The biggest Tesla service center in the United States used to be a Costco. That is the building hosting the Tesla Montebello grand opening, the same place where I picked up my Model Y Juniper and said goodbye to my 2022 Model Y Performance back in August. They finally threw the grand opening in April, and I was like, why now? I already gave you my business months ago. But they had a Tesla Semi parked out front and Optimus on display inside, so I showed up anyway.
A Costco Turned Into Tesla’s Biggest Service Center
Walking the sales floor was new to me. When I took delivery here, I only ever saw the service side. This time I got into the showroom, and the scale makes sense once you hear the history: it was a Costco. That is why the place is cavernous. There were Model 3s and Model Ys staged inside and a presentation area with a podium, balloon columns, and a couple of Optimus units flanking the stage.
The service lounge surprised me too. It is big, properly big, the kind of waiting area I had not seen at my usual location. I actually came in hoping to get a technician to look at a high-pitched seat sound on my Juniper, just a quick diagnostic so my home service center would not order the wrong part later. No luck. They were short-staffed and could not spare anyone, so I still have to do the whole app-and-ticket dance. Even this face could not pull strings. That is just the process.
The Tesla Semi Just Sitting in the Lot
The standout outside was the Tesla Semi. I had only seen one once before, years ago at a Tesla Takeover, so getting this close again was a treat. The driver was not around to open it up, so it was an exterior-only look, but the thing is wild up close. It is aggressively aerodynamic, and it sits so low I could not even fit a finger under it. Back in the day that was how we measured how slammed a car was. One finger. This Semi might as well be on bags.
If you want the full walkaround with the charging breakdown and the camera setup, I went deep on it in a separate post: Tesla Semi up close at Montebello. The short version is that this is megawatt-class charging on a dedicated Megacharger, not the same hardware you plug your car into.
Empire Customs and a Lot of Bagged Teslas
Empire Custom Wraps had their corner set up, and this is where the event got loud. Rows of wrapped Model 3s and Model Ys, plenty of bagged Teslas sitting on the ground, lambo doors thrown up, a pink Model 3, a red Model 3 with the hood popped. Yes, you can bag these cars, and yes, it looks like heat.
There were a couple of Cybertrucks running rooftop tents, including an olive green build. My buddy Ting had his rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck there too, and two things stopped me. First, the storage accessory mounted by the door. Second, he had an Anker Solix solar panel feeding an Anker Solix C300 battery, charging right off that huge dash. I run an Anker Solix power station myself and never thought to set it up like that. Stealing the idea.
The Juniper 7-Seater Is Still the Worst Model Y
Inside the showroom I finally got to sit in the Juniper 7-seater, and I will keep it real: this is still the worst Model Y you can buy. The third row is the problem. Second-row legroom is fine, but the third row is a punishment seat, and there are no vents back there. We had a previous 7-seater, and even when my youngest fit, he baked back there in the summer with no airflow. The newer six-seater is supposedly seven inches longer and does have vents, though I cannot confirm whether they are dedicated or just piggybacking off the second row.
Here is the catch. With no more Model X, the Juniper 7-seater is the only three-row option left inside the Tesla ecosystem. If you need three rows and refuse to leave Tesla, this is it. I can not recommend it. If you are open to leaving, the Rivian R1S is a genuinely better three-row SUV, and I cover the daily reality of living with one in my 2025 R1S owner review. Just keeping it real for anyone cross-shopping these.
Optimus Cooked the Steak and Set Up Camp
The Optimus units were the most fun part of the day. A couple of Tesla’s humanoid robots were on display up close. I am about 5’5”, and these things stand around 5’8” to 5’9”. I got right next to one, shook its hand, and the ones I checked out felt like empty display shells. No visible wiring inside.
That did not stop my friend Adil from putting them to work. He had one posed cooking his steak medium rare and another setting up a tent, even lining up shoes outside the tent like a valet. The bit was the whole point: this is what the future of camping is supposed to look like. You show up, the robots build the campsite, start the fire, cook the food, and when they run low you plug them into the 240-volt outlet in the back of the truck. Autopilot there, lay down, done. Chef Optimus behind the Cybertruck was the image of the day.
That is the Montebello grand opening in a nutshell. A former Costco turned into Tesla’s biggest service center, a Semi nobody could climb into, a lot full of bagged builds, and a robot pretending to flip steaks. Strange, fun, and worth the drive. Let me know what you think in the comments, and tell me whether you would actually trust Optimus with your medium rare.
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