December 2019 was a very bad month for me and my cars. From my neighbor's pine tree cracking a windshield to a Xmas vacation flat tire, then things got very weird for our S85. We were experiencing a "tracker beam-like" rotational whirring sound under load coming from the drivetrain over the last 6 months. 3 months ago, we started getting intermittent "Car needs service: Vehicle may not restart" every couple weeks or so. The message would come on and disappear after 5 seconds (not enough time to even snap a picture). I decide to make an appointment at my local Service Center to look into the issue but the soonest appointment is 3 weeks out.
Just before New Year's the message comes on and stays on. The next time we start the car we get a "Systems performance check" followed by a "Acceleration and Top Speed reduced," and "Regenerative Braking System Disabled." I tap through the MCU to call for roadside service advice; they say to drive the car to the nearest Service Center before attempting a systems reboot. I get there 30 minutes before closing day and they expedite me because there's something clearly wrong with the car. It just so happened that I was planning to stop by to return the loaner wheel/tire from that Xmas day flat I had in Las Vegas.
It turns out the logs were showing issues with the drive unit and battery contactors, and they replaced both under warranty. They even threw in a 4-wheel alignment and 12V battery to boot. Now I wish all this car misfortune could be left behind me in 2019, but 20 minutes before I return the loaner S75D I get sideswiped by an older fellow in a red Mercedes. I'm coming down south on Pacific Coast Highway at 40mph in the #1 lane with construction cones as a divider. The Mercedes makes an illegal left turn from an eastward driveway and nudges the loaner square on the rear wheel...there's red paint left on the wheel and black tire mark on his right bumper. 24 years of driving and I have my first accident.
Just before New Year's the message comes on and stays on. The next time we start the car we get a "Systems performance check" followed by a "Acceleration and Top Speed reduced," and "Regenerative Braking System Disabled." I tap through the MCU to call for roadside service advice; they say to drive the car to the nearest Service Center before attempting a systems reboot. I get there 30 minutes before closing day and they expedite me because there's something clearly wrong with the car. It just so happened that I was planning to stop by to return the loaner wheel/tire from that Xmas day flat I had in Las Vegas.
It turns out the logs were showing issues with the drive unit and battery contactors, and they replaced both under warranty. They even threw in a 4-wheel alignment and 12V battery to boot. Now I wish all this car misfortune could be left behind me in 2019, but 20 minutes before I return the loaner S75D I get sideswiped by an older fellow in a red Mercedes. I'm coming down south on Pacific Coast Highway at 40mph in the #1 lane with construction cones as a divider. The Mercedes makes an illegal left turn from an eastward driveway and nudges the loaner square on the rear wheel...there's red paint left on the wheel and black tire mark on his right bumper. 24 years of driving and I have my first accident.
