Closing to Pulling the Trigger on a 2010 Roadster

[renegrub]

I really appreciate all of your helpful posts and replies. I've been reading up as I assess a 2010 that is for sale. It has had the 3.0 upgrade, although it was completed in 2016. It's a 2.0, not a 2.5 but looks well-cared for. I had a P85d back when they first came out and have been a crazy car guy for years. My latest project is to go all-Tesla, so I have a Model S, X and 3 on order coming in October. Always thought it would be fun to have the Roadster - so why not now! Anyway - as I send my final list of questions to the dealer, if there are any obvious things I should ask, please let me know. I'm really looking forward to joining this community. Feels WAY more friendly and welcoming than some other brands I've owned

 

[X.l.r.8]

Easiest thing to do here is list the last 4 digits of the vin. There is a comprehensive database of a lot of the cars as they tend to have stuck in the same geographical area. Definatly have the logs downloaded and see what, if any codes are lurking. The wary one, although not a deal breaker is the PEM fan voltage, it seems to be the catalyst for weak cooling system of the PEM which prematurely degraded the insulation. This is a failure that I believe will come to us all eventually and good solutions have already been found. The CAC is always good to know because unless you are taking the battery close to empty and sharing it fully the algorithm seems to be off, and not in a positive way. As you have a stable full of Tesla’s you hopefully have your charging requirements sorted. If not then don’t rely on the roadster UMC (the one that looks like the Tesla S one in the round bag but it has a roadster plug) it has a high failure rate despite having huge gauge wire, the actual brain overheats and it’s not repairable. The best solution that gives you max flexibility is probably use the HPWC you have already and a Can Sr. Add the Tesla 1772 adaptor you also probably already have and you pretty much have charging covered anywhere.
The car itself you just make sure the title is clean as Tesla will not have anything to do with you otherwise. There are a few 3rd party places as you may have seen that are worth keeping on speed dial.

 

[renegrub]

Thank you! Last for of VIN are 0613. So you are saying that my plan to trickle charge the 2010 Roadster with its included 120V cable might not be a good idea? I was thinking about doing that when I'm not using the car. I can ask for the logs - although not sure how to interpret them . If it has had the 3.0 battery upgrade, what is the cost if the PEM fan voltage has issues?

 

[X.l.r.8]

The 120v works fine, as long as you get rid of the wall plug. That needs to be converted to a normal plug end. The GFCI plug fails, if that happens your batter goes from being a 3.0 to a 0.0
I use 120v at work and it does okay. The problem is what happens if your 120v cable fails! If you have access to Tesla charging cables then you really need to buy a Can Sr.
The PEM is a10,000 replacement. Preemptive repairs from Gruber are 1/3 of that and seem to be not only a repair but a permeant solution. If your handy and don’t mind playing you can affect the same repair for $200, however it’s not an easy one.
Have a search on pulling the logs here, a 2GB usb stick and a computer will give you a lot of history that would be unobtainable otherwise.

 

[renegrub]

I apologize in advance if my question is dense - what do you mean by needing to change the wall plug? Doesn't the cable the comes with it plug into a normal wall outlet? I wasn't sure what you meant about converting it to a normal plug end. And my electricity knowledge is barely above a second grade level

I guess I could just add in another Tesla wall charger that I use for the Roadster. Was just trying to figure out a simple solution for the vehicle(s) I am not driving any given week - those I imagined just needed a trickle charge. The vehicle as the OVMS software to track the car so I would get alerted if it wasn't charging to know to fix it...I think...

 

[X.l.r.8]

No, not dense at all. I thought the 120v cable would be bullet proof. But it’s not. For clarification which I believe I did not do correctly. The power at the wall would be the wall socket. The end if the cable that goes in that socket is the wall plug, the other end is the roadster plug. The 120v is basically an extension lead and the weak point is the breaker installed on the wall plug, if that fails as it seems to always do you could run into problems. So swap that plug for a normal 5-15 plug
https://www.amazon.ca/should-5266-C...ocphy=9061009&hvtargid=pla-310276168230&psc=1

 

[renegrub]

Gotcha! I could probably use one of the mobile chargers included with one of my other Teslas with the CAN SR, right? Would that be more reliable? Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[X.l.r.8]

Again a Can Sr would allow you to use the S-X-3 UMC and use the 120v plug. You can also use it to charge to 40A if you need to.

 

[X.l.r.8]

Lol, I guess I should type faster, that’s exactly what I do

 

[supersnoop]

The plug end of the cable is known to fail but it’s easy to replace with $3 worth of parts from Home Depot. Mine is still working fine, so I wouldn’t preemptively do anything.

I, personally, don’t trust Gruber. I wouldn’t do preemptive work on the pem. I thought the last quote for a full replacement from Tesla was $7,000, but I also saw some reports that they’ve replaced items on a component level for much less.

 

[renegrub]

I was tempted to call the KC Tesla Service center just to make sure they service Roadsters. I assume they all do - given it won't be my main/only car I am ok if with some down time. I tend to be a new car guy so I'm in unchartered territory just understanding what I'm getting into. As long as Tesla can/will service my vehicle, I'm ok with having to spend some $$ every few years to keep it going. I'm wondering what happens when the 3.0 battery starts to lose it's juice...

 

[renegrub]

Lol, I guess I should type faster, that’s exactly what I do

Ha! Me too! Thank you for the clarification!