I own a Tesla and live 200 miles from the closest service center. If you have a problem, chances are that it can and will be fixed by mobile tech. I had a problem with my door handle (a typical problem in early Model Ss). Mobile tech came to my work and swapped out the handle in the parking lot. I never saw the tech. When I got an upgrade to the latest autopilot computer, a Tesla tech came to my house and did the install, which took a couple of hours, in my garage. I just left the garage door open so he could get in. And no oil so oil changes aren’t an issue. I get the occasional tire rotation at a local tire shop and that’s it for maintenance.

I think this is the main reason I cannot justify Tesla for myself. It feels like I am purchasing a piece of software I have to call Tesla support for. No one else can help. And it is not a cheap toy. The support may be quick and it may even be convenient.. I don't know if it is just me being old or general weariness with the recent efforts to subscribe to me various 'features' ( Tesla is certainly not the only one trying to get that market ). I do want to be able to either do it myself or pay someone other than Tesla to do it if need be ( I hopefully won't, but I want the option ).

Well because you want a Tesla and you assume it will be as reliable as other modern cars. I own a Mazda and the nearest Mazda dealer is about 170 miles away. I’ve only had to go there once for airbag recall (I change my own oil).

And even if you didn't change your own oil, you wouldn't need to drive 170 miles to have someone do it for you.

Not sure why all the traditional car makers haven't caught on and put DRM on the oil system. They could take cues from both the inkjet printer industry and Tesla.

The classic auto industry and the ecosystem were formed around the current rules and changing them is hard. But when reinventing the car (electrifying for example) it's an opportunity to start over.

To take an example from the IT world, PCs and their OSes stayed so open because that's how they evolved when the industry first appeared. But phones and tablets offered the opportunity to lock down everything.

So I'd say that the future path of the connected smart car is closer to that of phones today.

Oh, I am sure there are people working on it.

But I think you may be onto something. Tesla is setting a bad example for other car makers. They can point to it and say, why can they do it and we can't?

Brief jump into the future. I get to see my new BMW default skin package expire and car turn dull grey, lights losing its exclusive green sheen, and warmed leather seats fold in to be replaced by, the horror, standard seats with warmers firmly shut off. They may as well brand me cheap.