A/C Compressor finally failed. But $3400??!

[Naekuh]

455k miles, 24 years on a ICE car, original compressor, never serviced until recently.

I do not know why Tesla AC would be unreliable.

To be honest compressors are not made as they used to be.
Just look at how poor Samsung and LG's linear compressors are, and how often they fail.

I still have an old windows AC which is rated 9000 btu, that is a heck of a lot stronger, and also more reliable then my recent split duct AC.

Compressors are now aimed at efficiency, and do not care about reliability, because were are stuck in a world that says efficiency is king, and reliability will lead to our company going bankrupt when no one replaces whats broken.

 

[PWlakewood]

455k miles, 24 years on a ICE car, original compressor, never serviced until recently.

I do not know why Tesla AC would be unreliable.

Different design

 

[David.85D]

The electric compressors used in electric and hybrid cars seem vulnerable to breakdown/contamination of the oil. If the oil becomes conductive, it will short out.

My suspicion is that is why there used to be the suggestion to change the AC desiccant/filter periodically.

 

[Knightowl]

I have a 2013 with 117k miles and my thump is so incredibly audible it worries me everytime it cycles on. I can feel its imminent failure and it pisses me off how much Tesla works the compressor, so much so that this will be my first ever AC compressor replacement on any car ive owned.

FYI, remember when they said they have "overheat" protection, to protect you electronics inside? I went screaming for the hills... why do I want my compressor to work its ass off in the blazing heat? Trade one part for another i guess?

The Oct 2013 built S I bought for my wife as the kid hauler has the same thump every couple min when ac is running. It is around 77k miles. Not looking forward to when it dies.


From my understanding the overheat protection just runs the fan to vent the car not the AC.

 

[EVCarGUy]

455k miles, 24 years on a ICE car, original compressor, never serviced until recently.

I do not know why Tesla AC would be unreliable.

Anecdotal.

I've owned a Camry, Miata, Audi A3, all of which had the AC compressor fail at less than 50k miles

 

[cwerdna]

Anecdotal.

I've owned a Camry, Miata, Audi A3, all of which had the AC compressor fail at less than 50k miles

Here's my anecdotal evidence. Between these cars owned by myself and family members, none had their AC compressors fail. (This isn't a complete list as some others, I never knew their status). All of these except one were bought as new.
'91 Camry - passed 91K miles, sold in early 2002
'96 Camry - don't remember the mileage but was a low and totaled in early 2008
'02 Nissan Maxima - don't recall mileage but sold in Q1 2006
'04 Nissan 350Z - sold in mid-2011. Don't recall mileage but I'm pretty sure it was past 50K.
'06 Prius - past 81K miles, dad has it now. This has an electric AC compressor.
'07 Altima Hybrid - doesn't have 50K miles but my mom still has it. Electric AC compressor
'13 Leaf - leased for 2 years, returned at end of lease w/under 24K miles. Electric AC compressor
'13 Leaf - built 5/2013, bought used with under 24K miles in July 2015. Still have this car at 65.5K miles. Electric AC Compressor
'19 Bolt - bought end of Jan 2019, doesn't have 5K miles so too new. Electric AC compressor

We also had a '93 Dodge Caravan and an '86 Olds Cutlass Ciera. AC compressors didn't fail on them either. I can't speak to my dad's former '02 Rav4 that he got rid of I think in 2013 or 2014.

As for Audi A3, pretty much any VAG product is pretty suspect when it comes to long-term reliability (vs. most Toyotas and Hondas), so that's no huge surprise.

 

[Knightowl]

The Oct 2013 built S I bought for my wife as the kid hauler has the same thump every couple min when ac is running. It is around 77k miles. Not looking forward to when it dies.


From my understanding the overheat protection just runs the fan to vent the car not the AC.

For what it's worth, the thump I had been hearing stopped happening when I brought the car in for a 50k mi service, it was not reproducable during the visit and has not occured since. So no idea what it was or why it vanished considering it had been quite regular since I bought car.

 

[Bill_75D]

@Knightowl - The overheat protection definitely DOES run the air conditioning.

 

[DCEV]

Another reason to buy the ESA...

 

[ucmndd]

Another reason to buy the ESA...

Spending a guaranteed $4k+ to protect against a potential $3k repair?

Maybe, I guess. I think the value of the ESA is tightly correlated with rate of mileage accumulation. I’ll be at 100k in less than 3 years. 15k miles to go, major knock on wood, but so far my out of warranty repair costs have been zero.

