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2018 Model 3 won't start

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daniel

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2009
5,732
5,508
Kihei, HI
Today I got in my car, which unlocked with the card key since I was not taking my phone with me (I often do this) but the screen remained blank and when I set my card key on the reader and stepped on the brake pedal, the pedal would not go down and nothing happened. The door would not open the normal way. I had to use the alternative latch to open the door to get out. I ran upstairs and got my phone and opened the app, which informed me that the 12-v. battery needed replacing and I should schedule service.

I scheduled service via the app.

Meanwhile I have no car.

There was no advance warning, such as "12-v battery weak, needs replacement." I was on my way to my Pilates class, so I missed my class. I could have taken a Lyft if I'd known the car wasn't going to work, but as I said, there was no warning. I'm rather upset. I think the app said they'd get back to me within two days (?) to schedule service. I guess that 5 or 6 years is a good run for a 12-v battery, but with all the fancy computing power in this car, you'd think it could have given me some warning.

This is the first issue I've had with my car.
 
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There is no 2016 Tesla Model 3, you might have a 2017 or 2018. If you need/want to use your car without relying on/waiting for Tesla service you can pop open the frunk, and jump start the car. You can also buy a replacement battery at a local auto parts store, it takes a Group Size 51R battery and you have to ask for it by the size (their computer won't show a match for a Model 3).

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(moderator note: OP requested thread title change to 2018)
 
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Thanks, guys, I was thinking 2016 but you're right, it's 2018. I really don't think much about cars except that electric is good because no gas. And with solar, it "fills" for free.

Is there any difference in batteries as long as it's a Group Size 51R? Are some better than others? Does Tesla use the best, the worst, or middling batteries for the 12-v?
 
Thanks, guys, I was thinking 2016 but you're right, it's 2018. I really don't think much about cars except that electric is good because no gas. And with solar, it "fills" for free.

Is there any difference in batteries as long as it's a Group Size 51R? Are some better than others? Does Tesla use the best, the worst, or middling batteries for the 12-v?
If you live near a Tesla service center, you can drop by and buy a replacement OEM 12v battery for $85. That's a very good price and you won't find any replacements for anywhere near that price. The only things you will want to look for in the replacement 51R battery are that it has a port to connect the vent hose and that the sides are fairly flat. The vent hose is used to vent any gases that the battery let's out to the bottom front of the car. You want the battery sides to be fairly flat and avoid a battery that has tabs that protrude from the base. Those tabs are used to clamp it into some cars, but would make it so it doesn't fit in the Tesla.

There are different types of 12v batteries. Some are regular flooded lead acid (aka FLA), some are enhanced with additives to the plates or electrolytes (aka EFB), some have absorbent mats for the electrolyte and are sealed (AGM). That list is also in increasing order of price of the battery as well. Many people believe that the Tesla OEM battery is an AGM, but I'm fairly confident that it is not. I believe it's a pretty basic battery that meets Tesla's specs and price point. AGM batteries also cost at least 2x what Tesla charges for it.

I haven't had to replace my battery on my March 2018 Model 3 yet even after 80,000 miles, but when I do I'll likely either get my replacement from a local O'Reilly Auto Parts or AutoZone. The one at O'Reilly is an AGM battery and it's manufactured in the US by East Penn Manufacturing https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...inum-battery-group-size-51r/ssbq/51rplt?pos=0. AutoZone has more options for batteries, but most don't have a port to connect the vent hose. They would be alright as a temporary solution, but I wouldn't want vent gases staying under the frunk on the Tesla because they could cause corrosion on components https://www.autozone.com/batteries-...&isIgnoreVehicle=false&searchText=Battery+51R.
 
Thanks.

They gave me an appointment for Monday, so I'll let them do it. $85 for the battery and $33 IIRC for the labor. Since I don't have a working car, it's easier to wait until Monday than try to get a ride to an auto parts store.

The nearest Tesla service center is 97 miles away, on Oahu, as the crow flies, and as I'm not a crow I'd need a plane or a boat to get there. People have made that trip in boats like mine, but it would be too much for me. :rolleyes: Stock photo of a boat the same make and model as mine:

VXXNisj.jpg


So I'll let Tesla bring and install a battery, and if they're willing, tell me if there's anything else I need to check, fix, or maintain. The annoyance is that the window is 8:00 a.m. to noon. I normally paddle from 7:00 to 8:30 with one of several canoe clubs. If the window started at 9:00 I could paddle and be back in time. If I cannot get them to adjust it I'll have to skip my paddling that day. I hate to miss paddling. 3 1/2 years here and I still look forward eagerly to getting out on the water every morning, and jumping in for a swim when we stop to rest.
 
