2014 Tesla Model S 85 - Build Thread

[xAgyex]

When you own an older Tesla and really want to road trip. My 2014 S85 AP1 can realistically only do at best 150 miles fully charged while still using AC and heat. So that means I will be charging a total of 28 hours. Hahah love it. At least it will be free charging. Total trip driving and charging is 5.5 days. Total miles around 6500.

Will take it easy and make this a 2 week trip.

Edit: Feb 3rd. Made it to SF safely. I was very lucky to miss the big snow storm in UT. But did have to drive on icy roads in Northern Nevada. I do not recommend this ever. It was beyond scary. I had to reduce speed to 20 mph for over 100 miles of driving in some areas. If you live up there make sure you get AWD and snow tires. I had RWD with all season...stupidly swapped my snow tires for all season before the trip thinking I could cover all climate changes. Next stop LA.

Edit: Feb 5th. Made it to LA. I learned that I have to keep the tire pressure at 42 PSI to 44 PSI. Anything higher makes the car feel like it wanders on the road at high speed. Overall so much fun. Next stop Grand Canyon.

Edit: Feb 7th. Made it to Grand Canyon. Had to stop and charge at destination charger I order to make it to Grand Canyon comfortably with 10% SOC. No need to risk running out.

Edit: Feb 8th. Made it to Amarillo TX. Pretty relaxed drive to TX. i40 can be very windy so always recommend to slow down and also consider letting air out of tires to about 42 PSI exactly.

Edit Feb 9th. Made it to Oklahoma City OK.

Getting close to running out of bumper to bumper warranty.

Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 87,418
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭4,035‬ miles remaining

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Used ABetterRoutePlanner to plan it, but while on the road I deviated some. I sometimes skipped a supercharger or 2 or sometimes stopped at everyone. Mostly depended on if I was tired or not.

I purchased the Road Warrior Plus Paint Protection Film. You just paint it on. Its like Elmer's Glue. It really helped to protect the front of the car. Highly recommended.

When i got to Cali, I removed the Road Warrior Plus Paint Protection Film, and washed the car then reapplied for my trip back east.

When it rained the car looked horrible but even like this, I was happy to know I had some protection.

 

[xAgyex]

What an amazing trip. I am now 1000% in love with Tesla and the ecosystem they have developed. Even an old Model S like my can drive over 6000+ miles and have 0 issues. No range anxity...if anything I could have even gone 100+ miles extra per charge but I played it super safe.

Drove through snow storm in Utah, which scared me silly. This was at 3am in the morning and RWD on windy snowy road. Lets just say even chill mode and low Regen didn't help much...but going 20 MPH with hazards on was the only way to make it. The car did well, but rear was squirmy. Would not recommend anyone do this ever. Just wait out the heavy snow. I also didn't have my snow tires I had all season tires.

Iowa was fun and calm:

Made it to Reno:

Then San Fran:

Then LA:

Loved the Grand Canyon:

Then found a Ford Mach-E:

Visited he town that the movie Cars was based of:

The went to Cadillac ranch:

 

[xAgyex]

Took the car in for some work...Mostly because the front passenger made a lot of noise when going over bumps.

Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 89,315
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭2,144‬ miles remaining

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1. Concern: Customer states: 1. Front suspension clunk and squish noise, possibly what is causing the car to wander at
highway speeds. Very unsafe in rain or snow or even when slightly windy out.

technician replaced rf upper control arm. ordered front sway bar. technician found front way bar bushings to be making a
crunching noise over speed bumps. replaced front sway bar and test drove in manner demonstrated by customer. noise is
gone. vehicle operating as designed.

