Has anyone replaced their 12V battery yet?

[MountainPass]

We have replaced our own and facilitated the replacement of about 50 lead-acid batteries with our lightweight battery kits. I am also a musician, but can't speak to whether it improves the sound system or not. It does save 24lbs over the old battery though, so in a car that we can't add horsepower to, weight reduction is the best way to go faster! - Jesse

 

[Boourns]

So I got the warning this morning, along with one about the parking brake, which seems to also be 12V related. I have a RWD LR, March 2018 delivery, with 44k miles.

Anyone have confirmation that the warning time for the Model 3 is indeed 24-48 hours? It's damn impossible to get the Dallas service center on the phone (they are closed until Monday anyway), and the soonest appointment the app gave me was Wednesday 8-10 a.m.

 

[bigroo42]

Would it be prudent to buy a 'spare' battery from the SC and have it on hand when you get the 12v warning?

Similar to the tires - I bought a spare Michelin (stock) tire which I keep in my garage since Noone stocks this tire in d/fw. As a 'just in case'

Because like the above poster said... The Dallas SC is neither convenient to get to or responsive for me...

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

Got the 12v about to die warning last night when leaving for dinner so we took my wife’s Volvo just in case. Good we did because this morning it was dead as a door nail. Just went to O’Reilly and got their AGM equivalent “SSB 51RPLT” and did the swap myself. Kind of pricey at $200 but I wasn’t willing to wait for a mobile service appointment because I have some work travel scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll see how this battery performs.

Btw my Model 3 is only 20 months old but I have over 81k miles so not surprised the 12V needed replacing. And thanks to the on screen warning we were not stranded anywhere. Also big thanks to @MTN Ranger for the informative video on how to access the frunk with a dead 12V and how to replace.

 

[bigroo42]

Got the 12v about to die warning last night when leaving for dinner so we took my wife’s Volvo just in case. Good we did because this morning it was dead as a door nail. Just went to O’Reilly and got their AGM equivalent “SSB 51RPLT” and did the swap myself. Kind of pricey at $200 but I wasn’t willing to wait for a mobile service appointment because I have some work travel scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll see how this battery performs.

Btw my Model 3 is only 20 months old but I have over 81k miles so not surprised the 12V needed replacing. And thanks to the on screen warning we were not stranded anywhere. Also big thanks to @MTN Ranger for the informative video on how to access the frunk with a dead 12V and how to replace.

was the swap pretty easy? I was thinking about buying a battery and keeping it in my garage. However, i wonder if the battery would degrade noticeably if i were to buy it and not use it for 6 months or so?

 

[vickh]

Got the 12v about to die warning last night when leaving for dinner so we took my wife’s Volvo just in case. Good we did because this morning it was dead as a door nail. Just went to O’Reilly and got their AGM equivalent “SSB 51RPLT” and did the swap myself. Kind of pricey at $200 but I wasn’t willing to wait for a mobile service appointment because I have some work travel scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll see how this battery performs.

Btw my Model 3 is only 20 months old but I have over 81k miles so not surprised the 12V needed replacing. And thanks to the on screen warning we were not stranded anywhere. Also big thanks to @MTN Ranger for the informative video on how to access the frunk with a dead 12V and how to replace.

My SC replaced mine w/o asking when in for the rear AC issue. The tech said they smelt the sulphur smell ? I didn't or have any error . It's only a year old/10k miles this week, but our heat is a big issue (funny that we replaced our other two cars this week too)

I will use AGM or Lion once the warranty expires. SA said doing so b/f warranty expires could cause firmware etc issues??

 

[Wennfred]

was the swap pretty easy? I was thinking about buying a battery and keeping it in my garage. However, i wonder if the battery would degrade noticeably if i were to buy it and not use it for 6 months or so?

Battery swap is easy, note that there is a small breathing tube that’s attached to the right side of the battery. I replaced my lead acid battery with a lithium one for added weight loss and longer reliability. Going on 1 year 2 months so far without any issues.

Fred

 

[Wennfred]

SA said doing so b/f warranty expires could cause firmware etc issues??

No issues here, in fact took the model 3 in for service a few weeks ago to fix the Sentry mode & Dashcam, nothing was said about the Ohmmu lithium battery.

Fred

 

[Wennfred]

was the swap pretty easy? I was thinking about buying a battery and keeping it in my garage. However, i wonder if the battery would degrade noticeably if i were to buy it and not use it for 6 months or so?

Every few months I put that original lead acid battery that I took out of the Model 3 on a battery tender, those you can find on Amazon to keep it peaked. I have a new Model Y so that extra battery could replace that one if it fails in the future.

