How long after a low 12v battery warning?

[Droschke]

The initial invoice they sent you is probably just automated. They will fix it eventually.

Actually, I just noticed the very top portion of the invoice in the app says:

And, of course no response when contacting them.

Also, not sure if the 12v replacement would have been free under the original 4yr/50k miles. When I had my first replacement while still being under my original battery they charged me for it. They said it was a consumable item. For the ESA, the service agreement explicitly says:

F. Exclusions (What Is Not Covered)
• Other Parts not covered:
o Bright metal, sheet metal, bumpers, ornamentation moldings, carpet, upholstery, paint, shock absorbers, 12V battery, battery cables, lenses, light bulbs, sealed beams, glass (e.g., windshield), wheels, interior trim, body seals and gaskets (e.g., weather stripping);

 

[airborne spoon]

I thought I'd cross-reference a thread I made earlier this year when my low voltage message came across the IC:

Any chance we can get a sticky thread for the 12V battery?

I've got a 11/13 built S85 with the MCU2 upgrade and have finally had the "12V battery low" message pop up after 112K miles. Tesla has preemptively replaced the 12V battery twice before, one when the HV contactors were replaced under warranty and the other time rear window defroster was fixed...

teslamotorsclub.com

Basically no one knows who long the 12V battery will last; seems to last longer on the older Model S cars but there appears to be an issue with possibly the QC of the 12V battery and duty/overcharging of the 12V system.

As for replacing the DC-DC converter, I found that Hybrid Revolt does a core-swap and repair of the 1st gen converters for ~$255 which is a nice alternative. I haven't heard of any reviews but at least it's an option:

Thats not an option because I have the DC to DC that's mounted to the firewall, not the old one that was in the fender well. The HV battery has to be removed to gain access to the DC to DC converter

 

[brkaus]

My low voltage battery warning popped up this morning. I put in a service ticket they sent me a quote for $229 and scheduled mobile service for Friday. Car worked fine for a road trip today. I’ll try to see if it is sleeping at all this week.

Car is a March 2017 S100D with the original 12v battery.

 

[Droschke]

I put in a service ticket they sent me a quote for $229 and scheduled mobile service for Friday.

Very attentive service center. Mine still hasn't responded to any of my inquiries. The ticket still shows me going to the service center even though I've asked for the mobile service and the appointment is a month away from now.

 

[brkaus]

Very attentive service center. Mine still hasn't responded to any of my inquiries. The ticket still shows me going to the service center even though I've asked for the mobile service and the appointment is a month away from now.

Wow. Mine was all same day. The flow different from last time I put on a service order.

Submited around 8:45am. Picked service center location, battery problem - other and wrote low voltage battery error.

Came back around 9:30am with a quote and ability to schedule an appointment which I did. Then 45 min later a message asking if I’d like mobile service for the same price and they pre-picked a service date and time that luckily worked.

 

[Droschke]

Wow. Mine was all same day. The flow different from last time I put on a service order.

Submited around 8:45am. Picked service center location, battery problem - other and wrote low voltage battery error.

Came back around 9:30am with a quote and ability to schedule an appointment which I did. Then 45 min later a message asking if I’d like mobile service for the same price and they pre-picked a service date and time that luckily worked.

Thanks for the feedback. I chose the Service\Battery category, selected the closest service center and the earliest available time, which happened to be a month from now, described the issue, asked for it to be a mobile service and attached a screenshot of the warning message. They came back quickly with an erroneous invoice I described above. No mobile service assigned. The next step for me is still showing to provide my credit card information, which I don’t want to do till they correct the invoice. I’ve been sending multiple messages for invoice correction and mobile service assignment, but haven’t received any responses. The appointment is still showing for a month away and still assigned to the service center. Also, I’m not sure when the warning message was generated since the car was parked plugged in and unused for 3 weeks before I saw the message. So, an additional month-long service wait is concerning. I’m just stuck for now and hoping the 12v battery would last till a month from now.

 

[brkaus]

Thanks for the feedback. I chose the Service\Battery category, selected the closest service center and the earliest available time, which happened to be a month from now, described the issue, asked for it to be a mobile service and attached a screenshot of the warning message. They came back quickly with an erroneous invoice I described above. No mobile service assigned. The next step for me is still showing to provide my credit card information, which I don’t want to do till they correct the invoice. I’ve been sending multiple messages for invoice correction and mobile service assignment, but haven’t received any responses. The appointment is still showing for a month away and still assigned to the service center. Also, I’m not sure when the warning message was generated since the car was parked plugged in and unused for 3 weeks before I saw the message. So, an additional month-long service wait is concerning. I’m just stuck for now and hoping the 12v battery would last till a month from now.

I’d submit a new service request. Or call roadside service and see if they can adjust it.

 

[Droschke]

I’d submit a new service request. Or call roadside service and see if they can adjust it.

Last year when I attempted to submit a new ticket, the outstanding ticket I already had in open status was canceled since, I believe, you only can have one open ticket at the time. So, I don't want to take that route and get back to the back of the queue for another month of delay. It's just totally unacceptable that they are not answering any of my carefully worded and polite messages.

