12v battery issue, Tesla unsatisfactory response

[Daniel in SD]

Call around, to stores, and tell them you need a "45 Ah / AGM battery" its a deep cycle lead acid battery. That is the exact type of battery the Model 3 uses. I quick checked autozone and they dont have "45 Ah / AGM"

You have way more confidence in the employees of auto parts stores than I do!
It's funny that even someone as knowledgeable as you would have trouble getting one from Autozone.
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-...gm-group-size-51r-435-cca/229893_977533_25698
Also, you've got to make sure you get the version with the terminals in the right polarity otherwise you're going to have a bad time.

If you've got a Nissan Leaf you simply go to Autozone and ask for a Nissan Leaf 12V and you're on your way. Or just call AAA.

 

[texas_star_TM3]

Tesla needs to design / tweak the battery requirements and software so that folks get at least 4 yrs use out of the battery (normal conditions ... not Phoenix or North Dakota)

floating the idea that the car needs to be either always plugged in (good luck for apartment folks) - OR - proactively replaced every 2 yrs go against the "low maintenance" mantra of EVs. I live in Texas and have never gotten under 5 yrs of use out of every OEM battery which came with the vehicle.

also: if the battery is expected to only last 2-3 yrs... at least make it a ~$100 battery you can get at any autozone store.

 

[AZAV8R]

Maybe we should just proactively be replacing the 12V battery every 1 or 1.5 years.

Before I live through another Summer in AZ, an Ohmmu is going in. I don't cherish the idea of a bricked M3 in a shopping center parking lot when it's 110F!

 

[webbah]

any recommendations for internal ones I can plug into cig. light?
Amazon.com : bluetooth car battery monitor

If I recall correctly the cig lighter 12v is not active when the car sleeps. Attaching directly to the battery is the way to go. It's quite simple to install. You just pull up on the top piece of the frunk cover gently to remove it from the clips. This is for a Model 3 of course and I believe a Model Y is the same. The Model S and X are much more difficult to access. It took me no more than 10 minutes to install.

 

[webbah]

old Roadsters got rid of the 12V battery. Tesla should at least emergency power the car thru HV so you're not stranded

Are you sure about that? What's the source? I owned a 2012 Roadster for 7 years (sold for the Model 3) and the 12v battery is located in the front passenger wheel well behind the cover. You need to remove the wheel to access it. I had to replace mine once in 7 years.

 

[NOLADriver]

You have way more confidence in the employees of auto parts stores than I do!
It's funny that even someone as knowledgeable as you would have trouble getting one from Autozone.
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-...gm-group-size-51r-435-cca/229893_977533_25698
Also, you've got to make sure you get the version with the terminals in the right polarity otherwise you're going to have a bad time.

If you've got a Nissan Leaf you simply go to Autozone and ask for a Nissan Leaf 12V and you're on your way. Or just call AAA.

Agreed, I am not the autozone.com whisperer. But neither are you
Thats not the right battery Francis.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Agreed, I am not the autozone.com whisperer. But neither are you
Thats not the right battery Francis.

Haha. I'm just going by what I read in this thread that it's a 51R type. Maybe even I, an electrical engineer who has built his own car, can't figure out what battery to buy for a Model 3!

 

[Daniel in SD]

Haha. I'm just going by what I read in this thread that it's a 51R type. Maybe even I, an electrical engineer who has built his own car, can't figure out what battery to buy for a Model 3!

Ok, from what I gather on the internet it's a JIS B24 size (AtlasBX 85B24LS, Japanese sizing, so you can't get it in US auto parts stores), 236mm x 128mm x 200mm.
I guess the US 51R size is close enough though? 238mm x 129mm x 223 mm
Who knows though? Luckily my car is still under warranty for a couple more years and I live 10 miles from a service center.
The picture you uploaded doesn't look like the one pulled out in the Ohmmu video.

 

[RC2785]

Honeslty it will prob be quicker, cheaper, and less stressful if you change the battery yourself. There are videos on youtube on how to open the hood when the battery is dead.

 

[RC2785]

Batteries die, that happens. But requiring 12V power to open access to the 12V battery is an idiotic feat of engineering. Would it be that hard to install an emergency latch under the dash?

You can actually use a standard 9v battery to open the frunk (only works if the 12v battery is dead or car is unlocked)

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

Haha. I'm just going by what I read in this thread that it's a 51R type. Maybe even I, an electrical engineer who has built his own car, can't figure out what battery to buy for a Model 3!

