Can't start transfer of Tesla ownership for used Model S 2016

[tessie2]

Just bough a used Model S 2016 (mid year), first electric car and gotta say, its been wild (in the best way possible)

So the tesla was bought from a third party dealership who didn't have much experience with Teslas - it looks like there is still unlimited supercharging on the car itself (just went to a super charger and charged without adding any of my info in the car). Now, the dealer told me that this most likely had transferrable unlimited super charging because they could charge it as well without an account tied to it, but I'm not 100% sure if thats true. I tried starting the owner transfer process, but I was hit by this error:

"Unable to claim ownership

1. Check you have the correct VIN
2. Confirm car is not leased
3. Confirm car is not associated with an enterprise account

Reach out to the current owner if this issue persists."

Which leads me to believe either:
1. The OLD seller of the car (the one that sold to the dealer) is still tied to the car.
2. Tesla is just having some trouble recognizing that the car is sold from third party -> to me.

So, im in a predicament where if for some reason the car is still tied to the old owner (and the car is single owner unlimited supercharging), i will lose the unlimited super charging once I contact Tesla directly to transfer the ownership.

How can I check that the Tesla has transferrable unlimited supercharging? (I looked through all the articles online, the car was registered on 04/15/2016 so barely made the cutoff, I don't know when this was ordered so could have been after 01/15/2016) I can't use the other verification methods because that would mean I have to "own" the tesla (which could potentially remove the unlimited supercharging). Any suggestions?

 

[tessie2]

Car was registered on 04/03/2016*

 

[tessie2]

Another reason why I'm a bit skeptical about the transferability is when I charged, the charging screen shows the "$0.00" instead of the “no recent supercharging” that the article claims is required for transferrable unlimited super charging. Although, one of my friends who has one transferrable unlimited super charging said they see the "$0.00" as well.

 

[mswlogo]

Once it goes through a dealer (3rd party) you are likely to lose free supercharging. Has to stay private sales.

Normally, today, previous owner has to pass it to your account when they release it.

 

[JimmyB]

From your registration date, the car will certainly have had SC01 FUSC when new (I think you might be confusing 2016 and 2017 in your initial post). The $0.00 is not an issue - this was a change in a previous software update. Third party dealer sales are not necessarily an issue, depending on the ownership chain prior to the dealer.

But, if the car has been back through Tesla's ownership, eg as a lease return, trade-in or lemon buyback, after (I think) mid-2019, this will have been removed - or, if eg the dealer from which you bought it bought the car from Tesla at auction, it will be removed once the car is added to your account.

If this is a case of eg a previous owner not having removed the car from their account, I suspect you'll have to contact Tesla to get it fixed ... good luck!

 

[tessie2]

Awesomr, thanks for the info! Pretty sure the car never was in Tesla's hands after the initial sale - I'll just contact support first and ask about the SC01 since I own the car. Probably wikl start the transfer anyways since I dont want to worry about this in the future

 

[tessie2]

For anyone whos interested, the tranfser process was super fast, took less than 8 hours. Had to manually call.

And lucky for me, the car has SC01 Also enhanced AP transferred without a hitch.

Now gonna enjoy the car!

 

[JimmyB]

Glad it worked out

 

[Rocky_H]

Once it goes through a dealer (3rd party) you are likely to lose free supercharging. Has to stay private sales.

No, that is false. I don't know why so many people have that misunderstanding. It doesn't matter whether the future series of owners are car dealers or just regular people. For that matter, an individual can get a dealer's license, and I have known a few people who had them. Dealer or not is irrelevant. As long as they are other third party entities who are NOT TESLA, then the free, unlimited, permanent Supercharging is not legally allowed to be removed.

But, if the car has been back through Tesla's ownership, eg as a lease return, trade-in or lemon buyback, after (I think) mid-2019, this will have been removed - or, if eg the dealer from which you bought it bought the car from Tesla at auction, it will be removed once the car is added to your account.

Yes, this is what it depends on. If Tesla buys back the car and gets ownership again at any point, then they do seem to be allowed to change that status and remove it.

 

[Snax]

Super newbie here.
Picking up a 2017 S 90 next weekend from a Third party dealer. They, fortunately, do have experience selling pre-owned Tesla. I'm Driving the S from Atlanta to Raleigh and will need a few Super Charging stops.
Once I register the car in the app, about how long will it take to activate and allow me to access the super chargers along my route? Thanks.

 

[tessie2]

Took roughly 8 hours - you should call ahead to tesla service and prove you own the car so you can get the app access ASAP

 

[JimmyB]

... or it could be instantaneous, as it was when I bought my LR+ earlier this year (see post here). Trouble is, there doesn't appear to be a lot of consistency.

I'd suggest you play with the 'claim ownership' page on Tesla's website; if it lets you enter the VIN and you get to the 'approved documentation' page, that's a good indicator that you can hope for an easy transfer.

