12v Battery Needs Servicing - Aftermarket Sound

[mkhalasi85]

So the ranger is here replacing my 12v battery and just informed me that the battery is no longer covered under warranty because I had my sound system installed. He also suggested that it could be the root cause of my battery needing servicing and that the same message could appear again in a few months. $300 every few months is def not worth the extra bass.

What are some workarounds for this? I did a quick search of aftermarket batteries and didn't find much. Any ideas?

 

[ShawnA]

Hi Mkhala,

Several on the forum swear by an Element 3 Lithium battery for Tesla Model S...
They currently do not offer (as far as I know) a replacement for the Model X.
They are not for the timid they are $439 each... but offer longer deeper drain than the standard 12 V battery.

Good luck,

Shawn

 

[DCGOO]

I call B S on the ranger. No way will any 12v accessory properly installed cause out of warranty costs for a battery. How many of us have full time on dash cams installed. Heck the Model X even provides an always on 12v accessory power cable! I would seriously question his statement.

 

[Krazaak]

I call B S on the ranger. No way will any 12v accessory properly installed cause out of warranty costs for a battery. How many of us have full time on dash cams installed. Heck the Model X even provides an always on 12v accessory power cable! I would seriously question his statement.

Most always-on dash cams, mine included pull from the wiring harness in the car. A larger aftermarket sound system is probably tapping the battery at the terminals and drawing a heck of a lot more power than a dash cam or two.

It may or may not have been the actual cause of the failure, but it's unwise to leave any aftermarket modifications in place, connected to a component being replaced under warranty.

 

[mkhalasi85]

So at the end the ranger said my battery seemed to be fine when he did a voltage check after he replaced it. He said he didn't think my subs caused the alert especially with the subs I have installed. I have 2 JBL Bass Pro SLs, they are 8" subs with a low power draw. Regardless, I'm still out of warranty because I did the modification. He also told me the MCU was out of warranty because the installers likely tapped the back of the MCU for the audio input. I just said okay but I know the audio was tapped from the door so I'm not sure what to make of this whole ordeal.

 

[jboy210]

So at the end the ranger said my battery seemed to be fine when he did a voltage check after he replaced it. He said he didn't think my subs caused the alert especially with the subs I have installed. I have 2 JBL Bass Pro SLs, they are 8" subs with a low power draw. Regardless, I'm still out of warranty because I did the modification. He also told me the MCU was out of warranty because the installers likely tapped the back of the MCU for the audio input. I just said okay but I know the audio was tapped from the door so I'm not sure what to make of this whole ordeal.

Any car manufacturer will decline warranty on failures caused by options they did not install or on OEM components modified by aftermarket installations. This is not new. It has been true for a very long time. Take a look at some of the BMW forums for similar tales.

 

[jboy210]

Hi Mkhala,

Several on the forum swear by an Element 3 Lithium battery for Tesla Model S...
They currently do not offer (as far as I know) a replacement for the Model X.
They are not for the timid they are $439 each... but offer longer deeper drain than the standard 12 V battery.

Good luck,

Shawn

Pretty sure the Tesla battery is a deep cycle battery to support the large swings.

 

[brkaus]

So at the end the ranger said my battery seemed to be fine when he did a voltage check after he replaced it. He said he didn't think my subs caused the alert especially with the subs I have installed. I have 2 JBL Bass Pro SLs, they are 8" subs with a low power draw. Regardless, I'm still out of warranty because I did the modification. He also told me the MCU was out of warranty because the installers likely tapped the back of the MCU for the audio input. I just said okay but I know the audio was tapped from the door so I'm not sure what to make of this whole ordeal.

I'm sure they have seen enough MCUs screwed up by aftermarket installers.

But I believe it is still up to them to show the modification caused a problem.

 

[Krazaak]

It's unlikely that the ranger has any authority to invalidate part of your warranty, although he's probably made notes for the service manager. If the old battery tested good, then it's possible that either the additional draw from the stereo is confusing the electronics or there's some problem with the DC/DC converter. If it's the later, you would likely need to disconnect any aftermarket equipment to prove there's a problem without it. Tesla might still argue that your equipment caused the damage.

