I bought a used model S for $35,000. It only has 89,000 miles on it. It had 86,000 when I bought it 60 days ago. It’s been driving great, however I got a message that it may not restart enter tow it to Tesla. So memorial weekend I towed it to the local Tesla service center. After initially looking at the car he suspected the drive was going out. They said they would have a complete analysis and estimate by Wednesday. Wednesday I received a banner on my phone stating they had the estimate. When I opened it up it was $28,530. They said that the drive unit was bad and also it affected the batteries, so I would have to replace everything. I just barely had the money to buy this car to save money on gas. I have no idea how I can pay to have it repaired, so now I have a lawn ornament I’m making payments on. Please, if anyone has some suggestions on how I can rectify the situation, I would really appreciate it. I feel stuck and I commute over 100 miles daily. Currently I’m riding a motorcycle like it’s about 50 miles per gallon but in the California heat and spending so much time on the road on a motorcycle isn’t the best scenario. Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
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Broken model S
- Thread starter VinceZ
- Start date
Wow, sorry to hear this!
I think your best bet would be a 3rd party shop such as Gruber Motors, Electrified Garage, or 057 technology. Their reps are on this forum - I am sure you will be able to fix it at a fraction of the cost quoted by Tesla/.
I think your best bet would be a 3rd party shop such as Gruber Motors, Electrified Garage, or 057 technology. Their reps are on this forum - I am sure you will be able to fix it at a fraction of the cost quoted by Tesla/.
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My understanding is that there is current a CARB warranty requirement that applies to PZEV vehicles, read that to mean hybrids or plug in hybrids, but there is not one that applies to full BEVs. Part of this gets to this warranty having traditionally been tied to the emissions certification requirements which do not apply to the case of a full BEV vehicle that truly is zero exhaust emissions in-use.
Now there is proposal of a minimum battery/powertrain warranty beginning in 2026. This is part of the proposed Advance Clean Cars II framework, but I do not believe this has been finalized and codified into law yet (I could be wrong on this point, but all the references I find still refer to a proposed rule).
It is interesting that this proposal would require a minimum 10 year / 150,000 miles with guaranteed 80% or certified range. The proposed rule would also require a customer readable state of health (SOH) indicator to be able directly know where you are against the 80% threshold. The rule further would standardize requirements for reporting of fault codes, much like existed today for ICE vehicles as well as a required level of disclosure by manufacturers of diagnostic procedures under the objective of ensuring ease of warranty repair to ensure vehicles stay in compliance (same rule framework that requires certain basic ICE engine diagnostic information to be available).
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Tesla doesn't fix many things; they replace parts holistically. There is another thread very similar to this, where Tesla insisted both the battery and drive unit must be replaced. I think @wk057 pitched in with good advice on how to progressively check the right parts for root cause. I would get the detailed estimate from Tesla, and then seek advice from a few of the EV repair shops.
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While I am very sorry for you, a huge blessing for you is that you live in a civilized part of the country with many indie repair shops.
I have heard some can even identify faulty units in the battery pack and replace individually.
I have heard some can even identify faulty units in the battery pack and replace individually.
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First even in CARB implements this immediately, it would not be retroactive to earlier produced cars. Only apply to new vehicles which are certified to the new requirements. They can not retroactively change the regulatory requirements on prior model year vehicles once they are produced. Not going to help you on a 2013 vehicle which is what I believe you must have given your comment of it being 11 months past the 8 year warranty period.
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well this was your first mistake. an out of warranty EV, especially an older S, is a gamble. if you can't afford gas, you can't afford an EV, especially out of warranty.
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