Tesla Model 3 Battery Died!

[EVcommuter]

Very sorry to hear you story EVcommuter. I know about Gruber Motor Company, one the east coast I think. They only (as far as I know) rebuild/repair Model S battery packs. I wonder if there are any companies on the west coast who do that on Model 3 batteries...just a thought, others may know. Good luck.

Thank you for the suggestion. I have gotten in touch with a place out here on the west coast and they are looking into the codes for me.

 

[EVcommuter]

I would seriously consider the possibility that this Tesla service center is looking at you as Mr./Ms. Moneybags that they are going to take to the cleaners. They have you where they want you. Your car is hundreds or thousands of miles away from home, and like Ben Kenobi, they're your only hope in your dire hour of need.

If you decide to transport the car home, then that is your right. It's not like they can hold your car hostage. Make them cite a law. Maybe after you book a transporter for your car home, they will realize they have lost our on this job and suddenly discover a much cheaper fix (like replacing the 12V battery lol).

I think you might be right. I am getting the same vibe from them at the moment. Currently arranging transport that will come after hours so Tesla doesn't scare them away. Then I can take it somewhere and have it checked out in person. They had nothing to say to me after I called them out on driving my car around the lot multiple times after they told me it was so dangerous to be near the car because it can catch on fire. 12V battery replacement would be a dream

 

[EVcommuter]

Then it might not be a broken HV battery and certainly has nothing to do with the drive unit. I skimmed through the errors and it suggests that it's a charging fault.

Just as a sanity check, how long ago did you replace your 12v battery? Sometimes when that is on the way out, it can cause a ton of error messages.

Thank you for looking into this for me. That would be amazing if that is the case - I have changed the 12V proactively every 40K since the first one failed suddenly at 38K and luckily I was able to make it home. The last time I changed it was at 120K

 

[Kairide]

Thank you for your unkind response. I hope your day gets better.

There was nothing unkind about my response. Your vehicle is out of warranty and something broke. You are on the hook for anything that breaks out of warranty.
To claim the battery only lasts until the warranty expires and that just because a Tesla service place you visited has a backup means you’re not an anomaly is wrong.
I guess you’re just upset I didn’t say I’m sorry, everything will be ok and give you a pat on the back?

 

[EVcommuter]

I am at 40k and I'm thinking the same thing.

After what happened to me I recommend everyone stay within the warranty unless they can afford not to and drive it into the ground.

 

[Big Dunc]

I am sorry to hear about your failure. As said above, you need to get the car away from that service centre and get a more accurate fault diagnosis.
I own an early Model S. It is "only" 78,000 miles, but over nine years old so well out of warranty.
I appreciate that I am running a risk and it could land me with a big bill any day. Some of my friends think I am absolutely mad owning it out of warranty. BUT, over the last three years of ownership it has been cheap to run and own compared to any ICE motor I have ever had. It is in my mind that if I have an expensive day like an HV battery or drive motor, then I have to keep the cheap times in mind and look at the costs and decide whether to repair or sell as is for "spares or repairs". Every time I go to a service centre (it did another door handle a few weeks ago), I ask the question. "How often do you see an early Model S with a failed battery pack?" The answer is always "hardly ever" or "really unusual". Now they could be bull sh*ting me, but I like to think they are not.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. As said on here, only people with problems complain. It would be a boring forum if every day there were 10,000 posts "my car ran fine today".

 

[Apprunner]

When I bought my car, I knew it had a shelf life of 120k miles or 8 years...whichever comes first. I plan to sell mine at 7 years, 11 months or 115k miles

Sorry about your troubles...really sucks it happened on a road trip. I've learned that its better for me to rent a car for long distance trips.

 

[father_of_6]

enchanted autopilot

Tesla dealer

they told me I need a new battery or possibly a new drive unit or maybe both among other possible things that might need to be changed.

It was a very sad moment to know that the cost of repairs which were kind of open ended were cost prohibitive. So this car only lasts until end of the battery warranty?!

I think you might be right. I am getting the same vibe from them at the moment. Currently arranging transport that will come after hours so Tesla doesn't scare them away. Then I can take it somewhere and have it checked out in person. They had nothing to say to me after I called them out on driving my car around the lot multiple times after they told me it was so dangerous to be near the car because it can catch on fire. 12V battery replacement would be a dream

I'm not doubting the validity of your post (well, maybe I am), but some of the things you've stated are written in a way as to make your story less believable.

Also, if the Tesla service center is driving your car around the lot, then neither your battery or drive units are the problem. Why in the world would anyone tow their car away from the service center in the middle of the night? They're fixing your car.

If you tow it away, you're going to need to bring it to another service center. The employees there don't make money from you the way your local mechanic does... they're just employees.

Perhaps you could post the messages and invoice you received in the app?

 

[jay1122]

How much is the estimate for a new battery? Is it even worth it to replace the battery? Would it be better to just sell the car as salvage? A brand new LR is $40K after tax credit.

