12v battery must be replaced soon

[Sophias_dad]

When you say connect, do you mean simply tap both connections to the battery? How would you "connect?"
If you already have a jump starter, why would you want a 9v battery? Is it safer/gentler? The video is pretty simple with a jump starter. Thanks for sharing!

Others have already answered, but I'll reiterate.... simply tap both connections to the battery.

I don't carry a jump starter anywhere, but I can find a 9V battery at pretty much any convenience store, and in a pinch I could probably find other 9v sources as well.

It may indeed be safer to do with a 9V battery, other than it being less clear which connection is positive. A 9V battery will only supply a few amps to the circuit if you put it backwards, and at least some electronics will not meltdown in that case. That jump pack will supply a few hundred amps for a short period, and that'll literally burn whatever it touches that's not built for it. I suspect there are protections in that connection cable against reverse polarity anyway.

 

[smatthew]

A person who was ultra worried could put a 9V in a sealed baggie and duct tape it under the car - like an old "hide-a-key"

 

[Silent Ludicrosy]

What's the deal with the windows rolling down when the battery fails? Does that always happen? So if my battery goes dead during a rainstorm I have to worry about the inside getting soaked too? This sounds like a bad design.

Because otherwise you would be locked out. When this happened to me it was 110 degrees out and my toddler was in the backseat. I selected “keep climate on”, got out of the car and closed the drivers door. By the time i walked to the trunk and opened it, the climate turned itself off and the windows rolled down. If the windows hadnt rolled down i would have been breaking them to keep my kid from baking.

 

[Kandiru]

After reading all these 12V threads, I started carrying a small jump pack in my 3

Outstanding, in my MS I have jumper wires with nosecone prying tool in trunk and jumper battery permanently charging from the USB.
After 5 years, I replaced the 12V battery anyway at own cost.

 

[austinmichaeld]

How many miles have you put on in the 21 months? Sorry to hear about this. That's crazy.

42k miles, Its still my baby. I have had to bail out my wife with her i-pace way more. its on its way to lemon law land at this point.

 

[fseir]

one year in AZ. Mine was replaced while at SC, they said they smelt something (and it wasn't the AC!)

The sulfur odor was the first clue something was wrong with my car. It smelled like a propane leak in my garage, and the Tesla was the LAST thing I thought to check, because why would my electric vehicle smell like a catalytic converter?? But sure enough, at 29 months and 12,000 miles, my car was bricked, without warning. Must be the sulfuric acid boiling off that resulted in the odor. Just glad I was home, and not stuck out in a rainstorm or a sketchy part of town.

Unlike many of you, my rear windows didn’t roll down, but my driver door window was down slightly, and my mirror was unfolded. I also found that my passenger door was openable, and I still had a little bit of power in the right side of the car (which @android04 nicely explained here: Dead 12v Questions).

Hadn’t realized I was in such good company with this problem. Definitely alarming how common this is, and how it can occur without warning.

I do wonder, though, if those jump start batteries will work for this problem? Tesla sent a tow truck out to my home, and the guy attached a 12V host battery to my car, and it didn’t do a thing, even after being attached for 10 minutes. Couldn’t even power the hazard lights. Has anyone actually tried this in a dead battery situation, and had it start the car?

 

[vickh]

Because otherwise you would be locked out. When this happened to me it was 110 degrees out and my toddler was in the backseat. I selected “keep climate on”, got out of the car and closed the drivers door. By the time i walked to the trunk and opened it, the climate turned itself off and the windows rolled down. If the windows hadnt rolled down i would have been breaking them to keep my kid from baking.

reminds me never to leave my kids in the car alone anymore or teach them emergency handles.

Also, I'm moving my jumper to the front from the trunk. which won't open either right?

 

[smatthew]

reminds me never to leave my kids in the car alone anymore or teach them emergency handles.

Also, I'm moving my jumper to the front from the trunk. which won't open either right?

Yes. Until you get 12V to the car, the only thing that is opening is the frunk.

The sulfur odor...

I do wonder, though, if those jump start batteries will work for this problem? Tesla sent a tow truck out to my home, and the guy attached a 12V host battery to my car, and it didn’t do a thing, even after being attached for 10 minutes. Couldn’t even power the hazard lights. Has anyone actually tried this in a dead battery situation, and had it start the car?

That smell tells me at least one cell was overheating. The cell shorted out, and was making tons of heat. When the other "host battery" was attached it couldn't overcome the combination of the massive current drain the old battery had become and the resistance in the wiring used to attached the host battery. If measured at the computer, the 12V was probably hovering around 8 or 9, not enough to boot the car. If you had removed your dead battery from the equation the car should have started right up. Or, if the tow driver had just performed a standard vehicle jump.....