Correction: Control Arm - Upper - Front - RH (1st Generation) (RHD) (RWD)
(Remove & Replace)

Correction: Sway Bar - Front (Includes Alignment) (Remove & Replace)

2. Concern: Customer states: 2. Rear driver side door automatically opens on its own when you unlock the doors. This is
sporadic.

technician performed gen 3.0 door handle retrofit to left rear door

Correction: Handle - Exterior Release - Door - Rear - LH - Generation 2.1
(Retrofit)

3. Concern: Customer states: 4. While charging at super charger the loud noise from the front now starts well below 50kw.
Sometimes even at slow charging speeds like 24kw and even 8kw the car sounds like a jet plane. Please look and make
sure the heating and cooling system is fine.

technician found ac compressor to be making alot of noise when operating. replaced ac compressor and desiccant bag

Correction: A/C Compressor (1st Generation) (Remove & Replace)

4. Concern: Customer states: 9. Sunroof leaks during heavy rain into driver seat.

technician doused car with heavy water for 20 minutes. dropped headliner and checked for water intrusion. did not find
any or any evidence of past leaks. cannot replicate customer concern at this time

Correction: NO LABOR PERFORMED

 

[xAgyex]

I used this Road Warrior Plus to protect my MS85 on my cross country road trip and I had to share this one, because it really did help me keep the front end from getting destroyed.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xoS0TF

 

[xAgyex]

Finally hit 90,000 miles. So going to slow down to keep the warranty for a little longer.

 

[xAgyex]

Recently test drove the Model Y and its pretty cool too. A little smaller than our current Mazda CX-5, but definitely going to trade in the Mazda for it soon.

Just like everyone already said, Model Y is a Model 3 lifted. It feels more roomy than the Model 3, and thus can be more fun for long distance driving. Can't wait to own one.

 

[xAgyex]

Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 90,655
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭804 miles remaining

====================================================================================

Well I finally got hit with the dreaded Black Screen Of Death...Most likely eMMC issue. I really think this is an issue that Tesla should be fixing for free with a permanent fix. This issue can occur in all Teslas. Just most prevalent on older MCU1 cars, as they are the oldest. So I started a Change.org petition - Sign the Petition

I do still have my 4 year warranty and so I expect to get it fixed, but what happens when it happens again after my warranty is expired. I really wanted to keep this MS85 for as long as possible.

Currently, I have a Service appointment scheduled, and they have been texting me to try remotely resolving the issue. But so far no luck. I had on multiple occasions taking it in for screen lagging and freezing, and on multiple occasions they did a factory reset on the car. I also had a lot of Bluetooth and WiFi issues, but I was willing to live with that. As of now I was able to disable pin to drive so I can drive the car just not with any creature comforts and no screen.

eMMC Repair/Upgrade for Model S and X With Root Access
"The dreaded eMMC failure for MCUv1 is an issue for all Model S/X up to February 2018. The flash memory begins to fail because it has a limited number of times it can be written to. This is compounded by Tesla excessively logging to this chip."

Great article on this issue: Tesla MCU1 eMMC failure

 

[mambro]

Sorry to see it happen to you! I've had some odd stuff with my MCU but have been pushing it off. I've been tracking this thread for repair options for those out of warranty... like me.

Consolidated eMMC Thread (MCU repair) (Black Center Screen)

Then to weigh chip replacement vs. MCU2 upgrade, where you get LTE in the process and "sometimes" a fresh screen (bonus if you had yellowing), but the cost is $2500-ish.

MCU1 to MCU2 upgrade - technician skipped screen replacement

 

[xAgyex]

Sorry to see it happen to you! I've had some odd stuff with my MCU but have been pushing it off. I've been tracking this thread for repair options for those out of warranty... like me.

Consolidated eMMC Thread (MCU repair) (Black Center Screen)

Then to weigh chip replacement vs. MCU2 upgrade, where you get LTE in the process and "sometimes" a fresh screen (bonus if you had yellowing), but the cost is $2500-ish.

MCU1 to MCU2 upgrade - technician skipped screen replacement

I am not too upset, but seems they wont be able to get me in for 2 weeks. And I have scheduled charging enabled before the screen went so now it isn't charging. Also, everyone says to get it looked at before the screen bricks.

 

[xAgyex]

Got my MS back. I was offered MCU2 upgrade at $2500+, but since I still have a warranty, I opted for the free MCU1 re-manufactured. After getting it back, looks like I had an MCU0 with 3G and now I have MCU1 with LTE. I will upgrade to MCU2 when it fails again.