Why would you think the roadside assistance would help in this case?

 

[Droschke]

call roadside service and see if they can adjust it.

Why would you think the roadside assistance would help in this case?

Well, not having any other choice I went ahead and resorted to Roadside Assistance anyway. They couldn't change anything but, after hearing the ordeal, they agreed to intervene by reaching out to the service center on my behalf to get someone's attention. It actually worked. The SC corrected the invoice and converted the appointment from the SC visit to the Mobile Service for the next week. Hopefully the 12v would not fail till then.

Thanks @brkaus

 

[P3dStealth]

It shouldn't really leave you stranded anymore. The inverter just stays on now if the 12v dies completely. I've totally disconnected the 12v from the car and it doesn't turn off. It actually says 12v disconnected and to reconnect it on the screen. I didn't drive though.

Do you leave the car parked for extended time? My car was parked 45 days when it happened and I have a very low mileage car for it's age. Tesla tech told me the 12v lasts longer on the high mileage cars because they are running on their inverters more. The low mileage cars are parked sleeping so they cycle the 12v more.

 

[brkaus]

My car had been driven regularly (90k miles, 6 years). Cold morning is probably the trigger.

They can leave the DC to DC on, but the only bad case is if the 12v battery develops a short.

 

[Droschke]

It shouldn't really leave you stranded anymore. The inverter just stays on now if the 12v dies completely. I've totally disconnected the 12v from the car and it doesn't turn off. It actually says 12v disconnected and to reconnect it on the screen. I didn't drive though.

Not that it has happened to me, but I think I read here in the forum that when the 12v dies you can't even unlock a locked car to gain access inside.

I didn't drive though.

That's being stranded, agree? (for now, I've left the windows open)

Do you leave the car parked for extended time? My car was parked 45 days when it happened and I have a very low mileage car for it's age. Tesla tech told me the 12v lasts longer on the high mileage cars because they are running on their inverters more. The low mileage cars are parked sleeping so they cycle the 12v more.

Yes, my car is regularly garaged for extended time. In fact it was parked and plugged in for 3 weeks till I got in and saw the low 12v warning. My 8 year old car currently has only 47k miles (see my sig) and the existing 12v was replaced proactively exactly 4 years ago but I've only put 5k on the car since then!!! I totally agree with what the Tesla tech has told you.

The low mileage cars are parked sleeping so they cycle the 12v more.

Definitely. My vampire drain has been between 6-7 miles per 24 hours in idle state. I attributed it to the MCU2 upgrade since the drain was only about 2-3 miles per 24 hours with MCU1 (with the same existing battery). I'm curious to see if the drain will decrease after the new battery is installed next week.

 

[cbdream99]

From experience last year, if you have a SC nearby, you can drive over there and ask them to change to battery for you, no appointment is needed but you do have to make sure they have the battery. I wouldn't try ohmmu, I tried last year and two days later got warning with low battery warning, there is a long thread regarding 3 with ohmmu and I am not convinced it is completely solved. Support is NIL - nothing, I asked for a refund but nothing, Jason from Ohmmu has several exchange in PM but going nowhere. It is sitting on my floor now, $400 paper weight.

 

[Droschke]

My car had been driven regularly (90k miles, 6 years).

Yes, that's another example of prolonging the 12v battery life by driving more. But again, my existing 12v battery with the low voltage warning lasted exactly 4 years with only 5k driven. Not bad I'd say, even with such a low usage.

I must also say, what Tesla charges for 12v battery replacement is highly inexpensive in comparison to other manufacturers. Don't you think?

 

[Droschke]

From experience last year, if you have a SC nearby, you can drive over there and ask them to change to battery for you, no appointment is needed but you do have to make sure they have the battery. I wouldn't try ohmmu, I tried last year and two days later got warning with low battery warning, there is a long thread regarding 3 with ohmmu and I am not convinced it is completely solved. Support is NIL - nothing, I asked for a refund but nothing, Jason from Ohmmu has several exchange in PM but going nowhere. It is sitting on my floor now, $400 paper weight.

Yes, just going to a SC can be an option. My SC is far and very overcrowded with cars. Not enough SC's in areas with lots of Tesla cars and I can't blame the SC for it since it's a corporate issue. What I blame the SC for is the total lack of communication with the customer.

Ohmmu wasn't an option for me, partially due to the feedback such as yours and that the DIY on my 2015 RWD is too taxing for me.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

I’m still on my original battery. It’s over six years old now.

 

[brkaus]

I’m still on my original battery. It’s over six years old now.

There you did it. I was thinking the same last week

 

[George I]

When my ~5.5 year old needed a new 12v batter last year Tesla service sent a ranger (aka mobile service) to come out & replace.
Was told that the low battery warning is conservative (ie warns early) and that you can safely get a few months use out of it if not half a year plus.

 

[Lasttoy]

I got error about 4 years ago. Got new battery, kept it here. Finally it went, I changed it.

 

[squaredcircle]

I also just got the alert recently.

While it’s comforting to read that I won’t be stranded if it does indeed fail before I can change it, it is frustrating that certain features like dashcam are disabled.