Error - Battery Capacity Reduced

[JtotheD]

Hi all,

I have a new M3 performance which I collected mid December. Since almost day one I had an error saying maximum battery capacity unavailable. There was some further commentary on the error but I can’t remember it all.

Having raised a service with Tesla, they have now just scheduled a service and now I can see the estimate. The estimate states:
HV Battery (Dual Motor) (Remove & Replace).

Am I correct in thinking this is a replacement of the complete battery pack?

 

[GRiLLA]

Hi all,

I have a new M3 performance which I collected mid December. Since almost day one I had an error saying maximum battery capacity unavailable. There was some further commentary on the error but I can’t remember it all.

Having raised a service with Tesla, they have now just scheduled a service and now I can see the estimate. The estimate states:
HV Battery (Dual Motor) (Remove & Replace).

Am I correct in thinking this is a replacement of the complete battery pack?

Sounds like it. Tesla don't repair batteries so if you have some kind of battery problem they will replace it rather than repair. Is there a price in the estimate?

 

[JtotheD]

Sounds like it. Tesla don't repair batteries so if you have some kind of battery problem they will replace it rather than repair. Is there a price in the estimate?

Wow that’s crazy for a brand new car.

Nope, no cost estimate just 5 1/2 hours of labour and a list of parts.

 

[MovingSouth]

A few comments:

• It makes sense for them to quickly swap out your existing battery and take it away for repair.
• One downside of Tesla's approach to battery pack manufacture is that they use large modules with the cooling 'pipes' interleaved through the cylindrical cells. This gives excellent temperature control, but means that they can't exchange relatively small modules.
• There's nothing to require Tesla to install a brand new battery pack. They could install a renovated one, provided it meets specification. Indeed, I'd expect this for a battery pack replaced under warranty after a few years. You'd hope it would be a brand new one in this case.

 

[JtotheD]

A few comments:

• It makes sense for them to quickly swap out your existing battery and take it away for repair.
• One downside of Tesla's approach to battery pack manufacture is that they use large modules with the cooling 'pipes' interleaved through the cylindrical cells. This gives excellent temperature control, but means that they can't exchange relatively small modules.
• There's nothing to require Tesla to install a brand new battery pack. They could install a renovated one, provided it meets specification. Indeed, I'd expect this for a battery pack replaced under warranty after a few years. You'd hope it would be a brand new one in this case.

That’s a very good point. Considering the car is 3 weeks old and has 500 miles on it I will be insisting on a new battery pack. Let’s see where it gets me.

 

[ElectricChapel]

Have you had any luck getting the battery pack replaced? Do you know if you got a new or a refurbished one? How long did it take?

My Model 3 Performance has been sitting at the service center for a month now, waiting for a new battery to be shipped from China.

 

[prabhu]

Wow that’s crazy for a brand new car.

Nope, no cost estimate just 5 1/2 hours of labour and a list of parts.

Battery and BMS errors on a brand new car is usually due to some defect during the assembly or manufacturing processes so might affect a particular batch. The same problem happening at 6 months or 1 year would indicate wider reliability problems from the battery supplier which is worse.

 

[JtotheD]

Have you had any luck getting the battery pack replaced? Do you know if you got a new or a refurbished one? How long did it take?

My Model 3 Performance has been sitting at the service center for a month now, waiting for a new battery to be shipped from China.

Yes, it hand a brand new battery pack installed shortly after the error occurred. Fortunately the battery has been perfect since.