 

[xAgyex]

Here is the part of the invoice for my MCU0 to MCU1 fix covered under warranty. Seems like they didn't replace my actual screen. At least I got the LTE upgrade for free as part of the MCU1.

 

[xAgyex]

So after careful review and thought, I will remove my newly replaced MCU and send it to EVFixMe to have the eMMC upgraded so I never have to think about it again. Since the MCU is in good standings now and I have no need for a car during Covid, figured better now than later. So I ordered all the parts I will need to take the MCU apart and get the Tegra board to EvFixMe it. In case anyone wants to know the parts I ordered:

*Note: I am not sponsored or trying to sell anyone anything. These are not affiliate likes...just normal ole links to the amazon products I purchased. Just trying to help folks out...

IMPROVED 3 Piece Commercial Grade Air Wedge Bag Pump Professional Leveling Kit & Alignment Tool Inflatable Shim Bag. 3 Sizes(Small, Medium, Large) for a Variety of Jobs. 300 LB Rating - $18.99

Apsung 110 in 1 Precision Screwdriver Set with Slotted, Phillips, Torx& More Bits, Non-Slip Magnetic Electronics Tool Kit for Repair iPhone, Android, Computer, Laptop, Watch, Glasses, PC etc (Blue) - $13.99

Daarcin 50pcs Anti Static Bags,ESD Bags,5.9x7.87in/15x20cm Resealable for SSD HDD with 50pcs Labels, Anti-Static Bags for 3.5'' Hand Drive or Varieties of Electronic Device - $8.39

 

[SoCal Buzz]

So after careful review and thought, I will remove my newly replaced MCU and send it to EVFixMe to have the eMMC upgraded so I never have to think about it again. Since the MCU is in good standings now and I have no need for a car during Covid, figured better now than later. So I ordered all the parts I will need to take the MCU apart and get the Tegra board to EvFixMe it. In case anyone wants to know the parts I ordered:

*Note: I am not sponsored or trying to sell anyone anything. These are not affiliate likes...just normal ole links to the amazon products I purchased. Just trying to help folks out...

IMPROVED 3 Piece Commercial Grade Air Wedge Bag Pump Professional Leveling Kit & Alignment Tool Inflatable Shim Bag. 3 Sizes(Small, Medium, Large) for a Variety of Jobs. 300 LB Rating - $18.99

Apsung 110 in 1 Precision Screwdriver Set with Slotted, Phillips, Torx& More Bits, Non-Slip Magnetic Electronics Tool Kit for Repair iPhone, Android, Computer, Laptop, Watch, Glasses, PC etc (Blue) - $13.99

Daarcin 50pcs Anti Static Bags,ESD Bags,5.9x7.87in/15x20cm Resealable for SSD HDD with 50pcs Labels, Anti-Static Bags for 3.5'' Hand Drive or Varieties of Electronic Device - $8.39

Thanks for all of the great posts on your adventures and cross country trip. I’m surprised you would opt for the eMMC upgrade right after getting the refurb from Tesla. Why not wait 3 years and simply upgrade to MCU2 or whatever, to get more bang for your buck, assuming it’s even required at all (may not fail or perhaps you end up getting a new car)?

 

[xAgyex]

Thanks for all of the great posts on your adventures and cross country trip. I’m surprised you would opt for the eMMC upgrade right after getting the refurb from Tesla. Why not wait 3 years and simply upgrade to MCU2 or whatever, to get more bang for your buck, assuming it’s even required at all (may not fail or perhaps you end up getting a new car)?

SoCal Buzz, great advise. I really think I am keeping my S for as long as humanly possible, and I have no interest in the MCU2 upgrade for $2500. As it may become cheaper or free later on. If it becomes free then sure I will go for it, if not then I will stick with my MCU1 with the eMMC upgraded. I really don't need Netflix or theater in my car, I have an iPad that works great for me and my kids. Other than that there is nothing else that I would need except maybe 5G. Lastly, I probably will get another Tesla, but will always keep my S since its trade in value is not worth it. Maybe I may change my mind in a few years.