The manual cautions that using the Model 3 to jump start another car can cause damage to the Tesla. That makes sense - our 12V battery doesn't have enough cranking power and trying would probably make the computer reboot if the PCS couldn't react fast enough.

But, the manual also says you can use another vehicle to jump start the 3.("If jump starting Model 3 using another vehicle, refer to that vehicle manufacturer's instructions.") The tow truck driver was probably just being cautious and worried about frying the Tesla if it was exposed to "dirty automotive power". Remember that all the power electronics in the car are automotive grade, and automotive 12V means you expect 11ish V to 14ish V, but plan for excursions to 36+ V.

 

[turtlesz]

Sadly I believe I am joining this club in our P100D X. Car would not turn on in the morning and there was no previous warning.

P100D X 12V battery dying in a car without any warning?

 

[yessirrom]

My M3 started with the 12v replace soon message. 45,560 miles. I set up an appointment for replacement. Phone rep said it would not be under warranty. I cancelled and went to the service center to purchase one myself. Rep came out and asked why I wanted to buy one considering that it would be covered under warranty. I explained that the phone rep said it would not be covered. He said come in tomorrow and we will replace for free. He made me an appointment and it showed up in my app.

I show up the next day and check in for my appointment with the scan image process they have. I get a welcome message and we will be with you shortly. 1 hour later, I go looking for people. None to be found during my wait. Rep calls me on the phone! and says we cannot see you today. Someone forgot to check me in and they have placed several walk ins ahead of me. I get the usual leave your car and we will give you uber credits. Problem is I live out in the country about 55 miles away and leave for work at 4am. Good luck getting an uber at that time.

I schedule mobile service for two days later. Mobile service comes out and replaces battery. When I leave work my windows do not roll down when opening the door. I can roll them down but when I roll them up, they bounce back down about 3-4 inches. Both front windows. When I park, I have to roll them down a little to clear the seal. Then I have to climb in from the back and roll them up. They will bounce down twice before staying up.

In addition, my steering wheel will not adjust more than an inch in any direction. Presets or manual adjust. Up, down, in or out. Mobile service is trying to diagnose remotely.

UGH

 

[smatthew]

Hold the window button up for 10-15 seconds. Then, hold it down for 10-15 seconds. That recalibrates the windows.

 

[NathanielHrnblwr]

Welp, my turn for this message. Went out to the car to do something and saw it on the screen. 2 week lead time for appointment. Can this battery be sourced locally?

 

[smatthew]

Just drop by the service center and they should take care of you on the spot. It's a quick job,

 

[yessirrom]

Hold the window button up for 10-15 seconds. Then, hold it down for 10-15 seconds. That recalibrates the windows.

I tried this several times with no change in behavior. I did it with support on the line as well as several times afterward.

 

[smatthew]

I tried this several times with no change in behavior. I did it with support on the line as well as several times afterward.

Darn. Well, let us know how it plays out.

 

[NathanielHrnblwr]

Interesting observation - car isn’t going to deep sleep. No “Waking up” in the app, just instant response and main pack draining slowly. Charged to 90% last night. Currently at 87%.

I charged to 90 on Sat and app showed 85% when i looked at it Sunday morning and I thought I forgot to set the charge limit to 90%. Maybe his is new behavior to keep the car from becoming unresponsive.

 

[ThomasD]

Tesla could have a hidden lock Turn a small piece of trim and insert a small key to unlock the car like the Lincolns have

 

[toolman335]

This is my first time on TMC since Friday morning and this thread keeps getting more disturbing!

 

[Blue Express]

EV Nation..............It doesn't do any good to carry a 12V pack in the car. When it dies you can't get in....and it can die without any warning,,,,,,,I know. Never count on a warning. The best indication is that the battery is about 2 years old....then be aware.

Leave the 12V pack in the frunk and use a 9V battery to open the frunk in case of power lost.

 

[Phlier]

Interesting observation - car isn’t going to deep sleep. No “Waking up” in the app, just instant response and main pack draining slowly. Charged to 90% last night. Currently at 87%.

I charged to 90 on Sat and app showed 85% when i looked at it Sunday morning and I thought I forgot to set the charge limit to 90%. Maybe his is new behavior to keep the car from becoming unresponsive.

This could be caused by the 12v battery needing to be charged. The car monitors the 12v battery's voltage when it is asleep, and will wake up to use the DC/DC converter to charge the 12v battery from the main pack. If the 12v battery is on its way out, the car will wake up often to charge it.