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I always knew the day would come, but not exactly when.
Well, Klokje Rond gave me another first. A Tesla.
And I have to say, even though I didn't see it, there's been a spark between us.
Despite having driven over 271.000 kilometres, it drives really well.
And, what I was afraid of in the beginning, is that I couldn't find anything. No engine, no conventional drivetrain...
But, the first signs of wear and tear are showing. The tires make a lot of noise, the wipers aren't very good anymore,
when I use the wiper fluid, it won't reach the left side of the windscreen, there's a little cracking sound in the front, it shows there's something wrong with the tyre pressure,
so it isn't flawless. Actually, I'm glad it isn't.
The Tesla Model S has been the favorite business car in the Netherlands, so it wasn't really a question IF it'd be featured in Klokje Rond,
but more like WHEN it would be here. And that's today, Klaas's Model S is three years old and it's done over 270.000 kilometres.
That's quite a cooling system... - Yep
Did you have a problem with the cooling system? - Yeah, the quick charge didn't really work and we thought it was the cooling.
There isn't really much down here, huh?
Looks like sealant...
Of course, they've spent a lot of attention of completely leveling out the underside of the car
It's plastic fantastic over here, not that there's anything wrong with that, it just takes a while to take it off.
Normally, the engine is the heart of the car, but in the case of this Tesla, it's actually two engines.
So this is the heart, right here.
The energy goes in this fuel tank, in the underside of the car, and these two huge electric motors use that saved energy.
It also features a drivetrain-box. A sort of final gear, that transfers the movement of the engine to the drive shafts.
It's not supposed to be like this in Klokje Rond, but this unit has been replaced already.
In the first batch of Model S's there was a problem in the bearings of this unit, they broke and started to make all kinds of noises,
and that's why it's already been fully replaced. Full warranty under Tesla, of course.
I don't know when you're going for your next service, but this tyre is almost done for.
Yeah, you should really replace this one.
Look, it's practically reached it's maximum wear already...
You really have to keep an eye on stuff like that, because if you go for 80.000 kilometres between services,
and a part of your suspension fails which makes your tyres wear quicker, you're too late.
So I think that's the main reason they advise 20k kilometres, not just commercially but it's also justifyable from a technical point of view.
Are these the original brake discs?
The measurements are 30/75. That's pretty good, so no worries.
Right, the brake discs of a Tesla. They're pretty big. The car itself weighs about 2200kg and it's pretty quick,
so you'll have to be able to make it stop as well.
But, if you release the throttle, it'll start to brake by itself. The engines turn into a sort of dynamo to recharge the batteries,
so you won't have to brake a lot.
And that's why it's, with it's 270.000 kilometres, on it's second set of disc pads and still on it's first set of brake discs.
The minimum width of the disc should be 30mm, but this one is still 30,75mm.
When it was new, it was about 33mm, so this one's still good for about 100.000 more kilometres.
So, it shows the brakes of a Tesla are very durable.
Even though there wasn't very much to complain about the drive, I felt quite some play when inspecting the suspension.
So when I looked into it a bit more, it seemed to be the ball joint, which connects the shock absorber to the bearing arm.
So it's a part that should be able to move a bit and transfer quite some force. But, there are some mm's of play, so it's been weared out pretty good.
When you're driving it though, you don't really notice it. It will come up in service though, but if you're going for 80k between services,
you might be able to continue driving with this for quite some time. There really is a lot of play in there.
Fresh rubber!
I've never seen such a thin disc pad. It's the handbrake one, and it's finished.
Well Joep, your first electric car in Klokje Rond. We've already had a Roadster, but that was before your time.
So the Model S has a lot of secrets for you, like that it was a seven seater!
No that's right Nic, it was quite the surprise. I don't think we'd fit if the bootlid had to close though...
But yeah, it had some secrets for me.
I never lost faith though, because it's still something with four wheels, shocks and normal steering.
Absolutely, it has a different drivetrain and you drive it differently, but when it comes to wear and tear it's just like any other car really.
Faulty windscreen wipers, little cracks in the suspension, a little tremble on the highway and with lower speeds,
and when you go for a closer inspection it becomes apparent this car has worn out tyres, worn out disc pads because of a handbrake that has been stuck,
and some play on parts of the suspension. Very normal maintenance things actually.
So yeah, it's a Tesla, but as long there's nothing to do with the electronic drivetrain, it's just another car to be completely honest.
And it gets serviced once in 80.000 kilometres?
Yeah, and that isn't a lot really. If it was my own car, no wait that doesn't count,
Tesla recommends 20.000 kilometres, and I get that. I even think you can go for 30.000, or even 40.000 kilometres between services.
But I wouldn't go for 80.000 kilometres between services.
Just think about the ball joints in the suspension, I don't think it's happened in the last 10.000 kilometres.
That has been there for a while, and a service would've pointed that out. But, given the mileage, it's a pretty good car. Just some maintenance points.
So Klaas, you've been driving your Tesla for three years now. Tell me, is it because of the financial perks or is it because of the ideals?
Well, it's because of the electric ideals and because of the driving pleasure.
Okay, but why are you so convinced of driving an electric car?
To be honest, I have a little lead over the average dutchman, because my employer allowed me to drive electric for half a year, six years ago.
And that's when I got converted.
So, that's when you thought 'whenever I can afford it, I'm going for my own electric car'?
That's right, but when the Model S arrived, I didn't think I was able to afford it.
But then you started to calculate the figures and subsidies, and then it worked out?
Yep, I almost didn't start calculating because I thought it would never add up, but I started eventually and it turned out pretty lucrative.
And now you've driven more than 270.000 kilometres in three years time, how did you do that?
Well, none of those kilometres got driven because I wanted to drive more, so it has only done necessary kilometres.
I live 120km away from my job, so it's a lot of commuting.
Is that 120km just one way, or?
Yes, so that adds up to about 1000km per week, on average.
Next to that there are some private km's, I also drive it for my own little business, and I'm still one of the only inhabitants of Groningen with a Tesla,
so whenever there's an event or something, they ask me to show up with my Tesla.
And I have driven a few special events, like an European tour. I've done that three times, once a year, that's also 6000km per tour,
so yeah, then you're getting some mileage... - Exactly.
So before you know it, you've done 100.000 km's in a year.
Has it been defective in any way in the past years?
Not really. I've only had some minor problems. In the beginning there was an issue with engine wear,
so there have been quite a few Tesla's which had that replaced. But that was easier to fix in a Tesla when you compare it to a normal petrol car.
Those issues have been solved, something to do with the bearings or something.
People say the current power units are capable of a million miles, about 1.6 million kilometres...
You haven't reached that, right. Haha! And how's the battery, has the capacity decreased or something?
Just a little bit, but it's still alright. In total it's decreased about 10 percent over almost 300.000 kilometres,
so it gets me 10 percent less far on a full battery than when it was new.
I'd say that's very acceptable... - I agree.