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Okay, now I'm officially angry: I tried to change my appointment from morning to afternoon in the app and without asking for confirmation!!! it moved my appointment to next Friday, five days later!!! I could not find any way to contact them in the app so I phoned the Honolulu service center and the recording basically said that all communication has to go through the app, but I cannot find any way in the app to contact them. So I asked to speak to an agent and was told my estimated wait time is 20 minutes. Not even an option for a call-back!

I've heard about Tesla's lousy service, and now I'm experiencing it!

Maybe my next car won't be a Tesla after all. If I cannot get my Monday appointment reinstated, I'm without transportation for a week! I'll have to call ride-share to get groceries! (No, I don't have anybody I can ask for a ride.)

This is exactly the opposite of the service I got with my Roadster. Service is an important part of car ownership. And Tesla seems to have blown it.
 
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Follow-up: Somebody in a call center in Salt Lake City finally answered my call and basically told me they cannot restore my appointment but they'll forward my "concern" to the service center in Honolulu (which is the one I called!) and said they'd get back to me on Monday.

I'll post the outcome.
 
Now my faith in Tesla is restored! Someone from the Honolulu service center just called. She got the note from the call center person in Utah, and she rescheduled my appointment for Monday afternoon, which is what I was trying to do when the app bollixed everything up. Thank you Tesla!
 
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Nope. They have a "Tesla Ranger" (maybe more than one?) on Maui. And presumably they have the most commonly-needed parts, though they could ship a battery over if they had to.

When I bought my Roadster (2011 maybe?) service required having a Ranger come all the way to Spokane from Seattle. Routine maintenance, as well as any non-warranty work carried an additional $600 mileage fee. Once they had sold enough Model S in Spokane to justify it, they stationed a Ranger there, and after that there was no mileage fee.
 
The 12V in my ‘18 M3LR died yesterday while on a road trip. Got a jumpstart so I could drive it to AutoZone. The manager said it looked a 51 series to him and, sure enough, it fit perfectly. Car runs fine but warning messages won’t go away.
 
Not unusual at all for such batteries to fail suddenly without warning. If as you say it was five or six years old you were already on borrowed time.

Consider it a learning experience.

I definitely shall. I'll follow the example of somebody in another similar thread (which I didn't see until after starting this one) and replace my 12-v every 3 years from now on.

I actually got off pretty lucky: Although I missed my Pilates class, too late to get a refund for the cancelation, it could have been a lot worse: I could have gotten stranded somewhere. And I didn't have to go anywhere this weekend other than my canoe clubs, which I always walk to. Getting the appointment was a pita and frustrating, but it's all set now. And this is the only problem I've had with this car other than occasionally having to pull out the key card when the phone won't unlock the door. Oh, and locking myself out once and needing to borrow a friend's phone to get back in: Only car in the world where if you lock yourself out, any internet-connected phone can get you back in! (As long as you remember your password.)
 
The 12V in my ‘18 M3LR died yesterday while on a road trip. Got a jumpstart so I could drive it to AutoZone. The manager said it looked a 51 series to him and, sure enough, it fit perfectly. Car runs fine but warning messages won’t go away.
Did you or they power cycle the car? It involves disconnecting the negative terminal of the 12v battery (which was done when the battery was replaced) as well as disconnecting a plug from under the rear seat to disable the whole 12v system on the car. If you don't disconnect that harness under the rear seat the Tesla will keep the 12v system alive even if you disconnect the 12v battery in order to try to keep you from getting stranded. So when you replaced the battery it does not know that you put a new one in until you power cycle the car. Here's a guide on how to do it Tesla Model 3 Hard Reset - Mountain Pass Performance.
 
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Followup:

The Tesla Ranger came out right as promised, installed the new battery, installed new cabin filters (the old ones looked pretty dirty after 4 years!) filled up the windshield washer reservoir, checked the brake fluid, checked the tire wear and (at my request) rotated the tires. She did a lot of stuff on the touch screen that I didn't bother to even try understanding. She said it was unusual for the 12v battery to fail without any warning, but that they're working on software to give better warnings of a weak 12v. We also chatted about the Roadster. She'd never met a former Roadster owner before. She told me that there's a lot of stuff owners can do on the touchscreen due to right-to-repair laws. I strongly favor right-to-repair, but I would never attempt anything like that on my car because I'm incompetent. I'd rather pay a professional.

I'm very happy with the way Tesla treated me. The inability to contact the service center directly and the unacceptably bad reservation system in the app notwithstanding, the lady in SCL, the lady at the service center in Honolulu, and the Ranger were all wonderfully nice and made everything come together.