Dude, I am nowhere near being an EE and have never built a car, yet I had zero problems going to my local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and buying an AGM that fit and works perfectly. And it took maybe 10 minutes to install. It’s no more complicated than changing out the 12V in any other car. You’re really making this out to be more than it is and scaring other people in the process. Buying and swapping a 12V battery is a basic life skill that everyone should posses. If you’ve never done it before, YouTube will show you the way. Just like everything else.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Dude, I am nowhere near being an EE and have never built a car, yet I had zero problems going to my local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and buying an AGM that fit and works perfectly. And it took maybe 10 minutes to install. It’s no more complicated than changing out the 12V in any other car. You’re really making this out to be more than it is and scaring other people in the process. Buying and swapping a 12V battery is a basic life skill that everyone should posses. If you’ve never done it before, YouTube will show you the way. Just like everything else.

People reading this thread should absolutely go and get a 51R AGM battery and replace it themselves when they need to. Not trying to scare anyone, it's super easy.
I'm just pointing out that it's a crappy customer experience to use a non-standard battery size. O'reillys claims they don't sell a battery for the Model 3 so without research you'd have to go there and measure batteries and somehow know to get an AGM battery (otherwise the car will kill it in 6 months). If you can't replace it yourself I bet you'll also have trouble getting anyone else to replace it because they won't be able to look up the battery size in their system.

 

[TheRFMan]

You can actually use a standard 9v battery to open the frunk (only works if the 12v battery is dead or car is unlocked)

Now let's see him put that cover back in place without breaking it

 

[TSLA Pilot]

And this is EXACTLY what you’d do in a Tesla as well. And if for some reason the jump start doesn’t work (which btw happens occasionally in all cars) you find other transportation to the auto parts store (friend, uber, etc), buy the battery, bring it home and install it. This is basic problem solving. I can’t for the life of me understand why we have so many threads on the 12V giving up the ghost. They die in all cars, replace it and move on. And if your car is still under warranty when it dies and Tesla says it will be a week before they can get to you, replace it and save the receipt then submit that to Tesla for reimbursement. Maybe they pay for it, maybe not. But we’re talking about a $200 part not a $2k part.

Perhaps you missed the part about how the car bricked in his driveway?

Or how it's darn near impossible to move a Tesla with no 12-volt power?

And how Tesla's customer service has fallen off a cliff?

 

[Tjhappel]

For the record I am WAY long tsla and have loved all of their vehicles.

tesla service 800 number couldn’t tell me today wether or not lake forest or Santa Ana had a battery in stock, nobody could be reached at either store for the 2 hours I tried on hold. Even Tesla service cannot see what inventory one of their own parts centers has incase your wondering.

Short story, car was jumped... I drove it sc and stopped it in the parking in an allotted parking stall. They were extremely gracious to me once I was actually there in person, I paid for it in full like a big boy since my car is out of warranty, took them about 45 minutes total.

the main point is they should tell Kragen or oreilly what the battery is etc etc so nobody has to deal with this scenario. It’s just dumb and didn’t need to happen.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I paid for it in full like a big boy since my car is out of warranty, took them about 45 minutes total.

How much was it, just out of curiosity? Want to know the right price to pay for the right battery if I ever decide to get one.

the main point is they should tell Kragen or oreilly what the battery is etc etc so nobody has to deal with this scenario. It’s just dumb and didn’t need to happen.

Agreed! This is super dumb. They should push to get some of these batteries into the auto parts supply chain. It sounds like there could well be sufficient demand, especially with the increasing number of Teslas.

 

[Tjhappel]

It’s was 120 on the nose which is like 50 too much I’m sure... but again sorry to all the engineers who think I’m super lazy, I really do like fixing my own stuff when possible.

 

[scottf200]

Haha. I'm just going by what I read in this thread that it's a 51R type. Maybe even I, an electrical engineer who has built his own car, can't figure out what battery to buy for a Model 3!

Battery details page: 12 Volt Battery Compendium – TeslaTap

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Ok, from what I gather on the internet

From what I gather from my garage, I can confirm it is that one:

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

It’s was 120 on the nose which is like 50 too much I’m sure... but again sorry to all the engineers who think I’m super lazy, I really do like fixing my own stuff when possible.

Maybe I'm a sucker, but that doesn't seem that bad for this type of battery. Though looking at this link, it looks like it is a sealed maintenance free battery and not an AGM battery? I always thought it was an AGM battery, but this PDF from the manufacturer presumably does not lie? (MF looks like it means Maintenance Free...not a profanity which is what you might think when you realize it's not an AGM...?) Says right in the document the MF 85B24LS is for Tesla.

https://cdn.hankook-atlasbx.com/PRD...(US_version)General_Catalog(2019)_(small).pdf