Help rqst! Radio won't start; SC flumoxed

[TSLA Pilot]

Hoping the broad experience of the members here can help.

Situation:
Transferring our '13 P85 with Studio Sound to my brother--his first Tesla. However, he has a full family with three daughters under nine, and a real job. Thus, he can't have a part time job like I do shuttling this Tesla to/from the SC for repeat visits on this recurrent problem:

1. The radio intermittently, but regularly, fails to begin to play upon opening the door, driving the car etc. Dead.
2. Raising volume to very high levels just gives slight static; changing to a new preset via steering wheel buttons has no impact.
3. Only way to regain radio functions is to go to media screen and select various functions such as "FM" etc.

(Other radio issues of less import: radio forgets/erases presets, and won't scroll to any preset with an HD 2 station stored there more than once.)

SC has had the car at least five or six times on this, and I've posted at least a dozen videos to document this on YouTube (private--with link only access), so they'll know I'm not making this up. Yet no fix.

On every car we've ever owned, and there have been many, the radio simply works--WHY IS THIS SO HARD FOR TESLA TO FIX?!?

Very frustrated as they have yet to replace a single component of the radio or MCU, despite these many, many repeat visits, claiming it's a software issue: "We rely on our engineers to help with these kinds of issues and when the problems are intermittent it is so challenging and frustrating to find the root cause."

My hope: Someone here has had this problem and has a part number that can be replaced to solve this problem?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ingineer]

There are 4 possible causes I can deduce in order of likelyhood: (other than software)

1. The Tuner module. If the only happens on radio but not on streaming audio, it's most likely this. If it also happens on streaming, go to #3.
2. The power to the tuner module. While the problem is occurring, Use a voltmeter to check both sides of Fuse F1. (located in the hard to access Fusebox under the cowling unfortunately)
3. There is a relay the powers the audio amps, so verify this is closed and delivering power. If not, it could be a bad/intermittent relay, wiring, fuse, or the Body ECU that asserts the relay. Easy to check because other accessories will also be not working, such as windshield wipers.
4. Unlikely, but it could be the MCU itself, either the Audio Amp board or the main board.

If it only happens on radio, then it's very likely to be fixed with a tuner swap. Part number 1004787-00-C with XM and 1004787-01-C without. I have a non-XM one here I could loan you if you want to test it.

Where are you located? I might be able to assist.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

There are 4 possible causes I can deduce in order of likelyhood: (other than software)

1. The Tuner module. If the only happens on radio but not on streaming audio, it's most likely this. If it also happens on streaming, go to #3.
2. The power to the tuner module. While the problem is occurring, Use a voltmeter to check both sides of Fuse F1. (located in the hard to access Fusebox under the cowling unfortunately)
3. There is a relay the powers the audio amps, so verify this is closed and delivering power. If not, it could be a bad/intermittent relay, wiring, fuse, or the Body ECU that asserts the relay. Easy to check because other accessories will also be not working, such as windshield wipers.
4. Unlikely, but it could be the MCU itself, either the Audio Amp board or the main board.

If it only happens on radio, then it's very likely to be fixed with a tuner swap. Part number 1004787-00-C with XM and 1004787-01-C without. I have a non-XM one here I could loan you if you want to test it.

Where are you located? I might be able to assist.

*************************************************

Thank you so much for your reply!

Alas, we're in Texas, but your comments seem well researched or you've been here before with your own car?

All the other accessories work while the radio is "down," to include the turn signal "clicks" so that might help narrow it down?

If I had known how important it was to catch the car "in the act" I'd have simply made the 50-mile round trip to our local SC while it was dead--heaven knows I've had plenty of opportunities to make the drive while the radio was dead. I am shocked that your comment is the first time I've heard this. Crazy and frustrating that my SC didn't suggest this to me during visits 1-6 as this would have been resolved many months ago.

We have XM/Studio Sound and never stream audio so no help there, but the important issue here is that at some point it would have been prudent to throw a tuner (and/or other parts) at the car rather than keep passing the buck (and massively frustrating the customer) as a chronic "software issue." If it was a software issue wouldn't far, far more cars be affected? Doesn't that speak volumes in and of itself?

Regardless, the car has an ESA so it's covered until 2018/100k miles, but I'll never get the hours of my life spent dealing with this and driving to/from the SC. Tesla should and must do better, especially in light of the absolutely damning reliability report in Consumer Reports . . . which is probably biased in the good direction given the love of Tesla fans like ourselves that also happen to be CR subscribers.

Thanks, again, for your excellent insights and assistance.

 

[Ingineer]

Yeah, I bet it's the tuner. Sorry I don't have an XM model. The Internet radio feature works well and there is tons to listen to. Try that because I bet it's working fine and it's on Tesla's dime.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Thank you, again.

I feel pretty certain that you're correct, but at no point did my SC ever replace anything (to my knowledge) and that's the most frustrating part--the waste of customer's time with the repeat visits. Institutionally, we have got to fix this.

I fully understand their inability to have the car act up while in their possession, but when a customer provides a dozen YouTube video links to document the issue, well, that's a call to do something as it proves the problem exists (and the customer isn't a nutcase making this all up . . . ).

Will let you know if the fix works.