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2013 Model S 85....12V battery type? Cost of replacement by Tesla?

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ualdriver

Member
Nov 6, 2013
269
33
US
#1
Tesla forum brain trust:

I did a search on “12V battery” on the forum and surprisingly no threads on this topic popped up?

I got the “service 12V battery” message today. Battery is original to the car so I’m not surprised. I made an appointment with a Tesla mobile tech but he can’t come until next week, although I understand the car is usually driveable for a week or two after the message.

1. Any idea how much this battery replacement is going to cost me if Tesla does it?
2. What type of 12V battery does my 2013 Model S use in case I decide to replace it myself this weekend?

Thanks!
 
#3
Original battery? If so, 7-years is about the longest I've heard of a 12v battery lasting so congratulations! Is your car under any sort of bumper-to-bumper warranty still? If so, they should replace it under warranty.

The last two 12v batteries I had replaced in a Model S by a Tesla Ranger Tech would have been $250 total had it not been covered under warranty. The tech at the time said that they discontinued that particular 12v battery that they've used for years (since the beginning?) and replaced it with a different version. I don't know if the new one is more or less expensive but he indicated that he thought that they might be going up in price moving forward. Just some anecdotal evidence to give you an idea.

If your car isn't under warranty and they want much more than that to do the swap I'd just do it myself if you're at all handy and have basic tools. I think many auto parts stores will even swap it for you if you buy it from them. Your 2013 may have the 12v battery under the fuse/filter area so it's a bit of a PITA to get to compared to the newer cars. Other than that, it's not too bad. If a parts store has a replacement for it and will swap it out for free I'd say that's the easiest though if you're no longer under warranty.
 
#5
OP: your 12v battery has definitely been changed twice or even more. My guess is that you're not the original owner, or that the 12v battery had been changed 'proactively' by Tesla during other services without you realizing.
Anyway, around 200 for home service - it's the easiest approach. There are youtube videos out there if you want to save a few bucks on the battery and spend some time taking apart a few pieces of the car yourself.
You'll be fine with service next week if that's the warning your car has
 
#6
All through gaswalla........Thanks.

I did get the car when it was one year old so perhaps the battery was changed during that time. I don't recall it being changed since I have owned the car, but perhaps I am wrong. Anyway, I guess with the Tesla mobile service they send you an invoice before they show up. So today I got an invoice and it was for $260-ish off the top of my head. A bit spendy for a battery, but part of that was due to a "minimum labor charge."
 
#7
I had the "replace battery" message appear around Chicago in my 2014 S85 during a cross country road trip from California to New York. I'm the original owner and I had 60,000 miles on the car. Having replaced car batteries in other vehicles for years and receiving the message on a Sunday, thought I'd simply go purchase a replacement and install myself. Never happened. Spent all day looking and there is no off the shelf battery available. Was first in line at a Chicago Tesla service center and they had me on the road in an hour. Total cost $225 including labor. Don't think I'll be lucky enough to 60,000 miles out of my replacement battery.
 
#8
ualdriver said:
2. What type of 12V battery does my 2013 Model S use in case I decide to replace it myself this weekend?
Click to expand...

You would have to pull the battery to see which type you have, but the direct replacement batteries are only available via Tesla. (AFAIK)

Tesla will likely install a slightly different type of battery that will require making configuration changes on your car so that it knows the proper charging profile for the battery.

I think Tesla charges around $200.
 
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#11
ualdriver said:
Tesla forum brain trust:


2. What type of 12V battery does my 2013 Model S use in case I decide to replace it myself this weekend?
Click to expand...




I found a picture of battery from our 2013 Model S, when Tesla Service came to our place to replace it in Jan 2019. Details are on its label.
 

Attachments

  • Tesla Battery Jan 2019.JPG
    Tesla Battery Jan 2019.JPG
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#13
Just made an appointment for my 3rd battery (will be $230ish) for my 2013 P85 with 76k miles. The first battery lasted until 1/2019 and then the second one (was told it’s the new version that’s supposed to last longer) until yesterday 10/29/2020 so only 21 months old.

Not sure why my first lasted so much longer but thinking it may be Covid since I’m maybe drive 5 miles every 7-10 days so the battery just sits!

I’ve always wonder if the core is still good if you can charge them to clear the error but guessing not and tesla likes to just replace in the interest of time.
 
#14
vesder21 said:
Just made an appointment for my 3rd battery (will be $230ish) for my 2013 P85 with 76k miles. The first battery lasted until 1/2019 and then the second one (was told it’s the new version that’s supposed to last longer) until yesterday 10/29/2020 so only 21 months old.

Not sure why my first lasted so much longer but thinking it may be Covid since I’m maybe drive 5 miles every 7-10 days so the battery just sits!

I’ve always wonder if the core is still good if you can charge them to clear the error but guessing not and tesla likes to just replace in the interest of time.
Click to expand...

most likely your tesla is infected with Covid :)
Now seriously, the battery has 8 years warranty, why do you pay for the replacement?
 
#15
Chary said:
most likely your tesla is infected with Covid :)
Now seriously, the battery has 8 years warranty, why do you pay for the replacement?
Click to expand...


Ok...HV pack and motors covered for 8 years...and now also MCU1.

Rest of the car covered for 4 years 50k miles. That has changed recently for used Tesla used cars.

The 12 volt batt is covered under the latter. They are only $166, and if you have a dual motor car, you can DIY easily. They may last 4 years depending on how much the car drives.

I replaced mine proactively, it had about half capacity (18 out of 33 A/H) after two years.

I recommend sticking with the SLA battery that Tesla stocks. Lithium is not a good choice for this application. It might work, better, it might not, but it Won't fail gracefully like the SLA does.
 
#16
I want to DIY replace my 2013 Model S 12v battery since the "replace me" error code just popped up. Following this video (
), I confirmed the battery is the C&D DCS-RIT, which apparently can be replaced with the C&D DCS-UNCR.

I'm having trouble finding a direct replacement. I checked all the usual suspects (Advance Auto, Autozone, Napa, etc.), but they don't have anything that works. Searched online for a while with no luck. I don't want to upgrade to any lithium versions, as I'm just looking for a simple direct replacement. My nearest Tesla Service Center is ~3 hours away, so I'd like to avoid spending an entire day getting it replaced by TCS or driving there to buy just the battery from them, if they'd even sell it to me.

Can someone point to a vendor for a standard replacement for this 12v battery?
 
#19
Just know that even if the service center sells you one it may not be the same kind as what you have now, and that would require them to update the settings of your car to match the new battery. So it may be best to just try to get mobile service to take care of it.
 
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#20
MP3Mike said:
Just know that even if the service center sells you one it may not be the same kind as what you have now, and that would require them to update the settings of your car to match the new battery. So it may be best to just try to get mobile service to take care of it.
Click to expand...
Service supplied the correct one for me 12 months ago.

OP did not say, but if the car is single motor, might be a good idea to let Mobile install it, and pay Tesla for the work.
 
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