“Milling” sound on 2013 85, RDU doomed or…?

[Stimyg]

My 2013 Model S 85 with 104k miles has been making a noise from the general direction of the RDU for some time now. Like a few years. Maybe it’s the “milling” sound I’ve read about here? Someone else posted a video with a “spaceship” sound, and it sounds about like that.

It’s slowly gotten louder. Finally had Tesla listen to it. Without physically examining it they said it was the RDU and would need to be replaced to fix it. Although the tech also suggested it probably wasn’t worth it in a car this old.

Trying to get a sense of what I can expect from the car here on out. Will the decline of this likely to be slow, as it has been, so may as well just keep going with the car for now? Or am I at high risk of near term total failure, so better to get whatever money I can out of it now and bite the bullet to purchase something newer?

Also can I expect this issue to affect energy usage and mileage? I’m wondering if it already has, but could be my imagination.

I do plan to get a newer (probably used) Model S at some point. Just trying to decide when’s the ideal time. Happy to keep using this if it’s not about to die on me!

 

[Tam]

My 2013 Model S 85 with 104k miles has been making a noise from the general direction of the RDU for some time now. Like a few years. Maybe it’s the “milling” sound I’ve read about here? Someone else posted a video with a “spaceship” sound, and it sounds about like that.

It’s slowly gotten louder. Finally had Tesla listen to it. Without physically examining it they said it was the RDU and would need to be replaced to fix it. Although the tech also suggested it probably wasn’t worth it in a car this old.

Trying to get a sense of what I can expect from the car here on out. Will the decline of this likely to be slow, as it has been, so may as well just keep going with the car for now? Or am I at high risk of near term total failure, so better to get whatever money I can out of it now and bite the bullet to purchase something newer?

Also can I expect this issue to affect energy usage and mileage? I’m wondering if it already has, but could be my imagination.

I do plan to get a newer (probably used) Model S at some point. Just trying to decide when’s the ideal time. Happy to keep using this if it’s not about to die on me!

I'm unsure, but It might just be a simple wear and tear of the gear/bearings: it's an impending total failure at any time, starting when your symptoms appear.

Sometimes, it's a slow progression until your car suddenly stops. In this case, you still have time to sell your car.

Sometimes, the car stops earlier than you expected.

If you plan to keep your car, it might be worth it to pay for the Drive Unit and then the battery when the time comes. The parts warranty will last you another 4 years/50,000 miles.

When you buy another used Tesla, you will just need to budget for another Drive Unit and battery replacements.

 

[Stimyg]

It sounds to me like wear and tear on the bearings, yes. In fact at first I thought it was maybe the rear wheel bearings. But Tesla wanted to replace the whole unit.

I’m not sure the $ math totally holds up on the idea of replacing the Drive Unit and then the battery vs buying a newer used model. Although partially that’s because I’d like the AWD and safety/navigation electronics, which are totally absent on mine.

 

[Tam]

It sounds to me like wear and tear on the bearings...

It's not wheel bearings. It's the noise of the Drive Unit components. It's a Drive Unit issue.

I don't know the costs but let's say Drive Unit $8,000 + Battery $20,000 = $28,000 for 4 year parts warranty.

That means you pay $7,000 per year. That's a reasonable price, just as if it were oil changes and other ICE maintenance costs.

 

[Tam]

...Or am I at high risk of near term total failure...

You need to budget for a tow because your car can suddenly stop at any time due to Drive Unit failure.

 

[David Harvey]

Quite possibly the sealed rotor bearings have failed due to a leaking coolant seal, a very common problem on the Large Drive Unit. Probably cheaper to have the LDU rebuilt rather than replace. This topic has been widely discussed on this forum, e.g. Class action for Model S drive unit failure?

 

[Stimyg]

I saw that thread. I didn’t see a ton about getting it rebuilt vs replace though? any suggestions as to where? I’m in northern NJ.