Service Manual Subscriptions

[Mike K]

Putting aside right and wrong for a minute......

I'm trying to think through what I would do in Tesla's shoes. The car is salvage. I'm not sure what that means as I've made parts and repair so expensive that the darn thing can be totaled for a tooth ache but, hey, I'm not taking any responsibility for that because, presumably, the customer has insurance so the insurance company is paying for everything. What I do care about is ANY Model S fire as that is a nail in my coffin. I do not care if I am disadvantaging the salvage after market as the car is salvage and not for the road. I'm going to do everything I can to keep that battery from being charged and thus keep it from catching fire. This will include reaching my paws into an asset I do not own and making a configuration change to keep the car from being fast charged by any DC charging device. I'm smart, want what I want and will do what I think is best without (as much) regard for what my customer or current owner of the salvage think.

You know what, I'm going to change my opinion on this again thanks to your post. The complaint is that Tesla is reaching in and changing something that you own, after the state of purchase. If I kept my salvage car I think that would be a valid gripe, especially if the change they're making is disabling third party fast DC charging however they're not doing that. They're not stripping me of options because 99.9% of the time I don't own my car after it's been in an accident serious enough for insurance to write it off. The insurance company then owns it. And frankly I don't think the insurance company much cares if supercharging is turned off car side or supercharger side. It's up to the eventual buyer to do their due diligence, factor in the cost of repairs, familiarize themselves with Tesla's policies with salvage cars and decide what the car is worth to them and if they want to take on that challenge.

But this notion that Tesla is reaching in and changing something on my car and taking a paid option away from me seems like a farce because for that to happen the car needs to be considered a total loss and if that happens I'll get a check and the car won't be mine for them to steal options from.

 

[JRP3]

Another way of looking at it is supercharging is for the life of the vehicle. Once the vehicle is totaled it's no longer "alive" and anyone trying to re-register it is essentially raising it from the dead.
The effect on insurance and resale value because of limited repair options, salvaged or not, IS going to negatively impact the company at some point if it's not properly addressed. Depreciation will increase which will make it harder to charge a premium for a new vehicle.

 

[3mp_kwh]

Once the vehicle is totaled it's no longer "alive" and anyone trying to re-register it is essentially raising it from the dead.

This just doesn't fly, knowing how "minor" damage leads to total loss. When the cars are worth 40k, how little will it take to claim dead?

The September MA hearing, on 3383, was curiously right ahead of the dealer bill to block Tesla. Right to repair is to be a federal rule in 2018, (only 2018 models fwd), but 3383 is also a separate MA push for more general electronic devices. I saw a guy in a wheel chair make a compelling testimony on this one, as he repairs the mobile chairs and, like cell phone users and other medical device people, was frustrated by the forced salvage of otherwise good product. It may not exclude autos.

I appreciate Tesla wanting to retain control, but something similar to the CPO program's beginnings is where they are headed. They don't need the BS issues of $20k-40k used Tesla buyers hounding them. I have the manual, and as mentioned, its repair/replace and cites "toolbox" for drive train. You don't get software, or anything close to OBD II access.

If they are listening, what I hope they appreciate is the after warranty culture that exists for most marques. It isn't something to be taken for granted, and needs to be developed. Their whole business model hasn't got the resources to deal with chronic, out of warranty issues on 4-6 year old cars. Why wish this on yourself? What capacity is the 20k-40k Model S buyer going to have to access refurb parts, that could otherwise cost them $5,000 from a Service Center? Air spring units new from Continental? The non-drive systems alone stand to sink post-warranty value of a Tesla. I know a GM guy, in MI, who I can send a spedo cluster to, another the nav "head unit"/"MCU", etc. Outside of Tesla's warranty, there is a lot else that needs to happen beyond worrying about deactivations from the mother ship. Glad I'm not in the cohort, but I appreciate the pioneers

 

[JRP3]

This just doesn't fly, knowing how "minor" damage leads to total loss.

I don't think that's relevant. The insurance company declares it a "totaled" vehicle, which changes it's title to "salvage". That seems to be a legal status change which the state recognizes.

 

[jaguar36]

How is Tesla alerted to a vehicle being totaled? Its not right that they make any changes to the car based upon an arbitrary decision by a 3rd party.

Do any other manufactures pull features like 3g/LTE when a car is totaled? Tesla is not alone in having connected cars these days.

 

[msnow]

In California I'm pretty sure it's public information. The "salvage" registration label follows the VIN.

 

[Ingineer]

They also get a notification when there is a crash, so they know a vehicle is damaged, and that may be when they decide to pull access.

 

[lolachampcar]

There are also auto-disable elements within the design that "trip" when the car is hit bad enough in certain directions (12V charge disconnect being one ?????). These systems have to be re-inabled by Tesla.

 

[jaguar36]

Sure, but there are alot of instances where very minor crashes have totaled a Model S, so there has to be some other notification to them.

 

[Jonas_man]

FYI: "General Access (Personal)" subscription works from Norway (Europe). (Just tried an hour subscription with correct details for my region)

Were you able to download the software too ?
Toolbox

 

[3mp_kwh]

This thread has been linked, from story:
Tesla Doesn't Want You to Work on Its Cars

Evidently, MA's 2018 law requiring "standardized diagnostic interface" availability is only applicable to "franchises".

 

[David.85D]

Fwiw, there is now a national registry of title information, NMVTIS, tied to VIN. Almost every state participates. If an insurance company, salvage yard, etc, reports the car as flood, salvage, totaled, the tag will be set in the database, and can be searched instantly. Don’t need the car to report anything...

https://www.vehiclehistory.gov/NMVTIS_Map.pdf