Coins fell down the side of the passenger seat... and then "somewhere"

[Tobster]

A load of coins just fell out of my passenger's pocket on the front seat. On trying to retrieve some of them, I push a gap through in the carpet and they fell onto something metallic underneath the floor. There's now a hole there that unlimited things can fall into, and I've got no idea if I now have metal things sitting on battery terminals.

This is probably chargeable to get Tesla to have a look, plus the nearest SC is some distance away.

Is it possible for things to end up getting to the battery packs via that hole?

If so, I'm mechanically adept, having previously done engine swaps and the lot in past vehicles. Am I better off removing the seat or the centre console? Are there guides on this available anywhere?

 

[Big Earl]

Nothing is going to touch any battery terminals, so don’t worry about that.

 

[Adam3]

Now your Tesla doubles as a piggy bank

 

[srs5694]

A load of coins just fell out of my passenger's pocket on the front seat. On trying to retrieve some of them, I push a gap through in the carpet and they fell onto something metallic underneath the floor. There's now a hole there that unlimited things can fall into, and I've got no idea if I now have metal things sitting on battery terminals.

If it's sucking up unlimited things, then that's the Tesla Black Hole feature, which was introduced in the 2021 model year after consultation with leading astrophysicists. Mostly it sucks up money when you purchase the Tesla, but sometimes it sucks up more. Be sure not to get too close, else you'll be spaghettified and sucked in yourself.

Seriously, though, as I understand it, the Tesla's battery pack is completely sealed, so there's no risk of a coin falling into it and shorting it out. The coins might rattle around a bit and get annoying in whatever crevice they now call home, but I doubt if they'll do any real harm; and I expect they'll settle somewhere semi-permanent sooner or later and so become unnoticeable. I have no idea how difficult it would be to pull out enough parts to retrieve the coins.

 

[Rmchrger]

There is a spot where the front and rear sections of carpet meet under the front seats. Anything can fall through and into this worthless void of nothing (or empty channel). You may hear something slide or roll back and forth when turning or cornering hard. Here in a pic of the locations. I had to unbolt the front seat to remove an object that fell in there. I then stuffed some pieces of foam into the channel under the carpet to hopefully prevent other items from falling in there.
Picture is not my car just a good pic that shows the areas.

 

[stopcrazypp]

A load of coins just fell out of my passenger's pocket on the front seat. On trying to retrieve some of them, I push a gap through in the carpet and they fell onto something metallic underneath the floor. There's now a hole there that unlimited things can fall into, and I've got no idea if I now have metal things sitting on battery terminals.

This is probably chargeable to get Tesla to have a look, plus the nearest SC is some distance away.

Is it possible for things to end up getting to the battery packs via that hole?

If so, I'm mechanically adept, having previously done engine swaps and the lot in past vehicles. Am I better off removing the seat or the centre console? Are there guides on this available anywhere?

I had a screw bit that fell into carpet and down to the metal area and it made a sound when driving from it rolling around. I was able to retrieve it with the magnet side of a cheap telescoping inspection mirror (I removed the mirror so it doesn't get in the way).

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ion-tool/pfm0/20170?q=inspection+mirror&pos=6

If your coins are magnetic, it's worth trying.

 

[Tobster]

Thanks for the detailed technical responses. I will stop mithering!

 

[ay221]

There is a spot where the front and rear sections of carpet meet under the front seats. Anything can fall through and into this worthless void of nothing (or empty channel). You may hear something slide or roll back and forth when turning or cornering hard. Here in a pic of the locations. I had to unbolt the front seat to remove an object that fell in there. I then stuffed some pieces of foam into the channel under the carpet to hopefully prevent other items from falling in there.
Picture is not my car just a good pic that shows the areas.
View attachment 826928

So you can stuff some foam without having to remove the seats? Did you use like the foam seal for home windows?

 

[rincewind]

You can buy small plastic grill inserts that stop this happening

Tesla Model 3 Backseat Air Vent Cover Air Flow Vent Grille Protection Set of 2 | eBay

Custom-designed,The backseat air vent cover has been custom-cut specifically for Tesla. - Essential Accessories: Great Accessories for your Tesla Model 3. 2 For Tesla Model 3 Vent Covers. - Easy to Install,Tool-free installation - incredibly easy.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Rmchrger]

I did it with the seats out. If you move the seats all the way fwd you might be able to get in there. Any kind of foam could work. I cut up a 12x12 piece I got from my local hardware store. Someone may come up with better way, that would be great. I had to retrieve an item that fell in there and had this foam laying around, so I cut it up and stuffed strips of it in there. Hopefully things will roll right over the carpet seam and not fall in that channel now.
Those grills are for covering the vents under the seats. Also a good idea, so crap doesn't go in there too . but this is about the split in the carpets on either sides of those vents and the void below the carpets. Same are, just next to the vents.