There is a 2013 Model S I am thinking about purchasing. I understand the view points on buying a vehicle this age. The problem I have is that the vehicle has been sitting for 2 years and so the battery is dead. Also this is a situation where the current owner owns the vehicle due to the previous owner not paying and the vehicle was claimed via a lien. The problem is that the current owner has no keys for the vehicle. I cannot talk to anyone at a service center to get answers about how best to proceed. Should I just tow the car to my place and try and charge it first and then deal with the missing keys or vice versa. What would be the best way to get this car back up and running?
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2013 Model S Dead Battery and no Keys
- Thread starter knighthawk
- Start date
I'm not sure you have any other choice being that you don't have a key? Is there a third-party service company that can program keys from nothing else but the car itself?
Also, is the car dead due to other issues (12v battery, fault errors, etc) or is the car truly dead because the HV battery is at 0%? From what I've read, even sitting for 2 years in a non-working state wherein the car isn't drawing any battery shouldn't hurt the HV battery if it has a decent percentage of battery all this time. Kinda like the HV battery has just been sitting on the shelf doing nothing, per se.
NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
How close is the car to an independent EV garage? To transition from a parts car to a salvage will be the affordable option.
I don't think towing it straight to Tesla is going to do any good since you don't have an appointment and the car isn't in your name. You can't make an appointment for the car since it's not in your Tesla account. It won't be in your account until after you submit ownership papers to Tesla.
I would tow it to your place, hookup the 12v battery to a charger and submit your ownership papers to Tesla. After charging the 12v battery overnight, I would charge the HV battery. Hopefully you would hear some clicks and the chargeport turns green.
When the car is in your name and in your account, I would try to open the car by the app and then try driving it. Now you can make an appointment to get new key fobs.
I would tow it to your place, hookup the 12v battery to a charger and submit your ownership papers to Tesla. After charging the 12v battery overnight, I would charge the HV battery. Hopefully you would hear some clicks and the chargeport turns green.
When the car is in your name and in your account, I would try to open the car by the app and then try driving it. Now you can make an appointment to get new key fobs.
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You need to plan to buy a new battery (or referbished) and you should not pay more than that the new battery is in the calculation.
It is not sure that the HV bat is broken.
With some part of luck it did not discharge conpletely, so maybe its ”fine” after changing the LV/12V battery (that we know is toast).
If the car is dead, and you can't unlock the car, and 3G connectivity is no longer an option, how do you exactly unlock the car without a fob?
Don't you have to be able to access the MCU to pair your phone via bluetooth and/or connect to your phone via its hotspot? How would you even get in the car to begin with after it shows up in your phone app? Assuming you do get in, does the car only need to be connected to your phone to drive without a fob?
I apologize if this is really stupid on my part but I'm genuinely curious and the OP never mentioned if the previous owner could actually get into the car itself.
Charge the 12v battery to make the car undead. After Tesla assigns the car to your account, you can unlock the car, drive the car,... via the app.
edit: Oops I overlooked the lack of 3g connectivity. The 2 comments below sound like solid advice.
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NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
App requires the computer to be upgraded above 3g. If you only have 3g then you can connect thru wifi after accessing the computer.
If you're near a local Service Center, you might consider a personal, face-to-face visit in advance of this purchase.
They would likely have the best insights, although they have likely NEVER had this situation before so their guidance may just be "best guesses?"
Do please keep us posted as this does seem like it will be an interesting Tesla story!
They would likely have the best insights, although they have likely NEVER had this situation before so their guidance may just be "best guesses?"
Do please keep us posted as this does seem like it will be an interesting Tesla story!
Agreed however how do you access the MCU if the car is locked?
Let's assume you are able to charge the 12v and the car comes back to life. The car is still "locked". Telsa gives you the car in the app, but the car is still "locked". It's a 2013 so only 3G. The car can't pair to your bluetooth or wifi hotspost since you can't get in the car to get to the MCU to go through the pairing process.
So, how do you get into a car that is locked and cannot be communicated with when you have no fobs? Tow it to nearest service center? Tesla can't even remote unlock it since it's a 3G car and no means to give it wifi in my scenario.
NewbyMaybe
Newby1Kenowby
The person in possession may not have the keys due to a dispute over the car's problems. If keys were the only issue it seems it would have sold or been repaired.
vcor
Tech Specialist
Here are my worries:
1) Main battery is dead. Very little doubt as Tesla expects the main battery to be recoverable after 4-6 months at 0% SOC. Beyond that, it seems so unlikely the main battery is recoverable. A very rough cost is $15,000 (there are cheaper used options, but likely at least $8,000). The cost might go up as the donor battery is so badly damaged and can be a factor in the replacement cost.
2) The 12v battery is also dead but might recover if slowly charged. I sort of doubt it. The new battery costs $200.
3) At some point, you'll need the LTE upgrade, $200, or better MCU2 retrofit which includes LTE ($1750 or so)
4) There may be other damage, such as water in the brake lines which may damage the lines.
5) Depending on how it was stored, rodents may have caused damage, such as eating wires and making holes in rubber coolant lines.
6) Brake rotors are likely rusted and need replacement ($1000 ?)
7) Two fobs needed ($200 each ?)
8) Tires likely need replacement ($1000)
9) One broken window to get inside the car ($500 ?)
Add it up, and it is likely not worth anything other than a parts car or a hell of a learning experience. As for making it into a usable car, I doubt it makes any economic sense even if you get it for free.
1) Main battery is dead. Very little doubt as Tesla expects the main battery to be recoverable after 4-6 months at 0% SOC. Beyond that, it seems so unlikely the main battery is recoverable. A very rough cost is $15,000 (there are cheaper used options, but likely at least $8,000). The cost might go up as the donor battery is so badly damaged and can be a factor in the replacement cost.
2) The 12v battery is also dead but might recover if slowly charged. I sort of doubt it. The new battery costs $200.
3) At some point, you'll need the LTE upgrade, $200, or better MCU2 retrofit which includes LTE ($1750 or so)
4) There may be other damage, such as water in the brake lines which may damage the lines.
5) Depending on how it was stored, rodents may have caused damage, such as eating wires and making holes in rubber coolant lines.
6) Brake rotors are likely rusted and need replacement ($1000 ?)
7) Two fobs needed ($200 each ?)
8) Tires likely need replacement ($1000)
9) One broken window to get inside the car ($500 ?)
Add it up, and it is likely not worth anything other than a parts car or a hell of a learning experience. As for making it into a usable car, I doubt it makes any economic sense even if you get it for free.
Unless you can be pretty sure how to resolve the "Taking over as the Tesla Owner" issue, I wouldn't touch the car. It's like buying a used iphone with icloud/apple ID locked, too much hassle.
If you know the owner issue can be resolved, then it's just the matter of where to tow it to get an estimate of repair.
If you know the owner issue can be resolved, then it's just the matter of where to tow it to get an estimate of repair.
Broken window is unnecessary as any competent locksmith can get you in without breaking a window. (Inflatable air bag and pull hook to pull on either front door handle from the inside will do it.)
You can also power up the 12-volt circuit via the connections at the front bumper, which would allow you to open the frunk and replace/charge the 12-volt battery. All sorts of options here . . . .