 

[xAgyex]

Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 91,000
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭459 miles remaining

====================================================================================

Finally hit 91,000 miles. Man i just cant stop driving this car love it.

 

[xAgyex]

Just wanted to post a recent picture of my S.

 

[xAgyex]

Thanks for all of the great posts on your adventures and cross country trip. I’m surprised you would opt for the eMMC upgrade right after getting the refurb from Tesla. Why not wait 3 years and simply upgrade to MCU2 or whatever, to get more bang for your buck, assuming it’s even required at all (may not fail or perhaps you end up getting a new car)?

I ended up not getting the eMMC upgraded, as the new Tesla offer to replace daughter board is basically the same price as evFixMe, so I will just wait until I need this service in the future. Better to have Tesla do it as if they mess up anything then they have to fix it vs if I mess up something while taking out the eMMC.

 

[xAgyex]

Lately super charging speeds have been very slow. But I didn't think much of it until I received a warning message. Turns out the Battery Electric Coolant Heater went out...again. I believe this is the second time this part has been replaced on my S. Scheduled appointment at the second closes Service Center and they took me in within 2 days and the job was done before the end of the following weekend. Definitely going to stick with this Service Center even though they are an hour away.

====================================================================================
Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 91,511
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭-52 miles

====================================================================================

Last week took her in because of alert messages "Vehicle may not restart/Service is required"

Concern: Recent alerts - Vehicle may not restart/Service is required - customer states:
Verified customer concern. Diagnosed and Replaced Battery Electric Coolant Heater. Verified Proper Operation.

Correction: General Diagnosis

Correction: Coolant Heater - Electric - Battery (Remove & Replace)

Part Quantity
MDL S, DM, THERM SYS, ELEC BATT HEATER(1038901-00-J)

Pay Type: Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty

 

[Flyguy]

Lately super charging speeds have been very slow. But I didn't think much of it until I received a warning message. Turns out the Battery Electric Coolant Heater went out...again. I believe this is the second time this part has been replaced on my S. Scheduled appointment at the second closes Service Center and they took me in within 2 days and the job was done before the end of the following weekend. Definitely going to stick with this Service Center even though they are an hour away.

====================================================================================
Warranty expires: May 2022
Current mileage: 91,511
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭-52 miles

====================================================================================

Last week took her in because of alert messages "Vehicle may not restart/Service is required"

Concern: Recent alerts - Vehicle may not restart/Service is required - customer states:
Verified customer concern. Diagnosed and Replaced Battery Electric Coolant Heater. Verified Proper Operation.

Correction: General Diagnosis

Correction: Coolant Heater - Electric - Battery (Remove & Replace)

Part Quantity
MDL S, DM, THERM SYS, ELEC BATT HEATER(1038901-00-J)

Pay Type: Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty

Lucky they were willing to replace under warranty even though you were over. Hopefully you are problem free for a while!

 

[xAgyex]

It has been a while since I updated this thread. Not much as changed. I love my Model S and have put on so many more miles since the last update. Recently had the random one click from rear axles and also have been having MCU freezing and glitching, so took it in for a check up.

====================================================================================
Warranty expires: May 2022 or 91,459
Current mileage: 93,664
Warranty expires at mileage: 41,459 + 50,000 = 91,459 - current mileage = ‭-2,205 miles

====================================================================================

Concern: Noise & vibration - other - customer states: Under low to medium load acceleration there is a click coming from the rear. A single click that occurs when you come to a stop and just as you start moving again.

Correction: General Diagnosis
lug nuts seems little loose. Did not hear any click sound. Retorqued lug nuts and axle nuts. Verified proper operation. No noise heard during test drive

====================================================================================

Concern: Customer states my MCU keeps glitching and freezing. Can you please look at it. The menu is mostly where it happens. Can access some menus like Navigation, Trip, Driving. I have restarted it twice but still same issue. This happened yesterday (11/23) at 7pm and this morning (11/24) at 9:30am.

Correction: Performed factory reset and FPGA reflash. Touch screen is working properly. CAC of 213 Ah vs fleet average of 214.6 Ah. Health battery.