 

[Snax]

... or it could be instantaneous, as it was when I bought my LR+ earlier this year (see post here). Trouble is, there doesn't appear to be a lot of consistency.

I'd suggest you play with the 'claim ownership' page on Tesla's website; if it lets you enter the VIN and you get to the 'approved documentation' page, that's a good indicator that you can hope for an easy transfer.

Good advice and I'm at that point where the app accepted my Vin and is just waiting on my documents upload. Fingers crossed it will happen quickly.

 

[sorka]

Took roughly 8 hours - you should call ahead to tesla service and prove you own the car so you can get the app access ASAP

When I sold my P85D, I released the car in my account and was asked for the email of the buyer. The buyer then received an email to add it to their account. Entire transfer process took 90 seconds.

 

[Mason Morrison]

For anyone whos interested, the tranfser process was super fast, took less than 8 hours. Had to manually call.

And lucky for me, the car has SC01 Also enhanced AP transferred without a hitch.

Now gonna enjoy the car!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you give me the number you called? I’m going through the same thing

For anyone whos interested, the tranfser process was super fast, took less than 8 hours. Had to manually call.

And lucky for me, the car has SC01 Also enhanced AP transferred without a hitch.

Now gonna enjoy the car!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you share the number that you called? I am in a similar predicament…

 

[Mason Morrison]

For anyone whos interested, the tranfser process was super fast, took less than 8 hours. Had to manually call.

And lucky for me, the car has SC01 Also enhanced AP transferred without a hitch.

Now gonna enjoy the car!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you give me the number you called? I’m going through the same thing

 

[jlkoch99@gmail]

When I sold my P85D, I released the car in my account and was asked for the email of the buyer. The buyer then received an email to add it to their account. Entire transfer process took 90 seconds.

This story is a breath of fresh air.
Does anyone else have similar stories of (instant transfer of ownership in 90 seconds) success?
Presently, I am seeing mixed results.

My situation:

I plan to Fly to CA next week to transact a private sale of 2014 MS85. Then I plan to drive it home (IL, where I will register it) so supercharging is essential. Moreover, I will require supercharging immediately. (I like 90 seconds vs. 8hrs)

This post gives me confidence to go ahead and complete the transfer of ownership before I head out.

After doing some research, here is what I believe the (private sale) step by step process might look like:
1. Transact the deal like any non-Tesla purchase. (money, title, etc.)
2. Present owner resets and erases all personal info from car.
3. Present owner removes vehicle from his Tesla App. (In this process they enter my email.)
4. I will log onto my Tesla account (Best to do from app or laptop?) and register the VIN.
5. Wait 90 seconds and Voila, it is complete.

I am in phone/text conversation with the current owner. Savvy. Friendly. Cooperative.
Is there any value/costs to leaving ownership in their name until I get the car home?
Will the 2014 MS85 maintain SC01 status regardless if transfer of ownership is complete or incomplete?

 

[JimmyB]

@jlkoch99@gmail congrats on the new purchase!

Only one data point, but I sold my 2015 85D in very similar circumstances. Owner flew from CA to DC and drove it home, no problems at all.

Our process was:

- Pick up purchaser from airport
- Drive to Supercharger; he shows me the cashier's check (helpfully we were both with the same financial institution)
- I log into my Tesla account on my laptop and verify the car's SC01 status
- I initiate the transfer in my Tesla account, entering the purchaser's email
- Purchaser receives email from Tesla with link to claim the car. Clicks link, completes a couple of steps, transfer is complete
- Purchaser resets car
- Drive to bank, deposit check
- Purchaser drives me home, then heads off on his road trip

It really was super easy. And assuming the car has not passed through Tesla's hands since mid-2019, SC01 should remain with the car.

 

[jlkoch99@gmail]

Reporting back after transaction. It went as described above with one small hiccup.

After previous owner received first email providing a confirmation code, the I tried entering VIN and got an error message. Bad VIN. Bum!

Then he checked his email to see a second email arrived that he had to respond. Once he answered the “are you really sure you want to do this?” question, then the MS85 showed up on my account. Whew!!

As an aside, the left headlight is bad as of last night. But that’s altogether another issue.

 

[D.E.]

Once it goes through a dealer (3rd party) you are likely to lose free supercharging. Has to stay private sales.

Normally, today, previous owner has to pass it to your account when they release it.

I don’t believe that’s correct. Tesla has to actually own the car before they can remove free supercharging. So if Tesla owned it or if it was bought from Tesla, perhaps in an auction, then you can expect to lose the supercharging. If Tesla never owns the car they cannot remove the lifetime free supercharging no matter how many independent dealerships it goes through.

You shouldn’t be afraid to contact Tesla about change of ownership. If they owned the car, they know so you won’t be telling them anything new. If they didn‘t, own it they cannot remove the lifetime supercharging.