Considering a purchase, Opinions requested

[ElectricCruise]

Hello, I have been shopping for a Model S for the better part of a year and have finally found one i am considering buying. I would really love some more experienced Tesla owners reviewing the information below and advising me if they feel this vehicle is a good choice for someone to get into a tesla with. Basically i like the car i am just nervous since I have never owned one and dont want to buy a 28,000 car and then have to sink another 5-10k in repairs right off the bat. over time for normal maintenance as parts wear out fine. But not right away. So please take a look let me know what you think or if there is soemthing I should check before taking the plunge.


Vehicle is a 2012 Model s Signature
Mileage 110k
No Sun roof
21" Wheels with Tires less than 1000 Miles driven on them.
3M Paint protection Film


Parts replaced by Tesla.

Battery replaced with 90kwh
Motor replaced
Onboard charger replaced
All door handles reaplced
New touchscreen

 

[bishoppeak]

Sounds like all the common failure items have been replaced, should be good to go.

 

[beatle]

It seems like a good car. As bishoppeak mentioned, all the usual suspects have already been addressed. A RWD car with a 90kwh pack should get pretty good range. Many signature owners say they will never part with their cars. If it is everything you want, I say go for it.

It's true that repairs are expensive. That's just the way these cars are (and many luxury cars). Gotta pay to play. As reliable as people say these cars are, stuff still breaks like it will on any car. It is good to investigate insurance cost as well if you have not already. Teslas are among the most expensive cars to insure, even if you're a good driver.

 

[ElectricCruise]

I appreciate everyones feedback so far. I have called my insurance company and while you are correct it is expensive it is only marginally more than the truck I will be replacing it with. I have owned BMWs and Mercedes in teh past so i am no stanger to expensive repair, I was not sure if there was anything else I should be looking for as far as common, but expensive, fixes that were not in the list of items already replaced.
One other thing I have been curious about is the Air suspension, given that this vehicle is about 8 years old and has not been replaced is this something I should be concerned with having go out in the near future? If so has anyone had it replaced if so whats an approximate cost?

 

[SilverGS]

One other thing I have been curious about is the Air suspension, given that this vehicle is about 8 years old and has not been replaced is this something I should be concerned with having go out in the near future? If so has anyone had it replaced if so whats an approximate cost?

Do you know for a fact if the car has an air suspension? I don't think the early models had air, but I may be wrong.

 

[ElectricCruise]

According to the seller it does have the air suspension. According to him it has every option a non performance Signature could except sunroof and rear seats.

 

[ucmndd]

I think the main concern you need to be aware of is the imminent expiration of your 8 year battery and drive unit warranty. Seems like both have been replaced with newer revisions, which is good, but another failure of either (particularly the battery) is going to be a big big repair bill (someone just had their original 60kwh battery replaced out of warranty for $11k - I'd expect a 90 will run close to 50% more than that).

 

[Vinc]

I think the main concern you need to be aware of is the imminent expiration of your 8 year battery and drive unit warranty. Seems like both have been replaced with newer revisions, which is good, but another failure of either (particularly the battery) is going to be a big big repair bill (someone just had their original 60kwh battery replaced out of warranty for $11k - I'd expect a 90 will run close to 50% more than that).

Absolutely agree, although I would like to clarify that a failure is not expected. Battery and drive units have been proven rather reliable for later revisions (which you should have). A 20K battery is almost new!

One know issue that you have to keep in mind is MCU units failing for cars of this vintage. Nothing to worry terribly about after the latest software updates, but good to be aware of.

Likely MCU Failure (MCU1 eMMC)

 

[Alysashley79]

I wouldn’t worry so much about the HV battery mostly because the car came with an 85kw so it’s already been replaced and I believe only been like a year or so since they’ve for the most part out 90’s in. In place of the 85’s when they went bad.
The drive unit is what I’d be a little worried about. Have you test driven it? the thing to look for in the RWD drive units was a clunk that can be heard when starting to regen. It was usually mostly felt/heard at slower speeds.
and as for the SAS looking at the main screen. If there’s a suspension tab you’d have SAS. It’s actually a pretty good price.
I know people think Tesla is really expensive to fix things. But honestly they aren’t all that much more than a Toyota. My door handle went out on my Tesla. Has I paid for it would have been around $180. My door handle stopped unlatching in my Prius and it was $340 to replace the part.

