Defective UMC cord

[CEFX2018]

I have had my Tesla X for three weeks. It was being charged when I received a notice that the charging had been interrupted. When I checked on it, the cord did not have the green lights on it. I have a 240 outlet. The breaker was fine so I tested the cord on a 110 outlet using the adapter. No green lights.

After 15 minutes on hold, I was able to get through to a Tesla support person who confirmed that the cord was most likely defective. I asked them to have roadside service deliver me a new cord and they told me that was not covered. I was extremely disappointed to find out that a car at this price point does not offer valet service like Lexus and other dealers do when something is broken. I had to cancel my plans for the evening because my battery was low. I used the remaining miles to drive half an hour to a service center the next day to get a new cord. In total, I lost three hours of work time.

I love my Tesla when it works, but this incident makes me wonder if I should have opted for an EV from an established luxury car company that has outstanding service. The service professionals on the phone and at the service center were knowledgable and professional, but Tesla's policies are subpar.

It also makes me wonder if I should buy a second cord as an insurance policy. I hate to pay $500 on top of what I have already paid for the car and charger because the product is occasionally defective.

 

[TexasEV]

I see you’re in Durham. Plugshare shows at least 20 J1772 charging stations in Durham. These don’t require your UMC, only your J1772 adapter. Also there’s several CHAdeMO stations if you have that adapter. Lots of choices on where to charge and keep your evening plans.

 

[CEFX2018]

Thanks for the suggestion. I considered doing that and will if it happens again. I used the Plugshare app to find them. They were not convenient to where I was going that night. I tried to use one near lunch the following day and two Leafs had taken the cords. It seems to be hit or miss as to whether these chargers are free and working. I have been told they charge at 15-20 miles per hour and most are at least a 15 mile roundtrip drive for me. I am new to owning an EV and will start using the public chargers around me to get a better sense of how they work.

In the meantime, I will keep my battery more fully charged in case this happens again. I don't know why it happened and if there is any interaction with my home outlet that would cause it. I paid for a professional electrician to install it and the local inspector seemed diligent when he inspected the installatilon.

 

[VikH]

Sorry to hear about your subpar service. Contact your OA about your experience. They may be able to get you a second UMC as compensation.

 

[TexasEV]

In the meantime, I will keep my battery more fully charged in case this happens again.

You should plug in every time you get home. Don’t wait until you think you need a charge. Read the battery section of the owners manual. It’s in UPPER CASE, so it must be important.

The Model S used to be delivered with this card. I don’t know why Tesla stopped doing that, it would save a lot of questions, but the same owners manual says the same thing:
A connected Model S is a happy Model S

 

[brkaus]

A gen2 umc is $300. I like the idea of asking for a free (or discounted one). “To regain faith”.

I will also suggest finding out if there is a local Tesla group. I have friends nearby with Teslas (if my evse breaks) and there is a active mail group here. Someone is always willing to loan a part, extension cord, or share advice.

 

[CEFX2018]

Sorry to hear about your subpar service. Contact your OA about your experience. They may be able to get you a second UMC as compensation.

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not sure who my OA is. I dealt with several sales people and two different people for the delivery.

 

[brkaus]

Thanks for the suggestion. I am not sure who my OA is. I dealt with several sales people and two different people for the delivery.

I’d ask the sales person you dealt with most (or most senior).

 

[CEFX2018]

You should plug in every time you get home. Don’t wait until you think you need a charge. Read the battery section of the owners manual. It’s in UPPER CASE, so it must be important.

The Model S used to be delivered with this card. I don’t know why Tesla stopped doing that, it would save a lot of questions, but the same owners manual says the same thing:
A connected Model S is a happy Model S

Thanks! I missed that tip in my training. I read that section of the manual and will follow your advice.

 

[rms57]

I have had my Tesla X for three weeks. It was being charged when I received a notice that the charging had been interrupted. When I checked on it, the cord did not have the green lights on it. I have a 240 outlet. The breaker was fine so I tested the cord on a 110 outlet using the adapter. No green lights.

After 15 minutes on hold, I was able to get through to a Tesla support person who confirmed that the cord was most likely defective. I asked them to have roadside service deliver me a new cord and they told me that was not covered. I was extremely disappointed to find out that a car at this price point does not offer valet service like Lexus and other dealers do when something is broken. I had to cancel my plans for the evening because my battery was low. I used the remaining miles to drive half an hour to a service center the next day to get a new cord. In total, I lost three hours of work time.

I love my Tesla when it works, but this incident makes me wonder if I should have opted for an EV from an established luxury car company that has outstanding service. The service professionals on the phone and at the service center were knowledgable and professional, but Tesla's policies are subpar.

It also makes me wonder if I should buy a second cord as an insurance policy. I hate to pay $500 on top of what I have already paid for the car and charger because the product is occasionally defective.

I had an issue with receiving a Gen 2 cable instead of the Gen 1 expected with the delivery. I had a Gen1 NEMA adapter and instead of swapping for a Gen2 adapter, they literally gave me an entirely new Gen1 setup to use with the adapter. So, now I have both a Gen1 and a Gen2 cable setup for free. This only happened after contacting the sales team I placed the order with. Definitely reach out. I'd be surprised if their solution for you wan't similar. They have extra Gen1's laying around and while they're not necessarily as reliable, I haven't had any issues so far.

 

[Need]

Have you tried unplugging your UMC from the 240V outlet for 60 seconds and plug it back in? When we first have the MX delivered the UMC has to be reset every time we charged by unplugging and plugging it back in. I called my OA (The person who ordered the car for us) and he scheduled a mobile service center to come out the next day. They brought me a Gen 1 UMC and swapped out the Gen 2 UMC and everything had been great for the last 3/4 months.