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#34 Salvage auction

marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
Looks awesome. Put the seat back in and you'd have an awesome track-toy. :) I'd love to do that to a Roadster or Model S.

Haha, you are not the first one with that idea :D

You might want to PM the guy who bought the Roadster without a battery. In his post he said he was going to use his own custom battery. That might mean that he's going to use a different drive inverter.

Thanks, I' already in contact with him.
 

jeremyz

Member
Apr 5, 2013
257
94
.
marco2228, what kind of damage do you see in the PEM? I would guess that some of the circuit boards are broken in the area where your PEM was squished. Have you asked Tesla about just buying the damaged circuit board(s)? I'm sure they're going to say no and that the whole PEM is a monolithic part (which seems like BS to me).
 

vfx

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2006
14,790
40
CA CA
The first few years of Tesla there were only a few Tesla stores (they were service too) and service would have to send all battery repairs to Tesla headquatrers. Tesla had built a new car with all new technology and had designed and built the machines to test them. Of which there was only one of each. Battery balancing was (and is?) only done by Tesla's main service and would take days.
 

marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
No, they don't sell parts of the PEM separately.
Unfortunately the 1.5 PEM is WAY more expensive, than the newer ones or even the Sport PEM here in Europe.

Tried to find and solve the error, changed two mosfets on the damaged PCB. The errors became less, but the motor still doesn't turn.

Well, a new 1.5 PEM is simply too expensive at the moment. I can get the complete drivetrain (motor, PEM, gearbox, wiring harness) and even interior from a 2.5 Sport for 500 Euro more than a refurbished 1.5 PEM. Dimensions should fit, but then it's not a signature anymore;)

So I'll probably wait for a damaged car or a used PEM.

Took the car a bit further apart. now it's as naked as it will get.. so let's start rebuilding it :)

2013-11-26 14.16.16.jpg
 

marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
Good progress so far.
All parts except to the passengers door needs to be painted. So I'll just have the whole car painted.
It needs to match the brown/black interior...

IMG_1759-1.jpg

Black is still on top of the list, because the car was in this color before. But there are more possibilities... grey, brown??!?
I guess I need some input / suggestions:D

Thanks
 

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asgard

Member
Aug 17, 2013
310
9
CA
Good progress so far.
All parts except to the passengers door needs to be painted. So I'll just have the whole car painted.
It needs to match the brown/black interior...

View attachment 37406
Black is still on top of the list, because the car was in this color before. But there are more possibilities... grey, brown??!?
I guess I need some input / suggestions:D

Thanks

I would stick with the stock color, if you are trying to preserve history :)

Regarding the PEM - when I was choosing my CPO, I spent some time with the service
folks at Tesla Menlo Park choosing between the vehicles. The 1.5 PEM was designed using Mil-spec parts, including the
power electronics, connectors and wires. They even had one opened up for refurb and showed me the mil-spec cables.
This thing is designed for a tank :)
How much are they asking for a 1.5 PEM?
 

wiztecy

Active Member
Apr 29, 2012
2,905
563
Santa Cruz, California, United States
I agree with asgard, stick with the stock colors to preserve it. Especially since someone famous owned it, any pics that later come up with him in it will add more value to it when represented with the same color.

How did you fix the damaged Carbon Fiber in the rear? That section is one piece? Did you reconstruct it or order a new piece from Tesla?

Yes the 1.5 PEMs are built tough. Hence where the cost savings went into the 2.x PEMs which are not built as tough.
 

marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
Thanks, I think black is a nice color for the car. wiztecy, you might be right regarding the value of the vehicle.

I ordered a new carbon fiber sill (the big part at the side of the car) and was extremely lucky not only to find a used door quite cheap, but also with the same interior color. The lock, which is attached to the roll bar damaged the interior of the original door a bit.. could be fixed, but this is way easier.

The sill is one piece. It goes from the trunk lid to the front fender.

Changed the lower and upper left, rear wishbone, strut and the aluminum bracket under the ESS where the lower wishbone had been torn out of.

Was really surprised, how many used parts one finds. Especially because there have only been three 1.5's in Germany, officially.

