Car dead in garage with plenty of miles on it

[xwang]

2018 Model X. I ordered the tires and wait for them to arrive. Meanwhile the car parked in the garage for more than a week. It become completely dead. I googled internet, it seems to be the 12v Battery issue.

First I thought Tesla mobile service could just come and change the 12v Battery. But Tesla mobile service denied my request and told me they will not handle that. They created a ticket for me in the Sunnyvale Service Center, and asked me to contacted Tesla road assistant to get the car towed.

This morning the Towing company came, they are experienced! I was worried the car was in parking mode, and nose towards inside of the garage, not sure how can they get the car out of the garage. But they just opened up my frunk, and connected battery charger to it, a few minutes later, the computer is up and running. They now can drive the car out of the garage.

It still have 171 miles on it. I am surprised the main battery in the car will not be able to charge the 12v Battery?

The towing company people told me the new model Y has the capability of charging 12v Battery using main battery.

The car is still towed to Sunnyvale SC. They are going to charge $380 for the service.

 

[brkaus]

If the 12v battery cannot hold enough charge it won’t hold the contractors open for the big drive battery to charge it.

Its concerning that they won’t replace the 12v via a mobile tech. Twining turns a reasonable repair into an expensive repair (or at least adds $125 to the cost).

They did the same for my M3, but covered it because it was reasonably new.

if this happens to me again I’ll do the jump start trick and drive it to the service center myself. Lower cost and less risk of damage.

 

[Darmie]

We have a 2018 and had the battery replaced with a mobile tech about 10 months ago. Not sure what had changed them having to take the vehicle to the service center. Maybe there were other errors that they found. Keep us updated on the progress.

 

[brkaus]

We have a 2018 and had the battery replaced with a mobile tech about 10 months ago. Not sure what had changed them having to take the vehicle to the service center. Maybe there were other errors that they found. Keep us updated on the progress.

My experience was if it was complaining about the 12v and the car was working and they could connect…. They would replace with mobile service.

If car was dead, towing was only option

 

[ATPMSD]

There are a lot of videos on how to DIY the 12v battery replacement. Might want to check them out for next time.

 

[xwang]

The car is serviced yesterday and this morning I took it back.

Tesla changed 12v battery for me. The whole thing is free since it is still under warranty. Tesla people are very nice and friendly, overall this is good experience for me. I was told always plug in when parked in garage, even it has a lot of miles on it. That is a little bit concerning. If I have to travel and leave my car in the airport for a week or two, Should I worry that it might be dead when I get back?

Or, I should just replace the battery every 3 years to be safe.

 

[ATPMSD]

There are a ton of threads on your question. Just seach for leaving car at airport.

 

[Bigriver]

If I have to travel and leave my car in the airport for a week or two, Should I worry that it might be dead when I get back?

The owners manual specifically addresses leaving the car at the airport without being plugged in. It says to expect about 1% drain per day. That was written before sentry mode, tho, so need to allow for even more loss if keep sentry mode on.

 

[qdeathstar]

We have a 2018 and had the battery replaced with a mobile tech about 10 months ago. Not sure what had changed them having to take the vehicle to the service center. Maybe there were other errors that they found. Keep us updated on the progress.

I think they are moving away from the moving away from the roving mechanics.... I wanted to get my filters swapped and they are making me bring it in....

 

[Bigriver]

I think they are moving away from the moving away from the roving mechanics.... I wanted to get my filters swapped and they are making me bring it in....

Hmm, I’ve noticed that with most recent service appointments I’ve made I’ve only been offered service center options, when a year ago it would preferentially offer ranger appointments. I had presumed it was because we probably don’t have enough rangers in this area or because of the specific items I was having done. But now I’m wondering if Tesla has quietly downsized or even eliminated mobile service?

 

[qdeathstar]

Hmm, I’ve noticed that with most recent service appointments I’ve made I’ve only been offered service center options, when a year ago it would preferentially offer ranger appointments. I had presumed it was because we probably don’t have enough rangers in this area or because of the specific items I was having done. But now I’m wondering if Tesla has quietly downsized or even eliminated mobile service?

It makes since as they scale up production

 

[Fiver]

I had my 12v replaced via mobile service about 2 months ago, they are still very much committed to using them.

 

[Silicon Desert]

I had my 12v replaced via mobile service about 2 months ago, they are still very much committed to using them.

Depends on the service center where you live.

 

[jbuenavides]

You can find an answer to this problem all over the internet. This is the reason why I always run a diagnostic on my car every month just to make sure that everything is in the right place.

