Piney999
Member
Thanks.... I have a small issue on my Model S that I can't pin down, but it is nothing like that. I appreciate the write up.
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thegruf
Active Member
Call me cynical but I guess they are changing the DU fluid for one of two reasons
1. upgrading the spec of the fluid to improve wear/reduce whine
2. flushing debris from gears bedding in
be interesting if anyone can find out from SC if the fluid spec got upgraded or part number changed.
1. upgrading the spec of the fluid to improve wear/reduce whine
2. flushing debris from gears bedding in
be interesting if anyone can find out from SC if the fluid spec got upgraded or part number changed.
K-MTG
Sunshade Captain of TMC
I am curious if something goes wrong that is associated with the drive fluid, wouldn't they do the fluid service for free?
nwdiver
Well-Known Member
There's a lot of possibilities that could explain this... it's possible that earlier drive units were run in as part of testing then the fluid was replaced at the factory. There's going to be a break-in period for the gear box... small metal shavings will come off the gears and these need to be removed to prevent further accelerated wear. Once the gears are 'broken-in' you shouldn't need another oil change for ~400k+ miles. Unlike fools fueled vehicles there are no combustion contaminates constantly being added to the oil.
.... also possible that early DUs were never broken in and that's one of the reasons the failure rate was so high...
.... also possible that early DUs were never broken in and that's one of the reasons the failure rate was so high...
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mrElbe
Active Member
Transmission fluid
Front drive unit part number 1035000-00-F and earlier: Mobil SHC 629
Front drive unit part number 1035000-00-J and later: DEXRON VI (DEXRON 6) automatic transmission fluid
Rear drive unit (small and large): DEXRON VI (DEXRON 6) automatic transmission fluid
Antifreeze solutions
The cooling system contains an ethylene glycol (phosphate and nitrate free) based coolant.
Tesla G-48 coolant (part number 1012820-00-A) is a pre-mixed 50/50 solution of antifreeze and water. The coolant is ready to use. Do not add water.
gavine
Petrol Head turned EV Enthusiast
How does one find out which drive unit number they have? Do I need to look at the drive unit-itself, or is there an easier way to get it?
SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
I just had mine (drive unit) replaced at 70,000 so.... that counts as flushed for me 
Yup, just took my car in for its first service (purchased last August) and I asked about the drive unit service. Was told they now only do it every 12 years(!). I was expecting that service, partly to justify the $550 but since they didn't do that, man that was a REALLY expensive rotation and balance and inspection!
dark cloud
Active Member
Don't forget about the washer fluid; that stuff is liquid gold. I think the reservoir is so large it holds about $100 worth of fluid.
I wrote and "voiced my concerns" about the service bill I received for the second annual service. They don't write on the bill they changed the brake fluid. They don't write that they collected refrigerant and recharged the AC system while replacing the drier (desiccant) bag in the system, all it says for that part is:
Desiccant Bag - Subcool Condenser, 37g 1(1007717-00-A)
Cap - Receiver and Drier (1007718-00-A)
And they should list what they actually check under the line item "performed courtesy inspection" which could mean a 30 second quick visual of the suspension parts/boots, brake lines etc. , or it could mean a 1 hour torque recheck of multiple fasteners, operation of multiple systems like sunroof operation and other various functions with the various noises they produce to see if they are normal. Which is it Tesla?
Describing those charges would help explain the labour involved, and therefore justification for the amount of money spent for the service, but instead they write on the bill "topped up washer fluid". like I care to read that on my $825 (CDN) bill. Less people would complain about the money they pay for service if all of what they do was listed, beyond the insulting "washer fluid and fob batteries and tire pressure adjustment" = $550 please.
My worry is the average person may get the impression all the services are a waste of money: There are dozens of posts complaining about "$500 for wiperblades and fob batteries??" and may never change the brake fluid or service the A/C system, will trade in/sell the car and in 6-7 years from now owners will post in here explaining what a piece of *caca* their Tesla is because of all the problems with the brake system and air conditioning they are having because they have never been serviced. Or battery coolant corrosion issues in 10 years. (Actually in 5 years when a 2013 model is 10 years old)
I don't know why, but I do feel better about giving Tesla service my hard earned money more so than other dealers I have been to in the past: Honda, BMW, Infiniti etc. I just think if Tesla wrote more information on the bills customers, myself included, would feel better about paying them the exorbitant amount of money they demand.
I agree. It didn’t help matters that my invoice stated they checked my charger cable and it wasn’t even in the car - it was at home. It was boilerplate and some numbers weren’t even filled in.
To be fair I think the service guy is brand new and wanted to get me an invoice then instead of waiting until Monday. He may have sent it out himself instead of having the tech finish it out when he was back.
They did do TONS of other maintenance/goodwill work that I had collected for them to do so I don’t feel ‘too’ bad. I was used to paying a fair bit at dealers for service before as well.
They really should provide their full checklist (you know they have one).
To be fair I think the service guy is brand new and wanted to get me an invoice then instead of waiting until Monday. He may have sent it out himself instead of having the tech finish it out when he was back.
They did do TONS of other maintenance/goodwill work that I had collected for them to do so I don’t feel ‘too’ bad. I was used to paying a fair bit at dealers for service before as well.
They really should provide their full checklist (you know they have one).