Well, the only things I bought from Tesla is the subwoofer, carbon fiber sill and roll bar. The roll bar only had a minor damage, but it's better to change it, because it's one of the most important parts for safety...
Ok, I just recently ordered the trunk lid hinges and cross tie (left, rear) also.


one more thing... Does anyone have information about the "Interior Sound Reduction Kit Stage 2"? There are no informations about this kit in the web, anymore.
Now, as the car is almost torn down, I think it's a good idea to isolate it... Already isolated the composite plastic backwall behind the seats from the outside with some styrofoam/fiberglass sandwich, but want to use the stuff, which Tesla uses for the rest of the cabin.

Edit: just found it myself.
 
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PV1

Member
Aug 28, 2013
54
19
Pittsburgh
I'm really glad someone is putting this amount of attention to detail in repairing this Roadster. It was pretty awesome having it for the weekend at the car show last January, and it really saddened me to see it sitting in that salvage lot (I was tempted to pull the service plug when I was there, especially with the pump running in cool weather). Being that it's in Germany now means I'll never see it in person again, but I'm really happy that it is being repaired and will hopefully be on the roads again soon. I have some pictures of #34 when it was at the car show in Pittsburgh, and when it was at the salvage lot. Please upload pictures during repairs and when it is complete.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that PCB error mentioned earlier was the LED ring. That's an error message it gave me when I tried to start it, "charge port door must be closed before vehicle can be started."
 

marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
Thanks:)

@PV1
What error did it show in the salvage lot? Powertrain error? This was probably due to the damaged service disconnect. There's a small switch in the socket which detects if the disconnect is inserted properly.
The LED ring doesn't cause any error, it's just there as a charge indicator and doesn't give any feedback to the car.

BTW: The car got upgraded to Founders Series:D
IMG-20140122-WA0001.jpg
 
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marco2228

Roadster Signature #34
Nov 19, 2010
211
55
Cologne/Bremen , Germany
Tesla only sent the Founders Plate by accident, I won't put it on the car, of couse:D

Well, no update for a long time. Have been busy with the PEM repair and some other things. But after several errors and some weird errors like only being able to drive in reverse, the PEM is finally working again.

Today I put in the new rollbar and bulkhead. If my painter sticks to his schedule, the car should be back on the street in two to three weeks from now.
2014-02-24 14.41.46.jpg
 

wiztecy

Active Member
Apr 29, 2012
2,905
563
Santa Cruz, California, United States
Tesla only sent the Founders Plate by accident, I won't put it on the car, of couse:D

Well, no update for a long time. Have been busy with the PEM repair and some other things. But after several errors and some weird errors like only being able to drive in reverse, the PEM is finally working again.

Today I put in the new rollbar and bulkhead. If my painter sticks to his schedule, the car should be back on the street in two to three weeks from now.


Awesome Job Marco! While your at it, change out the stock brakes for CarboTechs and also remove the old brake fluid, clear out the lines, and put in new clean stuff. I'm sure that brake fluid is long over due and has a good bit of moisture in it. I also removed those silly sun visors, you get more visibility without them.
 
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hcsharp

Active Member
Jun 7, 2011
3,370
1,337
Vermont
Well, no update for a long time. Have been busy with the PEM repair and some other things. But after several errors and some weird errors like only being able to drive in reverse, the PEM is finally working again.

That's amazing that you were able to repair your PEM! Nice work as usual! Can you provide us with any details? What was wrong with it? What parts did you replace? We all have to be mindful of the fact that the PEM contains parts that wear out. Thanks again for sharing your progress.
 

PV4EV

Supporting Member
Oct 26, 2011
559
709
Area 51(a) / UK
Well, no update for a long time. Have been busy with the PEM repair and some other things. But after several errors and some weird errors like only being able to drive in reverse, the PEM is finally working again.

That's amazing that you were able to repair your PEM! Nice work as usual! Can you provide us with any details? What was wrong with it? What parts did you replace? We all have to be mindful of the fact that the PEM contains parts that wear out. Thanks again for sharing your progress.

.. a whole new career for Marco beckons! It wont be long before most of the Roadsters fall out of warranty.

Did you take any photos of the PEM undergoing surgery ?? I'd love to see one stripped down.
 

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