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Extended Warranty ENDS December 2016 !

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My extended warranty ends Dec.2016., my question to the owners of Tesla Roadsters is; Do I continue to have the Roadsters yearly service performed in Denver( now due ) and pay out the $600.00 + service expense or visit the service dept. after warranty ends and only when there is a legitimate problem to address ? What are the benefits, ex. updating of software, etc.
Dean
 
If you have a 2.x you must have your PEM and blower cleaned annually, 1.5's honestly can be pushed out for another year (unless driven in an extremely dirty environment.. If you understand, trust, and have caution working on electrical components, you might be able to do your PEM cleaning yourself, otherwise you'll need to take it in to Tesla or someone who's competent in their work. As you'll see from others experience, if the ducts clog causing temps to abnormally elevate, you may run into much higher costs of repair than a $600 annual.
 
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Thanks 4 Ur reply Wiztecy , the roadster was in service in July 2016 for replacement of Transmission and Firmware was updated, I will check with the Houston service center, who performed the service to see if they checked or cleaned the PEM while in shop.
Anyone have experience with the Denver service center and info on loaner car access, we are new to area.
I also have a howling noise as I slowly brake to stop at low speed. Does not occur with hard firm braking.
Houston service states it is probably a build up of film and to performed a few hard stops which should clear up the problem. This turns out be only a temporary solution as the noise always returns a few days later.
The braking problem began within the last year, never had howling noise with slow braking just prior to stopping before and Houston service did not experience it during test drives.
 
Your "howling" of the brakes sounds like the typical brake rattle that comes from the front. Do you have the CarboTech or any high performance aftermarket brake pads on the Roadster? If so, that makes the issue more evident since they make the backs of the pads a bit slimmer to allow heat expansion upon tracking and heavy braking which builds up heat. There's a few threads on this from bending the stock clips to give it more spring to hold on to the pad better preventing the rattle, adding CRC Brake quiet the goo-eee red stuff, and or adding rubber brake shims. Since it goes away when you apply the brake pedal it sounds like the rattle.
 
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I also have a howling noise as I slowly brake to stop at low speed.
Hey Dean, my Roadster can sound like a train stopping (like metal grinding on metal) - the techs gave me the same suggestion to preform a few hard stops to brake down the glaze. I'm signed up for the group rotor buy, my hope is any change in the brake configuration may change this noise (reducing the braking distance is also a welcome side effect).
 
The problem with Roadsters and Service Centers is that they don't get a lot of them. A tech may work on a few Model S's a day, and one Roadster a quarter. (Made up numbers, but you get my point) And the solution to most problems is to replace large expensive assemblies at a cost of many thousands of dollars. (Battery, PEM, drive/transmission, etc). They don't really repair things, just replace, from what I've been reading online over the last year. There's apparently a tech in the Cali service center that seems to like digging into Roadsters and finding out the 18¢ component or the loose wire that's causing the $10,000 part to fail, but they just don't have the time to do that at service centers.

In my experience, other than specific campaigns, they're not going through your car at visits to find things they can replace under warranty (contrasted to traditional dealers that actively do this in order to both make more money themselves and save their customers money, while increasing goodwill feelings and forming a relationship with the customer). I enjoy(ed) the experience of service at premium marque dealerships a lot more than my Tesla service experiences. But I know that they provide that experience because they're making lots of profit on the service work and Tesla says they keep the service side a break even proposition.

With respect to loaner cars, call ASAP because it might be weeks or months before one is available for you. They may offer an Enterprise rental car if that's acceptable to you.

Denver is saddled with a way-too-small service center and an exploding customer base. I don't think they've gotten me in for an appt in less than 3 weeks, nor kept my car less than 2-3 days, regardless what the issue was. So keep that in mind with your planning.

Sorry this sounds so negative. I do love Tesla but have had some very expensive issues lately.
 
Even with the stock pads there's still a good chance they can rattle. With that I'd retention that spring plate that's located on top of the caliper. You don't even need to remove the brakes / caliper for that, just the front wheels and the two guide pins.

As for the new firmware, there is new code. It allows the driver to set the cruise control at speeds down to a tested 20mph, the old limit was 30. I'm sure there's other code changes, wish we would receive release notes on this to know what indeed changed.

1.5 version: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/1736322/

2.x version: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/1736322/
 
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How does one access cruise control on a Roadster.

All Roadsters have Cruise. Its a great feature on EVs, a must have for highway driving which allows you to maximize your range:

Cruise Control - Tesla Roadster 2 Owner's Manual [Page 47]

Everyone should know how to use it and turn it off. I've accidentally activated it using my turn signal (bad place to have it really) and have been spooked a few times when I find out that letting off the accelerator didn't slow the car down. So its good to know where it is and how to use it.
 
Thanks Wiztecy,
Most of my travel has been short distances.
Will engage cruise control during my upcoming trip to Tesla service Oct. 7, in Denver.
Question ? What is the binoculars icon , indicating " Watched" all about on some the list of posted treads, and who selects the posts they are on ?
 
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Even with the stock pads there's still a good chance they can rattle. With that I'd retention that spring plate that's located on top of the caliper. You don't even need to remove the brakes / caliper for that, just the front wheels and the two guide pins.

As for the new firmware, there is new code. It allows the driver to set the cruise control at speeds down to a tested 20mph, the old limit was 30. I'm sure there's other code changes, wish we would receive release notes on this to know what indeed changed.

1.5 version: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/1736322/

2.x version: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/1736322/

Your link for the 2.x points to the same place as the 1.5 thread.
Is there really something newer than 4.6.8 for 2.x roadsters?

As for cruise control, if true, you guys just had me discover a new feature of my 6 (3 to me) year-old roadster! :oops:
I'll be sure to check when I get home tonight!

'Watched' means you probably created or replied into a thread, you automatically become a 'watcher' of such a thread. You can manually add yourself as a 'watcher' without replying by clicking the 'Watch/Unwatch Thread' link at the top of every pages in the thread.
Once a 'watcher', there is another link at the top of all pages that will list you all of your 'watched thread' that were updated, so you can return and follow them more easily.

(My extended warranty also ends in Dec. 2016 :eek:)
 
Our CPO warranty just ended September 29... I think as of last count, we've had one CPO Roadster that was able to extend the warranty because the car was never titled to anyone else (i.e. it was an INVENTORY CPO Roadster sold in '13) as opposed to those of us who picked up CPO cars as second owners.

Time to allocate $$$ for repairs in the future.
 
Your link for the 2.x points to the same place as the 1.5 thread.
Is there really something newer than 4.6.8 for 2.x roadsters?

Its in the same thread, Post #34 from DaveD. The TMC forum use to allow you to link to a particular thread and that link would take you to that section of the page.... appears its not giving the thread location anymore hence why both links I supplied were the same.