[JRRF]

Indeed, they change the tire whilst you wait

Agreed. But who's waiting at 3am?

 

[JRRF]

Then had car dropped off at my house.

A tire shop is not likely to do this

 

[JRRF]

Why do you go to a dealer to get a tyre replaced? Why not just any tyreshop? Is this something unique to the US market? Here in the UK a main dealer is the last place to visit for tyres...

I understand that a dealer may not want/be able to service a P2, but any shop with a tire machine should be able to replace a tire. Any gas station, any tire shop, any Toyota dealer for that matter. Although I agree that the dealer is probably the worst (and most expensive) place to go for this job.

 

[JRRF]

Polestar would have to go out of their way to recreate some of those issues Tesla had.

🤣🤣🤣

 

[JRRF]

The only 'service' I had to do on my 2017 i3 Rex was to take it in to get the oil changed on the Range Extender... And every visit it came back with scratches in the paint or curb rash on the wheels.. I never understood this.

I understand the concern about 'having a service center nearby'... but I think you will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Same for my Volt. If there wasn't any oil I'd never have seen the dealer.

The only issue might be for some initial warranty item, e.g. some piece of trim falling off.

 

[JRRF]

Dealerships in general are in trouble on all fronts because their business model is slowly deteriorating around them. They are desperately trying to hold onto their peice of the pie, and it's ultimately a losing battle. More cars are being (and will be) sold through non-commissioned channels, and EVs require a fraction of the service that always padded dealer profits.

 

[JRRF]

I think the tire was $280+ at TireRack without installation and tax.
I paid $340 installed at dealer.
Not gonna break the bank…Again at 3am I thought was the safest bet in an unfamiliar area.

They actually had the tire you needed?

 

[JRRF]

Yes I'm curious about that too. The Spaces in the USA are legally structured as dealers, ie locally and independently owned. These dealers are going to want to show a profit, so it's going to be interesting to see what lengths they'll go to do that. Their profit margin from giving test drives and doing the minimal maintenance these cars need won't be enough to keep them happy for long.

Agreed, particularly since maintenance is a large part of dealer profits, while selling cars is not. But the new model can easily work. Polestar builds enough into the set price of a car for the dealer to make money. They then also establish that the cars can't be sold at a discount (not unlike many high-end goods). So if you are a "Space" you make a profit dependant on how many cars you sell, and how efficiently you run your business.

 

[JRRF]

Oh, but as a former owner of a Model S, I can tell you that regardless of how simple you think these cars are, Tesla were and are known to have numerous issues...far more than recent ICE cars I'd owned. You should read the Tesla forums. You should read Consumer Reports. Tons and tons of issues regardless of the simplicity.

So don't think that because a car is electric it means you won't have issues.

Oh I know. I definitely wouldn't buy a Tesla -- despite the urging of many -- that's why I'm waiting for a Polestar. Many of the issues Tesla had, particularly early on, were related to their inexperience in car manufacturing. Volvo's been making cars for almost 100 years. I would never say nothing can go wrong. But the risk profile is much lower.

 

[JRRF]

For a brand new car we know nothing about, I would never make the assumption that service won't be needed or would be rarely needed. It's one thing if the car is sold through a traditional dealer network, but not this car. We know so little even at this late date.

I agree that we know little about the car. But there's a reason Tesla was able to so easily punch above it's weight in a industry that otherwise has a huge price for entry. That reason is that EVs have very few moving parts (i.e. few things to break), and virtually no maintenance. I'd be a lot more reluctant to purchase an unknown ICE car.