 

[mxnym]

I'm not sure why almost everyone is talking about HV battery when OP clearly asked about 12V... OP:

Leaving the vehicle plugged in isn't likely to prevent a 12V issue, and if the 12V dies while plugged in, you won't be able to unplug without providing power to the 12V system to boot everything back up. It is a good practice because then you never have to worry about remembering to plug it in, and it is safe because the BMS makes it safe, so this is why they provide the advice to leave it plugged in.

Parking at the airport isn't likely to present a 12V issue, the 12V will be drained less as the vehicle sleeps deeper, and it will be recharged when the vehicle wakes up (you don't need to be plugged in or driving for 12V to charge).

You SHOULD get a warning that the 12V needs replaced "soon" a number of weeks before it fails, so the situation you experienced shouldn't occur. Unfortunately, you won't always get a warning, perhaps because whatever they use to check the health of the 12V may not be sufficient or perhaps because 12V batteries don't consistently exhibit the same symptoms before failure. Replacing the battery on a 3 year schedule could prevent it, but it could arguably also cause it. For instance, say the battery you had would have lasted 4 years, but the new one is a dud.

It MAY be possible to find some sort of jump pack that would help you in a bind, but I don't have the correct technical expertise to tell you what specifications such a jump pack would need or what ramifications having it hooked up to drive could have. As such, even if it is possible, it may be inadvisable.

 

[mxnym]

Hmm, I’ve noticed that with most recent service appointments I’ve made I’ve only been offered service center options, when a year ago it would preferentially offer ranger appointments. I had presumed it was because we probably don’t have enough rangers in this area or because of the specific items I was having done. But now I’m wondering if Tesla has quietly downsized or even eliminated mobile service?

When I started having trouble scheduling mobile service, my service center told me it was because corporate was changing the areas where mobile service could operate automatically in the app instead of letting them decide. I've opened service center appointments and requested a conversion to mobile in the messages section since then with some success, usually further out on the calendar. In addition to the alleged corporate changes re: mobile service areas, I suspect that the app may limit how far out on the calendar it will look for mobile service availability.

 

[Oldrocky]

Hi, new owner here (of 2018 Model X). This thread makes me want to ask ...

1) Should I just replace the 12v? (Car only has 22k miles on it).
2) You would -think- that Tesla would have some way to charge the 12v from
the drive battery that is "use only in an emergency". Kinda seems dumb to
have all that stored energy and have the car be dead. Or just have the main
battery have a way to power the 12v system long enough to get the car to
some place to replace/charge the 12v.
3) Anybody considered installing a 12v charging port for a standard 12v charger
you buy at the auto parts store? Or a trickle charger for the 12v like I used to
have on my motorcycle?
- Jim in Burlington, Wa.

 

[mbp11]

There is lots of useful information in this thread on reset techniques and how to resuscitate a dead tesla:

Wiki - Model X Reset Techniques

Can the 12v battery terminal be disconnected without removing the Frunk liner etc? I saw the 12V battery change procedure on YouTube and it looked pretty intense:) Also curious why Model 3 owners were also disconnecting a connector located under rear seats vs. just removing the 12v terminal.

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[ShawnA]

Hi @Jim Betz ,

You have asked some interesting questions...

I have a Model X March 2018 with original MCU2.

Mobile service replaced my 12 volt battery in November 2020.
Warranty replacement after 2 1/2 years and roughly 40,000 miles of use from it.
I did get the battery needs replacement message...

The battery is not available at Advanced Auto or any other auto store...
It is only available from Tesla or the Ohmmu lithium replacement.

After that I too wondered about adding a Battery Tender to supplement
the charging of the 12 volt battery...
My conclusions are that it will NOT help...
I have a monitor on the 12 volt battery voltage 24 x 7.

There was a software/firmware change in December 2020
that the car (when plugged in) will briefly charge the 12 volt battery
every 17 minutes... An added Battery Tender did not change that pattern.

Many of us wonder if this aggressive battery charging will save the 12 volt
battery at the expense of some other MORE expensive item like the DC-DC converter.
It's too soon to know that answer, so we watch, wait, and observe...

Shawn

PS - Welcome to TMC and Enjoy your car!!!

 

[xwang]

I have to say when Tesla keep updating their software, things could be improved without us realizing it.

When the towing company working on my car, he did mention he experienced Tesla went completely dead when the car is plugged in. But this could be the case before the software release mentioned by @ShawnA
"There was a software/firmware change in December 2020
that the car (when plugged in) will briefly charge the 12 volt battery
every 17 minutes.."

Well, hope more of Tesla owner share their experience if this type of surprise happen to them, we will have a better understanding on where this issue stands.