Don85D
Member
At the Service Centre that I use there is a viewing area for customers to watch the services being performed. A crew of three or four worked on our car during the second year service visit and they changed the fluids and dismantled brake components for cleaning. I paid extra and watched as they changed drive unit fluids front and rear. They measured tire tread depth and brake pad thickness. Our CHAdeMO adapter was SW updated and I'm sure that other computing components in the car were checked for faults. The sun roof tracks were lubricated too. I watched it all.
During a recent 12 battery change I asked the service tech to spray the grounding lug and power steering bolts with Loctite Maxicoat which I provided. No problem with adding this to the repair task list.
I felt that the 2nd year service visit was thorough and the services necessary even though most are DIY items for guys who like to work on their cars and I am one. I have the hoist and hockey pucks ready to take over when the warranty ends but as long as Tesla warrants the car I consider the service charges to be a form of co-insurance.
During a recent 12 battery change I asked the service tech to spray the grounding lug and power steering bolts with Loctite Maxicoat which I provided. No problem with adding this to the repair task list.
I felt that the 2nd year service visit was thorough and the services necessary even though most are DIY items for guys who like to work on their cars and I am one. I have the hoist and hockey pucks ready to take over when the warranty ends but as long as Tesla warrants the car I consider the service charges to be a form of co-insurance.
Brian-MS90D
Member
Shaking my head once again at all the negative posts. So many seem to think Tesla is intentionally trying to screw them. Why in the world would anyone own a car where they believe the entire company is trying to screw them? Especially such an expensive car; just sell it and move on (you have the means - hopefully - or else you have worse problems).
I happily do the recommended service on all of my vehicles, both ICE and electric. It's an insignificant cost for a ~ $100k machine and provides a longer life and peace of mind. I'm confident that Tesla is not intentionally trying to screw me.
I happily do the recommended service on all of my vehicles, both ICE and electric. It's an insignificant cost for a ~ $100k machine and provides a longer life and peace of mind. I'm confident that Tesla is not intentionally trying to screw me.
It is just that there is such a huge difference between Tesla and the competition, especially in Europe.
It is fast becoming normal for even ICE cars to be on a 2-year service interval, and now you have the Jaguar i-Pace launching with either free servicing in some countries, or 2 year intervals and very low costs for even those 2 year services.
Net result is that Tesla are looking to be outrageously expensive and the list of things being done/checked doesn't seem to come close to justifying the price being charged...
Tesla should expect more owners to be challenging these costs as frankly I can't see any justification for the current levels...
I would have though the first fluid change was to flush out the ‘original’ debris, and then you don’t need any. If that’s now gone, perhaps it’s like more recent ICE automatic transmissions that I recall, where you never change it either for the life of the car (almost).
As I’ve recounted elsewhere, the fob battery changes do often need to be done by the SC, as the car often gets upset and needs to be reset. The SC when doing my ‘reset’ said this is happening more and more, whether due to recent firmware changes, or what, they didn’t know.
I agree with all that I wish we had access to manuals and could do simple stuff ourself and it would bleedin’ work (like change a dang fob battery reliably...).
As I’ve recounted elsewhere, the fob battery changes do often need to be done by the SC, as the car often gets upset and needs to be reset. The SC when doing my ‘reset’ said this is happening more and more, whether due to recent firmware changes, or what, they didn’t know.
I agree with all that I wish we had access to manuals and could do simple stuff ourself and it would bleedin’ work (like change a dang fob battery reliably...).
Brian-MS90D
Member
I can certainly respect reasonable views like this and am not even necessarily disagreeing. I was speaking to the people who believe Tesla has fraudulent intentions (i.e., charge for service when none is needed).
Yesterday, I did the drive unit fluid change myself on a 1 year (15k mile) MS75. Fluid came out pretty clean and only had a little bit of grime built up on the drain plug. Whatever changes Tesla made to the drive unit before my June 2017 build certainly paid off since the fluid was much cleaner than I was expecting based on some of the other posts in this forum discussing the merits of the first year fluid change to flush out any residual shavings from the fabrication process.
dark cloud
Active Member
Need pictures!!
Thanks for sharing. Do they run them first, and change the fluid before they install them in the cars? Or are they installed freshly assembled, anyone know?
Don85D
Member
Changing Dexron in the rear drive is easier. The front drive requires more disassembly and a special funnel. Still all possible by a DIY guy.
I expect that all mechanical assemblies are run in after assembly then refilled with fresh fluid and shipped to the final assembly line. ICE engines are run in using electric motors to seat rings as I recall from the old days. Anyone who has rebuilt an ICE engine knows about the extreme heat and friction during the first few minutes of start up on a fresh rebuild. The end customer never sees this.
I waited until the second year to change drive fluid and even if it looks clean only a lab test will find metal deposits and their types. I used a lab for oil analysis on our ICE vehicles but missed the opportunity to get some of the Dexron drained from our Model S. I consider it a life time fluid now.
I expect that all mechanical assemblies are run in after assembly then refilled with fresh fluid and shipped to the final assembly line. ICE engines are run in using electric motors to seat rings as I recall from the old days. Anyone who has rebuilt an ICE engine knows about the extreme heat and friction during the first few minutes of start up on a fresh rebuild. The end customer never sees this.
I waited until the second year to change drive fluid and even if it looks clean only a lab test will find metal deposits and their types. I used a lab for oil analysis on our ICE vehicles but missed the opportunity to get some of the Dexron drained from our Model S. I consider it a life time fluid now.
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