brainhouston
Active Member
Maybe go for a walk in case it goes up in smokeTake it to a supercharger? I think if you do any significant amount of charging at those higher current flows, you should see if there are any problems.
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Maybe go for a walk in case it goes up in smokeTake it to a supercharger? I think if you do any significant amount of charging at those higher current flows, you should see if there are any problems.
I believe @wk057 has offered his services to root out unsupecting BMS_u029 alert resets.Yeah that’s what I’m worried about. Is there any way to verify this? Or is it not even worth checking out the car? I’ve already got a 2023 model Y, so this was just going to be a beater Tesla to drive around.
Take it to a supercharger? I think if you do any significant amount of charging at those higher current flows, you should see if there are any problems.
I think he needs physical access to the vehicle to figure that out, so it might not be helpful.I believe @wk057 has offered his services to root out unsupecting BMS_u029 alert resets.
Yeah that’s what I’m worried about. Is there any way to verify this? Or is it not even worth checking out the car? I’ve already got a 2023 model Y, so this was just going to be a beater Tesla to drive around.
I can definitely ask to have him supercharge it. I was planning on bringing it to a supercharger anyway just for testing. This is not a must buy for me, just have always wanted a model S and for $18k I can pay cash for it. Doesn’t seem worth it if there’s a high chance of needing a replacement battery or drive unit.Ask the seller to Supercharge it to 100% and give you pictures. But even then it can take weeks for the car to figure out that things are bad after having the BMS lobotomized.
I think he needs physical access to the vehicle to figure that out, so it might not be helpful.
WK057's advice was to ask the seller to sign a statement/disclosure saying that they have not received any BMS errors, and have not had any reset procedure performed on the car. With the penalties being to reverse the sale if it is found they lied. @wk057 you wouldn't happen to have a template statement/disclosure that people could use do you? If they are willing to sign that, which someone who hasn't had a reset done, should have no problem signing then you should be OK.
Thx. Wasn't sure how it all worked.Ask the seller to Supercharge it to 100% and give you pictures. But even then it can take weeks for the car to figure out that things are bad after having the BMS lobotomized.
I think he needs physical access to the vehicle to figure that out, so it might not be helpful.
WK057's advice was to ask the seller to sign a statement/disclosure saying that they have not received any BMS errors, and have not had any reset procedure performed on the car. With the penalties being to reverse the sale if it is found they lied. @wk057 you wouldn't happen to have a template statement/disclosure that people could use do you? If they are willing to sign that, which someone who hasn't had a reset done, should have no problem signing then you should be OK.
But that is going to always be a high chance on any 2013 Model S you will ever look at. It just will be, and that's a given factor to simply figure into what you are willing to pay. It's not like this might turn into a shocking $30,000 repair. Recell has a published price on their website right now for a replacement battery for these for $7,895. So you have kind of a ceiling on how bad this lurking repair might be. So for a car priced in the teens, with the expectation of this replacement that will then get you several more years, this might not be bad.This is not a must buy for me, just have always wanted a model S and for $18k I can pay cash for it. Doesn’t seem worth it if there’s a high chance of needing a replacement battery or drive unit.
Going into this I just didn’t realize the high failure rate on these early teslas. You make good points, just wasn’t planning on spending $18k plus another $8k.But that is going to always be a high chance on any 2013 Model S you will ever look at. It just will be, and that's a given factor to simply figure into what you are willing to pay. It's not like this might turn into a shocking $30,000 repair. Recell has a published price on their website right now for a replacement battery for these for $7,895. So you have kind of a ceiling on how bad this lurking repair might be. So for a car priced in the teens, with the expectation of this replacement that will then get you several more years, this might not be bad.
It's sort of like if you're able to buy a repo'ed house from a tax lien auction, but you're nervous that the carpet might need to be replaced. If you can get it at a good enough deal, the carpet replacement just doesn't matter. Recarpet the whole block if you saved a couple hundred grand below market value.
It's better if you're near an independent EV garage, or ready to set one up. Putting money in a regular car sucks!I found a 2013 model S 85 near me for $18,000 with 101,000 miles, but I’m a little concerned after reading about the battery pack and drive unit failure rate. Car has had door handles replaced, new ac in last year, new heater in the last year, and new passenger seat. MCU has been upgraded as well. Battery and drive unit are original to the car.
Car is showing 237 miles on a full charge. Just wondering if it’s worth taking the risk.
Yeah that’s gonna be a no lol. I think we’re just gonna stick with the cars we have. I’ve always wanted one of the older Model S, but this just seems like more of a headache than it’s worth.It's better if you're near an independent EV garage, or ready to set one up. Putting money in a regular car sucks!
Label indicates original 2013 pack. T13C=March 2013View attachment 944874
Here’s a picture of the pack. Not sure if that gives us any more info.
Understand your decision. By chance, do you have link to MS you were looking at?Decided to just keep our old ICE and Model Y. Hopefully one day we can get a cheap used Tesla.
Here you go.Understand your decision. By chance, do you have link to MS you were looking at?
Yeah just doesn’t seem worth it when I already have a Model Y and ICE. Goal was to have another EV on the cheap, but that seems unlikely with all the early Model S issues that can creep up. Hopefully in another 5-10 years I can get a cheap more reliable Model S or 3.A 2013 S is pretty cheap. The battery failing is one thing to worry about. That may or may not happen. What definitely will happen though is a non stop parade of something trivial breaking every 2 months which most garages will refuse to look at so you'll have to fix it yourself.
I love my Model S (2014 85). I've had minor problems with it, but I like to tinker. I find it satisfying to be driving the first practical fairly long range ev. 2014 was the first year exported to here. I wonder if the value will go up because of that in future. The roadsters are...Yeah just doesn’t seem worth it when I already have a Model Y and ICE. Goal was to have another EV on the cheap, but that seems unlikely with all the early Model S issues that can creep up. Hopefully in another 5-10 years I can get a cheap more reliable Model S or 3.
I love my Model S (2014 85). I've had minor problems with it, but I like to tinker. I find it satisfying to be driving the first practical fairly long range ev. 2014 was the first year exported to here. I wonder if the value will go up because of that in future. The roadsters are...
I’m definitely willing to tinker. I do most of the maintenance on my ICE. Doing a pack replacement would be a little out of my comfort zone though.I love my Model S (2014 85). I've had minor problems with it, but I like to tinker. I find it satisfying to be driving the first practical fairly long range ev. 2014 was the first year exported to here. I wonder if the value will go up because of that in future. The roadsters are...
Going into this I just didn’t realize the high failure rate on these early teslas. You make good points, just wasn’t planning on spending $18k plus another $8k.
You will have to pay one way or another, and it's not going to be "on the cheap". It can't be both ways. You can either get one of these early ones that will need a lot more fixing, or you can pay $30K+ for a much more reliable one that's more like model year 2016 or newer.Goal was to have another EV on the cheap, but that seems unlikely with all the early Model S issues that can creep up.