2015 Model S 85D - New Owner

[Averdi]

Hi All-
I just purchased my first Tesla, a 2015 Model S 85D with 85k miles on it. The car is very clean on the inside and out.

I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on anything I should look out for or be cautious of as a new owner?

The only noticeable thing I can complain about is, it sounds like there is some clunking noise coming from the front air suspension , possibly a control arm? Had anyone had this happen to them?

Battery fully charged to 240 miles, hoping that is what everyone else is seeing with their batteries?

Thanks!!

 

[bmah]

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your S85D as much as I have mine.

These are main issues I've had on my car (also a 2015 build, 106K miles), and I've seen them crop up in various forum postings here. I would hand-wavily say these are some of the more common problems that people have seen on the 2015 S85D. I'm not going to try to summarize all of these but you can find lots of other information here on TMC.

• eMMC (flash drive) on the center screen computer
• Door handles
• Trunk liftgate latch and actuator

Rated range on my car is also around 240 miles, maybe a few more than that. Original rated range when new for these cars was about 270.

Bruce.

PS. Also welcome to TMC!

 

[Averdi]

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your S85D as much as I have mine.

These are main issues I've had on my car (also a 2015 build, 106K miles), and I've seen them crop up in various forum postings here. I would hand-wavily say these are some of the more common problems that people have seen on the 2015 S85D. I'm not going to try to summarize all of these but you can find lots of other information here on TMC.

• eMMC (flash drive) on the center screen computer
• Door handles
• Trunk liftgate latch and actuator

Rated range on my car is also around 240 miles, maybe a few more than that. Original rated range when new for these cars was about 270.

Bruce.

PS. Also welcome to TMC!

Hey Bruce, thanks for the reply. I have seen those as the most common issues, and luckily, they seem to be pretty inexpensive.

How long do you plan on keeping the S? Do you have faith in the battery life ect?

 

[bmah]

Hey Bruce, thanks for the reply. I have seen those as the most common issues, and luckily, they seem to be pretty inexpensive.

How long do you plan on keeping the S? Do you have faith in the battery life ect?

How long I plan to keep the car...that's a little complicated. I bought a Model X last year which was supposed to be the replacement for the Model S (longer range, roomier, more comfortable on long road trips). But it's a little hard to give up the S85D with Autopilot 1 (which I still think delivers the best Autopilot experience of any Tesla), free lifetime connectivity, and free unlimited supercharging. So a year later I still have both cars with no particular plans for the S.

I'm not too concerned about the battery at this point. The biggest downside to this car is its slow Supercharging speed, so I'm not likely to do long road trips with it anymore, regardless of the battery capacity. As it stands now, I think it's a great mid-range EV that we can easily take anywhere around the San Francisco Bay Area, or farther given some patience. I might consider a third-party battery pack replacement under the right circumstances, but so far I don't see the need.

Bruce.

 

[GammaDelta]

Congrats on the purchase. On my 2015 P90D I just had the SB-21-39-001 service bulletin done at Tesla SC. I had a clunking noise any time I had the wheel turned even slightly while accelerating. I found the SB via this forum and took it in, we took it for a test drive with a tech and he confirmed and had them fix it. All fixed for now, but imagine it will return at some point (not as bad as the X)
I am seeing ~240 full charge as well, but rarely charge past 60%

@bmah I am 100% with you on AP1 delivering the best Autopilot experience of any Tesla. While I had my P90D in service recently they gave me a new 3 with FSD as a loaner. Even in assertive mode, I had to babysit it the entire time. I drive my AP1 P90D from SF to Santa Clara every day and use AP1 95% of the drive and love it.

 

[KalJoMoS]

If somone is wondering what does the service bulletin SB-21-39-001 includes then here is the screenshot. It’s also worth to know what was the service cost?

 

[gillmj24]

I just put vinyl wraps on my door handles too. Was burning my hand on a 60 degree sunny day!

 

[gt2690b]

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your S85D as much as I have mine.

These are main issues I've had on my car (also a 2015 build, 106K miles), and I've seen them crop up in various forum postings here. I would hand-wavily say these are some of the more common problems that people have seen on the 2015 S85D. I'm not going to try to summarize all of these but you can find lots of other information here on TMC.

• eMMC (flash drive) on the center screen computer
• Door handles
• Trunk liftgate latch and actuator

Rated range on my car is also around 240 miles, maybe a few more than that. Original rated range when new for these cars was about 270.

Bruce.

PS. Also welcome to TMC!

Almost a unicorn.. was there a P85 with rear facing seats, AP1, and free supercharging?

 

[Averdi]

How long I plan to keep the car...that's a little complicated. I bought a Model X last year which was supposed to be the replacement for the Model S (longer range, roomier, more comfortable on long road trips). But it's a little hard to give up the S85D with Autopilot 1 (which I still think delivers the best Autopilot experience of any Tesla), free lifetime connectivity, and free unlimited supercharging. So a year later I still have both cars with no particular plans for the S.