Invalidating the MCU warranty because somebody *might* have tapped the back of it is complete BS. They either tapped the back or they didn't. If they did, then Tesla might be able to argue that a short or electrical failure was caused by aftermarket equipment, but you would certainly have a case for warranty repair if the storage failed or the screen yellowed.

 

[jboy210]

It's unlikely that the ranger has any authority to invalidate part of your warranty, although he's probably made notes for the service manager. If the old battery tested good, then it's possible that either the additional draw from the stereo is confusing the electronics or there's some problem with the DC/DC converter. If it's the later, you would likely need to disconnect any aftermarket equipment to prove there's a problem without it. Tesla might still argue that your equipment caused the damage.

Invalidating the MCU warranty because somebody *might* have tapped the back of it is complete BS. They either tapped the back or they didn't. If they did, then Tesla might be able to argue that a short or electrical failure was caused by aftermarket equipment, but you would certainly have a case for warranty repair if the storage failed or the screen yellowed.

How could you get the output to provide the input to the subs without taping the output of the audio system?

 

[Krazaak]

How could you get the output to provide the input to the subs without taping the output of the audio system?

They could be using a custom connector harness to tap the links without using a vampire tap on the actual cables or they could be getting the signal from the wires going into the doors.

It's complete presumption on the ranger's part to claim the MCU warranty is invalid without even knowing how the subs are connected.

My point is that they need to demonstrate that your aftermarket modifications contributed to a failure, not speculate. Now, it's possible the OP exaggerated the ranger's statement. If the ranger said that he might have warranty issues with the MCU if there's taps into the connectors on the rear, I'd take that as code for making sure that any aftermarket changes are reversed before I went it for an MCU warranty claim.

 

[tinm]

So my car (92500mi, 2013 Model S85) started barking and complaining about the 12V battery several weeks ago. I immediately contacted service who eventually got back to me and then sent me a link to this third-party app Routezilla which they're using now to schedule mobile service rangers to come to your house for service (the only way any customer in New Mexico can get service).

I scheduled via Routezilla, and just before the appointment date, I learn that supposedly the battery they were bringing for the service job was a bad battery and they would have to order another. That was a while ago. So I've been waiting to hear when they got the new battery, and that was today. So they sent me back into Routezilla to fill out all the forms again and the next available date is 12/18.

Here's the thing: Today they also sent me an invoice for $192 for the new 12V battery replacement. Wait a minute: my car is under Extended Service Warranty--isn't the battery included in that? The one that is failing in my car is in fact a replacement that Tesla put into my car a couple years ago. I checked the service invoice for when that was done: "Pay Type" was listed as "Warranty" and "Cost" was set to "$0.00"

Why would I have to pay now when car's still under warranty? What changed?

 

[Krazaak]

So my car (92500mi, 2013 Model S85) started barking and complaining about the 12V battery several weeks ago. I immediately contacted service who eventually got back to me and then sent me a link to this third-party app Routezilla which they're using now to schedule mobile service rangers to come to your house for service (the only way any customer in New Mexico can get service).

I scheduled via Routezilla, and just before the appointment date, I learn that supposedly the battery they were bringing for the service job was a bad battery and they would have to order another. That was a while ago. So I've been waiting to hear when they got the new battery, and that was today. So they sent me back into Routezilla to fill out all the forms again and the next available date is 12/18.

Here's the thing: Today they also sent me an invoice for $192 for the new 12V battery replacement. Wait a minute: my car is under Extended Service Warranty--isn't the battery included in that? The one that is failing in my car is in fact a replacement that Tesla put into my car a couple years ago. I checked the service invoice for when that was done: "Pay Type" was listed as "Warranty" and "Cost" was set to "$0.00"

Why would I have to pay now when car's still under warranty? What changed?

Even under warranty, it's typical for a battery to be considered a maintenance item. It's usually covered under warranty in the 1st two years or so, because that's more an indication of a faulty battery than simply worn out.

I suspect it's excluded from the extended warranty.

 

[tinm]

Yep while you were responding I was on the phone with Tesla and the problem here is the $4000 Extended Service Agreement doesn't include the 12V. Isn't that special.

Even under warranty, it's typical for a battery to be considered a maintenance item. It's usually covered under warranty in the 1st two years or so, because that's more an indication of a faulty battery than simply worn out.

I suspect it's excluded from the extended warranty.