Tesla raises prices, eliminates warranty plans portability

PanARMENIAN.Net - In a quiet update to its policies, Tesla has raised prices on its after-sales service options, and — more significantly — now prevents new Tesla buyers from transferring their extended warranty and prepaid service plans when reselling the car, the Verge reports.

By far the biggest change, at least as far as the impact on Tesla buyers goes, is the ban on transferring Tesla's extended warranty and prepaid service plans to a new owner when selling a used Tesla. Owners of those plans can cancel and get a pro-rated reimbursement when selling the car, but they can no longer transfer it when selling the car. Previously, transferring those warranty and service plans to a new owner cost $100.

Then there are the changes to service plan pricing. Tesla recommends Model S and Model X owners have their cars serviced every year or 12,500 miles. Previously, Tesla owners could prepurchase the annual servicing for $1,900 for 4 years or $3,800 for 8 years. Now, those same services cost $2,100 for 4 years or $4,000 for 8 years. It's only a $200 increase on an $80,000 car, but they've still gone up. Free wheel alignments are also no longer included in the yearly maintenance.

It's hard to see these changes as anything but negative for new Tesla buyers — those who bought older versions of the plan can still transfer these plans when selling their cars.

It's possible that this could impact the future resale value of Tesla's cars because buyers won't be able to include a multiyear factory warranty when selling their cars after 4 years or 50,000 miles of ownership. It may not matter much for most Tesla owners though, who are less likely to sell their car in a private sale.

The changes appear to have been made in the past week or so, and were verified by comparing old versions of Tesla's website to current versions.