I'm not too concerned about the battery at this point. The biggest downside to this car is its slow Supercharging speed, so I'm not likely to do long road trips with it anymore, regardless of the battery capacity. As it stands now, I think it's a great mid-range EV that we can easily take anywhere around the San Francisco Bay Area, or farther given some patience. I might consider a third-party battery pack replacement under the right circumstances, but so far I don't see the need.

Bruce.

Appreciate all the feedback. My S also has free unlimited supercharging & connectivity. I feel like these are unicorns for the tesla community. My only concern has been battery replacement after doing research. I’m sure it’s highly unlikely, similar to an engine failing, but time will tell

 

[Averdi]

If somone is wondering what does the service bulletin SB-21-39-001 includes then here is the screenshot. It’s also worth to know what was the service cost?

View attachment 944670

Hey thanks for sending this. Is there an expected cost with this out of warranty?

 

[bmah]

No criticism intended, I feel like the term unicorn is somewhat overused in the Tesla world. Not being a "car person" I'm not sure if that something specific to Teslas and Tesla owners, or just a car culture thing. Anyway...

Almost a unicorn.. was there a P85 with rear facing seats, AP1, and free supercharging?

The P85 was the predecessor of the P85D, and it was produced until late 2014. All P85s had free Supercharging, and the rear facing seats were a configure-time option. The set of P85s with AP1 _is_ actually small...there was a period of a few weeks at the end of P85 production where they had AP1 installed. The P85 had a variant called the P85+ with more sporty suspension, and there were only about 300 P85+ with AP1 made.

Appreciate all the feedback. My S also has free unlimited supercharging & connectivity. I feel like these are unicorns for the tesla community. My only concern has been battery replacement after doing research. I’m sure it’s highly unlikely, similar to an engine failing, but time will tell

Every 85 and 85D ever produced came with free unlimited supercharging and free connectivity. I don't remember exactly when those two entitlements went away, but in 2015 they were taken for granted by a lot of owners. IMHO the only reason they seem rare now is that Tesla produced a _lot_ of cars without those perks since then. But there's a lot of them still out on the road today.

Bruce.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Hi All-
I just purchased my first Tesla, a 2015 Model S 85D with 85k miles on it. The car is very clean on the inside and out.

I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on anything I should look out for or be cautious of as a new owner?

The only noticeable thing I can complain about is, it sounds like there is some clunking noise coming from the front air suspension , possibly a control arm? Had anyone had this happen to them?

Battery fully charged to 240 miles, hoping that is what everyone else is seeing with their batteries?View attachment 944601
Thanks!!

Hey there,
Fellow '15 MS owner here. 70D, and I too am a fairly recent buyer (Nov '22). I don't have AP1, just the hardware.
My range is probably in the low 200's. It's high miles, so previous owner may have done more supercharging. I don't do much.
But I too have unlimited connect/charging.

Since purchase, I've fixed one door handle myself, replaced a delammed instrument cluster myself.
Some voluntary upgrades: swapped dash trim from Obech wood to CF, swapped out upper B-pillars with Alcantara, plus some cosmetic stuff like chrome delete, vinyl wrapped the nose cone, tinted the taillights, PPF the headlights.
I like to tinker, so I usually have little projects on-going as time/budget permits.

Screen bubbling is prevalent in our models, on MCU1's anyway.
I actually bought the car with visible delamination of the instrument cluster. But I had researched MCU1's and knew I could do it myself cheaper than at SC, so I used the leverage to get a better price at the dealership where I bought it.
That said, if the delam had been on the center screen, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
Does yours have the MCU2 upgrade?
I don't. Probably down the line, as everyone says it's well worth it. I haven't had enough issues to warrant it yet.

I am jealous of your rims! That's one upgrade I'd love to do is get some black or gray Arachnids.
Enjoy it!

 

[muhoms1]

Hello all,

I am also a new 82015 85 D owner here as of yesterday. I picked the vehicle up from a used car dealer with several tesla's on the lot. Car had 108k but distance at capacity is 315. This make me believe the battery was replaced or upgraded. Currently waiting for transfer of ownership which I am told will take a few days. Once I have access how do I determine if the vehicle has free supercharging and premium connectivity. Also is it safe to assume that with the range the car get the battery was replaced. Thanks.

 

[kirkusss]

Hello all,

I am also a new 82015 85 D owner here as of yesterday. I picked the vehicle up from a used car dealer with several tesla's on the lot. Car had 108k but distance at capacity is 315. This make me believe the battery was replaced or upgraded. Currently waiting for transfer of ownership which I am told will take a few days. Once I have access how do I determine if the vehicle has free supercharging and premium connectivity. Also is it safe to assume that with the range the car get the battery was replaced. Thanks.

Check the battery sticker and see if the range is set to rated ir ideal.

 

[Averdi]

Hey there,
Fellow '15 MS owner here. 70D, and I too am a fairly recent buyer (Nov '22). I don't have AP1, just the hardware.
My range is probably in the low 200's. It's high miles, so previous owner may have done more supercharging. I don't do much.
But I too have unlimited connect/charging.

