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Falcon Wing Door Glass Seal deteriorating
- Thread starter Axtrader
- Start date
Hello, can you please share exact location? I'm trying to convince tesla service to fix the issue, but they keep stating it's wear and tear and has to be fixed out of pocket
mbp11
Member
I also had mine replaced at the Dublin, California service center earlier this year and they actually did the replacement on a Saturday and I picked it up after it was done. The weather-stripping is much more durable and of a different material, so I have high hopes that it will last for quite a while. Kudos to the Dublin Service Center, they acknowledged the problem and I just had to wait until the parts were in.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but the seals deteriorate due to improper FWD adjustments. The rear seal next to the spine does this because the seal pinches against the spine when opened. The only fix for this is to move the roof away from the spine so it's higher when opened. In some cases this can be done by moving just the glass panel outward with the freeplay that exists because the bolt holes are oversized. If perfectly centered in the holes, there's about a 3 mm free play movement in any direction. Beyond this, it requires roof side primary hinge and roof side secondary hinge adjustments.
The side seals deteriorate because the roof bump stops aren't adjusted correctly and the door goes too low when closing before the latch pulls it back up level. This adjustment requires moving the bumpstops down so the door stops and rests on the inner frame door seal.
Using a rubber protectant is of course a good idea and could even delay the seals from breaking due to improper FWD adjustment but they will eventually break if they are repeatedly bent out of place. The seals should not touch the spine and should not be flexed in any way ever.
The side seals deteriorate because the roof bump stops aren't adjusted correctly and the door goes too low when closing before the latch pulls it back up level. This adjustment requires moving the bumpstops down so the door stops and rests on the inner frame door seal.
Using a rubber protectant is of course a good idea and could even delay the seals from breaking due to improper FWD adjustment but they will eventually break if they are repeatedly bent out of place. The seals should not touch the spine and should not be flexed in any way ever.
Even if you don't opt out, their arbitration agreement says you can still go to small claims court as an alternative. You are of course limited to $10K in damages.
Oh, thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering why people would feel the need to opt-out and I did find that Tesla Solar has the more restrictive arbitration agreement that removes the ability to go to small claims court (Tesla Demand Response Terms of Service | Tesla Support). It's odd - it's as if they missed a paragraph when copying and pasting to the car's order agreement. Everything is exactly the same except that the solar agreement has this paragraph at the top (which contradicts the line about going to scc further down):
I wish I'd opted out. Full scorched lemon buyback is way harder if you if don't. I didn't realize we'd switched to opt out vs opt in years ago.
One of the biggest differences if you go through the buyback process without opting out is that it's not only more difficult with a less certain outcome but you absolutely do not get punitive damages like you would if you opted out.
I have this same problem on my 2018 MX; I actually saw the seal as being deformed upon accepting the vehicle. It was documented and Tesla wrote up a 'Due Bill', but I never went and had the repair done in a timely manner. However, after it started leaving sticky messes on my roof and water started dumping on the rear seat upon opening the door on a rainy day. I took it in today and my 'Due Bill' was denied, and they refused to honor the due bill. I exclaimed why does it matter when the work is done, either way Tesla has to pay for it. I was denied and no 'good will' repair was granted either. I'm not a happy camper! Does anyone know if I should try something else?
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I agree...I even had a 'Due Bill' that they refused because they said I didn't take care of it in a timely manner. I told them it doesn't matter when I take care of it, at the end of the day Tesla still has to pay for the repair! See my due bill in attached picture! I'm not sure how to go to arbitration with Tesla to have this fixed?
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That is terrible...this is a defective item. There is NO UV protection in that rubber seal. Tesla will eventually have to recall this for repairs.
Falcon73
Member
Nope and wouldn't that be nice. I keep putting on Gummi Pflege every now and then FWIW. My inner FWD seals leaked as well, at least on one side, so I had to pay up to get them fixed with all this rain we've been having.
Sometimes, I feel like sealing off the FWD's totally. We don't have kids and rarely have passengers so I wonder if there's a way to disable the doors and seal them off. (sad huh?)
geordi
Mr Fusion V.1
I've been thinking about this seal for a while now, and looking for alternatives. I also have experience in the RV market where there are a LOT of different profiles of seals, and ways of attaching them.
I think this might be a possible option though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086Z3C9H...colid=Q9AAF5DNN7DT&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I think this might be a possible option though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086Z3C9H...colid=Q9AAF5DNN7DT&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Falcon73
Member
I've already had leaks thru my FWDs fixed once recently for about $615. That was the left door. After the recent rains, I discovered the right FWD is also leaking along with the hatch. Fun times. I know the outer seal is only cosmetic, but I imagine it may help keep some water out. I'll do another post about the leaks as I want to talk about that more and it's a bit OT here.
I have a 2016 X 75D and around 9 months left on my CPO warranty. I've noticed that the seals are very sticky to the touch but they have not deteriorated like I've seen in some pictures posted in this thread. We garage our car so I assume that is what has helped over the years.
Is it worth brining it up as a service item to see if they will replace the seals?
Is it worth brining it up as a service item to see if they will replace the seals?
geordi
Mr Fusion V.1
If you have some form of warranty that covers things other than the battery and drive motor.... YES. Make them fix this. Even if it only kicks the can down the road a bit as far as time, it may be one more datapoint that pushes them to making a better option. I'm not under warranty (only battery and drive unit) so I can't do anything with them - and don't really want to when the procedure is so stupid - BUT I've also possibly discovered that they conveniently "forget" to have USED cars listed for the NHTSA recalls that this 2016 DEFINITELY should be getting!
I have a clicking sound from the front - probably the half shafts. My roof spine peeled off at 75mph on the highway, EXACTLY what was listed as a result in the NHTSA description. The car was bought used, and according to the previous owner he never had any recall notices. No recalls show as open. More research is needed, but I wouldn't put it past Tesla to be shady about this.
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