Does anybody know if adding an aftermarket sub woofer voices any of the warranties? The reason I ask its because when I first purchased the car (used 2017) it stated it had the Premium Package which I was told had the upgraded stereo. A week ago the list changed and now it states "No audio package" Since they won't let me see the car before I pay I need to know if I want to add a sub woofer if that will do anything to the warranty? Thanks in advance for any direction anyone can provide.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Aftermarket Sub Woofer
- Thread starter W&B2017X
- Start date
Glide, I just had to pay $1k for a new DC to DC converter. I have a very long post on this subject on the official Tesla Forums website and have been getting advice about the Magnusson-Moss act, etc... I did not have time to be without my car, so I paid the $1k for the voided warranty work. In my case I had a professional install of two Class D JL Audio amps, an 8" sub-woofer (very modest) and the top of the line JL audio speakers. I used this setup in my 2013 MS and moved it to my 2017 MS along with the an Escort Max CI 360 radar detector. About 1 week ago my 12V battery died without warning, and the Ranger came out and put in a new 12V battery. After the new battery install the car came alive but the car started giving error messages. The Ranger said the DC to DC converter was dead and the car was towed to Charlotte SC where they put in a new DC-DC converter. The catch was they said that my after market stereo install voided the warranty. I thought it was utter nonsense but they said, albeit professionally and politely, that they did not have to show me how I damaged anything, and that the very act of install and running a separate fused feed to the 12V battery was enough to void, period! I pointed out to the service manager that I disagreed and that I would try and escalate this at Tesla in Fremont if I could actually get in touch with a human.
I am trying to politely and professionally fight this, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not going to sue Tesla or anything like that as I know what this means in real life and I don't have the time. I will, however, take the time to fight this in the court of public opinion and with the FTC, BBB or other means that might help anyone else in my predicament. I told the service adviser that if I did anything that was wrong, that my custom installer would make it right and that if this was my fault I would gladly pay for it. I simply reject that my radar detector or amps, when properly installed, void anything. I am very disappointed in Tesla. I suppose this is what Tesla's success looks like. I still love the car and support the mission, but my respect for the company took a kit!
I am trying to politely and professionally fight this, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not going to sue Tesla or anything like that as I know what this means in real life and I don't have the time. I will, however, take the time to fight this in the court of public opinion and with the FTC, BBB or other means that might help anyone else in my predicament. I told the service adviser that if I did anything that was wrong, that my custom installer would make it right and that if this was my fault I would gladly pay for it. I simply reject that my radar detector or amps, when properly installed, void anything. I am very disappointed in Tesla. I suppose this is what Tesla's success looks like. I still love the car and support the mission, but my respect for the company took a kit!
Glide, why would they say that then? Do you have more info to backup your claim that it is false? I would love to be able to add the sub. Thanks for the reply
I can’t opine as to why they would say it but presumably the HV system has safety measures from preventing a subwoofer from destroying it.
I’m no electrical engineer but this claim does not pass the smell test. ESPECIALLY since they have a factory sub option
The more I read this, the more I'm sitting here laughing. If anything, the aftermarket amplifier CAN drain the 12V battery, especially if it's constantly doing deep cycles (factory battery isn't made to drop that low; ICE vehicles have an alternator to combat this in most cases). If Tesla can somehow prove that the 12V is dropping too low because of your amplifier, then that's a different story. I had a full system in my MS (Alpine PDX-V9; JL 10W6V2; Focal mids/highs) and never had a single issue with the additional power consumption.
Considering that I'm about to do a full install on my X in a couple of weeks, now I'm actually starting to think twice about doing so (not really).
Considering that I'm about to do a full install on my X in a couple of weeks, now I'm actually starting to think twice about doing so (not really).
