Brake booster "proactive repair"?

[Lionel Hutz]

Has anybody else received this notification? Any idea what it is for? This is a mid-September 2014 build car.

As part of providing peace of mind and a great ownership experience, Tesla vehicles are equipped with telematics systems to deliver remote diagnostics support. Through this support system, I have been notified that your Model S has an electromechanical brake booster that may not be compatible with future software updates and features. To ensure a truly exceptional ownership experience, I would like to schedule your Model S for a service appointment to replace the booster with an updated version.

Currently we are scheduling for November 20th through December 15th (including weekends – excluding November 27th). Please let me know 2 or 3 days and times that you would prefer your Model S to be serviced. The installation only takes three to four hours. In this case we would be happy to offer a complimentary valet service that will pick up your vehicle from your home or place of business, and deliver it back to you upon completion. If you feel a loaner vehicle is needed for the duration of the repair, let me know and I will do my best to schedule one for you.

As always, here at Tesla Motors we strive for excellence. I want to ensure your service experience is truly exceptional each time it may be needed. Please let me know if you have any questions or special requests for this service visit.

 

[pgiralt]

Has anybody else received this notification? Any idea what it is for? This is a mid-September 2014 build car.

Interesting. What is your VIN/Delivery date?

 

[yobigd20]

odd. clearly part of the new electric braking system. I'd expect only very new owners to get an email like this. could be defective part or batch. I wonder if they rushed something, or quality control came back with an unacceptable failure rate, etc .... also wonder if ALL new owners are getting this. brakes are not something to mess around with...that email seems all fluffy duffy and they say 'may not be compatible with future software updates and features' but i'd be first in line to get it fixed ASAP. who knows what the real issue with it is. clearly Tesla wants to get rid of it and replace it with something better, and willing to come out and valet it. obvious they don't want it on the road for very long .....

 

[Lionel Hutz]

odd. clearly part of the new electric braking system. I'd expect only very new owners to get an email like this. could be defective part or batch. I wonder if they rushed something, or quality control came back with an unacceptable failure rate, etc .... also wonder if ALL new owners are getting this. brakes are not something to mess around with...that email seems all fluffy duffy and they say 'may not be compatible with future software updates and features' but i'd be first in line to get it fixed ASAP. who knows what the real issue with it is. clearly Tesla wants to get rid of it and replace it with something better, and willing to come out and valet it. obvious they don't want it on the road for very long .....

This was one of the first cars off the line with the "autopilot" sensor suite. Having thought about this a little more, my speculation (based on nothing other than build date and packages) is that the brake booster needs to be updated to work with the self-driving features. But who knows.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I thought all autopilot cars came with electromechanical brakes, which shouldn't require a booster pump?

 

[breser]

I thought all autopilot cars came with electromechanical brakes, which shouldn't require a booster pump?

The electromechanical brakes still have hydraulic brakes. The system just removes the vacuum booster and replaces it with Bosch's iBooster:

Bosch Rolling Out Vacuum-Free iBooster | Suppliers content from WardsAuto

 

[Evbwcaer]

I have already had the work done. Vin 49768...pretty sure that is right. One of the early cars with auto-pilot. I thought is might resolve that very quiet clicking noise which has been discussed here. It did not. I did not get a chance to really ask what it was exactly regarding, just brake booster related.

I got my car back, there was nothing changed that I could tell. The service experience was 11/10....washed and vacuumed.

 

[SkiWA]

I got a similar email today.

Good Morning Mr. X,
I’m reaching out to you because it has been brought to our attention that your Tesla is in need of an updated brake booster. Your brake booster is being replaced as part of a quality upgrade. Please reach out to us at your earliest convenience to schedule this necessary update as we are booking the week of Nov. 18th and thereafter.

 

[franknesss]

This is good news! I'm hoping it's related to the ticking issue on my car. Only thing is, I didn't receive an email yet. =(

 

[gzerninplatz]

Mine just went in for it...it is for the early autopilot cars that got older boosters, which use the antilock brake actuator to accomplish brake actuation for coming autopilot - they have added fully separate mechanical actuation as a more effective method for autopilot braking.

 

[thecloud]

I have already had the work done. Vin 49768...pretty sure that is right. One of the early cars with auto-pilot. I thought is might resolve that very quiet clicking noise which has been discussed here. It did not.

That's disappointing. My car is another late-September delivery with the ticking noise, and I was hoping to hear that this was the cause/fix. Haven't received an email, but then again, it took about a month to get the 6.0 update, so maybe they're rolling these notifications in stages.

 

[techiesjc]

Mine just went in for it...it is for the early autopilot cars that got older boosters, which use the antilock brake actuator to accomplish brake actuation for coming autopilot - they have added fully separate mechanical actuation as a more effective method for autopilot braking.

Exactly what I was told when they replaced mine. VIN below and yes I have a car with new HW. I was in the service center for another repair and they swapped out the iBooster.

 

[invisik]

this must be what they mean by "hardware upgrades" in the warranty/service details.

-m

 

[Blu Zap]

Hey folks, thanks for clarifying. I went in for a factory paint chip fix in November and found out they needed it for four hours. Delivery 9/30/14, P55884. So fits the manufacturing schedule as the rest of you. All they could tell me was a replacement brake booster but nothing further than that.

They were in such a crunch to get units out the door at the end of Q3, I figure they didn't have the AutoPilot version of the brake booster and decided to move product with a warranty fix later. Rather that than delayed deliveries or no AutoPilot.