 

[SilverGS]

The drive unit is what I’d be a little worried about. Have you test driven it? the thing to look for in the RWD drive units was a clunk that can be heard when starting to regen. It was usually mostly felt/heard at slower speeds.

He mentioned that the Drive unit was also replaced recently.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

If you have documentation that Tesla replaced those major parts, looks like you are in great shape. My 2013 also required new drive shafts (when they upgraded to motor with ceramic bearings) due to splining. You may want to check on that. Otherwise, just make sure you are comfortable not having the panoramic roof.

 

[Evoforce]

According to the seller it does have the air suspension. According to him it has every option a non performance Signature could except sunroof and rear seats.

Yep 2012, they do have air suspension.

 

[turtlesz]

Might be in the minority here but why not get a 3? The signature S sure has great history behind it but 110k miles is pretty high. Repairs on a out of warranty S can add up, or you can get lucky but it's a gamble. The old gen S won't have parking sensors, will have MCU1 and no autopilot at all. The SR+ or a used LR 3 seem like a better bet in this case. Or even the $35k software stripped 3 if you don't care at all about autopilot. You get faster charging/more efficient/longer range, a new car, HW3.0, MCU2 and most importantly a actual warranty. The signature S has its looks and a rear hatch but I don't see how it can compete with a newer gen Tesla.

 

[ElectricCruise]

Truly appreciate all the continuing feedback. Here are some of the answers to the questions people have asked :

turtlesz, I did consider a model 3 and took onef or a test drive, the issue is when i use this for family trips the S had more room for kids/dogs/luggage. also Price wise to get a comparable range Model 3 would be a fair amount more than what I would be paying for this Model S.

Alysashley79, I have not driven it yet. It is a few hours away from me and the seller was not available for me to see it until late (after it got dark) yesterday. I will be seeing it /driving it today though and will listen for anythign that sounds like issues with the drive unit. During this test drive today he is supposed to provide me with documentation of the repairs from my original post performed by Tesla.

Vinc, isnt the Touchscreen adn the MCU the same part? I ask becuase i thought it was so when the seller told me the Touchscreen had been replaced I figured that was the MCU and so I was likely in good shape as far as not having the MCU fail.

SoCal Buzz, Appreciate the heads up regardign the Drive shaft I will make sure to take a look. As far as the sunroof goes, that does not bother me much, my wife loves them so this will discourage her from stealing my car.

 

[bishoppeak]

Spousal car theft is your greatest risk, many have suffered this and have to get a second Tesla!

 

[SouthSeas]

Sounds like all the common failure items have been replaced, should be good to go.

Has Tesla done anything to keep these same things from breaking again in the future? I hear the door handles wear out early and are very expensive to maintain. I've read there are some after market kits to make them last long. It seems odd that a stinking door handle is such an expensive and failure prone device in a car. DOOR HANDLES!!!

 

[Vinc]

Vinc, isnt the Touchscreen adn the MCU the same part? I ask becuase i thought it was so when the seller told me the Touchscreen had been replaced I figured that was the MCU and so I was likely in good shape as far as not having the MCU fail.

It usually is, but it is important to confirm that they indeed replaced the entire MCU and when it was replaced. Units are at increased risk of failing after 4 years, I believe.

 

[SouthSeas]

It usually is, but it is important to confirm that they indeed replaced the entire MCU and when it was replaced. Units are at increased risk of failing after 4 years, I believe.

If that is true it is sad. Electronics has a few wear out mechanisms that are related to use, but they are very slow in any properly designed gear. If a unit was failing more often at the 4 year mark, it means they did a crappy job of designing it. I don't think the MCU handles high power like the battery and engine electronics does, so the only stress issue left is heat. It is so easy to design electronics to get rid of the heat that no one should screw that up. So why would MCUs fail at 4 years??? Someone did something very, very poorly. Some basic part of engineering was forgotten or ignored.

 

[ElectricCruise]

Vinc. thanks for clearing that up for me ill verify with Tesla that the MCU has been replaced.

SouthSeas, Unless i am mistaken the failure of the MCU has only a little to do with the electronic design. The failure comes from the log storage chip running out of room and being unable to record new logs. So electronics wise it is a failure in design to a mae that chip so important and log so much without being easily replaceable but its not like the chip itself failed. Im by no means an expert that was just my understanding of it as explained by another member.

 

[ucmndd]

Has Tesla done anything to keep these same things from breaking again in the future? I hear the door handles wear out early and are very expensive to maintain.

Later versions of the door handle mechanisms appear to be quite reliable. Same with the drive units.