Tesla has been know to deny work to a car with spliced wiring. With that said, a good instaler would be able to make plugs to do an install without any taps. It would likely cost more and take longer, but it is also easily reversible. Directly accessing the battery is not a good idea since the car does monitor usage and direct connection would bypass that. On the same note there are many places to access a 12V line that is monitored and controlled by the car.
In theory a 12v connection directly at battery by a high powered amp system could cause issues with 12V battery and DC-DC converter.
I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure you'd be covered by Magnuson-Moss. It would be a tall order to prove that an FCC-approved stereo damaged anything other than maybe the 12V battery, and that could only reallybe lowering the lifespan of the battery, rather than damaging it.
I'm a bit confused on your response here...No matter what, you'll need to tap into the source input somehow. If you use a line output converter of any type (LOC), you need a signal from the factory radio. What I've done in the past, is tap into the signal output from the factory amplifier (if equipped), and ran that to the LOC. The ideal setup/install would allow me to then tap into that line for the signal that I need at the desired output (speaker input/placement). In addition, you can't just take a 12V source from anywhere in the vehicle to power an aftermarket amplifier. This would be like you trying to drink a triple thick milkshake thorough a coffee straw. It would put a tremendous amount of strain on the amp to keep up with the current draw that's required.
I have no knowledge of your specific setup, but I could easily believe an after-market subwoofer and associated amplifier could easily destroy the limited 12V capacity on any Tesla. They can draw hundreds of amps @12V. I am afraid I am with Tesla on this one. But they should be able to clearly document that excessive current caused the problem. The 12V system on our vehicles is not particularly robust (because it doesn't have to be, normally).
You don't need to tap if you buy the factory connectors and make a new harness . If you buy both the male and female you can use that as the "tap." To clear things up I define a tap as cutting the factory wires, or using something like the 3M wire taps that cut into the insulation to touch the wires. Making custom harness is completely reversible by disconnecting the newly created bypass harness and plugging the original connector back into the original unit or connector. I'll include this picture as a sample, it is not audio since I don't have both connectors handy. This one is for the frunk release system and designed to disconnect the car's wiring from the release motor and allows the new controller to "listen" for signal and "inject its own open and close" signal. Now for cars that don't have audio upgrade, a new plug with the line outputs can be created and plugged into the mcu, some cars have the wiring already, and many don't. All S/X MCU have the line out connector on MCU itself, and this amp install document leads me to believe it is always outputting line level audio signal.
Part 3: Amplifier Installation | TeslaTap document for cars with amp wiring
https://teslatap.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/primary_amp_650.jpg The green plug is line output for amps. can be use for cars that dont contain the wiring since MCU still has the plug.
For sure do NOT take 12V from just any line to power amps. There are some good places to use at the fuse boxes.
Again, this is probably not for most DYI, but more for a good custom shop to help setup a system that can be disconnected if needed and not impact factory wiring.
Ok, I understand your response a bit better now. For those that have a factory amplifier, you'll still have to cut regardless. Signal output from stock unit is what'll go to the LOC, from the LOC to the amplifier and then finally to the speaker in question. I agree that it would be a good idea to buy a factory female harness if you can find it.
Not necessary. Even if one had the factory amp, a bypass or splitter harness can be made depending on what is needed so factory harness does not need to be cut. Most of them are available on Mouser or digikey, and sometimes aliexpress.
I know this is an old thread but do you or know any vendors that sells/make an audio harness to wire to an aftermarket amplifier or DSP AND wire to the speakers? I'm trying to avoid "tapping" for an input signal and cutting the speaker wire from the plug from the OEM amp.
Thank you.
Do you have base or premium audio? We might have parts to make a one off adapter. I'm not aware of any you can buy. PM us on details what you want to do and maybe we can help you out.
m5james
Member
My '17 X has premium sound but I still wouldn't mind a little extra bass in the form of a small 8"-10" in the trunk well. Tonights my first time searching the idea so I'm gonna find some pics for ideas but I'm still curious about where to wire the amp for power, a signal, etc
Similar threads