 

[EVcommuter]

I am sorry to hear about your failure. As said above, you need to get the car away from that service centre and get a more accurate fault diagnosis.
I own an early Model S. It is "only" 78,000 miles, but over nine years old so well out of warranty.
I appreciate that I am running a risk and it could land me with a big bill any day. Some of my friends think I am absolutely mad owning it out of warranty. BUT, over the last three years of ownership it has been cheap to run and own compared to any ICE motor I have ever had. It is in my mind that if I have an expensive day like an HV battery or drive motor, then I have to keep the cheap times in mind and look at the costs and decide whether to repair or sell as is for "spares or repairs". Every time I go to a service centre (it did another door handle a few weeks ago), I ask the question. "How often do you see an early Model S with a failed battery pack?" The answer is always "hardly ever" or "really unusual". Now they could be bull sh*ting me, but I like to think they are not.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. As said on here, only people with problems complain. It would be a boring forum if every day there were 10,000 posts "my car ran fine today".

Thank you. Oh wow - 9 years, that is quite the story. I totally get what you are saying. I did love the car (not service, they unfortunately have been terrible for me right from delivery till the end). It was relatively cheap to operate and the self driving was life changing for me over the 100+K miles. So I am very thankful for that as it was my main motivation for getting it. Tesla service did tell me what happened to me was very rare. But then when I talked to a few 3rd party vendors on the east & west coast - they told me that is not true. One of the shops that is looking into the codes for me on the west coast says they won't even be able to look at my car for 5+ weeks because of all the other Tesla's ahead of me with battery issues waiting on service. But yes I agree - it would be very boring if all the posts were 'my car ran fine today'. Thank you for that - it made me lol

 

[EVcommuter]

How much is the estimate for a new battery? Is it even worth it to replace the battery? Would it be better to just sell the car as salvage? A brand new LR is $40K after tax credit.

I am currently waiting on a quote from them. They said they are sourcing the battery and once they find one then they can give me a price (not sure what that means). But I think you are right, it might not be worth it & a new car might be the way to go. One option I am looking into once I get my car here is to see if I can auction it AS IS.

 

[father_of_6]

I am currently waiting on a quote from them. They said they are sourcing the battery and once they find one then they can give me a price (not sure what that means). But I think you are right, it might not be worth it & a new car might be the way to go. One option I am looking into once I get my car here is to see if I can auction it AS IS.

That's not how it works. Tesla very well knows the price of their replacement batteries. Once again, your story just seems untrue.

Of course, it would be very easy to prove me wrong by just posting screenshots of your invoice and messages with Tesla service from the app.

 

[zoomer0056]

I'm not doubting the validity of your post (well, maybe I am), but some of the things you've stated are written in a way as to make your story less believable.

Also, if the Tesla service center is driving your car around the lot, then neither your battery or drive units are the problem. Why in the world would anyone tow their car away from the service center in the middle of the night? They're fixing your car.

If you tow it away, you're going to need to bring it to another service center. The employees there don't make money from you the way your local mechanic does... they're just employees.

Perhaps you could post the messages and invoice you received in the app?

Some pessimistic points made. Watching thread.

 

[EVcommuter]

I'm not doubting the validity of your post (well, maybe I am), but some of the things you've stated are written in a way as to make your story less believable.

Also, if the Tesla service center is driving your car around the lot, then neither your battery or drive units are the problem. Why in the world would anyone tow their car away from the service center in the middle of the night? They're fixing your car.

If you tow it away, you're going to need to bring it to another service center. The employees there don't make money from you the way your local mechanic does... they're just employees.

Perhaps you could post the messages and invoice you received in the app?

Sometimes things get lost in translation.

What you are stating above is what is making me not trust Tesla Service. Tesla is the one that told me my battery is dead and/or could be a drive unit issue. But then I noticed them charge my car up using the standard Tesla home chargers and then drive it to different parts of the lot. I asked them about it and they told me that it seems my car is charging fine BUT they said when you supercharge it, it is throwing faults which means it is bad battery pack. When I told them I want to get it shipped to me. They told me that they cannot release it to a transport company because it could catch on fire at any moment and it is very dangerous and that they have to put it into isolation and discharge the battery. So then I asked them why is it that you have been driving my car around the lot moving it from multiple spots if it is so dangerous and it can catch on fire at any moment. They didn't have a response for me. I agree with you about them being just employees - The issue has been every person I talk to there tells me something else. My overall feeling is that they aren't experts in the field and instead of saying they do not know the answer, they just make something up. Hence why overall it makes me mistrust them and perhaps the better thing is to just get to myself on the west coast and deal with them in person out here and come to a solution. Currently, I am waiting on an estimate from them - they said they are sourcing a new battery. Once they find a new battery they will give me an estimate. I am happy to share that here as I get it.

