Battery Replacement Nightmare. Would like input!

[Crutonius]

12k? It's interesting that the replacements seem to be getting cheaper but it would be nice to have some actual prices listed for services and parts other than tesla just making *sugar* up on the fly.

 

[HoosierDaddy82]

12k? It's interesting that the replacements seem to be getting cheaper but it would be nice to have some actual prices listed for services and parts other than tesla just making *sugar* up on the fly.

For you (and everyone else) here's the actual invoice showing the battery cost

 

[AMPd]

If only Elon Musk was held responsible for all his promises.

The Mission of Tesla

“Third, to reinforce how strongly we feel about the low risk of fire in our cars, we will be amending our warranty policy to cover damage due to a fire, even if due to driver error. Unless a Model S owner actively tries to destroy the car, they are covered.”

 

[OrbiterTI4]

You are absolutely right. At this point, pending the adjustor's estimate, it's either going to cost me $500 (collision) or $250 (comprehensive) for a brand new (refurbed) battery.

Comprehensive claims for road damage are typically reserved for if something hits your vehicle without hitting the ground first. If road debris hits the car after hitting the ground, it's collision...so I'd count on it being collision.

 

[bedoig]

If only Elon Musk was held responsible for all his promises.

The Mission of Tesla

“Third, to reinforce how strongly we feel about the low risk of fire in our cars, we will be amending our warranty policy to cover damage due to a fire, even if due to driver error. Unless a Model S owner actively tries to destroy the car, they are covered.”

Umm, this car didn't catch on fire and become a total loss.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Comprehensive claims for road damage are typically reserved for if something hits your vehicle without hitting the ground first.

Well the wife (done thousands of claims over the years) says it depends on the insurance company. True for a few, not true for others.

 

[MIT_S60]

For you (and everyone else) here's the actual invoice showing the battery cost

I'm surprised they're charging you for diagnosis AND the parts/labor, as I thought most shops drop the diagnosis charge if you pay for the repair (or at least it's baked into the repair price).

 

[ucmndd]

I'm surprised they're charging you for diagnosis AND the parts/labor, as I thought most shops drop the diagnosis charge if you pay for the repair (or at least it's baked into the repair price).

Quoth Tesla when I made the same point:

“We still spent the time performing the diagnosis whether you choose to proceed with the repair or not.”

 

[AMPd]

Umm, this car didn't catch on fire and become a total loss.

Ummm it says everything besides an owner actively destroying his car is covered.
He also talked about it in interviews where he reiterated that they were so confident these instances were going to be rare that it’s all covered except if you use it as target practice.

 

[MP3Mike]

Ummm it says everything besides an owner actively destroying his car is covered.
He also talked about it in interviews where he reiterated that they were so confident these instances were going to be rare that it’s all covered except if you use it as target practice.

That only pertains to battery fires. The warranty specifically says that the battery warranty is voided if it is damaged in a collision or accident, unless it catches fire.

 

[AMPd]

That only pertains to battery fires. The warranty specifically says that the battery warranty is voided if it is damaged in a collision or accident, unless it catches fire.

I stand corrected. I tried searching where I remember that from but couldn’t find it.

 

[HoosierDaddy82]

Update:

Insurance company is going to cover the repair so I will pay my deductible (collision, as many of you stated correctly).

The sad part is Tesla called me and said they were delivered a 90Kwh battery and not a 75Kwh battery...So another two weeks minimum of waiting... :-(

 

[Boeingpilot]

Update:

Insurance company is going to cover the repair so I will pay my deductible (collision, as many of you stated correctly).

The sad part is Tesla called me and said they were delivered a 90Kwh battery and not a 75Kwh battery...So another two weeks minimum of waiting... :-(

Tell ‘me you’ll take the 90 and save them the shipping!

 

[sktn77a]

You say they were waiting for a "refurbished" battery? For $12,000 I hope you got a "NEW" battery!

 

[tezzzla]

If you are going to have to pay (which it appears you don't), you might want to hire a failure analysis expert/company to evaluate the issue. They do what people here are piping in with, but they can look at the car.

 

[Redmiata98]

My understanding is that the various sized batteries are NOT interchangeable except for a very few unicorns that were between production runs of the next larger size. I asked about upgrading my 90 to the (then) new 100 and was told my VIN was not one of those that could be upgraded. However, it might be worth the phone call to have them check the VIN for applicability and then pay for the upgrade. Imagine the price difference would be worth it for the added range! (Glad to hear that your car did not catch fire.)

 

[Raechris]

I think the 74 is 350v and the 90 is 400v which may be the inconsistency

 

[3allgearz]

So, on 12/13 I was driving my MS 75D to visit my wife at work and I received the warning "Vehicle may not restart - Service is required" message. Got to my wife's job, parked the car and sure enough, it would not move (screen would power up but car said there was an issue with voltage). Called Tesla Roadside and they sent a tow truck to get it. This was a Sunday.

The following day, confirmed that the car is at my service center and that there is an 'isolation fault' with my HV battery, covered by warranty, come by and get a loaner. Was told that it would take a while to get the refurbished battery due to lots of paperwork. Ok, no problem.

Skip forward to today (12/29), I get a bill for over $13,000 from Tesla to replace the HV battery and a shear plate (laughable because the cost of the battery, 12,000, versus the cost of the shear plate, 4.40). I call my service center and ask if there is an issue with the billing because I was told it was covered. They say the battery is punctured and that is not covered. The pictures they sent me are shocking. I have ZERO idea how this could have happened (and frankly neither do they). No damage to any of the body of the vehicle, just what you see in the pictures.

Been a hell of a day working with my insurance to file a claim but getting it taken care of. What is more baffling is that I bought the car in Sept (second owner) and had them do an battery test/inspection in October. They stated during that inspection that my battery was doing better than most batteries of the same age/mileage. So, what the heck happened to cause this issue? I work from home (COVID) so I really don't drive all that much and given the damage I would have known if I'd hit something. Also a bit bothered that they waited over two weeks before doing any sort of inspection of the battery when they said they'd originally replace it.

So, all that said, I was wanting to get thoughts and opinions. Have you seen anything like this before? Similar stories? What could have caused something like this?

EDIT: When you view the pictures, the damage you see is on the rear of the driver's side.

Have you considered tow truck damage and the original fault was something else??
Should be able to tell if the damage is old or new.

 

[ucmndd]

You say they were waiting for a "refurbished" battery? For $12,000 I hope you got a "NEW" battery!

There are no “new” 75 batteries any more.

 

[Shuribob]

You might want to ask Tesla to do a good inspection on the suspension as well to see if any of that got damaged as well. (Better to have it all in one claim.)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^