2010 Roadster Questions - I Need Some Help

[GT10]

I have a 2010 Roadster that I bought a few months ago. Shame on me for not doing a thorough job of researching the pros and cons of owning one.

I love the car, but there are no service stations close by (I live in Naples). The closest one is in Dania Beach. Another problem is that I can't use any of the Super Chargers. My car is not compatible with them. I have to get towed to the East Coast of Florida (Dania Beach) for the most minor of services.

Rangers are in demand and not readily available, and even if they can come out quickly, they don't have the knowledge or parts to work on a Roadster. Does anyone know of a mechanic in the Naples area who knows about Roadsters and can fix one?

Also, does anyone know of a way to actually get an adapter that can be used for a Roadster to charge at a Super Station?

Thanks for any help.

GT in Naples

 

[TEG]

Roadsters are not able to use the Tesla Supercharging system. Tesla Supercharging was developed after the Roadster.

Service is becoming hard to come by. It was a limited production vehicle, and Tesla has moved on (for the most part) to supporting their newer vehicles.

Hopefully someone else will chime in with some better answers for you.

 

[bonnie]

@GT10, TEG is correct. You will not be able to charge at a Supercharger.

When I look at the Tesla map, it appears you have a ton of destination chargers in your area. If you purchase @hcsharp's CAN SR (The CAN - Roadster to J1772 or Model S/X connector), you'll be able to charge there, even though it is the plug for the Model S/X.

I always carried (just sold my Roadster) both the adapters for J1772 and for the destination chargers. It made road trips possible.

 

[ViperDoc]

Also, does anyone know of a way to actually get an adapter that can be used for a Roadster to charge at a Super Station?

GT in Naples

As others have stated, we are out of luck for Supercharging barring some miracle in Fremont. However, you should definitely get the 2 adapters Henry Sharp makes. I always carry both the CAN Jr and CAN Sr, and I finally had a chance to use CAN Sr last weekend (although I had plenty of charge and didn't need to). But you also might want to check out the after-market CHAdeMO for the roadster designed by Tony Williams. That adapter system would give you a higher speed charging option of there were CHAdeMO chargers in your area. See CHAdeMo charging for Tesla Roadster

 

[DeedWest]

Hi Giselle! Glad you finally joined us on here. What type of charging setup do you have at home, if any?

+1 on grabbing Henry's CAN adapters. They're extremely helpful, and will allow you to charge at any Tesla destination charger (CAN Sr.) and J1772 public EV chargers (Can Jr.)

For a great map of chargers on the go, check out the PlugShare app for your phone. You can enter your vehicle, and it will locate all compatible chargers in the area you select. Once you get the CAN Sr., you can select Tesla Model S/X Destination Chargers and broaden your charging options! That app has orchestrated nearly every single one of my long-distance Roadster trips!

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Your gas station is in your garage - your home charger. And service (fingers crossed) is a once a year thing for a few days. There are people in a lot more remote locations than you having a great ownership experience.

 

[ViperDoc]

I have a 2010 Roadster that I bought a few months ago. Shame on me for not doing a thorough job of researching the pros and cons of owning one.

I love the car, but there are no service stations close by (I live in Naples). The closest one is in Dania Beach.

GT in Naples

I should point out I am one of those happy Roadster owners who is a bit of a drive from a service center. Jericho, VT is about 3:30 drive from Boston, where the nearest service center is. My car has probably gone to service about 1.5 times/year (annual service is one visit and other repairs perhaps every other year). I have almost always gotten a loaner, so it hasn't been a great hardship. The Roadster is 100% worth this small inconvenience!

Congratulations on your acquisition!

 

[dhrivnak]

I am in a similar situation being 200 miles from a service center. So I have resigned myself I will do most of my own maintenance and the HCSharp cans are very helpful in making trips.

 

[GT10]

Roadsters are not able to use the Tesla Supercharging system. Tesla Supercharging was developed after the Roadster.

Service is becoming hard to come by. It was a limited production vehicle, and Tesla has moved on (for the most part) to supporting their newer vehicles.

Hopefully someone else will chime in with some better answers for you.

@GT10, TEG is correct. You will not be able to charge at a Supercharger.

When I look at the Tesla map, it appears you have a ton of destination chargers in your area. If you purchase @hcsharp's CAN SR (The CAN - Roadster to J1772 or Model S/X connector), you'll be able to charge there, even though it is the plug for the Model S/X.

I always carried (just sold my Roadster) both the adapters for J1772 and for the destination chargers. It made road trips possible.

 

[GT10]

Thanks to all for the helpful responses.

I have a disadvantage because I bought a car that had severe rodent damage to many wires and critical components of the car. I have had the car only four months and it's had to be towed to the service center on the East Coast of Florida twice already. It's been away two of the four months that I've owned it. It had major work done before I bought it. I didn't know how bad it was or I would have looked for another Roadster.