 

[EVcommuter]

That's not how it works. Tesla very well knows the price of their replacement batteries. Once again, your story just seems untrue.

Of course, it would be very easy to prove me wrong by just posting screenshots of your invoice and messages with Tesla service from the app.

It ok if you do not believe me. I have been in communication with them over the phone multiple times - and that when they told me they have to source it first before they can give me an estimate price. I assumed just like you did that they should know the exact price of a battery. Dunno

 

[EVcommuter]

When I bought my car, I knew it had a shelf life of 120k miles or 8 years...whichever comes first. I plan to sell mine at 7 years, 11 months or 115k miles

Sorry about your troubles...really sucks it happened on a road trip. I've learned that its better for me to rent a car for long distance trips.

lol good call ! Yes I think for now I'll stay away from EVs on a cross country especially while traveling with a dog! Thanks

 

[jay1122]

Sometimes things get lost in translation.

What you are stating above is what is making me not trust Tesla Service. Tesla is the one that told me my battery is dead and/or could be a drive unit issue. But then I noticed them charge my car up using the standard Tesla home chargers and then drive it to different parts of the lot. I asked them about it and they told me that it seems my car is charging fine BUT they said when you supercharge it, it is throwing faults which means it is bad battery pack. When I told them I want to get it shipped to me. They told me that they cannot release it to a transport company because it could catch on fire at any moment and it is very dangerous and that they have to put it into isolation and discharge the battery. So then I asked them why is it that you have been driving my car around the lot moving it from multiple spots if it is so dangerous and it can catch on fire at any moment. They didn't have a response for me. I agree with you about them being just employees - The issue has been every person I talk to there tells me something else. My overall feeling is that they aren't experts in the field and instead of saying they do not know the answer, they just make something up. Hence why overall it makes me mistrust them and perhaps the better thing is to just get to myself on the west coast and deal with them in person out here and come to a solution. Currently, I am waiting on an estimate from them - they said they are sourcing a new battery. Once they find a new battery they will give me an estimate. I am happy to share that here as I get it.

I personally think they are still testing it around. Not 100% sure if it is actually the HV battery pack. Sometimes, they couldn't figure out the exact problem, their solution is to change them all. From the HV battery to the connections. That must solve the problem whatever it is. A lot of dealers use that tactic. I somewhat understand why they are afraid of releasing the car. If it burns during transportation, it will be a big problem for Tesla. Releasing a problematic car that burns down the truck. But there should be a way to safely disconnect the HV battery before transportation.

 

[EVcommuter]

I personally think they are still testing it around. Not 100% sure if it is actually the HV battery pack. Sometimes, they couldn't figure out the exact problem, their solution is to change them all. From the HV battery to the connections. That must solve the problem whatever it is. A lot of dealers use that tactic. I somewhat understand why they are afraid of releasing the car. If it burns during transportation, it will be a big problem for Tesla. Releasing a problematic car that burns down the truck. But there should be a way to safely disconnect the HV battery before transportation.

gotcha ok - that could be possible scenario that I didn't think about. I guess I do understand the truck burning down part but then why would they risk driving it around themselves quite a few times.

 

[jay1122]

gotcha ok - that could be possible scenario that I didn't think about. I guess I do understand the truck burning down part but then why would they risk driving it around themselves quite a few times.

If the car starts to smoke/burn while driving, you can stop and run out and let it burn. I am sure they are driving around in isolated empty lot. If it burns on a flatbed, the truck driver may not notice and it will spread to driver. That is my take. Hey, if the car burns down while they are test driving, you probably can go through insurance. I would prefer that LOL.

 

[father_of_6]

The issue has been every person I talk to there tells me something else.

I have been in communication with them over the phone multiple times

Perhaps I'm being untrusting or pessimistic like @zoomer0056 said, but once again this just doesn't ring true. I've dealt with service numerous times and spend a fairly large amount of time on these forums - it's very rare to talk to anyone over the phone at the service centers. Almost all communication happens via the app.

Even if your story about waiting for battery pricing checks out, you could still post your messages from the app... if your car is in service, then you have an open case in the service portion of the app.

Also, when I brought my car in for service recently, as soon as I pulled into their parking lot, my car was within their geofence... they switched it to service mode shortly thereafter without even being in the car and I could no longer see the same information in the app - so how is it even possible that you could know they were driving your car around the parking lot?

Yes I think for now I'll stay away from EVs on a cross country especially while traveling with a dog!

Once again... I've driven my Model 3 for almost 3 years and 50k miles. I'm having a hard time believing that anyone who's had one for 5 years and 132k miles (you) would make this statement.

Your post reminds me of a recent EV hit piece I read from The Federalist where they rented a Model 3 for a road trip and had very little good to say.

I'm just saying... if everything you've stated is true, you've got a strange way of representing it... because there are a lot of parts of your story that just don't ring true.

Maybe I'm totally wrong though. You could easily prove it by posting screenshots of your messages through the app.