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Roadster parts becoming a significant problem?

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Hi all -

I happened to drive by a certified Tesla collision repair center today. They had 6-7 Model S cars in front of the shop. Having a friendly chat with one of the workers I mentioned I had a Roadster. He said oh man, don't get in an accident. I asked why... he said they have had a Roadster there for six months now. They are the only Tesla certified repair center for a major Tesla market and he said they can't get parts to repair it, including headlights.

What the heck are we going to do about this?
 
I am actually wondering why it's such a problem to get Roadster parts in the US.
For some parts I had a delivery time of maybe 2-4 weeks, but most parts were here in less than 2 weeks. Especially headlights are just being thrown at one...

Well, REALLY rare parts are hard to get. e.g. the Signature 100 plaque between the seats or on the side of the car... didn't get them yet.
 
I worry that as Tesla grows, the Roadster will be increasingly 'sidelined', with spares and knowledge becoming more and more rare.
I believe that collectively, as owners, we should keep the Roadster's place in Tesla significant enough that:

a) Spares are kept available (especially any parts that can keep us off the road eg ESS, PEM, VDU & motor) other lotus derived parts are less of a problem.
b) Specialist Roadster technicians are employed.
c) Failing that (and ideally) Roadster workshop manuals, and internal technical bulletins be put into the public domain - heck the patents are so why not these now 'historic' documents too :)

As most roadsters are in the USA, and the USA is renowned world over for 'freedom of information' .. even manuals for European cars are more easily found in the USA .. we are counting on you guys to get hold of such info, as well as keeping tabs on Tesla's approach to the Roadster.
 
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I was told recently that the service centers were having a little trouble getting Roadster parts because of the factory temporary assembly line closing when a lot of things were moved around. They still need to uncover some of the Roadster parts. I'm waiting on a couple of things that couldn't be completed at my last service. So for some things it might just be temporary. That's what I was told, for what it's worth.
 
btw. what does "peeling headlights" mean?
Marco, if your headlights are not peeling yet (I suspect you don't have Tesla HIDs), place some PaintArmor shielding over them. That'll prevent them from peeling and also protect the lenses from scratches. It's only a matter of time, they will peel. Augie was nice enough to donate his old non-HID Roadster lights (which had the Armor on them already) which I sent out to the east coast to be retrofitted with HIDs. Turned out great.
 
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Peeling headlights just started on mine and I keep my car under a cover most of the time. My car is still under CPO warranty, but I had the headlight modified with LED's so it won't be covered.

FWIW, I decided to spend the money and buy the OEM xenons and was told they are currently out of stock, but "on order." I am apparently on the waiting list and they are expected in October 2014. Not sure how they can get new ones, but that's what I was told.

IMG_6500.jpg
 
Shrink, what are your plans for those peeling ones after you get the Xenons? Is the LED lighting better than the standard or is it just for looks? I might be interested in buying them from you if it makes sense to, I could possibly swap the "guts" over to mine since I've discovered mine are just the basic Halogens anyways...
 
I can concur with Visionik,

I had a leak on my battery coolant line and waited 4 weeks for tesla to MAKE another manifold. REALLY?!?!
They cant keep one on the shelf in CA corporate? I just thought it was ridiculous that a few of these parts are not in stock back at corporate and could be shipped to whatever shop needs them.

When I asked why to Tesla...there only response is..."We don't stock them and your need to wait on the manufacture of the part".

So my car sat for over a month USELESS and waiting on a part.

It REALLY makes me think twice about purchasing another roadster. What happens when the S is put out to pasture like the roadster... similar fate awaits?
 
Thanks for the peeling headlight explanation:)

I have two sets of headlights (US and EU) none of them have peeled yet. Paintarmor is just some sticky protective foil, right?

What's different between the US/EU headlights?

Yes the paintarmor is the sticky clear protective covering.

If you don't have the HIDs I highly recommend the TRS setup, its rather in-expensive. There's a thread on this, think its in the HID thread. You can ship your lights and they'll install them or you can install them inside your headlight assembly yourself. You'll need to split the housing (heat it up). Also you'll need to buy a $12 black re-sealer to waterproof the lights again. Awesome price, $310 for the whole kit with the resealer and your temp bulb choice. Its not just the HID bulbs/ballasts but rather it includes an HID projector lens which focuses the light correctly for the HID bulb/intensity (rather than being scattered light pollution). They made a custom bracket so the HID projector can be mounted properly inside the headlight assembly. Its about equal to the Tesla HID light kit in terms of brightness and definition of coverage, at only a fraction of the cost. I worked hard to get this kit made and they came back with a ridiculous cheap price for it. They did mine for free since they felt bad for taking a year to get the initial prototype and finished product ready.

Here's the link (comes with a 5 year warranty):
Retro-Quik: Tesla Roadster
 
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I think we all (who own Roadsters) need to be pro-active and start brainstorming what will start failing and address the issue ahead of time while we can. Here are a couple of things I'm concerned about:

Rear CV axles - we need measurements of these when pulled, as much detail as possible. They don't match the Elise, I already tried matching it. Can our original failing one (when the time comes) be refurbished? I think so. Any precautions? We'll have to keep a close eye on the CV boot and look for cracks. Also spraying Aerospace Protectant 303 on it to condition the rubber will prolong the life of the boot. As long as the grease stays in there we'll be good to go for a while with these.