If you’re a mile miser and get a full 8 years of coverage, you probably have a much better chance of coming out ahead.

 

[PWlakewood]

I was told tha my compressor had failed and dc to dc converter and I pushed back and asked for a different tech to look at my S and after further inspection it cost 83 bucks to refill the refrigerant. Not sure why it was low because they did a leak test and didnt find anything wrong.

 

[neroden]

The Oct 2013 built S I bought for my wife as the kid hauler has the same thump every couple min when ac is running. It is around 77k miles. Not looking forward to when it dies.

Thump means it's dying. It shouldn't be doing that. I have two 2013 Model Ses, and the AC is loud, but it does not "thump".

 

[David.85D]

I was told tha my compressor had failed and dc to dc converter and I pushed back and asked for a different tech to look at my S and after further inspection it cost 83 bucks to refill the refrigerant. Not sure why it was low because they did a leak test and didnt find anything wrong.

This sort of “error” makes me . The worst behavior seen in those shops using commissioned mechanics. I wasn’t aware Tesla went that way, but it makes me wonder

 

[PWlakewood]

This sort of “error” makes me . The worst behavior seen in those shops using commissioned mechanics. I wasn’t aware Tesla went that way, but it makes me wonder

I know how you feel. I wasnt looking forward to a 3400 bill so when I went and picked it up and saw that it was only 83 bucks I was shocked.

 

[aaron0k]

Tesla has stated that the cost of owning Tesla EVs is way cheaper than the ICE dinosaur cars. We're seeing the contrary. Lol!!!

Yes, as Elon proudly tweeted; you won't have to change your brake pads...

...just make sure you're stashing away ~$2500 for when your MCU eventually dies from eMMC wear.

ICE vs. EV irony.

 

[biotour]

The ac compressor works way harder in Teslas than in ice cars. Its job isn't just to keep passengers comfy (during the 10% of time it's being used) but also to keep the battery in the optimal temperature range, 24/7. This is why the car never really turns off. If battery goes out of optimal temp range, it can possibly lead to a fire, short circuit, etc. So not only is it worked much harder than that of ice vehicles, but also extremely critical to the safety of the vehicle.

 

[jerry33]

The average cost for a BMW 750Li AC compressor replacement is between $4,241 and $4,559. Labor costs are estimated between $392 and $496 while parts are priced between $3849 and $4063.

 

[mongo]

The ac compressor works way harder in Teslas than in ice cars. Its job isn't just to keep passengers comfy (during the 10% of time it's being used) but also to keep the battery in the optimal temperature range, 24/7. This is why the car never really turns off. If battery goes out of optimal temp range, it can possibly lead to a fire, short circuit, etc. So not only is it worked much harder than that of ice vehicles, but also extremely critical to the safety of the vehicle.

The pack may have higher degradation if it heats up while not under load, but it will not short/ burn/or have any other catastrophic failure.
. In the event of an AC failure, charging and power are reduced. The car does shut down after 3 days or so and everything sits at ambient (well the interior get above that). Minimal energy still expended for the fob/ card detection and periodic network polling. Also, it is only AC not a bimodal heat pump, so unless you are in a continuously hot climate, it would not be 24/7 anyway.

 

[PWlakewood]

The pack may have higher degradation if it heats up while not under load, but it will not short/ burn/or have any other catastrophic failure.
. In the event of an AC failure, charging and power are reduced. The car does shut down after 3 days or so and everything sits at ambient (well the interior get above that). Minimal energy still expended for the fob/ card detection and periodic network polling. Also, it is only AC not a bimodal heat pump, so unless you are in a continuously hot climate, it would not be 24/7 anyway.

You disagree with his post about the ac being a crucial part of battery cooling. Care to elaborate on why you disagree and provide proof. As it was explained to me was that the ac does in fact play a crucial part in battery temperature.

 

[SilverGS]

I have a 2016 MS 75D with only 29k km/18K miles (just bought the car a month ago from Tesla) and have noticed this very loud buzzing sound when the car is stopped (AC on) or driving very slowly and its fairly warm outside 33 Celsius/86 Fahrenheit. After driving at regular highway speeds it stops.

I guess I need to book an appointment to get it looked at. Car is still under warranty, so I'm not that concerned, other than the potential of not having the car in case something needs to be replaced.