Who Are You Going To Trust To Repair Your Out Of Warranty EV?

It's a Mercedes, what would you expect when repair costs come out of your pocket? Same with BMW or Audi. Couple that with dealerships that aren't really equipped or trained to work on an EV model, and prices will be high.

This is why you LEASE

What Matt said.
What atc said.

My Model S is out of warranty, had to replace the screen after 100k miles and just took it to my nearest Tesla service center 5min away. It took a day and cost $1,800 to replace the entire screen, MCU (2 CPUs, cellular internet, GPU, electric controllers). It's been over 7 years, not as expensive as I thought it would be to replace that whole component.

The 3/Y are designed differently so that you can replace the screen without replacing the MCU.

I wonder how many cars will be "totaled" when the screens die and there are no replacements. Imagine the classic car market in 40 years.

All the S/X cars have been using essentially the same two screens since 2012 with minor improvements but all are compatible with the first gen cars. All 3 and Y cars use the same screen. As long as they don't rapidly change the screen, those should be some of the easiest replacement parts to get (including from salvage vehicles).

The screens are connected with a standard, non-proprietary cable.. theoretically a 3rd party could create a replacement screen. I've already seen mods to let the screen articulate towards the driver.

I'd be much more worried about replacing the battery or a motor than the screen.

Junk the bastard. It's just a Tesla.

Currently - YOU really have little choice - at least with Tesla
Tesla does not offer its diagnostic codes to the public - nor is there an outside Company that produces a Diagnostic Tool that can access its codes. If you have a problem that sets a code - YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO return to Tesla to have the codes cleared - even if you could do the work yourself (I assume most people here could replace Brake pads for instance). If you are in an accident - even though LEGALLY you have the right to choose your repair facility - Tesla has in the past REFUSED to reset their computers when they have determined the repairs do not meet their requirements (Used parts for instance).

THe reason WHY these are available in ICE cars is due to emissions - but since they claim the Tesla does not produce emissions - they simply refuse to even allow YOU to fix your own car. I assume eventually an independent source will come to the table - but with the way the laws are - it might be decades down the road. ANd remember - when a Tesla sets a code - it most often disables the vehicles. Imagine being in an accident and once a legitimate service facility fixes the car (also remember that Tesla parts are only available from ONE company - them) - you have to tow your car at YOUR expense (Warranties rarely cover accidents) to the nearest Tesla service center - could be HUNDREDS of miles.

The maintenance is already very low. No oil changes; you don't have to replace brakes, brake pads, or rotors ever; 0 maintenance on the electric motors; no maintenance needed on the battery. Ideally you would do nothing to the car for 4 years and replace the powertrain after 1 million miles. As simple as the cars are Today, they will become even more streamlined in the future with even fewer components. In 7 years, the only thing I had to pay out of pocket the Model S was replacing the screen and replacing the tires twice (every 40k miles or so).

Even then, I think the business model will change significantly after self driving is available. Fewer people will own cars and more will use them on demand at a low cost. It'll start with major cities and propagate from there, much like EVs today.