Contactor - I don't know what contactor is in there, but most likely that's not a Tesla specific thing and with our electrical / hardware knowledge we can get around that. Thing is once that starts pitting and deteriorating, the Roadster will start loosing power, cut out on you, throw error codes about the contractor open/closed position it doesn't like. I don't think this is a biggie but we should at least have a reference on hand.

BorgWarner eGearDrive Tranny - This one was somewhat mass produced for EVs but we have to watch out about the gear ratio, we're pretty unique that way. If a gear in there goes out we need to find something close already made (good luck) or have a hardened gear machined for us.
(BorgWarner eGeardrive Products)

CF body parts - can be custom made.

Headlights - Don't know if the 3D printer will help us here, but if not we can try to contact the original OEM manufacturer but need to have "x" amount made to make it worthwhile for them. There are plastics companies out there who can work with a mold and make what you want, so this most likely could be pieced together.

**My BIGGEST concern is the "memory"/Flash area that keeps our firmware and the Unix OS running in our VMS. I'm an expert there, use to do 2nd source testing in that area for Amazon's Kindle (stress testing, wear levels, failure rates, etc). Flash/Nand has a given shelf read / write life. Its a vulnerable part over time with use. The flash on our Roadsters WILL die, that's a given, we need to address that (the part), but also work together to archive the running software image in our Roadsters. We for sure need to start "hacking" into our unix (VMS) system and preserve our current firmware image or ask Tesla nicely to guarantee the source code is being kept safe (multiple SVN repositories) and available at our access when we need it. [I don't have confidence in the archive and preservation of the code-source as voiced from in Tesla internal sources, so we need to understand this (especially to Elon) and send a strong message this to be protected / preserved, its the pure roots and history of Telsa!]. When this code goes dead/away, so do our Roadsters. I mark this as a #1 Priority in my opinion coming from hardware/software/embedded system background.***
 
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Rear CV axle - we need measurements of these when pulled, as much detail as possible...
Made to order CV and axles are not an issue, I had custom made ones for an EV I'm doing (back-burner project).

Contactor - I don't know what contactor is in there,
HV heavy duty relays are standard industry ones, easy to replace, not big issue other getting too the part in the ESS/PEM.

BorgWarner eGearDrive Tranny - This one was somewhat mass produced for EVs but we have to watch out about the gear ratio, we're pretty unique that way. If a gear in there goes out we need to find something close already made (good luck) or have a hardened gear machined for us.
(BorgWarner eGeardrive Products)
I think it has standard bearings sizes in it, custom gears can be made, though pricey.

**My BIGGEST concern is the "memory"/Flash area that keeps our firmware and the Unix OS running in our VMS. I'm an expert there, use to do 2nd source testing in that area for Amazon's Kindle. Flash/Nand has a given shelf read / write life. Its a vulnerable part over time with use. The flash on our Roadsters WILL die, that's a given, we need to address that (the part)...

I agree with you, who knows how Tesla will support owners when this happens. It's been near impossible getting things like ESS Sheet, or other hard to get parts (heck I'm still waiting for door handles (been a few months)). For my blue roadster I was going to build a battery pack that would interface with existing old ESS system... but I'm starting to wonder if I would be better off long term to just getting rid of the PEM, VMS, ESS, and replacing it with my own solution. It might not have all the bells and whistles but it would get the job done.
 
Thanks for the incite on the parts spaceballs!

Interesting article on NAND and wear leveling from 2008 (how appropriate). In theory, the NAND should last 10 years of 24/7 writes (harshest wear of the part) using a given wear level algorithm, which is unique and proprietary to each NAND vendor. Some better, some worse. However I've seen pre-mature failures which are bound to occur to the part, this can't be avoided and it can be random:

How Long Does NAND Flash Memory Last? - Network Computing

I agree with you spaceballs, about ditching Tesla's proprietary "unsupported" components, but then its no longer a Tesla Roadster. Its truly in Tesla's best interest to support and keep these Roadsters on the road, keeping them as close as possible in spec when originally made, or at least open up the source code and hardware specs so they parts be reproduced in order to support it. This will be a the true role model figure for support from a respectable automotive company, also goes along supporting the true spirit of EVs that these new evolved and emerging vehicles don't need to be replaced but rather can live and grow with technology. Yes, our Roadsters are very limited production, but then this would be the true test of the company and show strong love and support for any electric vehicle they produced since day one! That would be the best possible service/support/confidence anyone could ask for when purchasing a brand new or used vehicle that bears their iconic and legendary automotive name.
 
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... Interesting article on NAND and wear leveling from 2008 (how appropriate)...
This one was fun to watch live :)

... Its truly in Tesla's best interest to support and keep these Roadsters on the road...
From a shareholder perspective no I don't think that is accurate. Their interest to me seems to be focused on Model S and removing any fears of EV adoption.

... ditching Tesla's proprietary "unsupported" components, but then its no longer a Tesla Roadster...
What if someone took an Audi TT Roadster, and swapped out for bigger engine, and do other engine performance stuffs, do people stop saying it's an Audi TT Roadster?