Scout Motors Needs to Rethink “Local” Service. Don't do the Tesla model.

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mastertroll

Member
Jun 29, 2025
13
8
Hot Springs Village
One of the biggest concerns I have with Scout Motors’ current service plan is the definition of “local.” According to their roadmap, they aim to have service centers—called Scout Workshops—within 200 miles of 85% of buyers. On paper, that sounds reasonable. But in practice, it’s a logistical headache.

For many of us, especially those living in rural areas or smaller cities, a 200-mile drive isn’t local—it’s a full-day commitment. That’s hundreds of miles round-trip just to get a vehicle looked at, let alone repaired. And if the issue isn’t resolved in one visit, you’re repeating that journey again and again. It’s not just inconvenient, it’s unsustainable.

This is where Scout has a real opportunity to do better. They’re backed by Volkswagen, a company with an established nationwide service network. Why not leverage that infrastructure? Let VW service Scout vehicles for routine maintenance and diagnostics while Scout builds out its own specialized support. That would give customers real local access—not just a theoretical radius on a map.

If Scout wants to win over buyers who value practicality as much as innovation, they need to rethink what “local service” really means. Because for most of us, 200 miles isn’t it.

Having owned a Tesla, I can say the service experience was one of the biggest reasons I ultimately let it go. While the vehicle itself was impressive in many ways, the logistics of getting it serviced were anything but. I often had to drive several hours across state lines—for even basic repairs or diagnostics. Scheduling was inconsistent, communication was frustrating, and mobile service, while helpful, couldn’t handle more complex issues. It became clear that the convenience of ownership was undermined by the lack of accessible, reliable support. That experience left a lasting impression. If you want to get more purchases, please consider.
 
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Met a high school facility’s director who found an employee in the snow, 16 feet out from the door of the electrical room because he wasn’t paying attention. Luckily he didn’t die and had minor injuries. I hate playing with electricity
I’ve spent a lot of time wiring houses and playing with high-amperage DC, which I’m afraid is causing me to overly-normalize risk. I need to get zapped again to refresh my healthy respect for electricity. ;)

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡😲😲😲
 
I’ve spent a lot of time wiring houses and playing with high-amperage DC, which I’m afraid is causing me to overly-normalize risk. I need to get zapped again to refresh my healthy respect for electricity. ;)

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡😲😲😲
Every 10 years is a good reminder. I’m probably due again as well but I’d prefer to just pay someone. Plumbing is easy-just follow the 3 golden rules and you’re generally pretty safe but electric is a different kind of beast
 
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Every 10 years is a good reminder. I’m probably due again as well but I’d prefer to just pay someone. Plumbing is easy-just follow the 3 golden rules and you’re generally pretty safe but electric is a different kind of beast
I so very much prefer electricity to fluid plumbing, though. When I was a very young kid, I worked for my brother who was a plumber and I had to do the "crawl under the house and fix the sewer line while it’s dripping in my face" kind of work. Not my favorite.
 
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I so very much prefer electricity to fluid plumbing, though. When I was a very young kid, I worked for my brother who was a plumber and I had to do the "crawl under the house and fix the sewer line while it’s dripping in my face" kind of work. Not my favorite.
Me too. Builds character though. The crawl unders and 250’ well pump pulls were the worst
 
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I so very much prefer electricity to fluid plumbing, though. When I was a very young kid, I worked for my brother who was a plumber and I had to do the "crawl under the house and fix the sewer line while it’s dripping in my face" kind of work. Not my favorite.
I am all for doing some of my own plumbing. But, that is where I would drawn a line. H... No!
 
I am all for doing some of my own plumbing. But, that is where I would drawn a line. H... No!
And this gets back to local service for the Scout.

The nearest Ford dealer that I can even begin to sort-of trust is a 90 minute drive from home. That means it’s a 4-hour chunk of my just to drop off the vehicle and another 4-hour chunk of my day to pick it up again. And the same for whomever is driving me.

I prefer to do my own service for the things that I have the tools for. I can’t do high-voltage battery service, though, so that’s not an option. I can do almost everything else, though. And if I spend a few thousand more dollars for the right lift and battery table, I could do the battery service too.

But I’d much, much rather pay a local, independent service technician to come over and do the service or I am happy to bring the truck 20 minutes to their shop to do the service.
 
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And this gets back to local service for the Scout.

The nearest Ford dealer that I can even begin to sort-of trust is a 90 minute drive from home. That means it’s a 4-hour chunk of my just to drop off the vehicle and another 4-hour chunk of my day to pick it up again. And the same for whomever is driving me.

I prefer to do my own service for the things that I have the tools for. I can’t do high-voltage battery service, though, so that’s not an option. I can do almost everything else, though. And if I spend a few thousand more dollars for the right lift and battery table, I could do the battery service too.

But I’d much, much rather pay a local, independent service technician to come over and do the service or for me to bring the truck 20 minutes to their shop to do the service.
Our Lincoln dealer is about 30 miles away from our place. Whenever I need service, they come and pick up my car, leave me a loaner for the duration of the repair, and then drop it back off. The only catch is that I have to return the loaner with the same fuel level it came with. Our Ford dealer also picks up and drops off our car for service, but they don’t provide a loaner. Both dealers also offer mobile service calls. I’m really lucky to have found two dealers that I highly recommend.