Fred

 

[EnrgyNDpndnce]

was the swap pretty easy? I was thinking about buying a battery and keeping it in my garage. However, i wonder if the battery would degrade noticeably if i were to buy it and not use it for 6 months or so?

Like @Wennfred said, super easy. If you have any doubts go watch @MTN Ranger YouTube video on the subject and that should put your mind at ease. As for keeping a spare in you garage, I’m no expert but my assumption is that temp extremes would be bad for the battery. How bad? Who knows. Maybe keep it inside your house in a closet or something so it’s climate controlled. But really, since these batteries are available at most auto parts stores and the swap is simple, why bother keeping a spare?

 

[vickh]

No issues here, in fact took the model 3 in for service a few weeks ago to fix the Sentry mode & Dashcam, nothing was said about the Ohmmu lithium battery.

Fred

Yes, the Ohmmu lithium battery is made in AZ so I might even have them install it when Tesla's warranty expires. In the interim looks like Tesla 'll replace under 4 yr warranty (surprised)

 

[SergeyUser]

Interesting and very detailed article on the topic, not sure if it was already shared: 12 Volt Battery Compendium | TeslaTap

 

[SergeyUser]

Would it be prudent to buy a 'spare' battery from the SC and have it on hand when you get the 12v warning?

Similar to the tires - I bought a spare Michelin (stock) tire which I keep in my garage since Noone stocks this tire in d/fw. As a 'just in case'

Because like the above poster said... The Dallas SC is neither convenient to get to or responsive for me...

It would be required to keep it properly charged to avoid battery damage. I would rather plan where/how to order it quickly.

 

[Willh24]

My battery is being replaced this coming Thursday. I've had the car since end of December. Not sure if it was a bad battery or a botched update that froze in March while I was away in California. In either case, I came back in June and the car was totally dead and couldn't be charged. I jumped the 12v battery long enough to be able to start charging the main battery pack and now it is keeping the battery charged but I have the 12v battery warning message now.

 

[vickh]

My battery is being replaced this coming Thursday. I've had the car since end of December. Not sure if it was a bad battery or a botched update that froze in March while I was away in California. In either case, I came back in June and the car was totally dead and couldn't be charged. I jumped the 12v battery long enough to be able to start charging the main battery pack and now it is keeping the battery charged but I have the 12v battery warning message now.

hmm. was the car @ airport/ not plugged in? this is one of my fears that can permanently damage the HV battery @0 %

 

[XLR82XS]

As for keeping a spare in you garage, I’m no expert but my assumption is that temp extremes would be bad for the battery. How bad? Who knows. Maybe keep it inside your house in a closet or something so it’s climate controlled. But really, since these batteries are available at most auto parts stores and the swap is simple, why bother keeping a spare?

Bad enough - heat is the enemy for 12V car batteries. Florida summers especially with HOT garages and overall temps. Any spare car battery I have will be stored indoors in climate controlled environment.

 

[brownsinfl]

My Model 3 is just about 2 years old with just a little over 26K miles. This past Thursday the 12v battery died without any warning. Called Tesla Roadside Assistance and a tow truck was in my driveway within 30 minutes. I took this picture at 9:22 am as the tow truck was taking my car to the Pensacola Service Center. At 10:32 I had a text that my battery had been replaced and my car was ready to be picked up. I was back on the road by 11:00 am. No charge for the battery.

 

[smatthew]

My Model 3 is just about 2 years old with just a little over 26K miles. This past Thursday the 12v battery died without any warning. Called Tesla Roadside Assistance and a tow truck was in my driveway within 30 minutes. I took this picture at 9:22 am as the tow truck was taking my car to the Pensacola Service Center. At 10:32 I had a text that my battery had been replaced and my car was ready to be picked up. I was back on the road by 11:00 am. No charge for the battery.View attachment 582154

Now that's what I call service!

 

[vickh]

My Model 3 is just about 2 years old with just a little over 26K miles. This past Thursday the 12v battery died without any warning. Called Tesla Roadside Assistance and a tow truck was in my driveway within 30 minutes. I took this picture at 9:22 am as the tow truck was taking my car to the Pensacola Service Center. At 10:32 I had a text that my battery had been replaced and my car was ready to be picked up. I was back on the road by 11:00 am. No charge for the battery.View attachment 582154

wow. curious how quick can you get an appt on the app? (gauge of how busy SC is )

I wonder if AZ SCs could match that

 

[smatthew]

wow. curious how quick can you get an appt on the app? (gauge of how busy SC is )

I wonder if AZ SCs could match that

Don't go through the app. Call roadside assistance and hit the button for "my car isn't drivable"