In the past month both of my headlight bulbs have burnt out. Quote from Tesla $4,600....is there no way just to replace the bulbs versus entire assembly?
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$4,600 for burned out headlights, any alternatives?
- Thread starter MarkoJ
- Start date
Tony_YYZ
Tezler Guru
Did the DRL LEDs also burn out or just the main driving light?
From your signature I believe you have a Model S with the nosecone. Those use HID headlights instead of LED for the main beam. That should just use a standard D2S bulb Which can be purchase for MUCH less than what you’re being quoted to replace the entire assembly.
If it’s your DRL LEDs that are burnt out then those are part of the sealed unit. You will probably have to look to buy a used set of headlight assemblies locally or from ebay or something.
From your signature I believe you have a Model S with the nosecone. Those use HID headlights instead of LED for the main beam. That should just use a standard D2S bulb Which can be purchase for MUCH less than what you’re being quoted to replace the entire assembly.
If it’s your DRL LEDs that are burnt out then those are part of the sealed unit. You will probably have to look to buy a used set of headlight assemblies locally or from ebay or something.
The automotive industry in general long ago switched from headlights where the bulb could be replaced to complete assemblies with non-replaceable bulbs. It is very annoying. The only good news is that modern LEDs have very low failure rates, but as @Tony_YYZ notes your S70D uses HID bulbs.In the past month both of my headlight bulbs have burnt out. Quote from Tesla $4,600....is there no way just to replace the bulbs versus entire assembly?
Soul Surfer
Cancervivor, tech geek & musician
Have you considered the "bone-yard"? Some repair shops have access to these. Why not give it a try?
Also, can you indicate how far out of warranty you are? your signature
Also, can you indicate how far out of warranty you are? your signature
mrElbe
Active Member
ron8853
Member
Suggest checking part number, including suffix letter, on Ebay. You'll probably need to get most recent suffix letter from parts dept at Tesla service.
Did you change the bulb yourself? If so, how did you re-seal the headlight assembly to make sure it is waterproof?
I’ve never done it, just curious to know if it is possible as a DIY project.
mrElbe
Active Member
The D3S is a plug in DIY. No dis-assembly required. BUT it is semi difficult to reach via the wheel well inner front covers. I took the complete headlight unit out to do the job.
Update...after talking to Tesla Service again they were able to replace just the bulbs. Final cost $593...not cheap but a lot better than 4.6k
richrootes
Member
Soul Surfer
Cancervivor, tech geek & musician
Tony_YYZ
Tezler Guru
Holy moly that’s super expensive for two bulbs. You probably could have bought some Morimoto 4300k bulbs from TRS for like $100/pair and Installed them yourself or pay any other shop an installation fee. They are nothing special really.
Lesson for next time I suppose.
I was charged diagnostic fee too for my most recent out-of-warranty repair. When out of warranty, the diagnostic fee is not waived if you approve the actual repair, it's an extra charge. Some other shops/automakers may waive the diagnostic fee for such situations.
OK for full disclosure while not going too off-topic, I was billed the standard diagnostic fee even though they knew what was wrong when I went in (they had already remotely looked at the logs). Then I show up, they look at the car, put together the quote to replace the battery heater, I agree to replace the battery heater and diagnostic fee. They proceed to change it but then things went sideways. Long story short the high voltage junction box had failed, and some fuse in the battery, plus the battery heater. They had my car for nearly 2 weeks... I was able to negotiate the removal of the diagnostic fee because they misdiagnosed when I first took it in. But I don't think that's normal LOL... maybe it is??
mrElbe
Active Member
richrootes
Member
Yeah, I feel bad for MarkoJ - that was a big bill for a couple of bulbs
I wonder how long Tesla stared at the front of his car before arriving at the ‘bulbs are blown’ diagnosis? That’s one fee I’d be disputing for sure
I wonder how long Tesla stared at the front of his car before arriving at the ‘bulbs are blown’ diagnosis? That’s one fee I’d be disputing for sure
thesmokingman
Active Member
My experience with aftermarket HID bulbs are yeah they're much cheaper but they also burn out very quickly. Often times within a year or two.
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