Since purchase, I've fixed one door handle myself, replaced a delammed instrument cluster myself.
Some voluntary upgrades: swapped dash trim from Obech wood to CF, swapped out upper B-pillars with Alcantara, plus some cosmetic stuff like chrome delete, vinyl wrapped the nose cone, tinted the taillights, PPF the headlights.
I like to tinker, so I usually have little projects on-going as time/budget permits.

Screen bubbling is prevalent in our models, on MCU1's anyway.
I actually bought the car with visible delamination of the instrument cluster. But I had researched MCU1's and knew I could do it myself cheaper than at SC, so I used the leverage to get a better price at the dealership where I bought it.
That said, if the delam had been on the center screen, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
Does yours have the MCU2 upgrade?
I don't. Probably down the line, as everyone says it's well worth it. I haven't had enough issues to warrant it yet.

I am jealous of your rims! That's one upgrade I'd love to do is get some black or gray Arachnids.
Enjoy it!

Hey nice write up and congrats on your purchase ! How many miles does it have now and what is the max range it will charge to?

Mine still has the MCU1, I can live with it unless it starts giving me issues

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Hey nice write up and congrats on your purchase ! How many miles does it have now and what is the max range it will charge to?

Mine still has the MCU1, I can live with it unless it starts giving me issues

137k miles, original battery. I have about 3 mos left of factory warranty. Might get a 057 Tech extended soon, just for piece of mind.
I have yet to charge it to 100%. 70D with a bit of degradation, roughly low 200's max range I'm guessing.
Only tried one road trip so far. Sub-zero temps, 3.5 hr one-way. Had to stop twice both ways but I'm contributing most of that to the cold. Might be 1-stop each way in milder temps.
But I use her for commutes mostly anyway. Rarely supercharge, mostly charged in garage off 110v.

 

[cleverscreenam]

Hi All-
I just purchased my first Tesla, a 2015 Model S 85D with 85k miles on it. The car is very clean on the inside and out.

I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on anything I should look out for or be cautious of as a new owner?

The only noticeable thing I can complain about is, it sounds like there is some clunking noise coming from the front air suspension , possibly a control arm? Had anyone had this happen to them?

Thanks!!

Excellent choice! Yours, being a D model, will be more reliable than most Model S's. Here's a helpful thread of common issues, so you can be ready with some preventative maintenance to save money. Keep in mind that virtually all of your Tesla's parts came from other gasoline vehicles, so Teslas can be repaired by traditional 3rd-party shops. Only the motor and battery need special knowledge.

What else can break on my 2014 Model S?

M'kay. But some reports show the EV's don't save the environment more than gas cars until you get to 70K miles. And then the inevitable battery replacements... The most I’ve seen is about 3 years or ~45k miles. And a lot depends on the grid. Interesting article: Are electric vehicles...

teslamotorsclub.com

Also, you may want the n2itive suspension links. They will reduce the constant wear and tear your front driveshafts receive from the front motor mounted too high, causing a non-optimal angle on the CV axles.

I 2nd the advice to get wk057 battery replacement plan. The only reason I haven't bought it, is because I already replaced my battery last year!

 

[Averdi]

Excellent choice! Yours, being a D model, will be more reliable than most Model S's. Here's a helpful thread of common issues, so you can be ready with some preventative maintenance to save money. Keep in mind that virtually all of your Tesla's parts came from other gasoline vehicles, so Teslas can be repaired by traditional 3rd-party shops. Only the motor and battery need special knowledge.

What else can break on my 2014 Model S?

M'kay. But some reports show the EV's don't save the environment more than gas cars until you get to 70K miles. And then the inevitable battery replacements... The most I’ve seen is about 3 years or ~45k miles. And a lot depends on the grid. Interesting article: Are electric vehicles...

teslamotorsclub.com

I appreciate you !

 

[Averdi]

137k miles, original battery. I have about 3 mos left of factory warranty. Might get a 057 Tech extended soon, just for piece of mind.
I have yet to charge it to 100%. 70D with a bit of degradation, roughly low 200's max range I'm guessing.
Only tried one road trip so far. Sub-zero temps, 3.5 hr one-way. Had to stop twice both ways but I'm contributing most of that to the cold. Might be 1-stop each way in milder temps.
But I use her for commutes mostly anyway. Rarely supercharge, mostly charged in garage off 110v.

Appreciate the response. Go TSLA!

 

[LonelyMS]

OP, are you sure the car is 100% functional?

if not, check these:

- do all 4 handles present upon request
- squeaking sound from driver seat when moving/touching arm rest
- is pano roof opening/closing smooth? id still lubricate it asap
- are there any odd noises from front/rear while driving on bumpy roads - sway bar links
- hows the steering wheel? first versions of u-joint were without rubber housing and prone to failure
- do louvers work?

Thats about all the problems i had with the car until now (after buying it second hand)