If it was quite complicated to buy official Tesla parts on your own, without going through an authorized dealer, it will soon be easier via a huge online spare parts catalog offered by the brand. This same catalog has also just been expanded, first for the United States, and soon for France.
Until now, if you wanted to order an official Tesla part for your vehicle, you had to go through an authorized reseller or through a Tesla Center. But since November 2024, Tesla has been discreetly experimenting with a program of direct sales of spare parts to customers.
Initially limited to a few items, such as windshield wipers, air filters, license plate holders and low voltage batteries (16V only), this program has seen encouraging success, encouraging Tesla to expand its offering.
Will you soon repair your Tesla yourself with official parts?
Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC) now allows customers to directly order individual parts or complete assemblies. Previously, customers had to physically visit a Tesla Center to order parts, even if the installation was not performed by Tesla. Alternatively, only approved companies, such as bodybuilders or mechanics, could order directly via the EPC accessible at this address.
Today, certain parts, identifiable by a shopping cart icon in the catalog, are available for purchase online through the user’s Tesla account. Another interesting new feature: it is possible to buy parts for vehicles that you do not own. For example, you can now order a Model S brake caliper repair kit without owning a Model S.
Tesla specifies this development on the pages containing orderable parts with a comment: “EPC now supports direct online ordering for a subset of parts (which will be expanded in future updates). »
Parts availability and shipping
Currently, deliveries are limited to addresses located in the United Statesbut Tesla plans to extend this service to other countries in the future, including France, which has a specific insert with the prices in euros of each part.
To date, only a few parts are available for direct order, such as brake discs. For more complex repairs, it is still necessary to submit a request via the Tesla app for parts to be ordered.
The reason is rather simple, and above all economical: if customers start ordering certain parts themselves and carry out their own repairs, this will be a serious shortfall for the brand’s after-sales service, which charges for labor. . This would also be a problem in terms of security, as individuals are not necessarily equipped to change certain elements.
Four of the five Teslas sold are affected, namely the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. No spare parts for the Cybertruck are currently not available via the catalog. This should change in the coming months, at least for the USA, the Cybertruck not being sold in Europe for obvious approval reasons.
A step forward for the right to repair
Generally speaking, this catalog will also allow Tesla to respect certain rules, particularly in France, concerning the right to repair.
Tesla has taken significant steps in recent years, including making Service Mode accessible to everyone, opening up its EPC, introducing vehicle maintenance history, and constantly improving its repair manuals and tools.
Remember that the right to repair in France for cars aims to ensure customers have easy and affordable access to repairs. The law requires manufacturers to make spare parts available for a minimum period, often 10 years after a model is put into circulation. This obligation also allows independent repairers to access the necessary technical data and tools, thus reducing dependence on the brands’ approved networks.
The other key measure is the promotion of reused parts from end-of-life vehicles. Professionals must offer alternatives between new and used parts, thus offering economical and ecological solutions. This also supports the circular economy by limiting waste and promoting the recycling of automotive components. As for Tesla, the vehicles are still relatively new, we are not there yet, but soon the catalog could perhaps offer certified second-hand parts.
Source: www.frandroid.com
