Brought in my '13 S to a Service Center to have A/C fixed, Tesla calls me 5 days later...

[tix]

I bought a 2013 Model S out of warranty, admittedly risky, but clean title and everything working well, from a dealer in California. Outstanding car, best I’ve ever had, absolutely thrilled with the purchase. Well after a few weeks the Phoenix heat apparently got the best of the A/C. (That, or, it seems like it could have been a software update?) Anyway, I immediately brought it to a service center since I realized the A/C regulates the battery temperature and provides ‘Cabin Overheat Protection’ and I didn't want to damage the awesome new car.

I dropped it off with Tesla and we left it in the garage, where the MCU read 80 degrees. I checked in with them two days later and they hadn't looked at it yet but would soon. They call me three days after that and they tell me that they can’t fix the A/C until they replace the MCU and quote me $2,800 for a new MCU. Stunned, I asked how the MCU could have stopped working since I dropped it off? They said they hadn't looked at it since I dropped it off. I asked if it had been in the garage this whole time since I dropped it off (already knowing the answer). No, they have had it parked outside. For context I live in Phoenix, where interior car temperatures in July/August can reach 160+ F.

I bring this up to them and suggest that the MCU could have been damaged by the extended excessive heat exposure and lack of cooling. They deny that this is possible and are frankly being a bit rude about the suggestion.

Anyway, I love the car but I guess I'm not sure what to think here. Does anyone have any experience with something like this?

 

[Rockster]

I would escalate this. You brought the car in because it wasn't able to cool itself, including cabin overheat protection. They moved the car outside and let it sit, where the heat killed the MCU, which was working perfectly when they accepted the car. Often times, you need to climb the corporate ladder a bit to get satisfaction in edge cases like this.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I bought a 2013 Model S out of warranty, admittedly risky, but clean title and everything working well, from a dealer in California. Outstanding car, best I’ve ever had, absolutely thrilled with the purchase. Well after a few weeks the Phoenix heat apparently got the best of the A/C. (That, or, it seems like it could have been a software update?) Anyway, I immediately brought it to a service center since I realized the A/C regulates the battery temperature and provides ‘Cabin Overheat Protection’ and I didn't want to damage the awesome new car.

I dropped it off with Tesla and we left it in the garage, where the MCU read 80 degrees. I checked in with them two days later and they hadn't looked at it yet but would soon. They call me three days after that and they tell me that they can’t fix the A/C until they replace the MCU and quote me $2,800 for a new MCU. Stunned, I asked how the MCU could have stopped working since I dropped it off? They said they hadn't looked at it since I dropped it off. I asked if it had been in the garage this whole time since I dropped it off (already knowing the answer). No, they have had it parked outside. For context I live in Phoenix, where interior car temperatures in July/August can reach 160+ F.

I bring this up to them and suggest that the MCU could have been damaged by the extended excessive heat exposure and lack of cooling. They deny that this is possible and are frankly being a bit rude about the suggestion.

Anyway, I love the car but I guess I'm not sure what to think here. Does anyone have any experience with something like this?

Push harder, AZsun ruined my tail lights. MCU already had issues. 100% possible, more likely at those temperatures

 

[JWood]

My 2015 S85 sits outside in Phoenix every day without overheat protection and has had no MCU issues so far.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

My 2015 S85 sits outside in Phoenix every day without overheat protection and has had no MCU issues so far.

Yeah, sorry, but Model S's, X's, and 3's sit outside in the blazing AZ sun every single day of the year, and perhaps even in Yuma or Blythe where it's even hotter.

Pure bad luck to purchase a used Model S with no warranty, and then have things happen--recommend looking into extended warranty coverage options for all buying used Teslas, especially those from the 2012 and 2013 vintage.

As for your case, you'll probably get some sort of a discount if you ask nicely as you're getting a "two-fer" with BOTH the MCU replacement, and the AC (just a guess). And for another guess: you may be looking at an estimate of $4k to repair all that needs repair.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

With respect, the heat did not kill your MCU. My MCU has been exposed to Arizona desert heat, sitting in the sun, for years before the cabin overheat protection feature existed. If your MCU succumbs to the heat, it is typically through delamination of the screen. You'll see bubbles along the edges of the display, and eventually clear goo will start leaking out. It's possible your MCU was already on the fritz, causing it to send erroneous control signals to your HVAC system.

 

[Lukez]

When you dropped off the car did they check it in with you? Go into the car while you were there?
If yes and it was working I would use that as my arguing point instead of guessing what caused it

Also take a look around on the forum for a/c issue threads. It's probably a $40 fuse fix if you did the work yourself, tesla will charge you much more because they will replace instead of fix.
Mcu is probably also fixable.

If you get screwed on the MCU and they make you pay for a new one, make sure you tell them you want the old one back. You can eBay it for a few hundred or get it fixed and have a spare.