things (door handle, charge port, etc), that can throw annoying error messages. To repair them, it is still a bit of a mystery how to access OBD II and clear / handshake the car to its new parts. Not perfect, but a better experience.
Tesla's CAN bus is attached to probably more electronic things (door handle, charge port, etc), that can throw annoying error messages.
To repair them, it is still a bit of a mystery how to access OBD II and clear / handshake the car to its new parts. Not perfect, but a better experience.
01-15-2019, 07:31 PM
What will EV's do to dealer repair center profits?