So fast forward to right now ... My car is once again at the service station. I have lots of patience and I absolutely LOVE driving and owning my car. But it's so difficult because this car has many issues and every day I wait for the next problem. That's why I am looking for someone close-by so that I can take it there without huge towing bills (my AAA tows are almost done for this year and I just had it renewed.) Again, thank you for all the great information. Keep the recommendations coming!

 

[GT10]

Hi Giselle! Glad you finally joined us on here. What type of charging setup do you have at home, if any?

+1 on grabbing Henry's CAN adapters. They're extremely helpful, and will allow you to charge at any Tesla destination charger (CAN Sr.) and J1772 public EV chargers (Can Jr.)

For a great map of chargers on the go, check out the PlugShare app for your phone. You can enter your vehicle, and it will locate all compatible chargers in the area you select. Once you get the CAN Sr., you can select Tesla Model S/X Destination Chargers and broaden your charging options! That app has orchestrated nearly every single one of my long-distance Roadster trips!

@DeedWest Hi! Thanks so much for responding to my cry for help! I have a wall charger installed that is great. It charges my Roadster very quickly. As far as adapters, my car came with quite a few things that all look foreign to me. I know so little about all of this. I'm going to ask the service station to explain some things to me. I will look into the PlugShare app and get the CAN Sr. I guess all of this will make sense eventually.

 

[TEG]

Apart from Tesla, there are very few people who will work on the Roadster.

Best of luck keeping it going.

Mice chewing on car wiring...

Here is an old flickr of a Tesla mechanic working on a rat chewed Roadster wiring harness:

Caption: "I want to go home now!"

 

[smicker]

(just sold my Roadster)

 

[bonnie]

SOLD - Baby Turtle - Roadster 1194

 

[gregd]

@DeedWest Hi! Thanks so much for responding to my cry for help! I have a wall charger installed that is great. It charges my Roadster very quickly. As far as adapters, my car came with quite a few things that all look foreign to me. I know so little about all of this. I'm going to ask the service station to explain some things to me. I will look into the PlugShare app and get the CAN Sr. I guess all of this will make sense eventually.

Post a picture of the adapters, and we can help identify what is what.

As others have noted, the standard road set is the pair of adapters from hsharp, and I keep the 120v cord in the car, just because. Never needed it for anything unplanned, but it's not like there's a better place to store it. The Mobile Connector comes with me for trips that might need a 14-50 outlet. I think I've used it once on a trip, and that was planned (brother's house).

Good luck with the wiring! Now you know where the term "rats nest" came from.

 

[GT10]

Apart from Tesla, there are very few people who will work on the Roadster.

Best of luck keeping it going.

Mice chewing on car wiring...

Here is an old flickr of a Tesla mechanic working on a rat chewed Roadster wiring harness:

Caption: "I want to go home now!"

@TEG Thank you! This picture is Scary! OMG My poor car is going through this.

 

[GT10]

Post a picture of the adapters, and we can help identify what is what.

As others have noted, the standard road set is the pair of adapters from hsharp, and I keep the 120v cord in the car, just because. Never needed it for anything unplanned, but it's not like there's a better place to store it. The Mobile Connector comes with me for trips that might need a 14-50 outlet. I think I've used it once on a trip, and that was planned (brother's house).

Good luck with the wiring! Now you know where the term "rats nest" came from.

@gregd Thank you for your response! And, yes, I'm getting very familiar with the rat issues.

 

[supersnoop]

Are rats a common problem? I saw one at the Austin service center with all the wiring replaced a few years back. Or is this all the same car?

 

[GT10]

Are rats a common problem? I saw one at the Austin service center with all the wiring replaced a few years back. Or is this all the same car?

@supersnoop No, it is not the same car. I am starting to hear of quite a few instances of rodent damage now that I'm opening up the dialogue. I'm sure it can happen to any car. Apparently, rodents love to chew on wires. The Roadster I bought came from California and had extensive damage done to it before I bought it (I didn't know how bad it really was!) If a car is in a rural area, it might be more susceptible to this kind of thing, but I'm sure it could happen anywhere. The web has a few remedies if you do a search (some are quite bizarre.)

 

[hcsharp]

I have a 2010 Roadster that I bought a few months ago. Shame on me for not doing a thorough job of researching the pros and cons of owning one.

I love the car, but there are no service stations close by (I live in Naples). The closest one is in Dania Beach. Another problem is that I can't use any of the Super Chargers. My car is not compatible with them. I have to get towed to the East Coast of Florida (Dania Beach) for the most minor of services.

Rangers are in demand and not readily available, and even if they can come out quickly, they don't have the knowledge or parts to work on a Roadster. Does anyone know of a mechanic in the Naples area who knows about Roadsters and can fix one?

Also, does anyone know of a way to actually get an adapter that can be used for a Roadster to charge at a Super Station?

Thanks for any help.

GT in Naples

Naples is only about 110 miles from Dania Beach and the drive is all flat. You should easily be able to make that trip and back again in the same day if they plugged you in for a few minutes at the SC.