AC unit/Condenser - service?

[Brandon332]

Hey everyone,

Just have a quick question I'm hoping people can shed some light on. I have one of the earlier Model X's from 2016 (VIN ~9000). I've driven a ton in the past year and am actually almost out of the limited warranty period since I'm only a few thousand away from my 50,000th mile.

While everything has been great, one day last week the AC stopped blowing cold air and only blew the hot air. It was only for that day and seemed to revert back to normal after that, but now I'm scared since I don't want a failure of the condenser/compressor/whatever it's called once the warranty runs out especially because money is tight.

The reason for the post is that I live hours away from a SC and I don't want to go all the way there just to have them tell me it's working fine. I guess my questions are 1) Do people think the SC would replace it even if it's working ok once I get there? and 2) I assume that the AC unit is covered under the 50,000 mile warranty, but I've also heard it is also used to cool the battery so it's possible that it's covered by the 8 year one. Does anyone know for sure which warranty it's covered under? Thanks so much!

 

[MP3Mike]

I'm pretty sure the battery warranty doesn't cover the AC. (It doesn't cover the charger.)

I would contact your SC, they can often remotely look at the logs and see if your car has a known issue with the AC that needs fixed.

 

[Tam]

...1) Do people think the SC would replace it even if it's working ok once I get there?...

If your A/C blows hot air, then there's a problem.

If Service Center asked you to show them the problem. You would turn on the A/C and it's as cold as ice.

Broken A/C would now be unverifiable by Service Center.

The job of A/C is to blow cold air every time you turn it on. And every time you do that at Service Center it would comply.

In that case, Service Center would find no broken A/C and it's reasonable that it should not fix or replace a non-broken A/C.

...it's possible that it's covered by the 8 year one...

No A/C is standard warranty, not Drive Unit, not main Battery warranty.

With Drive Unit and main Battery warranty, they only cover those components only. Not things that attach to them.

 

[EVSteve]

Interesting responses. I suppose it may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but IIRC GM lists the A/C as part of the thermal management system on the battery and therefore is covered under the battery warranty. If the A/C does not function then it hinders or could risk damage to the battery especially when supercharging. IMO Tesla's position should be the same as GM's with regard to the cooling system. However, if it's related to a baffle servo failure or something on the cabin side of the system thats different.

 

[silverwolfe08]

Sounds like your A/C is on the way to crapping out. Maybe you could leave the car plugged in with the A/C on for an extended period of time (i.e. overnight). See if you can break it

 

[Tam]

....If the A/C does not function then it hinders or could risk damage to the battery...

Tesla's main battery pack is well protected so when there is an increase in heat beyond specified parameter, the system would shut down until the cause is fixed.

 

[EVSteve]

Tesla's main battery pack is well protected so when there is an increase in heat beyond specified parameter, the system would shut down until the cause is fixed.

As is the Volt’s. I fail to see how that isolates the compressor as not a component of the thermal management system

 

[Tam]

As is the Volt’s. I fail to see how that isolates the compressor as not a component of the thermal management system

They only cover your battery if it cannot be recharged (even a badly degraded battery can still be recharged and that is not covered!)

I agree with you that ideally, anything that causes the battery problem should be covered.

That means someone needs to change their warranty wordings.

 

[outie]

Can you still purchase the extended warranty? That might be an option if you can purchase it and you are concerned with major issues soon.

 

[Yinn]

Hey everyone,

Just have a quick question I'm hoping people can shed some light on. I have one of the earlier Model X's from 2016 (VIN ~9000). I've driven a ton in the past year and am actually almost out of the limited warranty period since I'm only a few thousand away from my 50,000th mile.

While everything has been great, one day last week the AC stopped blowing cold air and only blew the hot air. It was only for that day and seemed to revert back to normal after that, but now I'm scared since I don't want a failure of the condenser/compressor/whatever it's called once the warranty runs out especially because money is tight.

The reason for the post is that I live hours away from a SC and I don't want to go all the way there just to have them tell me it's working fine. I guess my questions are 1) Do people think the SC would replace it even if it's working ok once I get there? and 2) I assume that the AC unit is covered under the 50,000 mile warranty, but I've also heard it is also used to cool the battery so it's possible that it's covered by the 8 year one. Does anyone know for sure which warranty it's covered under? Thanks so much!

My AP1 had the same issue and needed to be replaced. It's covered under the original warranty and extended, but not as a part of the battery warranty.

 

[X Fan]

My AC just failed...3xxx X with 40K miles......been a bad month: 12V battery failure, front latches needed replacement & now AC plus also MCU probably needs to be swapped.

 

[Yinn]

My AC just failed...3xxx X with 40K miles......been a bad month: 12V battery failure, front latches needed replacement & now AC plus also MCU probably needs to be swapped.

Look on the bright side, better at 40K miles than 48,001 miles...

What happened with the front latches?

 

[X Fan]

Look on the bright side, better at 40K miles than 48,001 miles...

What happened with the front latches?

Failed.....got the "new" ones installed that are much better (about a 5 hr retrofit).

Yeah: drive shafts are fairly new (no shudder), will have new AC, new latches, new MCU.......

 

[MP3Mike]

MCU probably needs to be swapped.

What is wrong with your MCU?

 

[Yinn]

What is wrong with your MCU?

I had mine replaced as well. They develop a yellow line across it and ends up needing to be swapped out.

Failed.....got the "new" ones installed that are much better (about a 5 hr retrofit).

The doors wouldn’t latch and stay closed? Was it more of a - one day couldn’t close the door? Or a , door went flying open while driving?

 

[X Fan]

I had mine replaced as well. They develop a yellow line across it and ends up needing to be swapped out.



The doors wouldn’t latch and stay closed? Was it more of a - one day couldn’t close the door? Or a , door went flying open while driving?

Wouldn't latch....this is third pair I've had since taking ownership. First one swapped about a month into ownership and lasted almost 2 years. The "new" ones are fantastic and I suspect will last much longer.

re: MCU...keeps on freezing, requiring a re-boot. Tech came yesterday and validated error codes (along with bad AC unit).