For some time now I've been limiting my charge rate to 32 amps, even though I have the capability of charging at a full 48 amps. I did this primarily to reduce the spike power demand to my electrical provider.
The other day, I realized that I had forgotten to plug the car in the previous night, and it was fairly low on charge. Before heading out for the day I bumped the charge rate back to 48 amps. Almost immediately, I received the error, "Charge rate reduced, Unplug and retry". After a small bit of testing, I realized that unplugging and retrying did nothing to resolve the problem. A quick search on TMC and the Tesla support forums indicated that Tesla could remote diagnose the problem, so I called Roadside Assistance, and they did just that.
After performing the remote diagnostic, the technician informed me that I needed to take my M3 into the local service center for more thorough troubleshooting. Initially, the appointment date and time was convenient, but my wife had a conflict and couldn't help me drop the car off, so I cancelled the appointment and re-scheduled as a mobile service. A few hours later, I received a text that my car needed its Power Conversion System (PCS) replaced and that could not be done via a mobile service. They rescheduled a new drop-off time.
My wife and I dropped the car off at the appointed time. Two days later I received a text indicating that I would need a full battery replacement, not just a PCS. He said it would take about two weeks to special order to the battery and perform the repair. I asked for a loaner car given the amount of time it was going to take. The next day he had a Model S available for me. (Nice car, very roomy. I find that I prefer my M3).
When I went to collect the loaner car, I asked him more about why my M3's battery needed to be replaced. Had I done something wrong by limiting my charge rate to 32 amps for several months? Was there a problem with my HPWC (gen 3) that could have effected it? He answered, "No," to all my questions. He stated that being able to change charge rates any time and as often as you wanted was a supported feature, and using that feature shouldn't create the conditions necessary to require a battery replacement. He told me that my M3 was the first at the Littleton, CO Service Center to require a full battery replacement.
I was still confused as to why the battery needed to be replaced when I could take it to a SuperCharger and get a full speed charge, just not when I was at home using my HPWC. I may not be conveying his answer correctly, but from what I recall, he said that they couldn't just replace the PCS and retain the battery because they were a mated pair (my phrase, not his. I don't recall his exact words). He said that if this were an out-of-warranty repair, it would cost $16,000. Naturally this concerns me, as I don't want to have to contend with a similar failure and associated repair cost after the car's warranty expires.
My M3 may be the first in the Denver area to require a full battery replacement, but I'm certain I'm not the first ever. If you've had a battery replacement done, did you notice any significant changes afterwards? Have any of you had a PCS replacement without having a full battery replaced?
My M3 is a 2018 with 23,122 miles. At this moment, it is still in the service center waiting for all the parts to arrive.
The other day, I realized that I had forgotten to plug the car in the previous night, and it was fairly low on charge. Before heading out for the day I bumped the charge rate back to 48 amps. Almost immediately, I received the error, "Charge rate reduced, Unplug and retry". After a small bit of testing, I realized that unplugging and retrying did nothing to resolve the problem. A quick search on TMC and the Tesla support forums indicated that Tesla could remote diagnose the problem, so I called Roadside Assistance, and they did just that.
After performing the remote diagnostic, the technician informed me that I needed to take my M3 into the local service center for more thorough troubleshooting. Initially, the appointment date and time was convenient, but my wife had a conflict and couldn't help me drop the car off, so I cancelled the appointment and re-scheduled as a mobile service. A few hours later, I received a text that my car needed its Power Conversion System (PCS) replaced and that could not be done via a mobile service. They rescheduled a new drop-off time.
My wife and I dropped the car off at the appointed time. Two days later I received a text indicating that I would need a full battery replacement, not just a PCS. He said it would take about two weeks to special order to the battery and perform the repair. I asked for a loaner car given the amount of time it was going to take. The next day he had a Model S available for me. (Nice car, very roomy. I find that I prefer my M3).
When I went to collect the loaner car, I asked him more about why my M3's battery needed to be replaced. Had I done something wrong by limiting my charge rate to 32 amps for several months? Was there a problem with my HPWC (gen 3) that could have effected it? He answered, "No," to all my questions. He stated that being able to change charge rates any time and as often as you wanted was a supported feature, and using that feature shouldn't create the conditions necessary to require a battery replacement. He told me that my M3 was the first at the Littleton, CO Service Center to require a full battery replacement.
I was still confused as to why the battery needed to be replaced when I could take it to a SuperCharger and get a full speed charge, just not when I was at home using my HPWC. I may not be conveying his answer correctly, but from what I recall, he said that they couldn't just replace the PCS and retain the battery because they were a mated pair (my phrase, not his. I don't recall his exact words). He said that if this were an out-of-warranty repair, it would cost $16,000. Naturally this concerns me, as I don't want to have to contend with a similar failure and associated repair cost after the car's warranty expires.
My M3 may be the first in the Denver area to require a full battery replacement, but I'm certain I'm not the first ever. If you've had a battery replacement done, did you notice any significant changes afterwards? Have any of you had a PCS replacement without having a full battery replaced?
My M3 is a 2018 with 23,122 miles. At this moment, it is still in the service center waiting for all the parts to arrive.
